I am going back to Africa this summer. It’s been four years since I was in Ethiopia, a trip that changed my life. I fell in love with Africa and the people over there and have wanted to return ever since.
I’m in my Junior year of college and trying to figure out my life… something I will be doing forever probably. I am a Health Promotions major and have thought about going into the Peace Corps or going to Naturopathic Medical school when I graduate. In the meantime, I want to take a couple months of my life and spend it with nobody I know, in a place that I may want to be for some longer period of my life someday.
Africa kind of brings me back to the simplicity and depth of life and I have a lot of respect for the people and cultures over there. I’m not going because I feel like I can contribute some kind of huge charity. I know that I have been given certain materialistic “advantages” in life that I can contribute and I am going because I want to help people… but, I also know that they can contribute meaning to my life and a sense of realness that I sometimes lose in our culture. I think that any kind of humanitarian work should be done in humility and with an attitude of respect toward whatever people you are working with. I realize that I will be serving them no more than they will be serving me.
I will be working with two different organizations while I am there. The first is called Iris Ministries and I will be working at a children’s center that serves as an orphanage, a hospital and a school. It is in Zimpeto, Mozambique and I will be there for three weeks. I am then going to Cape Town, South Africa where I will be working with an organization called Experiential Learning International. I will be volunteering there for four weeks at an HIV Aids orphanage. I'll be planning activities and doing various tasks where I am needed. At the beginning of my trip, before the internships start, I will be going on a week long safari from South Africa to Victoria Falls! I’m excited to enjoy some of the beauty of the continent I will be spending eight weeks in.
I am trying to raise support for this trip and in order to do that I wanted to do something more than just sending out letters asking for money… so I am painting pictures and going to sell copies of them. Any extra proceeds I receive will be donated to Iris Ministries and the HIV Aids Orphanage (Durbanville Children's Home).
I am leaving June 13th and returning August 13th, but will continue to collect proceeds throughout that time.
I'm Thankful for my family and friends who are being extremely supportive and helpful!
