From Arkansas to Africa
Donation protected
In the northeast corner of Arkansas, students at KIPP Blytheville Collegiate High School work hard every day to make sure they can go to college and live a choice-filled life. Living in rural America, most KIPP Blytheville students don't typically have the opportunity to travel or experience different cultures.
However, this year, three juniors are embarking on a journey of a lifetime to Entebbe, Uganda, in East Africa. Greg, Kayla, and Rakia will be traveling half way across the world to volunteer at the Mayalaka House (www.malayakahouse.com), a home for 40 orphaned and abandoned children and young adults. My students earned this opportunity by completing an application, participating in an interview, showing enthusiasm and gratitude for this journey, and displaying exceptional character and maturity over the past several years.
At the Malayaka House, Greg, Kayla, and Rakia will help young students with homework, build bonds with teenagers, assist the "aunties" (caretakers) with cooking and cleaning, work on small projects in the childrens' homes, and experience a culture completely different from their own. Besides learning the value of service work, this trip will also allow my students to expand their world view. This journey will prepare my students in a variety of ways for their transition into college. Being away from home, meeting people unlike yourself, and pushing outside your comfort zone are all important steps for any college-bound student, but their importance cannot be overstated for students from the Arkansas Delta.
In order to make this trip a reality, we need to raise $8,100 ($2,700 per student). Below is the breakdown of how the money will be spent per person. Fundraising is a critical piece to making this experience a reality, so I hope you will choose to support my very deserving students!
Flights: $1,600
Housing & Food: $340*
Passport: $110
Visa: $50
Vaccinations: $200
Tourist Activity: $200
Spending Money: $200
*The money spent on housing and food is actually an investment in the Malayaka House. The young adults who have moved out of the orphanage now manage a guest house next to the childrens' homes. This allows volunteers like us to stay close by, and it allows our young adults to earn a fair wage for work they care about.
FUNDRAISING DEADLINE: June 1, 2017.
Thank you so much for reading about my students and this incredible opportunity! Every donation helps!
UPDATE: Our fundraising goal has increased due to a few omitted or inaccurate costs - the daily rate for the guest house has increased, we did not originally account for the cost of malaria medication, and we have increased the spending money to reflect the cost of domestic transportation (taxis and bus rides).
However, this year, three juniors are embarking on a journey of a lifetime to Entebbe, Uganda, in East Africa. Greg, Kayla, and Rakia will be traveling half way across the world to volunteer at the Mayalaka House (www.malayakahouse.com), a home for 40 orphaned and abandoned children and young adults. My students earned this opportunity by completing an application, participating in an interview, showing enthusiasm and gratitude for this journey, and displaying exceptional character and maturity over the past several years.
At the Malayaka House, Greg, Kayla, and Rakia will help young students with homework, build bonds with teenagers, assist the "aunties" (caretakers) with cooking and cleaning, work on small projects in the childrens' homes, and experience a culture completely different from their own. Besides learning the value of service work, this trip will also allow my students to expand their world view. This journey will prepare my students in a variety of ways for their transition into college. Being away from home, meeting people unlike yourself, and pushing outside your comfort zone are all important steps for any college-bound student, but their importance cannot be overstated for students from the Arkansas Delta.
In order to make this trip a reality, we need to raise $8,100 ($2,700 per student). Below is the breakdown of how the money will be spent per person. Fundraising is a critical piece to making this experience a reality, so I hope you will choose to support my very deserving students!
Flights: $1,600
Housing & Food: $340*
Passport: $110
Visa: $50
Vaccinations: $200
Tourist Activity: $200
Spending Money: $200
*The money spent on housing and food is actually an investment in the Malayaka House. The young adults who have moved out of the orphanage now manage a guest house next to the childrens' homes. This allows volunteers like us to stay close by, and it allows our young adults to earn a fair wage for work they care about.
FUNDRAISING DEADLINE: June 1, 2017.
Thank you so much for reading about my students and this incredible opportunity! Every donation helps!
UPDATE: Our fundraising goal has increased due to a few omitted or inaccurate costs - the daily rate for the guest house has increased, we did not originally account for the cost of malaria medication, and we have increased the spending money to reflect the cost of domestic transportation (taxis and bus rides).
Organizer
Sarah Dewey
Organizer
Blytheville, AR
