About Me
I was born and raised by my mother in Fresno, California. I recently graduated from UC Davis with a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science and Management. Since graduation, I've been spending time volunteering and looking for things that are important enough to me to dedicate myself to.
While volunteering at the sustainability booth at a music festival in June 2011, I met Peter and Irene Keller of Aid Africa. They explained a bit about the issues Aid Africa focuses on and gave me their contact information. Long story short: I'm now getting ready and making preparations for my first trip to Africa!
While volunteering at the sustainability booth at a music festival in June 2011, I met Peter and Irene Keller of Aid Africa. They explained a bit about the issues Aid Africa focuses on and gave me their contact information. Long story short: I'm now getting ready and making preparations for my first trip to Africa!
About Aid Africa
Aid Africa focuses on providing life-sustaining knowledge and materials to the Acholi people in northern Uganda. Aid Africa has several different projects they focus on, which include distributing fuel-efficient cookstoves and building/repairing wells for clean drinking water. Find out more about Aid Africa here. Over the last four years, they have taken about 30 volunteers with them to Uganda. Peter Keller is the executive director of Aid Africa and my travel companion for this trip.
The video below explains more about Aid Africa and what they aim to accomplish...
About the Trip (condensed!)
I will be traveling with the Executive Director of Aid Africa from LAX to Entebbe, Uganda (layovers in both London and New York). We will travel to the Aid Africa office in Gulu, which is in the northern part of the country. The office is surrounded by a wall and has a 24-hour gateman. We will be helping the Acholi people in the surrounding villages. We will also visit the Pearls of Africa Orphanage in Jinja.
Update: A passport issue has postponed my trip a week and I will now be meeting Peter Keller and Aid Africa board member Julie Jacks in Uganda on April 25th. We will return to the States on May 23rd (Update 2: I extended my trip an extra 3 weeks, returning on June 13th).
FINAL UPDATE: I have returned home safely and had the most incredible time, words can't explain how this experience has changed my life. Thank you to everyone who helped me get there, and all the wonderful souls I met while on my journey. And I do have plans to go back!
Update: A passport issue has postponed my trip a week and I will now be meeting Peter Keller and Aid Africa board member Julie Jacks in Uganda on April 25th. We will return to the States on May 23rd (Update 2: I extended my trip an extra 3 weeks, returning on June 13th).
FINAL UPDATE: I have returned home safely and had the most incredible time, words can't explain how this experience has changed my life. Thank you to everyone who helped me get there, and all the wonderful souls I met while on my journey. And I do have plans to go back!