These giraffes are watching each others backs. They are working together to create safety and security for the herd. Giraffes inspire our work with communities. We have found that when organizations dump resources on a community school and then leave, change is not sustained. We are different in our ability to mobilize the communities we work with. We listen to them with empathy and compassion. We work together to create a sustainable plan that captures the dreams and longings of a community. We gratefully accept the offerings of the community, then we marshal resources, find partners and provide tools for the community to achieve their dreams. We often work on a five year plan that includes: making schools violence free, addressing physical needs of sanitation, overcrowding. We provide teacher training, and build on our cultural heritage. We have been working with communities for a while to build these relationships and hope they will continue for a lifetime. It gives us so much energy and excitement for this work when we go into classrooms and students are happy to see us. In that moment we can almost see our bright future.