"More than a mere caricature of poverty, Voices provides the reader a personalized experience into the circumstances, conditions and social ecosystems that frame the lives of those within its cover.  The opportunity to gain a bottom-up perspective of these individuals as their stories echo through the pages, should be a reminder to us all of the value of the persistence of will, the ability to rise of above circumstances and need to see poverty as it were… one life at a time.” 

RONALD DUNCAN - ASSOCIATE DIRECTOR: mARKETPLACE lITERACY pROJECT

“Voices from Subsistence Marketplaces: East Africa offers readers revealing insights into the lives of East Africans who are doing their best to carve out lives of dignity and substance for themselves and their children…You will be amazed and inspired by their ingenuity and resourcefulness as they daily struggle to survive.”​

Thomas HANLON - President of Thomas Hanlon Creations 

“Voices from Subsistence Marketplaces puts a spotlight on individuals touched by the Marketplace Literacy Project.  These voices are inspiring.  Elijah’s story demonstrates how MLP can benefit individuals who in turn use the lessons learned to benefit other members of their communities.  This series is a must read.”

jOHN HEDEMAN - dIRECTOR OF BUSINESS LEADERSHIP AND BUSINESS HONORS PROGRAM
UNIVERSITY OF KANSAS SCHOOL OF BUSINESS

Perched atop the triumphant summit of Kilimanjaro stands a young man. A calm yet lively expression is spread across his face as his gaze travels over the boundless landscape beneath him. He has reached this summit many times before, yet his soul is still alive with the same thrill and vigor that this place has brought time and time again. This young man is Elijah. A Maasai warrior and a Tanzanian citizen. He, like the others found in this book, has lived a life full of exploration, adversity, and passion. Only now, have their stories been able to gain a wider audience. 

This book is about those like Elijah, whose voices are greatly limited by circumstance. They are individuals whom we have met in our work in various areas of east Africa. Their lives and provocative stories pull at the heart strings and serve to immerse us into an otherwise untold world. Whether it be refugees in the Nakivale settlement of Uganda, or rural pastoralist tribespeople, they deliver a unique perspective and lesson. Look through this window into their lives with Voices from Subsistence Marketplaces: East Africa. 
Steven is a member of the Marketplace Literacy Outreach team at the University of Illinois. His work focuses on immersion within the subsistence marketplaces space through various digital and written formats. 
​Masha studies Accountancy at the University of Illinois and conducts research under the supervision of Professor Madhu Viswanathan. She assists the MLP team with developing material relating to environmental sustainability in subsistence marketplaces. 
Madhu is the Diane and Steven N. Miller Centennial Chair Professor in Business at the University of Illinois. His research focuses on marketplace literacy, poverty, and subsistence marketplaces behavior. He is also the founder and director of the Subsistence Marketplaces Initiative and the Marketplace Literacy Project. 
Francesca is the Project Manager for "Investing in Maasai Women" at Oikos East Africa. Her project has directly led to the Marketplace Literacy Training of more than 7,000 women in Tanzania over the last three years.
Ramadhani Kupaza is the director of Oikos East Africa: a conservation and sustainable development organization. He is also a member of the Marketplace Literacy Outreach Team.
A special thanks to John Hedeman, Tom Hanlon, and Srinivas Venugopal for their work on Mariomo's story and the inspiration for this book: Voices from Subsistence Marketplaces

Discover

Marketplace Literacy Project
The Marketplace Literacy Project enable consumer, entrepreneurial, and sustainability literacy education to over 100,000 individuals and counting. The organization is at the center of the Voices for Subsistence Marketplaces ​network. 

Other reading

Voices​ from Subsistence Marketplaces: India
Voices form Subsistence Marketplaces India is the precursor to Voices from Subsistence Marketplaces: East Africa. Voices India follows the same format of Voices East Africa, capturing the stories of individuals in subsistence India. 

See our work

MLP Mexico
The marketplace literacy project has been expanding quickly into new regions and making ever greater impacts. Check out the amazing work by our Mexico team!

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