Hayes '09 makes a difference for African schools
14 March 2007 Hayes 09 makes a difference for African schools
Classes, exams, papers andfundraising? Not a typical college students life; but that just goes with the territory if youre the co-president of a non-profit organization.
It all started her sophomore year in high school, when Sarah Hayes 09 joined three of her friends in forming the African Education Program, a non-profit organization designed to provide classroom resources to African students.
Using contacts in Zambia, Hayes and her classmates sent a shipment of textbooks and computers to Kafue, a town of about 70,000 residents. We collected $8,000 to ship the first 24-foot container to Africa, said Hayes, who does extensive fundraising through email and personal networking. The program has managed to send more than 13,000 books and 30 computers to Kafue children.
In 2005, after Hayes and her classmates visited Kafue, they embarked on a new project: the construction of a youth center. We saw that the students didnt have anything to do after class, said Hayes. The Amos Youth Center now provides after-school programs, including homework help, career guidance and exam preparation.
I cant put it into words, said Hayes about her experiences. Its the greatest thing in the world to help other people.
For more information about the African Education Program as well as to read testimonials from African children helped by the program, please visit the official Web site.