dreams

I (Heather) have always been a person who dreams BIG dreams and I’m not ashamed or embarrassed about this, although often, people tend to think that I’m a bit mad... or that I’m being (and this is a word I really dislike)... unrealistic.

However, my dreams provide a compass for my life. I re-visit my dreams regularly, in order to continually remind myself of where I’m headed - and why.

I find it terribly sad when I meet people (and I’ve met many) who have no dreams for their lives, whatsoever. I can’t imagine how hopeless one must feel without a dream... a plan... a goal... a vision... a hope.

I want my projects to encourage and inspire people to dream! Of course, it’s of utmost importance that the dreams belong to them and are never the dreams that I have cooked up on their behalf. I would like my work and projects (like VENT!) to instil a sense of hope that dreaming isn’t “silly fairy tale fantasies” - rather, that dreaming is a vital component of the journey towards change and growth and that many dreams can - and do - come true!

In the picture above, Francis Njorge of Umoja, shows us an example of a “dream” in action. This large piece of calico contains the dream of a poor community from rural Kenya. They dreamed of a new way of living. They dreamed of growing their own food and raising their own animals. They dreamed of a good school for their children and a church in the centre of their community. They dreamed of owning their own land.

Many members of this community were illiterate (hence an illustration instead of a written “Plan of Action”)... but this simple piece of fabric... this dream... was their driving force.

Each week, community members gathered together to re-visit their dream, to plan and discuss ways they intended to make their

dream a reality.

Ten years later and this community is unrecognisable! Their dream was attained and even better - they did it using their own strengths and resources! They never needed to be “rescued” by outsiders - they just needed to recognise that they had the capacity to rescue themselves.

And they needed to dream...

dreams...

“May those of us who are involved in the peaceful struggles for human promotion bear this in mind always: It is good that our hands help the flight of the poor,
but may we never dare to
take the place of their wings”
(Dom Helder Camora)

“I have a dream...”
(Dr Martin Luther King)

stories / dreams / the arts / experiences