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By scott, February 11, 2013

The new year is well and truly rolling along – we can hardly believe it’s already mid-February! – and it’s time to start planning for our Service Learning trips to Zimbabwe. This summer we are opening up TWO trips to serve and learn alongside our partners in the rural community of Gudo. The trips will focus on completing a community health care clinic as well as integrating cross-cultural leadership development for trip participants and community members alike. Here’s a bit more info for you:

• Trip #1: Depart July 2nd – Return July 17th.
• Trip #2: Depart July 24th – Return August 8th.
• Total trip cost: $2,175 (see cost breakdown below).
• Each trip is open to 11 participants; so 22 openings in all.
• All trip participants will have the option to fundraise for their expenses, and we will set an additional fundraising goal for the building project (we’ll use StayClassy to create personal fundraising pages).
• A non-refundable deposit of $1,000 secures your spot on a trip.
• Once the trip teams are finalized, we will hold several pre-trip conference calls to cover all questions, concerns and planning needs.

So if you’re ready to head to Zimbabwe with us, here’s how to secure your spot on one of the trips:

• Place your $1,000 deposit via EF’s StayClassy account.
• In the comment box, indicate the trip for which you are signing up.
• Remember, Trip #1 runs from 7/2 to 7/17 and Trip #2 runs from 7/24 to 8/8.
• Please let us know if you have any questions!!

We fully understand it’s a big commitment, so if you have questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact us. We will gladly talk to you about any and all aspects of the trip. See you in Zimbabwe!

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Cost Breakdown

• Total cost: $2,175 (this includes $1,000 deposit to secure trip placement)

What’s included:

• Pre-trip orientation.
• Pre-trip travel help (if needed).
• All meals during the trip.
• In-country transportation.
• Arrival and project-site orientation.
• Safari/bush excursion (to be decided by group).
• 24-hour in-country support from experienced staff.
• Medical and travel insurance.

What’s NOT included:

• Flights to and from Harare, Zimbabwe.
• Entry visa ($30 in U.S. currency).
• Additional food, drink and gratuities.
• Personal kit.
• Domestic/International airport taxes.
• Extracurricular shopping activities.

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By scott, September 17, 2012

We could not have asked for a better Service and Leadership pilot trip. The team members were eager, willing to adapt to whatever was thrown their way and a diverse crowd of simply rad individuals. The people of the Gudo community were warm and welcoming and could not have been better hosts. It was moving to work alongside, at times, hundreds of community members all working towards one goal: to provide a much needed health care clinic.

In our limited time there, we helped accomplish more than has been done in 10 years. By the time we left, a brick and cement foundation had been put in place and the community had been galvanized — believing that access to primary health care would soon become a reality to many who have not had easy access for years.

Our time in Gudo was short but the impact has the potential to be great. The community continues to work diligently towards the completion of the facility with the resource that was provided by our participants and a foundation has been laid for what will be an incredible partnership between the Elias Fund and Gudo community for years to come.

In case you didn’t follow along, there were trip updates and post-trip reflections from trip participants posted up on EF’s blog. We highly encourage you to check those out as there are some wonderful thoughts from our awesome team members . . .and of course, if you’re interested in participating in a future trip, please let us know.

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By scott, June 20, 2012

Our final team members’ profile! Hopefully you’ve enjoyed getting to know each member of our pilot team heading over to Zimbabwe for EF’s first Service & Leadership trip. We leave in just under two weeks, and in case you missed it, we’ve had a quick change of plans after an amazing opportunity popped up for us! Anyhow, thanks for taking a quick moment to meet Jenna:

Jenna was born in upstate NY and is currently living in Boston. She grew up in Saratoga Springs, NY, where she found her second home as a member of the Youth Group at the Presbyterian New England Congregation Church, a youth group that has a remarkable appreciation for the importance of travel and volunteerism. As a result of being in a group led by such incredible people, combining travel and service quickly became her passion. After graduating HS in 2005, Jenna moved to Boston, with the support of her YG leaders, to continue her volunteerism as an AmeriCorps member at City Year Boston, an education-focused nonprofit that unites young people of all backgrounds for a year of full-time service. After serving two years with CYB and another year spent teaching gymnastics, Jenna moved from Boston to San Francisco where she continued teaching. While there, she began volunteering at The Center for Music National Service (MNS), a nonprofit organization that supports music as a strategy for public good. A year later, she returned to Boston and began teaching in the Brookline Public Schools Extended Day program, where she has spent the past three years teaching and playing with her favorite kiddos. Jenna most recently continued her nonprofit work as the Boston Community Organizer for Calling All Crows and Amplifying Education.

She has a love for travel, volunteering, meeting new people, pretending to be a photographer and eating. Jenna is a former vegetarian who was reunited with her love for hot dogs while living in Greece last summer. Yummm! She thinks with her heart, (maybe to a fault), and is rather spontaneous with her “next steps”. She credits her mother for her love of living simply and enjoying the little things, and, like her mother, Jenna is a firm believer that “Where there is a will, there is a way.”

What does this trip to Zimbabwe mean to you?
This trip to ZImbabwe means having the chance to experience a culture outside of my norm and to form life-long relationships with those whom I’d otherwise never meet. I have never been to Africa and can only imagine how powerful the service, the people, the stories and the memories will be in impacting my leadership development and my dream to pay it forward while seeing the world.

What is the craziest thing you’ve ever done?
Moved across the country with a packed suitcase and a $20 bill. For whatever reason, my dream as a kid was always to live in California. So, after a few years living in Boston I hopped on Craigslist and found an apartment in San Francisco. I packed a suitcase full of clothes, gave away the rest of my things, and emptied my bank account on a one-way ticket. I remember getting off the BART in SF for the first time and having to call my friend Niq in NYC to ask if she’d google map directions from the train to my new apartment for me. Looking back, I’m not sure how I pulled it off. It was a poorly planned move that turned out to be nothing short of life changing. I moved back to Boston after a year of exploring and meeting new people. I’ve been back for almost three years and will be moving back out to SF this September. This time, with a bit more planning.

Quote from your favorite book?
“It’s the possibility of having your dreams come true that makes life interesting.” – The Alchemist by Paulo Coehlo.

Who/What do you think about when you hear the phrase, “I am strong if You are strong”?
I think of my twin, Josh. I was introduced to the Elias Fund in 2010 and immediately bought a set of “I am strong if You are strong” bracelets. I wore one and sent the other off to Josh. He’s always been a Dispatch fan and told me later that he had just been listening to the song ‘Elias’ the day he got my package. Of course he was. Whether he knows it or not, I wouldn’t change being his sister for the world. I’ve been lucky enough to know he is a part of me every day, and even LUCKIER to know that he is a fellow team member and we’ll be sharing this incredible trip together!!! I really AM strong if he is strong. Maybe it’s a twin thing.

If you’d like to specifically support Jenna’s trip, checkout her StayClassy fundraising page. Or feel free to shop for her at ELIAS. Thanks!