DIG is an Action Word – My Trip Back to Africa

October 7, 2025

I joined DIG’s very first field trip to Africa back in 2010, not realizing I was stepping into something just beginning to take root.

CATEGORIES Field Trips, Kenya, Priority Household Program

DIG is an Action Word – My Trip Back to Africa

Written by William Collison, an elementary grade school teacher, environmentalist (he has a Lorax tattoo), solo world traveler, long-time meager-but-faithful DIG donor, two-time trip-of-a-lifetime DIG Field Trip participant, and still (because the word “but” negates everything before it) a firm believer in the power of small groups of people doing kind things for other small groups of people—creating ripples that can move the world.

I joined DIG’s very first field trip to Africa back in 2010, not realizing I was stepping into something just beginning to take root.

That June, I met seven other travelers at JFK airport, bound for Uganda, and what became a trip of a lifetime, one that forever shifted my perspective.

At first, it was the chance to experience Africa that drew me in. But what stayed with me for years were the people, the gardens, and the heart behind it all.

On that first trip, I realized how different DIG was from so many other organizations I had encountered. DIG farmers weren’t passive recipients of aid; they were partners, shaping and leading the work alongside DIG.

One moment still stands out: a farmer proudly presented us with green t-shirts he had screen-printed by hand. Across the front, in bold letters, they read: “DEVELOPING IN GARDENING.” A small grammatical slip, yes, but also the perfect truth. DIG was still young, still developing, but already becoming something special because it was rooted in community leadership and the belief that lasting change only happens when people are invested in it themselves.

That experience convinced me that DIG was different.

For nearly twenty years, I carried that first trip with me, telling the stories whenever I could and supporting DIG however I was able. Part of me always wanted to join another field trip, but I convinced myself nothing could ever top that once-in-a-lifetime experience.

Still, year after year, I gave what I could on a teacher’s salary, valued the friendship I had built with Sarah, DIG’s Co-Founder, and shared DIG’s story wherever I went. And eventually, I realized: I didn’t need to wait another 15 years. It was time to see for myself how far DIG had come.

When I returned to Kenya in August 2025, I realized I had been telling the same story for years, the “origin story”, the “first chapter.” But since that first trip, so many new chapters have been written. I saw the growth of the Farmer Field Schools, the launches of the Indigenous Foods Preservation Project, Priority Household Program, and the milestone of DIG KENYA becoming its own registered NGO. What struck me most, though, was what hadn’t changed. Even as development trends shifted, DIG’s approach remained the same, rooted in listening, in trust, and in communities leading their own transformation.

That growth reminded me of another moment in Kenya, one that helped me understand how much my own perspective had changed, too. Back in 2010, while on safari, I saw the Big Five of Africa, lion, leopard, rhino, elephant, and African buffalo, during a whirlwind four-hour, check-the-checklist experience. It was mind-blowing, everything my ten-year-old self had dreamed of. I even saw Elsa, the lioness from Born Free, not the one who sings Let It Go.

In contrast, last August, we spent 45 quiet minutes listening to our guide describe the vital importance of a deserted six-foot termite mound: its role in soil health, habitat connectivity, and the delicate balance of life it supports. A termite mound! And I loved every moment. That pause, that deeper understanding, was my new version of DIG. It reminded me that what DIG does best is slow down, look closer, and see what’s happening beneath the surface, how small things connect, strengthen, and sustain the whole.

Now, this is my updated version of DIG.

DIG isn’t flashy. DIG isn’t a checklist. DIG spends time with the marginalized, builds connective relationships, and becomes an intuitive part of its communities. DIG’s commitment has remained steadfast over the years: hands-on support, community involvement, and sustainable practices. While trends move toward modern, hands-off, technology-driven solutions, DIG continues to prioritize local knowledge and deep relationships. That grassroots approach fosters genuine connection and lasting change.

DIG doesn’t go wide. DIG goes Deep. DIG is an action word.

One Grandmother, One Garden, One Powerful Transformation

In Kotoro village, a grandmother’s determination turned struggle into possibility. When baby Tilly arrived underweight, her young mother, still in school, turned to her own mother, Pamela, for help. With a small plot of land and even smaller harvests, Pamela faced the same challenge as many caregivers across rural Kenya: how to nourish a child when there’s barely enough to go around. But through a partnership with the local hospital, Pamela was introduced to DIG, and that’s when everything began to change.