As another school year starts up, I find myself slowly but surely falling back into the familiar routine that occupies August through May. This routine usually involves me groggily rolling out of bed after pressing snooze a few times on the alarm clock, attempting to make it to every possible sporting or social event, and staying up late to cram for a killer math test. As most privileged American teenagers, I sometimes think of school as a hassle rather than a blessing, as a requirement rather than an opportunity. The truth is, I get so caught up in the hustle and bustle of my own little microscopic world that I, mistakenly, block out the 7 billion people sharing this Earth with me.
Walk for Hope
I made it alive. I successfully finished my 100 mile hike in my goal of 8 days. The journey was not without trials, though. There were moments where I thought continuing was not an option and failure was a sure thing. Now, as I have almost recovered from the physical injuries, I am able to look back on my once-in-a-lifetime journey and see it for what it really was.
You Are Not Too Young to Change Your Nation: Obama’s Project to Empower Women
Just a pinch of sound logic is enough to realize that denying educational opportunities, justice, and equal rights to women oppresses approximately half of the world’s population. The oppression of women misuses the scarce resource that is human brainpower and vastly inhibits the possibility of prosperity for many developing nations. It’s an equation that does not add up. On the noble quest to end global poverty, we are casting aside the very individuals that experience it and could be empowered to contribute meaningfully to the solution.
Education and Girls in Niger
Nelson Mandela defined education as a weapon that can change the world; education is the most important way to measure civilization and the progress of nations.
Distance
It must be said that distance is a funny old thing. What we perceive as distant can vary by such great degrees that at times it can get a little ridiculous.
What You Don’t Know About Africa
See how the world would look if it was measured by its wealth. Read how modern slavery is defined and where it is concentrated. See the dramatic difference between North and South Africa.
Economic Development for Women in Niger: A Success Story
I’m happy to report that Wells Bring Hope’s water projects in Niger are all going well, all fully operational, putting an end to death and disease from contaminated water. 328 wells have been funded with four more to come within the week.
Around the World in 31 days!
I shouldn’t complain. I did a “dream” vacation to Raja Ampat, a remote area in northern Indonesia, flying west from Los Angeles, where, at your toe tips, is the best snorkeling and diving in the world. I spent 11 days on a 120ft boat with a small group and several times a day we plunged into a fantasy world of crystal clear water, pristine corals and exotic fish. After six days more of floating around in another paradise, North Sulawesi, it was time to get myself to Niger.
What Matters Is Sustainability
Charity on its own is not a bad thing. However, the problem with the term charity, as it is understood and conceived in the West, is that it often does not work in an international development setting; it does not realize, or address, the structural and physical insecurities underlying poverty in these areas of the world.
Schistosomiasis
Schistosomiasis (SCH) is one neglected tropical disease (NTD) endemic in Niger. SCH ranks second, only to malaria, as the most common parasitic disease and is the most deadly NTD, killing an estimated 280,000 people each year in Africa alone. Worldwide, more than 207 million people are infected, with approximately 85% of all cases found in Sub-Saharan Africa.
