RWANDA!!

Happy New Year!! Yes I know we are almost at the end of January, but its never too late to celebrate new beginnings! For those of you that know me, you know that I love to travel to new and exciting places. I believe that when we travel, we shouldn't just stay in nice hotels and do the regular tourist things, but we should meet the natives and give back as much as we can. This is the main purpose of this blog, along with my random musings. Well I have some really exciting news to share with everyone. Are you ready for this???!!!

I was selected to be a Global Health Fellow for my company, Pfizer Inc. As a fellow, I will have the opportunity to work with an International Development Organization to help them with their business and management needs. In this case, I will be working with The Earth Institute, Columbia University's Access Project, in Kigalia, RWANDA!!!! I will be based in Rwanda for the next couple of months working with the The Access Project as a Communications and Media Fellow. 

The Access Project works to improve the health of "impoverished people, communities and countries. In Rwanda, the Access model is applied to utilizing business and management skills to the public health systems, in order to increase access to life saving drugs and critical health services." -Access website. The sad reality is that most people in developing countries like Rwanda die relatively young, from preventable diseases such as malaria, tuberculosis and other neglected tropical diseases (NTDs). The goal of the Access Project is to improve the health of the people in areas where they wouldn't otherwise have access to healthcare. Once you have healthy people, you can then focus on not just lifting people out of poverty, but creating sustainable wealth for generations to come. Josh Ruxin, the founder of The Access Project as well as Rwanda Works, which applies the health, then wealth approach, is based in Kigali, Rwanda and regularly contributes to the Huffington Post, Forbes.com and New York Times. I am so excited to work with him and the teams of both The Access Project and Rwanda Works to bring stories from the field of people who have been helped by the over 79 health centers throughout Rwanda. 

Looking back, my journey to becoming a fellow and working in Rwanda, has come full circle. I initially started this blog, as a means to combine my passion for traveling with my need to be more socially responsible to the places that I travel to. One of the very first things that I posted was a song by Brooke Fraser, with the haunting lyrics, "Now that I have seen, I am responsible..." Its fitting that Brooke was singing about her trip to Rwanda and a girl named Albertine, whom she promises to never forget. Now as I prepare for my own trip to Rwanda, I ask that you lend your prayers and support for my fellowship and for the people of Rwanda.


For more information on the Pfizer Global Health Fellows program, please click here: Global Health Fellows

Rwanda is landlocked and located near DRC, Uganda, Burundi and Tanzania respectively.

A new dawn, Lake Kivu in Rwanda.

DISCLAIMER: I am an employee of Pfizer. The statements or opinions expressed on this site are my own and do not necessarily represent those of Pfizer.

TRAVEL ADVISORY WARNING!!!!

For those of you traveling in the near future to Europe, Australia, Africa, Asia and even the Americas, please be advised about a very serious threat to human life: Human Trafficking! It is a form of modern day slavery and it exists all over the world, as young women are sold into slavery everyday. The A21 Campaign seen below, details some of the injustices that are happening right now in the beautiful country of Greece. I know that Greece is on the top of my list of places that I haven't seen yet, and while the beauty of Santorini is something to be marveled at,  it cannot mask the ugly truth of human trafficking. We should continue to travel and see the world around us, but we have to see it with open hearts and minds. No longer can we travel to exotic places and pretend we don't see those suffering or in pain. You have been warned, once you see the truth, there is no looking back....

What's in the water??

In honor of Blog Action Day 2010, this post is dedicated to water, the highs and the lows of it.  From the cystal clear waters of the Caribbean Sea to the cold arctic glaciers that form around Alaska. We can't live without it, we swim in it, we ski on it but most of all we drink it. Anyone who's ever endured a hot steamy summer in the New York City, knows what it feels like to be dehydrated. That's when we burst open the fire hydrants and bask in the refreshing waters that flow from it. When water pours down our tongue quenching every thirst, its the sweetest taste known to man. Water was made for times like these and anyone who lives in a fairly developed country knows the joys of water.

Yet there are those who only know the anguish that comes water. Their water is different, it is filled with bacteria, debris, and feces. They bath, defecate and drink in the same water and never complain, because they don't have any other choice. I remember traveling to Haiti in 2008 for missions and working with the children from the ravines of Port-Au-Prince. Their water was murky brown and children played in it as if it was priceless gold they ran back and forth barefoot, bringing its brown stains into their homes. When we held the feeding program each day, the highlight of it was when it came time to pour the clean water from a donated well, into the cups the children were holding. Their smiles said it all; the water was good and they wanted more and more. Unfortunately it was more than we could give out and we had to turn some of the kids away. There was only so much water for each day's meal. Clean water as it turned out was a rare commodity.

The same was true a couple of months ago when I had the opportunity to travel to the Philippines on another missions trip. The sad part of it was that those of us who were from America couldn't drink the water that the locals drank. Their water was filled with bacteria and all kinds of toxins. I remember when one of my teammates accidentally drank a cup of fruit punch after it was made with the water, he was sick for two days. Not only did he run a fever and throw up constantly, but his body felt the "aftershocks" of the diseased water for days long after. Yet the people of this small town, drank it, cooked with it, and bathed in this same diseased water. The effects of it were seen on their rotted teeth and sallow skin. This was their water.

When I think back to these times and the people that I've met around the world who only know the kind of water that destroys the body, it makes my heart sad. I thank God every day that I live in a country where clean water flows from the pipe. As I drink it, I think about those who will never have this kind of water and although I can't physically go to every country and hand each person a bottle of clean water, there are many organizations out there that can. Through organizations such as Charity:Water and many others, millions of people around the world can experience the joys of clean water. Clean water no longer needs to be a rare commodity that only certain people can enjoy. It's a basic human right that needs to be shared, running over, filled to the brim from every village in Africa, Asia and region of this world. So to answer the question, what's in the water? We are in the water.  Our love for humanity that will compel us to donate, serve or do anything we can to make water a joy for everyone.

To find out more about how you can help, please visit Blog Action Day 2010.

Bloggers Unite!

Tomorrow October 15th is Blog Action Day 2010 and the issue at hand is WATER! I will be blogging about it and you should too!

BLOG ACTION DAY 2010

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MOVE THAT BUS!!!!

MOVE THAT BUS!!!!! Yes, its Sunday night and I am making the most of it by catching up with my favorite shows. I recently got a TV after a couple of months without one. Right now, my brain is on overload, because I am literally watching three shows at the same time. One of the shows, is Extreme Makeover: Home Edition. This week, its the Johnson family, two parents with five daughters, who live in a rotted out old house which leans when they are all in the same room.  The house was purchased for $3200 in the 1940s and the foundation has slowly eroded over the years, due to termite damage. After the family was sent to Paris for a week, (Oh-la-la), they returned home shouting "MOVE THAT BUS" and prepared to see their new home. 

When the bus moved, right in front of them stood a beautiful three story stucco house, complete with a runway for their five fashionista girls. I am in tears just thinking about what the family has had to endure over the years as they lived together in this house. Yet this is a family that has never stopped laughing or living their lives despite the circumstances that faced them.   This reminds me of the message today at church which was taken from Philippians  4:11-13. "Not that I was ever in need, for I have learned how to be content with whatever I have. I know how to live on almost nothing or with everything. I have learned the secret of living in every situation, whether it is with a full stomach or empty, with plenty or little. For I can do all things through Christ, who give me strength." 

Seeing the joy on the faces of the Johnsons is a reminder that we can be content no matter what happens in life. This family was joyful before the makeover because they had each other, after the makeover, their joy was multiplied because of the blessings they were able to share together. I know that I am guilty of looking around and seeing other people and all their "stuff" whether its material possessions or relationships and feeling discontent. But after seeing this show, its a reminder that no matter how little we think we have, there is always someone with much less than we have. There's that old saying about the man who was sad that he had no shoes, until he met the man with no feet.  Well the perfect antidote for discontentment is taking action and giving back. When you serve others who are disadvantaged, homeless, hungry, or sick, you have the opportunity to let them show you true contentment. Below is a link to ABC's A Better Community, which lists different organizations that you can volunteer with. So if you are truly feeling down or discontent, here's the opportunity to experience the joy of giving back. xo

A Better Community

Born In September? Win A Free Trip To Africa....

This has been a busy week on Facebook for birthdays and events. Thank God for Facebook in helping me remember all of my friends' birthdays. As I mentioned in the last post, every September, Charity Water rolls out the September Campaign, giving everyone born during this month a chance to help a developing nation get access to clean water. Well, it was announced this week that Will and Jada Smith have decided to partner with Charity Water this year and donate their birthdays to digging wells and providing clean water to a developing country in Africa. You can participate in two ways, either by donating specifically to their fundraising efforts, or setting up your own birthday campaign and getting your friends and family to donate. The top three fundraisers win a free trip to AFRICA in 2011 with Will and Jada.  Let the celebration begin!!!!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!



Will and Jada's Birthday Celebration from charity: water on Vimeo.

September Campaign...

One of my favorite things to do is to celebrate the birthdays of my family members and friends.  I had the opportunity to celebrate my good friend Amy's birthday last night. Amy is someone who has such a heart for people and ministry especially children. She tirelessly serves others at every opportunity she gets and so it was such a great thing to turn the tables for once and surprise her. It was a great night of laughs and good food. A few years ago, Amy participated in the September Birthday Campaign held by Charity:Water, in which she asked loved ones to donate clean water to an village instead of buying her gifts. Even through we are halfway through September, its not too late to be a part of the September Campaign. If you know of someone born in September or would just like to donate to a worthy cause, check out Charity Water for more information.