Frida Idesten

“When I tell people about Expanding Lives I get a classic reaction of admiration and agreement that our goal is important. Though I don’t seek to diminish this reaction, a part of me gets frustrated. There are many great organizations out there, so people create a default reaction toward all non-profits. However, there aren’t many groups that focus on proactive work like Expanding Lives does. We help our women help their own communities, we don’t do it for them. This is amazing because it’s sustainable. Compared to material aid, the knowledge passed on by our participants cannot disappear. Rather, it will last a lifetime and generations beyond. So the classic reaction frustrates me because nothing about Expanding Lives is classic, it is unique. I will do my best to tell people this until I get so good that they are forced to lose their default reaction and be as blown away by Expanding Lives as I am.”