Polly Green sound check with Jessie Stone


Jessie Stone with her assistant Jessica teaching a malaria education session. Uganda


Polly Green editing at the Nile Porch Uganda

Photos by Kate Donnelly

Nomads Credits
Nomads Screenings
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The Making of Nomads

The idea for Nomads originated in 2002 as Polly Green was traveling around the world with her kayak, competing and doing expeditions.
She bought a three chip digital video camera and around the world plane ticket and set out to make a movie. She began filming the women she met and started to develope her videography skills. She set out to make a film about women in kayaking who also were passionate about helping others.
The story began to evolve after teaming up with filmmaker Chris Emerick in October 2004.
He suggested she go film Whitney Lonsdale in Africa. Whitney was in Uganda with World Class Kayak Academy, a traveling high school that teaches students academics in foreign lands as well as training them to become top-level kayakers. Whitney and the World Class Academy kids raised $5,000 and helped build a sustainable art center, which educates local children about art.
Polly went to Uganda to film Whitney in November of 2004. While in Uganda, Polly reconnected with Dr. Jessie Stone, who she had known for years from kayaking competitions. Polly was immediately inspired by the work Jessie was doing in Uganda. Jessie created SOFTPOWER HEALTH a non- profit organization based on educating and preventing malaria in Uganda. Jessie also built a rural health clinic in Uganda.
Polly went to work teaching kayaking to raise money to go back to Africa. In October 2005 she went to Uganda and began filming with Jessie. Polly filmed Jessie for 3 months in Uganda, and in January 2006 they met up with Emily Jackson in Zambia.
In December 2005 Emily Jackson a 15 year old competitive kayaker and friend of Jessie’s came to Africa kayaking with her family. Emily raised a total of $7,000 through winning kayak competitions and private donations. Emily realized that the people of Africa needed the money a lot more than she did and donated it to help pay for a doctor for Jessie’s health clinic and to refurbish school classrooms.
Emily’s story fit in perfectly with the Nomads mission.
Polly completed filming in January 2006 and returned to the USA to do the final edit with Chris Emerick. Nomads is her first film.

To learn more about Jessie Stones project go to www.softpowerhealth.org