search for a "true" beginning
i began contemplating a new blog as I neared the 1st anniversary date of my other blog “i’m just sayin” and conincidently, that was just about the same time as the search for my biological father hit a real dead end.
feeling frustrated and sad, i still longed for some identity, (where my heritage was concerned). so i decided to have my dna tested. I knew that oprah and several other celebrities had gone thru dna testing with pretty satisfying results. so despite the cost of the test (around $300) through african ancestry, i decided getting some verifiable results would be worth the price. I sent in my money and waited anxiously for the eight weeks it took for me to receive my results.
i can't tell you what I was expecting, but i can say with certainty, that it was not the results I got. the letter i received showed me to be a 100% match for the fulani people of guinea bissau. (where's that?? i wondered)
when i looked further into the history, i discovered a very poor country (4th poorest in the world), a country riddled by aids, a life expectancy of about 47 yrs, an infant mortality rate ranking among the top 5 highest in the world, an unstable government and no u.s embassy. in addition to that I learned that the country only gained it’s independence from the portuguese in 1974. travel there might be all but impossible.
my heart sank.
i had dreamed of flying there to reconnect with the fulani people and learn more about my culture.
as i pondered now - just how - i might help from afar, i learned of an organization called "little dresses for africa". an organization started by rachel o’neil. "little dresses for africa" makes handmade dresses out of pillowcases and sends them to orphaned girls in africa.
it didn’t take long for me to become involved.
it didn’t take long for me to become involved.
i quickly began to organize to send the little dresses to guinea bissau and beyond.
but wait.....that wasn’t enough, i found about sos children’s villages and decided to support 2 children (a boy & a girl).
but wait.... that wasn't enough, i decided to become involved with clean water
and to do what i can to help end female genital mutilation (FGM still exists in 28 african countries).
and with so many causes i care about, i knew i needed another outlet from which i could express myself and maybe at the same time inspire some other people to get involved as well.
this blog devon4africa is a result of that longing and desire to make a difference in my own way.
i'll be learning as i go and i hope you will come back often and take this journey with me.
we CAN make a difference!
and please feel free to ask me any questions you might have, i love comments and emails.
devon 1/16/11
Contact me
devon4africa@gmail.com
