During my backpacking trip last year through the wonders of eastern Europe – I had seen a sign for Volunteer travel in a small, little office space. The sign caught my eye and the idea made an impact in my heart.
I knew I had to do it.
My friend Kristina and I will be taking off to Tanzania in January 2010 to do some good in the world. We’ll be volunteer teachers in a small village outside Arusha, and living with a family for several weeks -completely absorbed in the Tanzanian way of life and looking for ways to improve the lives of the children we meet.
While we hope to make a difference – we know this a small effort in a place that needs a lot of help. With that, we’ve decided we will be assessing the town to see where we could financially make a difference as well.
Some schools in Africa provide lunch for the children – usually this is the only meal the children eat each day. There are times where the funds are no longer available to keep this type of program running. Most schools do not have appropriate resources to teach properly, with no books, no pencils… We would like to raise money to hopefully help eradicate one of these unfortunate conditions and make life a little bit easier for the residents after we leave.
Africa has been calling my name for a while… whether it’s a sign from God or something else – I know there is a reason I’m going.
We may all be feeling the pain of this financial downturn – but this decision has reminded me that it is only in giving that we receive.
I was once told, that it is where we put both our money and our time that defines what we treasure in life. With that, I challenge everyone to ask themselves – whose got your heart?
Thanks to everyone who has supported me in this decision and to all those willing to help support this effort.
