Thank You: Jess

For years, I would say that I was a person who pitied Africa and the people that made up its countries, but even my pity didn't spur me to action.  As I made my way through college, I became friends with a couple of girls who had a heart for Africa not out of pity, but because they loved the people. They knew that Africa's countries were comprised of smart, beautiful, capable people who didn't deserve to be looked down upon or pitied but who deserved help because they are our neighbors who have a right to have the same basic things, like water and food, that we have. They showed me that by helping them we are really helping ourselves out of an inward looking selfishness. Their way of viewing Africa was a new thought for me, but one I could get behind more than pity. I began to look for organizations that had similar mindsets to my friends and through that and many other things I came across Blood:Water and its internship.

Throughout my time as a Blood:Water intern, I was most surprised by how I never felt like "just an intern". From the beginning, even though everyone knew our time together was short, we, as interns, were engrained into the life of the organization and allowed to see all aspects of how it works. We were not only trusted enough to be assigned important projects, but we actually had our opinions sought on a daily basis. Coming into the internship, I thought I would be able to help with a few things around the office and learn more about the work of a non-profit. Ultimately, I did do those things, but something else happened as well-my viewpoint of a whole continent was fundamentally changed. Every day, I miss my time spent as a Blood:Water intern. I have been forever changed by the lessons I learned through seeing others give beyond themselves to help a neighbor, and I know that I will never look at one dollar the same way again.

 Blog post written by: Jess Dowden - Intern Extraordinaire