Ripples International

Today I went to an informal meeting at the GAA-Global Aids Alliance. I heard a woman spoke from Kenya, her name is Mercy Chidi. This woman was incredibly inspiring and I left the meeting feeling more energized and excited about being in D.C. and working with a non-profit. Not that I haven't been excited, it's just been a weird transition.

Mercy Chidi started Ripples International. It's an organization that is focused on educating the people in Kenya about HIV-AIDS. Her organization is doing so much and they are getting great funding. Unfortunately and fortunately, she is also getting funding from PEPFAR. PEPFAR has a lot of problems with it: it just doesn't work. Her first hand accounts prove that it does not work. The Bush Administration is imposing their ideologies and will not fund your organization if you do no teach the ABC's: Abstinence, Be Faithful, and I forget what C is for. Maybe Condoms or contraceptives? I dont know...but the Bush administration won't fund you unless you are pro-abstinence. This woman told a first hand account about how PEPFAR doesn't work! People are going to have sex regardless if you tell them to or not. So you might as well give these teens the right information so they can make the right and conscious decisions about safe/safer sex.

This woman is clever in how she goes about teaching about condoms and HIV-AIDS to people in religious denominations, especially the Catholic Church. She approaches it more as a health concern than a contraceptive. It's been a bit successful in getting these pastors to change their mind set about condoms and be okay with her teaching HIV-AIDS in their churches.

This woman is so wonderful and inspiring. I came out of the meeting wanting to go to Africa and teaching HIV-AIDS prevention or going someone to help empower women and help with population control in Africa or India where their populations are dangerously high as far as their countries resources go.

I'm still not sure if this is what I want to do with the rest of my life, but it seems to be like a pretty good way to spend it--helping others and helping to do good in the world where our policies and politics are frustrating and depressing...

A lot of people in the field I've noticed are single. I wonder if this means if I decide to chose this route in life, if it might be a bit of a lonely life...moving a lot, not "settling down" , never owning a house....maybe I'll just have international love affairs or something..who knows...people who are 40 still don't know what they want. So I don't feel so bad if I don't have it together or know what I want at 23.