What Have You Learned About The Region Of Darfur And The Country Of Sudan From Reading Wine To Water

NKU's Book Connections author talks nearly finding his passion—saving lives effectually the globe

By Maggie Fulmer
NKU Marketing + Communications intern

How does a modest-town bartender go from a life of liquor and Harleys to dodging bullets and providing emergency aid in Darfur, Sudan?

Enquire Md Hendley.

As a 20-something, ideological bartender who wanted to make a difference in the world, Hendley began property local fundraisers while educating himself on humanatarian crises effectually the globe. In 2004, he put words into action by traveling to Darfur to assist residents under set on from state-sponsored terrorists. Every 24-hour interval for a year, Hendley and his team worked with residents whose villages were under set on by Janjaweed terrorists bent on polluting and destroying local water sources.

During his fourth dimension in Darfur, two of Hendley'south team members were killed. When Hendley returned dwelling in Baronial of 2005, he brought with him both haunting memories and a clear mission to make sure that his non-profit Wine to Water foundation received the attention and funding it deserved.

Through NKU's Volume Connection program, Hendley's book about his experience, Wine to Water: How Ane Human Saved Himself While Trying to Save the Globe, will be read by all commencement-twelvemonth students in society to provide them with a unifying, showtime bookish experience.

We had the opportunity to speak with Hendley about his Wine to Water memories, his biggest challenges in Darfur, and what exactly he hopes first-year higher students will take abroad from his story.

Merely then on the other side of it is the business side of things. I don't accept a business organisation background. I don't know much about leading and system, just I've had to learn—sometimes trial-by-fire—how to run a business organization, how to hire and fire people, how do you deal with relational disharmonize within the system. And really sometimes that's fifty-fifty harder than dealing with the bodily physical conflict in war zones. I don't really understand why, but sometimes those types of issues are simply more hard to navigate. Merely I retrieve that's just the natural life-bike of an organization. Nosotros've done phenomenally well and nosotros've connected to grow. We have a great team and staff that really help.

What do you hope the NKU first-year students will take away from your story?

The biggest thing, easily downwards, is that when you take a graduating class of people, the people that get the near recognition are normally the peak 5 or 10 percentage—the dean'south listing people and the 'A' students. And they should be applauded—I would never want to take that away from them.

But in that location's also another huge chunk, vast majority of students, who are just normal. I was never a actually smashing student and information technology's not because I didn't similar school. I got a lot out of my degree and it's helped me now as I'm learning the business and how to navigate a non-profit. Merely I wasn't on the dean's list and I wasn't e'er an honor curlicue educatee.

A lot of what I want people to take away is that you shouldn't go discouraged if you're not number one or number two. Stick it out. The big thing I recall you want to expect for while you're in school, particularly equally you're but starting out, is finding that thing that drives you and makes you want to get up in the morning—the affair that you're passionate nigh.

I found my passion for h2o-related bug in my concluding year of school and it but changed every class that I took. I looked at everything through a completely different lense because I had this newfound passion. So I really encourage people not to become discouraged and not to wait at how fast everyone else is moving. Don't go discouraged if y'all are "average," because average people like me take the ability to take an impact in the world.

What are your future plans for Wine to Water?

Nosotros'll keep to grow overseas. Nosotros'll respond to every single disaster, just mostly major disasters like the ones in Nepal, Haiti, and the Philippines, where nosotros're able to have a really big impact. And we want to keep trying to reach equally many people as possible.

Only the large thing we're focused on for the future is giving every bit many people equally possible the opportunity to go out and experience for themselves what information technology's like to do this work. There'due south a lot of organizations that will say, "We'll take your donation and we'll utilise information technology and send y'all some pictures," only they never give that person the opportunity to really get and run into what is done with that money.

The reason I really desire to abound that side where people can come and get their hands muddied is considering once you're able to alive in that environment and meet these people it really changes your whole perspective on life. We've seen a lot of students that will come on a trip and so they'll totally change their unabridged management at their academy. They go back, they'll switch their major and they're excited and more pumped upward almost school than they've e'er been. We want people to have the opportunity to serve and to volunteer and then that'south going to actually be the focus for us as we grow. Instead of only giving coin nosotros want people to be able to give their time to beloved people and help people out in person.

What Have You Learned About The Region Of Darfur And The Country Of Sudan From Reading Wine To Water,

Source: https://inside.nku.edu/nkumagazine/2015/august/winewater.html

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