Picchu this summer can help children in developing countries.
Childreach International is offering similar opportunities for
University students to travel abroad to help improve health care,
education and child-protection rights in developing areas.
The two challenge trips — a trip where participants must raise
thousands of dollars to attend — offered this summer are traveling
abroad to Tanzania and Peru. Amanda Leibovitz, director of fundraising
for Childreach, said the trip is an amazing opportunity for young
adults to reach out to those in need.
Leibovitz said the trip is appealing to students because only $250 is
contributed out of their own pockets. The rest of the costs —
including traveling, accommodations and food — are accumulated by
fundraising, with 50 percent of the funds going directly to the
community project. Most of the projects focus on keeping children in
the education system through building schools and vocational training
centers.
Childreach also has what they call a Future Builder program, which
takes 14 students abroad to help construct or renovate a specific
project within a developing community. Leibovitz related this trip to
something like what the organization Habitat for Humanity does.
Laura Snyder, senior in LAS and an on-campus intern for Childreach,
has been marketing and promoting the opportunity across campus. She
said working with Childreach has been a very rewarding experience.
"I'm hoping to go on one of the trips myself in order to get that
personal growth and reward this summer," Snyder said. "And not only
does it personally feel good, but it feels great that my work is going
toward the children in third-world countries to better their lives."
Caitlin Miles, junior in FAA, said she has been looking for an
opportunity just like this one.
"I'm just really interested in helping people," Miles said. "I really
was interested in doing something to help children anywhere this
summer and I got an e-mail about this and I was really excited because
it's helping children and that's what I wanted to do."
Leibovitz said other universities they've been recruiting at have been
more receptive to the idea of offering college credit hours for this
study abroad opportunity. The University currently does not offer
credit, but she said that they still want to try and open that door
for University students.
"It's a great opportunity, for young people in America to go out for
not much out of their own pockets and get really involved in their own
community and to have that cultural exchange," Leibovitz said. "I
think it really makes for a well-rounded individual and gives them a
lot more opportunities in life."
Written by 2Machupicchu
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