Izzy's service trip to Laos
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Hi, I'm Izzy and I am a 15 year old freshman in high school in Seattle WA. I want to thank you for giving me your time to explain what I am hoping to do with a little help from you! I would like to continue a trend I started last year of going abroad each summer to do community service work with children. I choose programs that are the most physically demanding and have the greatest impact on the communities I visit. I go with an orgainization called Rustic Pathways that has been serving communites around the globe for over 30 years.
Last year I went to Cambodia where we worked on building walls around the school and building a house for a family in the floating villages. We also worked with the children teaching them English and playing games with them (working with the children is my favorite part!) Our work helps make the environment safer and a little bit more livable for the children and families. While in Cambodia my eyes were opened by the children and the elders on how people can be so happy with so little. How we don't need a bunch of "stuff" to be happy. I loved that they would make a soccer ball out of a plastic bag and how everyone shared food to make sure that everybody had the same amount and they were all happy with what they got. They would drink and bathe in the same water that their waste went into. The kids would wear rags and old tee shirts until they literally fell off and even then they would tie them in knots to try to preserve them! Even though they are happy, they deserve better, everyone does. These children live in ways we would never be able to handle. While I spent 3 weeks there last summer living along side them I embraced their way of life because I knew when I got home I would be able to shower with hot running clean water, have a toilet, go to the gym, school and all of the other wonderful things we have here but these kids will be in the same place under the same conditions.
With our help we can leave them with a better way of life, a new school, new houses, a few toys or a new game to play, a huge smile while learning some english and maybe even cleaner water. I can only hope to change their lives a small amount of how much they have already changed mine. The children and elders I have met so far are extraordinary people and they deserve just as much as we can give. I want to represent the people of my country, America, as well as all others who live privileged lives to help but who can't themselves get over there. I want to show these amazing people that they are loved and thought about and that we do want to help them and that we do know they need our help.
This year I am going to Thailand on the most strenuous trip that Rustic Pathways offers to go into the outer villages to help build schools and houses and again work with the children. Then I want to connect from that trip to go to Laos to work on more building projects as well as work in an english camp for the children. While on this trip we will be staying with local families in the village living exactly as they do. Both the Thailand and the Laos trip are very demanding physically but I am more than prepared for the hard work required and MORE than that, I am willing to put in all of the above and more to help give these children and elders a little bit better and more secure life. I know that what we do while it seems small has a huge impact on them and really does change lives. I also plan to continue to help from home and eventually my goal when I finish college is to start an orgainization to go to places like this to set up solar power in their villages.
My trip last year to Cambodia changed me forever as a person. I was 14 and the youngest person on the trip. All I have wanted to do since returning from the trip is go back and help. It has made me view EVERYTHING differently and has set the course of direction for my mission in life, to help others.
Please help me help them. They deserve more than they have and I will make sure they get more than they have, from the little I do on this trip to my future plans I will help this world be a little nicer place and for the people in the villages I can help, a lot nicer place.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and for any help you can give I greatly appreciate it and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
xo,
Izzy
p.s. here is a picture of the soap my mom and I made and the packaging I painted and drew. The soap is really nice shea butter soap. It is a gift with donations over $50
Last year I went to Cambodia where we worked on building walls around the school and building a house for a family in the floating villages. We also worked with the children teaching them English and playing games with them (working with the children is my favorite part!) Our work helps make the environment safer and a little bit more livable for the children and families. While in Cambodia my eyes were opened by the children and the elders on how people can be so happy with so little. How we don't need a bunch of "stuff" to be happy. I loved that they would make a soccer ball out of a plastic bag and how everyone shared food to make sure that everybody had the same amount and they were all happy with what they got. They would drink and bathe in the same water that their waste went into. The kids would wear rags and old tee shirts until they literally fell off and even then they would tie them in knots to try to preserve them! Even though they are happy, they deserve better, everyone does. These children live in ways we would never be able to handle. While I spent 3 weeks there last summer living along side them I embraced their way of life because I knew when I got home I would be able to shower with hot running clean water, have a toilet, go to the gym, school and all of the other wonderful things we have here but these kids will be in the same place under the same conditions.
With our help we can leave them with a better way of life, a new school, new houses, a few toys or a new game to play, a huge smile while learning some english and maybe even cleaner water. I can only hope to change their lives a small amount of how much they have already changed mine. The children and elders I have met so far are extraordinary people and they deserve just as much as we can give. I want to represent the people of my country, America, as well as all others who live privileged lives to help but who can't themselves get over there. I want to show these amazing people that they are loved and thought about and that we do want to help them and that we do know they need our help.
This year I am going to Thailand on the most strenuous trip that Rustic Pathways offers to go into the outer villages to help build schools and houses and again work with the children. Then I want to connect from that trip to go to Laos to work on more building projects as well as work in an english camp for the children. While on this trip we will be staying with local families in the village living exactly as they do. Both the Thailand and the Laos trip are very demanding physically but I am more than prepared for the hard work required and MORE than that, I am willing to put in all of the above and more to help give these children and elders a little bit better and more secure life. I know that what we do while it seems small has a huge impact on them and really does change lives. I also plan to continue to help from home and eventually my goal when I finish college is to start an orgainization to go to places like this to set up solar power in their villages.
My trip last year to Cambodia changed me forever as a person. I was 14 and the youngest person on the trip. All I have wanted to do since returning from the trip is go back and help. It has made me view EVERYTHING differently and has set the course of direction for my mission in life, to help others.
Please help me help them. They deserve more than they have and I will make sure they get more than they have, from the little I do on this trip to my future plans I will help this world be a little nicer place and for the people in the villages I can help, a lot nicer place.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read and for any help you can give I greatly appreciate it and I thank you from the bottom of my heart.
xo,
Izzy
p.s. here is a picture of the soap my mom and I made and the packaging I painted and drew. The soap is really nice shea butter soap. It is a gift with donations over $50
Organizer
Lynette Vertoch
Organizer
Seattle, WA
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