What is INDEVOURS?!

If you have never heard of INDEVOURS your life is about to change. My international development classmates and I are very passionate about what we learn about in the classroom and want to explore development even further by completing our 8 month unpaid internships in an array of developing countries this fall. Not only do we want to create awareness of our program and what we aim to achieve personally, but we also are working hard to fundraise for our placements. Our placements are not like the ones volunteers go on because unlike them we are getting school credits for it. Because of this we are required to pay tuition for both terms, pay for housing, food, and airfare there and back, not to mention the fee we need to pay for WUSC  to organize our placements and help us during the process. As you can already tell this is quite expensive!!
Each one of the members of INDEVOURS is an investment. Just like giving money to an NGO in a developing country, giving money to us funds our ability to work on projects. During our placements we will be working on many projects that pertain to microfinance, small business development, and the environment (like myself who will be working on an environmental education project) and many more, and with your help we can afford to do these wonderful things.
We aren’t just asking for donations. We have organized many events this summer to fundraise and spread awareness. A few of these events include an ultimate frisbee tournament, a bottle drive, and a Global Gala. For more details you can check out our website.
We are truly 32 of the most passionate and hardworking students and I hope you take the time to check us out and support us.
Follow us on Twitter & like us on Facebook!!
<3

One of the most important development topics that is near to my heart is the empowerment of women around the world. I’m not saying this because I am a feminist and think men are horrible dictators, but I truly believe in women and the stability they can bring to a community. It just doesn’t make sense for development practitioners to ignore suppressed women because they make up for about half the population and are the most in poverty.
Some facts from the Because I Am A Girl website :

• “70% of the one billion people living in extreme poverty are women and girls
• Girls are 3X more likely to become malnourished than boys
• In the poorest of countries, 50% of girls do not attend secondary school

Why you should care…

• An extra year of school for girls increases their lifetime income by 15%
• children of women who have completed primary school are less likely to die before the age of 5 than children of mothers with no schooling
• women invest more of their income into their families than men do”

This is why I care so much. Supporting and empowering our sisters around the world is not only a necessary development initiative, but something that I believe people are emotionally connected to. I hope no one ever loses sight of this and it opens some people’s eyes. It is time to allow half our population to have a voice and equal rights to a higher quality of life.
Learning more about this topic has lead me to think about it constantly while I am learning about development. Education is one of the most powerful tools in the world. I hope I can bring some of this female empowerment to my placement next year in Ghana. Like they say,
GIRL POWER!!
What do you think about empowering women? Important?