West Africa Internship

Hello,

Starting in February, I have the awesome opportunity to spend a couple of months interning in West Africa.

Many of you probably already know that I am nearly complete with my university degree: cross-cultural studies. This internship will be the final component before I graduate from Northwest University in May.

I am excited to spend a couple of months learning more about and experiencing more of West Africa from different perspectives and contexts.


{Quick background: Beginning when I was young, I have travelled with my father to Sierra Leone several times; spending most of my time in rural areas and villages.

It was in Sierra Leone that I first felt a perfect outlet for my desire for justice: particularly for the disenfranchised and powerless.

It was also through my time in Sierra Leone that I learned how to respond to the disenfranchised and powerless. When I was 14, I thought this meant that I would SAVE THEM ALL WITH MY HUMANITARIAN GREATNESS.

Fortunately, I soon learned that this was nonsense, and *I* would not be *saving* anyone. 

I do, however, have particular passions and skills and opportunities that make me able to be a learner, facilitator, and member of the community (wherever that community may be).}

My long-term dream is to work with disenfranchised people--particularly children--who are survivors of trauma (war and violence).

My hope is not to be a voice for the voiceless; but to let the voiceless speak for themselves. 

Every person has a story; if we cannot hear it, then we simply are not listening.


In my internship, I will be living in community with the people around me: learning and growing my own understanding and experiences.

I am definitely grateful for any support you are able to offer: money, prayers, and encouragement are all appreciated. 

DETAILS:
*All money will be used to fund my internship costs: flight, living expenses, program costs, and miscellaneous
(like visa and entry fees).

*I need most of the money before/by the first week of February. I know that this is late notice, but I have had some unavoidable issues with confirming an internship and I did not want to seek funding before knowing if I would actually be going anywhere.

*Exact program details will be forthcoming later this week (currently, I may be in either Cameroon or Sierra Leone). I do know that I will be leaving for an awesome internship in West Africa in February.

And, finally, possibly the most important question for many of you: Why would I give you money to travel and live in West Africa when I could just give money to people in West Africa?

Answer: I hear you! That is a great question. There are a lot of problems with things like volunteer tourism; particularly when it seeks to elevate the volunteer to some saviour position: coming in to forever change the lives of all the lowly, starving people.

I promise that I am committed to humility, to learning, and to respect. This internship is important for me, because this is what I want to do my entire life.

For me, it's not just two months of "helping" people and then leaving back to the real world.  This is important training for my future work and life. And, my use of your support will 100% reflect that.

If you have any questions at all, please connect with me on Facebook (where I assume most of you will be seeing this) or email me. I would love to answer any questions, or just chat about my plans/dreams.

With love and gratitude,
Megan