Locations
Just a few short months ago, I received notice that my Projectline International Volunteer Travel Grant proposal had won me the opportunity to travel half way around the globe to a small village in northern Tanzania. Check out the article here. Needless to say, I was a little more than excited (flashback to me jumping up and down).
Since then, I’ve been busy with preparations. Preparing to travel half way around the world takes a bit of work. Gathering information for visas, lining up work permits, sorting out program fees and vaccinations, booking a five-stop-34-hour-one-way airline ticket, lining up a home for my obese feline-companion Rainbow (thanks, Dad!), and oh yeah… literally running like a crazy person to raise money and donations while training for my very first full marathon (yes, that’s 26.2 miles)! At over 400 miles of total training, you could say that these adorable kids at the Tamiha Orphanage have definitely inspired me to keep pushing myself along this whole journey.
With the marathon quickly approaching—this weekend, June 23rd—one journey will come to an end (hopefully with smiles across a finish line) just as another begins (with a trip to the other side of the globe) at the beginning of July! It’s not too late to make an impact yourself! Here are three quick things you can do to impact the lives of these children and women in need:
1.) Use the social media buttons above to share my story with friends!
2.) Donate on the Hitting the Pavement for Tanzania fundraising website. So far we’ve raised $1,000! What exactly will these donations do? $20 pays for an overnight stay at the local clinic, $150 provides 18 women who have HIV and their children enough food and cooking oil for one month, $470 will sponsor a child for one year to attend school (tuition, food, medicine, clothes, etc).
3.) Or if you’re in the Seattle-Bellevue metro area, email me at jessiem@projectlineinc.com (no later than Friday, June 29th) to drop off any of the following items that are desperately in need and I will personally deliver it to the Tamiha Orphanage:
- Food (power bars, protein powder, non-perishables, etc)
- Vitamins and basic medication
- Children’s clothes and shoes for ages 4-9 years (boys and girls)
- School supplies
- Laptops for education
If you need a little extra inspiration, here’s a video from a past volunteer to give you an idea of what I’m in for! Nothing like some smiling faces to brighten your day.
Whether you want to donate to the orphanage or just want to connect about your own experiences with volunteering, I’d love to hear from you. Drop me a note here or find me on Twitter @thejessiemorris.