My desire to really help others have access to education really began last spring when I studied abroad in Tanzania, East Africa. This year more than 850,000 children in Tanzania should finish primary school, but the government has room for only 98,000 of them to start secondary school. There are children who will not have the opportunity to go to school although they have the desire to learn. The need for education, particularly in Tanzania, became very real to me as I visited different places. Children would come up to me, and instead of asking me for money, they would ask for pencils. While staying with a family my 7 year old home-stay sister wrote out words in Swahili and the English translation for the words. My homestay sister was so excited to share this with me and to help me learn Swahili. She was so happy that she knew these words in English that she had been taught in school.

While I was in Tanzania I read Greg Mortenson's book, Three Cups of Tea, which is the story about Greg’s adventures of building girl’s schools in Afghanitstan and Pakistan. Greg believes that the way to promote peace is through education. The transformation of a community and reconstruction of a nation starts and happens through education. I believe that education can truly change a society and that education empowers individuals. Everyone should be able to have access to education. Three cups of Tea really challenged me to take action and help others to have the opportunity to go to school. I became a Givology member because I saw the need for education in east Africa. I realized how privileged I am to have the opportunity to attend college. Givology has given me the chance to help children go to school, even though while still being far away in Richmond, Virginia. I am looking forward to what the Givology Spiders will accomplish in this New Year.

-Emily