I truly believe that I have a responsibility to my own children, to your children, and to the world’s children. We are all a part of the same collective village, and we have to take care of each other. MCR: The title of my book is based on the prolific African proverb “It Takes a Village.” I would love the next generation to live by this simple but necessary ideal – to reclaim it and do a better job than we are doing now. SP: What are your thoughts on social responsibility that you want to pass on to your generation, and to the next one? It was during this time that I knew the book was relevant and that it would have an audience if I took a leap of faith and wrote it. MCR: While I was a co-judge on “Oprah’s Big Give” a few years ago, people started to stop me in the street to tell me they wanted to give back but did not know how. SP: What prompted you to write If It Takes a Village? It has been a powerful blessing to my life to hear from people nationwide and to be a part of such an important discussion. Because people have seen me speak publicly about certain issues, NGOs, and my belief that we can all serve, I receive lots and lots of emails, phone calls, and letters from people asking me how they can make a difference. MCR: I have been in the non-profit field now for about 15 years. SP: Tell us a little about what brought you to the point of writing If It Takes a Village, Build One, and your background in service work. Malaak has devoted her career to helping others, and in her new book, she gives a blueprint to those who ask "I want to help others, but how?" We had a chance to talk this week about her new book, and she gave great practical advice on publishing in the non-fiction world. We also were part of negotiating the release of two children who are now in the care of Touch A Life in Kete Krachi, Ghana. We returned in March with representatives from her organization, Journey For Change, where we were able to introduce teenagers from New York to former child slaves in Touch A Life's programs. In January, Malaak traveled with me and the Touch A Life staff to Ghana, West Africa, t o see modern-day slavery on the waters of Lake Volta, where children are trafficked into the fishing industry to work 16-hour days for a master. She just released her first book, If It Takes a Village, Build One: How I Found Meaning Through a Life of Service and 100+ Ways That You Can Too (Broadway Books, New York, 2010). In th e course of my work with Touch A Life Foundation, I got to know Malaak Compton-Rock, noted philanthropist and wife of comedian Chris Rock.
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