In Conversation With: Richard Ross

Richard Ross is a social entrepreneur and fundraiser. Inspired by his work as a Peace Corps volunteer in Senegal, he founded an enterprise to provide street children with a means to survive without begging. Richard is currently doing humanitarian work with war-affected communities in the Central African Republic with the International Rescue Committee. Read how Richard got started, where he’s headed, and his advice for HWRHS students looking to make a difference.

1. Please describe the different projects with which you have been involved. What are their missions? What inspired you to become involved with them? What have been your greatest accomplishments and challenges to date?

Spending over three years in one of Senegal’s largest cities, I structured my Peace Corps service around a pressing issue and became known among my colleagues, the US Embassy, and within the community as an innovative project leader for the thousands of barefoot boy beggars known locally as “Talibe”. I led various alternative-income projects with the aim of imparting skills and greater self-worth to empower these vulnerable boys and reduce their need to beg, moving towards greater economic and social integration. By creating an urban gardening workshop, I designed and implemented a practical French curriculum, still in practice today, that trains Senegalese social workers to teach Talibe to grow mint and lettuce in abandoned tires. I spearheaded the first annual Talibe Soccer Tournament in Northern Senegal— an ongoing tradition every April that recognizes this marginalized group and provides them a rare chance for organized competition. Yet, my most lasting achievement has been the project I led that trained former Talibe to repurpose discarded grain sacks as colorful, handmade tote-bags for US market. This undertaking, which draws on skill training, recycling, fair-wages, and West African aesthetics gave birth to a product of now-proven sales potential—a colorful, versatile tote-bag.

Upon returning to Massachusetts in the summer of 2012, I sought a means to carry forward the goals that had taken shape while in Senegal. I conceived and created a unique retail business that would sell ice cream but also develop into a platform to promote and grow the production of the tote-bags as a social enterprise, known as K.I.S.S (Kindly Inspiring Sustainable Solutions). The proceeds from the totes, totaling nearly $20,000, have been reinvested into the services of Taliberte, a grassroots NGO that specializes in healthcare, literacy, recreation, and skill training for urban Talibe in Senegal’s northern regional capital, Saint Louis. The mission of K.I.S.S. on the Neck was best summed up with our memorable slogan: “Satisfy the Sweet-tooth, Encourage the Do-good."

During 2013, I launched a crowdfunding challenge on the internet to “joggle” (i.e., run, while juggling three balls) the Paris Marathon, through which I personally raised more than $4,000, again for Taliberte in Senegal. 'The Joggling Project', as it would become known, was a first of its kind, cleverly combining an attention-grabbing athletic achievement with a humanitarian cause.

2. What advice can you give HWRHS students about how they can make a difference in the world and find their careers and passions?

Making a difference:

Go out of your way, both at home and in other parts of the world, to build new friendships. The process whereby a stranger becomes a friend demands a rigorous exchange, but if you’re serious about effecting positive change in someone else’s life, it is undoubtedly the most clear-cut approach to be trusted and 'given the floor'. Your friendship with someone, most importantly, cultivates empathy—the eyes into which you view their world, assess their needs, troubleshoot practical solutions but most of all, come to understand their priorities and their passions. I’ll never forget when I first arrived in West Africa. Women lined the highway, selling the same exact variety of mangos side by side—so close—you didn’t know whose mangos were whose. Never did it occur to them to separate in order to seek out a less competitive territory. Over time, as I became more personal with several of these mango-sellers, I'd feel more confident questioning their sales strategy— suggesting that a change in location would increase their market share and perhaps boost profit.

Such ludicrous logic added to the confusion and magnified my lack of empathy. Among such a tight-knit group of friends, they made it clear: why on earth would they want to remove themselves, to sit in the hot sun and pass the day all by themselves? Without their husbands around, a few extra dollars meant little. Warming up to me, they would half-joke, 'there are far too many juicier things in this village to gossip about than fruit'.

As it turns out, your solution may not be their #1 priority.

Careers and Passions:

Locally, the possibilities to touch a person’s life abound. We are blessed to live in such a diverse country with limitless opportunities to learn about other people, cultures, and upbringings. Go out and befriend a person who has recently arrived to the US. From Central America to Somalia, Cambodia to Cape Verde, immigrants have fascinating stories, so much to share and in this unfamiliar, fast-paced land, they have plenty to learn.

Globally, we are fortunate to be welcomed in so many other people’s backyards. Despite our wobbly reputation in the world, Americans still have more access to affordable travel, the chance to obtain a passport and to apply for foreign visas than most other nationalities in the world. Reposition your path by taking advantage of immersion programs, such as study abroad, Fullbright, and the Peace Corps. In the meantime, save up, take a gap year, and travel. If you’re interested in pursuing an international career, the more countries you’ve experienced, the better informed your decisions will be in college about language, regional-focus, and selecting a major.

As far as finding your passions, perhaps consider my mango-selling friends above. As they impressed upon me, measure how you spend each day not by opportunity cost, but by its true value.

3. What can we look forward to seeing from you in the future?

After running K.I.S.S. for two years and interning at the UNICEF headquarters in New York City, I recently let go of the West and returned to my favorite continent. Far from the peace and tourism of Senegal, I will be learning the ropes of an emergency setting in the Central African Republic (C.A.R.) amid the shifting threats of internal conflict and insecurity. I will be joining hands with a highly respected international NGO, founded by Albert Einstein in the 1930’s, known as the International Rescue Committee. Based in a rural office, I will be the Economic Recovery Development Manager for the North-West Region of the country. Due to several years of violence that forced hundreds of thousands of people to flee their villages, much of the displaced population is no longer growing their own food. I will be working alongside the United Nations World Food Program to distribute life-saving provisions to communities in desperate need. In addition, I will be brainstorming with a local staff to jumpstart various economic activities, especially among women’s groups, that for reasons related to war, have diminished in focus and momentum. It is sure to be my most enduring professional challenge to date, in Africa and in the US, but I am hopeful that my perspective gained in Senegal and my management skills developed through K.I.S.S. will give me a very important leg-up. To learn more about my work in C.A.R., follow my posts on Instagram @TheUrbanJoggler

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