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1 of 3 Premium Clicks used this month SUBSCRIBE Print + Online Subscriber Activation | Register x Forgot Password | Need an Account? e-edition | subscribe | newsletter | deals Home News Latest Stories Missing teen Hannah Thomas-Garner found safe Public Meetings: March 9-13 Since You Asked: What are those wetland creatures in the creeks? Exercise helps special-needs kids adjust to airport procedures Emergency services, March 8 Crime, Courts and Emergency Services Emergency services, March 8 Jackson County searchers looking for missing man Emergency services, March 7 Emergency services, March 6 Arkansas man arrested for robbery in Medford Politics and Elections Ex-Merkley aide chosen as Oregon secretary of state Ashland: Budget increase, swimming pool funding discussion on council agenda Judge upholds Phoenix's moratorium on medical marijuana dispensaries Ballots on Jackson County marijuana tax go out Friday Brown's inauguration brings hope to local lawmakers Education Willow Wind students raise money for water District considers options to keep school tracks open, safe Ashland School District learns why its anti-bullying rating was low Ashland district rethinks transfer approval process MSD to save taxpayers nearly $10.5 million by refinancing Environment Catastrophic wildfires expected in Southern Oregon this summer The new normal under climate change? 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Guest Opinion: Bill would shore up legal aid funding Lifestyle Latest stories Pet of the Week: Sunday, March 8 SOUTHERN OREGON JOURNAL: Beware the vacation club sales presentation 'Robotic Alice' as a future caregiver Growing Gardens, Growing Communities When silence gave way to noise Food Community blog: Airy mousse rivals ease of pudding from a box Page Onorato: Please don’t take my Goo Goo Clusters away Season Stepp: Celebrate Pi Day with these tasty pie recipes Tammy Kelly: Bring back the potatoes Pantry pride Home and Garden Dear Monty: Home seller seeks to start bidding war Paul Rogers: Looking for signs of new life Home Help: Enhance your home-office experience Specialty painting adds wow to your walls Dear Monty: Home seller questions agent ethics Health Dr. Murray Feingold: Cognitive-behavioral therapy shown to help hoarders Dr. Jeff Hersh: Gallstones affect 25 percent of American women Health Watch: Get prepped for spring break HealthStyle: Marriage care and maintenance Community blog: How I Became Radical: The Power of Acceptance Hiking Biking Faith More religion events in the Rogue Valley Religion Briefs Religion briefs, Feb. 27 Religion briefs: Friday, Feb. 20 Religion News: Pope makes surprise shantytown visit Milestones and Achievements Exercise helps special-needs kids adjust to airport procedures Engagement: Workman-Wright Anniversary: Hofer New arrivals: Sunday, Feb. 8 Columnist for a Day Rogue Healthy Aging Tempo Latest stories Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Live Music in Local Clubs Darrin Wayne steps to the plate at Rising Stars Alice DiMicele plays the Unitarian Fellowship Southern Oregon University Wind Ensemble to present 'All American' Theater TMTO's 'Bye Bye Birdie' takes flight Brava! Opera presents classic Mozart and Poulenc Review: 'Fingersmith' a twisting thriller with love TMTO presents 'Bye Bye Birdie' 'Guys and Dolls' a sure bet for dazzling entertainment Music ZEPDRIX! at the Historic Ashland Armory The Bee Eaters play Headwaters Ladysmith Black Mambazo plays the Craterian Theater Live Music in Local Clubs Darrin Wayne steps to the plate at Rising Stars Community Events Ashland's First Friday Art Walk showcases new exhibits by regional artists Jesse Lawson and Joe Moxley host 'Barkeeper' Third Fridays showcases local artists Southern Oregon Rod and Custom Show Dining Sakura Japanese Sushi Restaurant opens in new location Restaurant Inspections: Sunday, March 1 Great Outdoor Grill offers healthful options Restaurant Inspections: Sunday, Feb. 22, 2015 Saigon Xich Lo Vietnamese cuisine Tempo Videos Classifieds Jobs Autos Real Estate FEATURED » Obits Blogs TV Listings Movie Listings Oregon Outdoors Oregon Healthy Living Magazines/Special Sections Business Services NEWS NOW Missing teen Hannah Thomas-Garner found safe ... Our View: Driving voter turnout is no sure thing for Oregon ... Gold Hill mayor rethinking city hall cameras ... Missing teen Hannah Thomas-Garner found safe ... Our View: Driving voter turnout is no sure thing for Oregon ... Gold Hill mayor rethinking city hall cameras ... ASHLAND Malawian inspires Ashland kids with ndizotheka — 'it is possible' Comment By Daniel Newberry for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Daniel Newberry for the Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 15, 2014 at 12:01 AM By Daniel Newberry for the Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 15, 2014 at 12:01 AM » Social News Godfrey Masauli stood in front of a rapt audience of Ashland High School students earlier this month delivering the impassioned speech he has given many times in many countries. "I told them of the struggles I had, the challenges I faced, and the belief of achieving my dream, even not knowing how it was going to happen," says Masauli, a 25 year-old man from the east African country of Malawi. In a short three years, Masauli has gone from barely surviving — collecting firewood for pennies — to becoming an internationally recognized motivational speaker and champion for education. His message is clear: You can achieve your dream, but only if you persevere in your pursuit of a high school diploma. Masauli was almost a dropout himself. Beginning as a small child, he would often run away from school. During his truant hours, he would kill and eat field mice to supplement his inadequate diet and while away the time. Inevitably, he would be dragged back and whipped for his efforts. "School never made sense to me," he says. "I never had a reason, never had a dream." One day, his uncle rescued him from a beating and took him to an airport near Malora, the village where he grew up. He touched an airplane for the first time and was hooked. "He said, 'If you really want to fly, you have to stay in school,'" Masauli recalls. Returning to school with renewed zeal, Masauli graduated. Over the following seven years, he got discouraged. With his meager earnings, he calculated he would be 105 years old before he could save enough to afford flying. But then, he was blessed with serendipity. Canadian filmmaker and paraglider pilot Benjamin Jordan was traveling through Malawi and crossed paths with Masauli. They struck a bargain: Masauli would be the tour guide if Jordan would give him flying lessons. Because Masauli lives in a flat area, his early paragliding training was spent simulating flights from the ground. One day he couldn't wait any longer and climbed 6,000 feet up his country's highest peak, Mount Mulanje, and ran off the mountain. "I jumped off with the paraglider that I've never seen fly before, and I had to teach myself in the air, and hope that this paraglider would fly over the trees and carry me safely," says Masauli. "I was scared and excited at the same time, but being my only opportunity, I just did it afraid." He became his country's first paraglider pilot. The young Malawian soon began flying into schoolyards to inspire schoolchildren, none of whom had ever seen a paraglider. Masauli appeared to them as a mythical being. He hammered home his message of following dreams and staying in school. "School dropout rate is about 74 percent in Malawi, I think because kids are not inspired," Masauli says. "That was the situation I was in." Jordan produced a film in 2013 about Masauli's journey and dream, titled "The Boy Who Flies." The film subsequently was a finalist at the La Rochelle International Film Festival. It has been shown to packed venues around the world, and has provided Masauli the exposure that would lead him to give a TED Talk and speak in front of the United Nations. "We screened the film at the Unitarian Church in Ashland a year ago November and it was packed," says Kevin Lee, Ashland resident and longtime paragliding instructor. Lee sponsored Masauli's trip to Ashland and is hosting the young man during his four-month stay here. If Masauli was going to fly safely and perhaps become an instructor himself, he would need proper training, something Lee could supply. An early part of Masauli's dream was to build the first paragliding school in Malawi, to help other young adults learn to fly. "His idea has matured over time," says Lee. "Everyone was pushing him down that road, 'Oh, you've got to be an instructor and a tandem pilot so you can make some money,' and it was a big weight on his shoulders." Masauli recently decided not to pursue the paragliding school idea. Instead, he will focus on trying to reduce his country's steep high school dropout rate. His new plan is to grow his nascent bracelet-making business to finance this newest dream. He is teaching schoolchildren in Malawi to make cloth bracelets embroidered with the name of the customer or with the word Ndizotheka. This Malawian word translates as "It is possible," his message to schoolchildren. Masauli is receiving business training in Ashland. His business plan calls for the children to make bracelets, sell them in markets or online. Masauli also serves as a salesman for the children, selling their bracelets for $10 each. Proceeds go to purchase notebooks and uniforms, items he hopes will help keep the children in schools, and to buy a paraglider to be used in his demonstrations in village schools. It all started with a dream. Ndizotheka. Daniel Newberry is a freelance writer living in the Applegate Valley. Email him at [email protected].   By Daniel Newberry for the Mail Tribune MailTribune.com By Daniel Newberry for the Mail Tribune Posted Dec. 15, 2014 at 12:01 AM » Comment or view comments Reader Reaction » STAY INFORMED Email NewsLetter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. calendar Connect with MailTribune.com Facebook Twitter RSS Back to top Reader Services Reader Services Home Subscriptions Subscriber controls Contact us Submissions Photos Events Letters to the editor Corrections Announcements Obituaries Story ideas Since you asked Alerts Email Alerts RSS Feeds Text Alerts Advertise Media Kit Home Products and services Ad rates Advertising contacts Mail Tribune Daily Tidings The Nickel Shop Our Valley Blogs Stay Informed Email newsletter Sign Up Today Sign up for our newsletter and have the top headlines from your community delivered right to your inbox. 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