My Photo Scholarship 2011 entry
Senegal | Tuesday, November 8, 2011 | 5 photos
When I graduated high school, I had the opportunity to participate in a program that sent me to Senegal, West Africa to live in a remote village for seven months. There, I met some of the strongest and hardest-working women I have ever seen in my life. They scrubbed laundry by hand, harvested peanuts and bissap from the bush, cooked over an open fire, and tended to their children. I watched my host sister work as hard as any other woman during her pregnancy, and on the day she gave birth, she walked home from the local clinic and cooked dinner for the family of 25. During my stay, I volunteered with the village’s local health clinic. I travelled to the fields in search of Pulaar tribes in hopes of encouraging women and children to come to the clinic for much-needed healthcare. I saw women and children who were severely malnourished. The photos I submitted depict not only the need for improved health care, but also the amazing strength of the Senegalese woman.
I love Africa and dream of returning. Growing up, my room was African themed. I had posters of safari animals and I collected National Geographic Magazines. When people ask me about living in Africa, the first question they pose is if I saw any safari animals. My answer is no. Winning this contest would allow me to see a part of Africa that I have never seen before. The experience of working with a professional National Geographic photographer would be a dream come true. Not only would this scholarship allow me to see an Africa I have always wanted to see, but also it would allow me to see it in one of my favorite ways---behind a camera.
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