Why I Give – JULIE SHEARBURN

My trip to East Africa with Sr. Toni last January was amazing. I witnessed the power of kindness, love, and humility for fourteen straight days. Wherever we went, every group we visited, Sr. Toni knew the projects completely: their successes, their goals, their struggles.  It was special because she was there to help and listen with a gentleness and kindness that was inspiring.

We traveled constantly. We were in different cities and villages every day, and a different country every three days. Throughout our travels, we met person after person that had been lifted from poverty through microfinancing. They were eager to share how they used the loans: to send their children to elementary and secondary school and then off to college: to buy land to build houses; to convince girls and women to get a simple surgery to get their lives back on track. The lessons were endless.

Sr. Toni shared how each program evolved and grew.  Hearing how the MPA staff learned from their mistakes and continued to find ways to make the programs stronger fascinated me. Our last days were spent in Nairobi with Ingrid Munro who continually said, “Together anything is possible.” I came home with an incredible feeling of hope for humankind and for our world because of MPA.

I give because of my experience with Sr. Toni.