Nicaragua - Global Engagement Summer Institute

Dear Family and Friends,

I want to share with you some exciting news about my upcoming endeavors. I have recently been accepted to an internship program through the Global Engagement Summer Institute at Northwestern. In June of this year, I will be traveling to Tola, Rivas, Nicaragua to volunteer with the Foundation for Sustainable Development (FSD). This organization oversees initiatives that target agricultural, educational, microfinancing and health care programs. For me, this is an incredible opportunity to learn invaluable skills, use my Spanish language and contribute to an amazing program in this local community. (You can learn more about this program at the following websites: www.mycge.org and www.fsdinternational.org.)

I am extremely excited about this opportunity, but getting there won't be easy.  The cost of volunteering internationally is substantial: The training, placement, family home-stay, host organization grant, field support, airfare and insurance for the eight weeks program costs approximately $8000.  I am trying to meet these expenses through partial scholarships, my job at school and additional fundraising events, but I also need your help. Your generous contribution supports the FSD by providing them with a committed, enthusiastic, trained and hard-working volunteer--me!!

 To give you an idea of how I might use your donation:

·         $25 will cover 100 miles of my 2500 mile flight to Nicaragua.

·         $50 will cover the a fifth of the cost of the $250 Specialty Risk International health insurance.

·         $100 will  cover half of the seed grant to my host organization.

·         $200 will cover a quarter of the cost of the FSD home stay, which includes room and board.

·         $500 will cover a quarter of the cost of my training and field support.

I am hoping to set up a blog where you can follow my activities (it will depend on the availability of computer access and Internet), but I will definitely provide you with a detailed accounting of my experiences upon my return. 

Please support me and the Foundation for Sustainable Development. You can donate directly to me on this site (the account is in my mom\'s name, so you\'ll see her name under the description in the payment summary). If you prefer to donate by check, please make it payable to Northwestern University, and put my name and GESI in the memo line. Please mail checks to me at 1155 Northlawn Blvd., Birmingham, MI 48009 and I will forward them to the program.

Your support and encouragement, whether through financial means or otherwise, are always welcome.  I need to submit my payment by March 31, 2011. If you plan on donating, I'd appreciate your doing so by the end of March. Please feel free to get in touch with me if you have any questions, ideas, or if you know of anyone else who might be interested in supporting this project. Thank you for helping to make this extraordinary experience possible. I look forward to sharing it with you when I return.

Thank you and kind regards, 

Anna