One of my favorite moments to date was receiving an email from a co-founder of The Adventure Project, Jody Landers, thanking me for contributing to the cause. In the same email, I learned that she had already purchased a Hakuna Matata sweatshirt and wears it all the time. I didn’t even know one of my beloved customers was a founder of one of the causes I support! I was elated, and couldn’t help but bug her for an interview on my blog.

The Adventure Project // Photos By: Esther Havens

She graciously obliged, and below are her answers to my questions:

What is the mission behind The Adventure Project?
We consider ourselves and our supporters, “Add Venture Capitalists,” raising funds to support the best social enterprises serving those in extreme poverty. Our funds fill what is called the, “Pioneer Gap,” a time when entrepreneurs have a viable business model, but lack the funds to take their enterprises to scale.

How does The Adventure Project reinvent how we give?
The Adventure Project is different than typical “charity” in that we are investing in jobs. There are no hand-outs. Rather we are committed to creating the opportunity for families to lift themselves out of poverty. We are essentially combining generosity with smart business models.

The Adventure Project // Photos By: Esther Havens

Tell me about your trip to Liberia. How did you and TAP Co-founder Becky Straw cross paths?
I did some volunteer fundraising for another organization, charity: water. Becky was working at charity: water as their Water Programs Director. When they invited me to Liberia to see the projects we had funded, Becky met me there to show me their work. We spent many hours in the back of an SUV traveling into rural Liberia. An unlikely friendship began over discussions about the most effective ways to end poverty.

The Adventure Project // Photos By: Esther Havens

Of the four causes The Adventure Project supports (Water, Environment, Health, Hunger), does one hit home with you the most?
They all hold a special place in my heart for different reasons. Water was the beginning for both Becky and I and we always feel like we are returning “home” with it. Environment was The Adventure Project’s first campaign and there are all sorts of fun “start-up” memories with it. Hunger for me was the most shocking and unexpected. The first day I spent in the field in Kenya with the farmers using the irrigation pump was the most hopeful day I have spent in Africa yet. And Health is very, very personal to me and my family. It is the fulfillment of a promise made when we adopted our two youngest children from Sierra Leone. Their birth mother died giving birth to them in an ill equipped hospital. While accepting the privilege of being their mother, we made a commitment to labor toward a world where the adoption of orphans is not necessary. The Health campaign works directly to prevent maternal deaths and to me is part of fulfilling that promise.

If you could have one super power, what would it be?
This is horrible, but sometimes I wish I could be invisible. As an extreme introvert, and the mother of 6, being able to disappear for a few minutes would be nice.

The Adventure Project // Photos By: Esther Havens

What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve done?
I think the lifelong journey of adoption is probably the most adventurous thing we have done. The world that it opened us up to and the transformation that these two children have brought to our lives is an intense and miraculous adventure.

Thank you Jody for taking the time to answer these questions, and for everything you do to serve others in need! I think I speak for many when I say that you are inspiration and I feel blessed to be able to help you in your mission. The world needs more people like you!

To learn more about The Adventure Project and how you can support their efforts, visit www.theadventureproject.org.