Three Chicago men spark change in Zambia
BY LORI RACKL June 15, 2011 5:44PM
Spark Ventures co-founder Rich Johnson of Humboldt Park makes frequent trips to Zambia, where his non-profit is helping orphans and young children in Ndola.
Updated: May 9, 2012 9:34AM
A trip to Zambia proved so powerful for three Chicago friends, it changed their lives. And it’s still changing the lives of more than 350 Zambian children who now get food, medical care and an education with the help of a non-profit started by this trio of Chicago men.
When Rich Johnson, Scott Barbeau and Dan Marcus traveled to Zambia, they met a couple who had opened their home to orphans, many of whom had lost their parents to AIDS.
“We were inspired,” said Johnson, 41, of Humboldt Park. “We came back and decided to start Spark Ventures.”
The four-year-old non-profit has been instrumental in several projects, including the construction of a seven-room school in Ndola, a village in Zambia’s copper belt. This year, Spark provided a $100,000 low-interest loan to create a chicken farm whose profits are to be pumped back into the school and orphanage.
Spark holds fund-raisers in Chicago and offers a child sponsorship program for $25 a month. It also runs volunteer trips to Zambia — one is coming up next month — so people can meet the kids and get a firsthand look at the work that’s being done.
“We’ve had over 100 people travel to Zambia with us,” said Johnson, who quit his job at Chicago’s North Park University last fall to run Spark Ventures full-time.
Spark’s upcoming trip is July 17-23 and costs $1,200, which covers local transportation, meals, lodging and scheduled excursions. (Round-trip airfare between Chicago and Lusaka, Zambia, on those dates is about $3,000 on South African Airways.) You have the option of tacking on a two-day trip to Victoria Falls and Botswana for a safari for an additional $800, airfare not included.
“You not only get to experience some of the wildlife and scenery of Zambia but you get to meet these amazing people,” Johnson said. “You have dinner in people’s homes. Every day you’re around the children and teachers and house parents at the orphanage. You leave inspired, like you really can make a difference.”
For details on the trip, visit sparkventures.org or call Joann Chen at (773) 293-6710.
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