In June of 2010, McKenna Asakawa traveled to Nicaragua with Al Campo International. The trip has had a huge impact on her. Here, she relates how her exposure to poverty in Nicaragua has motivated her to take action back home through the Spero Foundation. Even from her local high school, McKenna continues to help out Nicaraguan communities.
My co-president (who also attended the 2010 trip to Nicaragua) and I were resoundingly impacted by the severe poverty we saw during our day spent at La Chureca (the unsanitary landfill and home to many local trash-pickers and their families) and Colegio Esperanza, the nearby school. Growing up in a middle class family from suburban Colorado, I have been fortunate enough to never have to worry about where my next meal will come from, whether I can go to school, or be constantly surrounded by the decay of a landfill. My experience with the students of Colegio Esperanza showed me that kids will be kids—exuberant, silly, loving, and of course, immature and prone to tantrums—even in the midst of severe poverty. It is this school that provides not only an education for these children, but hope for a future away from the landfill.
The Spero Foundation from Centaurus High School Volunteers locally, as well as helping over seas.
Through the Spero Foundation, we raised $500 for Colegio Esperanza, and have continued to serve the global community with projects such as establishing a micro-loaning operation in concert with kiva.org in which we loan small amounts of money to pivotal entrepreneurs world-wide. Currently, we are fundraising to build a school in the rural village of Putti in Uganda, the population of which has been persecuted because they are Jewish. Our advisor will travel to Putti this coming summer to help build the school and create its curriculum. If you are interested in helping us reach our goal of at least $3000, please contact me at mckenna29@gmail.com.
This is the second part of an on-going feature on our blog. If you missed the first part, you can read it here. Come back to read about how McKenna handled language barriers and what her plans are for her future.