In the summer of 2011 I had the opportunity to experience something very unique. I had the chance to travel to Lesotho, Africa for a month long service trip through Wittenberg University. That month in Lesotho forever changed my life. It was an experience that I will never forget. It has impacted me more than I could have ever imagined.
I had a passion for service before the trip, which was why I initially wanted to go to Lesotho. Before I left for the trip I thought that when I went there I was going to have an impact on the lives of the Basotho. I thought I was going to be the one helping them out and enriching their lives. The impact the Basotho had on me was so much greater than the impact I could ever have on them. They taught me about perseverance, strength, love, hope, joy, and hard work. Anyone could teach me about these ideals and help me grow, but it was the way in which the Basotho taught me about that will have a lasting impact on my life, greater than I could have ever imagined.
This impact from the Basotho ignited my passion and love for Lesotho and it was the mission and hard work of Andrew Steele and BLOOM Africa that motivated me to start a student organization on Wittenberg’s campus devoted to spreading awareness about HIV and AIDS. I learned about BLOOM Africa while I was in Lesotho when I first met Andrew Steele. I was in awe that a college student had the drive and passion to start a non- profit organization. I couldn’t imagine doing that, but upon returning to Wittenberg I knew that BLOOM was something I wanted to get involved in and something that I wanted to bring onto Wittenberg’s campus.
Before going to Lesotho I knew that HIV and AIDS was a big issue in Sub Saharan Africa, but I didn’t know the extent of the issue. Lesotho opened my eyes and forced me to see how much this pandemic has affected not just Lesotho, but all of Sub Saharan Africa. I thought that maybe if I didn’t realize how big this issue was that other students might also not know how big of a negative impact HIV and AIDS has had on this part of the world. It was this thought that made me realize that creating an HIV/AIDS awareness group needed to be done.
The mission of this group is to promote awareness and understanding about the HIV/AIDS pandemic that is devastating countries in Sub Saharan African. We hope to accomplish these goals through educational and philanthropic events, committed to spreading knowledge of the issue, with the ultimate goal of spreading awareness on Wittenberg’s campus, as well as the Springfield community at large, and providing financial support to the orphans in these areas in Africa.
I chose to name this student organization BLOOM Africa. I did this for many reasons. The first reason was because BLOOM Africa the NGO is known on campus and has a positive image because of Andrew Steele and the Lesotho trip. I hoped that this positive image could reflect back onto the group and attract students. The second reason I chose the same name is because my goal for this group is to grow knowledge about HIV/AIDS in hopes that awareness can bloom in more areas than just Wittenberg and Springfield, but in places where anyone who has learned something from the group goes. The spreading of knowledge is easy. It just takes someone to tell just one other person and knowledge has been spread. It is the acquiring of knowledge that can be the challenge. I hope that with this organization we can give people the resource to acquire knowledge and they in return can spread the knowledge we have given them. The final reason I chose the name is because I hope that we can form different BLOOM Africa chapters on other college campuses throughout the country. This would not only spread awareness and create more support for the non-profit organization, but it would also spread and produce knowledge about HIV/AIDS at the same time.
I have high hopes for this organization and with the support of BLOOM Africa (NGO) and the students at Wittenberg, I think we can accomplish great things. I am excited to see what the future holds for this organization.
Peace,
Michael
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