Guinness Water of Life, 2005
The experience of living and working in Lagos, Nigeria–one of the world’s most inequitable societies–profoundly shifted my perspective. My curiosity for Lagos was sparked by Rem Koolhaas’ case study as part of his book, Mutations – Harvard Project on the City (2000).
My commercially driven remit was to significantly expand Guinness’ market in Sub-Saharan Africa. In so doing grew a personal appreciation and love of African cultures, plus the understanding of and respect for people who channel hope, even when marginalised by systemic inequity and injustice.
The challenges, including ‘resistant forces' can seem insurmountable. In helping to establish the Guinness Water for Life program– making available dependable, potable water where people can’t afford water tanks–came the learning that collectively, even at a relatively small grass-roots scale, meaningful impact can be delivered.
The motivation then became how, to help impact people’s lives more systemically. Which stakeholders are mission driven and specifically which types of programs can be scaled… hence–RockCorps.
Community Development Platforms
Water for Life Platform_West Africa : 2005
Social Impact + Resilience Projects
CEA Veterans Village Detroit_USA
CSEB cloister dome construction_India
Jack Fruit social enterprise_Brazil