My First Post on my way to Ethiopia!

Hello Special Friends,

I am traveling to Ethiopia this week.

WHY ETHIOPIA?

Many of you know my passion for helping women and girls (nothing against the guys...but women hold up half the sky and sometimes we need a little more help!)

My work as a Board Member with the Dreuding Center and Gwynedd Mercy College has shown me the impact I can have on those who lives and faces are not much different from my own.

Through a series of introductions I met Mike Hoffman and Susan Redmond who lead an organization called, "Changing our World". They know anyone and everyone in the philanthropic space.

My request of them was simple.... "How do I use my time, talent and resources to make a broader difference on a global scale?"

Mike and Susan told me three things:
1. If you want to understand policy, you need to observe policy impact on the ground.
2. The Gates Foundation does very good work in this area.
3. Ethiopia is the best place for a first global visit.

So tomorrow, May 3rd I arrive in Ethiopia...not as a Merck employee but as a private citizen. I have no idea what to expect. If you want to journey with me, I invite you to follow along at this blog. Feel free to comment, dialogue or add a "Hey Girl, just checking on you".

Oh, and feel free to forward the link to anyone I may have missed..I trust you will use good judgement.

Take care,

Charlotte