Over the past few years, we have had a few passionate young people walk in our offices with enthusiasm, joy and passion to make a difference in the Horn of Africa, but not quite like Abby and Mia. Abby and Mia spent a good portion of their summer raising funds for people in need in the Horn of Africa, taking time to get together, prep, craft, plan and execute. To them this had become more than just a fundraiser, it was an opportunity to bond over something more than sports, fun activities, or hanging out. It was the idea of making an impact halfway across the world, and the experiences and values you develop along the way…Here is their story:
“We found this experience to be very important in developing good values and skills.”
Hello! We are Abby and Mia. We are currently 7th graders in South Minneapolis. After spending a unit in school focusing on Somalia and their culture we wanted to do something. When we learned about the famine, drought, and poverty so prevalent there, we felt that as we are so fortunate it’s our obligation to help those less fortunate. We began brainstorming ideas for how to do so, and focused in on wanting to help children in the horn of africa receive an education. We realized how fortunate we are to get a free education and wanted to help others get an education of their own. After researching organizations to assist us in our goal, we found ARAHA. We exchanged emails and met with them, appreciating their interest in our idea. We began fundraising by setting up stands and going to family and friends. Eventually we began selling bags we had sewn. We had a youcaring page set up and fundraising was going really well. Our beginning goal was to raise $1000. Mia’s grandfather was so generous as to offer to double our fundraisings, so we ended up raising $2286.32.
We found this experience to be very important in developing good values and skills. We are very happy with the work we have done and hope that others will be inspired to do similar work. This experience made us realize how privileged we are and how different the rest of the world is.
