CARE•ing for South America

As a child, I dreamed of seeing the Eiffel Tower, the Colosseum, Athens and the Greek Ruins — the list of European landmarks goes on. They surfaced at the top of my history books, magazines and my most favorite Disney movies. As a Miami of Ohio study abroad/Luxembourg student, my dreams became a reality and that first solo-trip to Europe was everything I had hoped and dreamed of. I was prepared, eager and excited to explore.

That spirit has stayed with me my entire life. It runs deep in my veins. When people ask me, “Where to next?” – I often want to say, “The world!” But it isn’t just about seeing the world. It’s about experiencing it, tasting it, meeting the locals and having a deeper appreciation for the world. Her struggles, her strengths – the good, bad and everything in between. Mostly the good, which brings me to South America.

My company, a global public relations firm, partnered with the non-profit organization, CARE, in early 2017 to bring more good to those in need. A relationship with CARE was born and a global fundraiser was launched to bring attention to the daily challenges facing women and girls in the developing world. Beyond the struggles that you would expect like lack of education, inability to work high paying jobs, discrimination and mistreatment, there’s also gender violence. It’s a difficult subject to talk about, but an important one that cannot be ignored. I worked with support from family and friends to raise money for the cause, ‘A Walk in Her Shoes,’ and when the numbers were tallied, I was lucky enough to be the top fundraiser. My reward? A week-long CARE immersion experience.

Enter: Ecuador.

South America is uncharted territory for me. I’ve never been, I don’t speak the language, but I’ve always had a desire to learn – more about the people, the terrain, the culture. Through this CARE experience, I will have the privilege to do just that while also learning about the selfless work being done to make the country a better place for women and girls. The ‘Women Living Free of Gender Violence’ program contributes to equality among genders and preventing violence by empowering and building the resilience of women.

I look forward to sharing this journey with you and want to give a huge shout out to my Two for Takeoff partner, Patrick, who has allowed me to do a blog “takeover” – I love you. Another massive thank you goes to my company, Porter Novelli – specifically Atlanta’s Anna Okula and New York’s Patrick Resk – who made sure that this trip became a reality for me. I appreciate you more than you know!

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A quick heads up that on days one and two, I’ll be venturing in and around Quito on my own before the official CARE program kicks off on Monday, 11/13.

Mas pronto,

-Maggie