I'm 24 years old from San Juan, Puerto Rico. I went on a mission trip to Sudan last year and it completely changed my life. I worked at an orphanage in Southern Sudan and I fell in love with the kids, the Sudanese people, their culture, and their history.
I started a non-profit last week in order to raise awareness in Puerto Rico about what's going on in Africa. I'm planning my second trip to Africa for the end of this year and recording a documentary while I'm there too.
I'm very passionate about Africa and I do anything and everything I can to bring about peace and prosperity to a continent that has been forgotten by many.
I wrote this note on my blog a few days ago and I wanted to share it with you:
(June 30th @ 3:22 am)
"I haven't been able to fall asleep yet. Maybe it's my heart racing or a
guilty conscience. Maybe it's because of what's going on with the
election in Zimbabwe or the nice treat I received from Amazon today
with some amazing books about Sudan...

It's been six months since I returned safely from Africa. I was sick
most of the trip (I had malaria), met amazing people, shared meals and
had memorable fellowships with my brothers and sisters there, and fell
in love with the most joyful and beautiful kids in the world. It's been
an emotional roller coaster from the moment I stepped off the plane in
Entebbe, Uganda until, well, now. I don't expect it to get any easier
since the journey has only begun. I've been wrestling back and forth in
my mind so many thoughts about where to begin to do all the things I
want to accomplish. As soon as I got back to Puerto Rico I couldn't
help but start thinking about when I was going back to Africa. Not
because I don't like being here, because I do... it's a beautiful
island, it's where I grew up, all my family is here, and you gotta love
the food! But after having a life-altering experience, you can't come
home and not do something about it. I have a sense of responsibility to
act, to not be a by-stander. I have pictures of the kids in Uganda and
Sudan on the walls in my bedroom. They are a reminder of the most
amazing month I've had in my life so far. They keep me grounded. They
don't let me forget the hardships they've endured, the sacrifices
they've made, the civil war and displacements they've been through, and
how blessed I am to hang those pictures on concrete walls in an
air-conditioned room in a nice neighborhood in Puerto Rico.

When did they just become a statistic to us? I mean, we're aware of the
genocide in Darfur, we've seen the movies Hotel Rwanda, Blood Diamond,
and The Last King of Scotland, but then...nothing. We watch CNN and
read the news online, but what else? We say: "oh, that's too bad" and
then change the channel. Meanwhile my heart breaks. I'm here feeling
helpless. I long for the day I can go back and see them and kiss them
and hug them and play with them again. I started a non-profit
organization last week to promote awareness in Puerto Rico about what's
going on in Africa. It's a small step. I'm planning my second trip for
the end of this year. Another small step. I yearn for the year 2025
when our generation eradicates extreme poverty in the world (Read: The
End of Poverty by Jeffrey Sachs). I want us to CARE. I want us to not
just be aware of the injustices of the world, but to DO something about
them. I want it to HURT. I want it to TROUBLE you and be SHAKEN by it.
We complain about the heat this summer, we complain about our politics,
we complain about family issues, money, food... but at the end of the
day we have a roof over our heads, a queen sized bed, air conditioning,
we eat and indulge delicious food and then over-eat and over-indulge...
Why can't we care about our brothers and sisters in Africa as much as
we care about our pet parakeet?

I went to see Chris Rock tonight. He had a show in San Juan and was
absolutely brilliant. He said something that really hit home for me.
"How is it that when you see a homeless guy on the street with a puppy
you feel more upset about the puppy than the homeless guy? You say:
Aww, poor puppy. I hope it has food tonight. Someone should take the
puppy away from him and feed it. Maybe I'll wait 'til the guy falls
asleep." It could be a bit extreme, but we all do it. We all cross the
street and avoid eye contact with a homeless person. But WHY? Are they
really going to attack you and steal your purse? OR are we just so
ashamed that we don't care to smile at them or buy them a slice of
pizza and we're so consumed with ourselves that we choose to avoid them
and pretend they don't exist in order to not be confronted by this
reality: We're emotionally numb. If it doesn't affect us directly, we
don't care. We're numb to the millions of people displaced by the
genocide in Darfur. We're numb to the orphans around the world that
have no warm food in their stomachs tonight. We're numb to the sick and
malnourished, the homeless and the widow... but we jump at any
opportunity to take advantage of a good sale at the mall.

Now I just sound like I'm complaining a lot, maybe I'm bitter. But I'm
tired of feeling this way. I'm tired of being part of the western world
that doesn't care. I'm tired of waking up in the morning to the sound
of the air conditioner, instead of the Sudanese kids playing outside my
window."

Thank you!
Andrea