Experiences like faculty-led study abroad programs shape our students into well-rounded servant-leaders who make a global difference. Jordyn Bennett ’27 was so moved by her internship with Peacemakers for Albinism during last semester’s Tanzania Study Program that she continued to volunteer with the organization after returning home this summer, building it a new website. The peace studies and psychology double major shares about what inspired her.
Q. Tell us about the volunteering you did this summer.
A. After leaving Arusha, Tanzania, I was sad to leave Peacemakers for Albinism and the women I learned from there. I felt as if there was still work I could do to help with some of the more menial things, such as updating their website information. It turned out that the access to the website had been juggled between volunteers for almost a decade, and it would require a new website to be built from scratch. For a homegrown NGO with two staff members and a formidable workload, building a new website wasn’t going to be an efficient use of time. But for a former intern and current friend, it felt like an easy task I could do to lessen their workload and continue to spread the word about an incredible nonprofit. So, I spent some free time this summer building this website that talks about the organization that shaped my experience in Tanzania.
Q. What inspired you to volunteer in this way?
A. I was inspired to continue volunteering after I left Tanzania because of the dedication I saw at the organization. Sister Martha Mganga and Mariam Mungu (pictured), my internship coordinators, are two of the most devoted women I’ve ever met. They spend their workday focused on the community of persons with albinism and their welfare, then go home to tend to children and adults with albinism that have ended up in their care after unimaginable traumas. They rarely get an hour to themselves, but still have boundless energy for their cause. It’s more of a life than it is a job. Their actions inspired me throughout my internship, but I wanted to continue to strive to live out the mission like they do, even after the end of the program. So, for me to devote a few hours of my summer to build a platform to spread information about this cause I respect so much felt like the least I could do.
Q. How did your internship with this organization affect your goals for the future?
A. I have never seen people who are as passionate about their mission as at Peacemakers for Albinism, which brings me so much hope for my future in the social impact world. If I can do work with even half the impact, devotion and perseverance as Peacemakers, I know I will have done well. It makes me eager to work with organizations like this in the future and has inspired me to live my life in a way that matches my passions and goals more and more each day. I hope to continue to work with inspiring organizations during my time at Whitworth and beyond, maybe even going back to Tanzania one day.
See Jordyn’s beautiful work at www.peacemakersforalbinism-tz.org.
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