Imagine for a moment that you live in a village with no electricity. When the sun goes down each evening, you rely on the light of fires or flashlights as you cook your evening meal. Your children must study before the sun goes down, or else use the dimly glowing light of a cell phone to illuminate their work. And speaking of cell phones, the only way to charge yours is to travel to a charging station in the nearest town, pay a fee, and wait while your battery replenishes.
Now imagine that you are suddenly offered an affordable, safe, comprehensive way...
Continue Reading >>Anneka Nelson hails from a background in professional services marketing and aspires to a career in global health programming. She has nearly five years of experience coordinating community involvement and giving, public relations, brand awareness, advertising and event planning for Barran Liebman LLP, a law firm in Portland, Oregon. In addition, she serves as Secretary on the Board of Directors of Camp UKANDU, a non-profit organization dedicated to bringing hope and joy to children living with cancer and their families through camping experiences. Originally from California, Anneka attended Bowdoin College in Maine, where she graduated cum laude with a B.A. in History and French in 2011. In addition to serving as a Kiva Fellow this spring, she will be training for and competing in the 120th Boston Marathon in April. Anneka could not be more thrilled to join the 29th Class of Kiva Fellows, and plans to apply to Master of Public Health programs upon her return to the States.
Fellows Blog Posts by Anneka Nelson
Feb 16, 2016
Senegal
A Senegalese man – early twenties, I’d guess – has been running silently beside me for the last three miles as the sun pounds down on us. He’s wearing a long-sleeved jacket and a drawstring backpack and given that I sweat through my tank top miles ago, I am in awe. As we near the end of the race it becomes apparent that I might place so he begins clearing a path for me to accelerate through the runners ahead of us. I am exhausted but with his encouragement I pick up my pace. Just before the final turn he congratulates me...
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