When Hilton Head Prep alumna Emily Blackshire made the decision to take a “gap year” after graduation in May 2012, she planned to make it the most rewarding, thought-provoking one of her life. With that in mind, her humanitarian interests took her to Uganda for four months to work with Light Gives Heat, a Colorado-based non-profit organization that empowers Africans through the encouragement of economic sustainability and creative endeavors.
Motivating people to "be the change they want to see in the world," Light Gives Heat partners with local artisans to generate consistent incomes in impoverished areas. With the help of American volunteers such as Blackshire, the local artisans in her village created beautiful handmade necklaces and tailor-made bags to sell online under the brand names Suubi (meaning “hope”) and Epoh (“hope” spelled backwards).
Inspired by Blackshire’s efforts in Africa, Hilton Head Prep senior Katie Diaz mobilized the Fellowship of Christian Athletes to raise funds in support of her mission. Diaz was instrumental in spearheading the effort, which raised more than $1,000. When Blackshire learned what an honor it was for villagers to have photographs hanging in their homes, she used the money raised by FCA to have professional quality photos taken and printed for the families. She also gave Christmas bonuses to the bead and bag making employees.
Although there were many life-affirming moments, Blackshire’s favorite part of her experience in Africa was the unique perspective it gave her by seeing how people in other parts of the world live. The experience also made her very aware of how she spends her time. She was keenly aware that people in her village used their time and energy productively and rarely spent time on unimportant endeavors.
Within weeks of her return from Uganda, Blackshire received word that she’d been accepted into the internship program at Ashoka – Innovators for the Public, a Washington, DC-based non-profit. Ashoka identifies leading social entrepreneurs around the world who develop innovative solutions to social problems. Ashoka “fellows” work in over 70 countries around the globe in every area of human need.
Blackshire will spend the next three months interning with Ashoka, working with the division that searches for fellows around the world, specifically those pursuing human rights, economic sustainability, and education related interests in Sub-Saharan Africa. Currently, they host more than 3,000 fellows with innovations in everything from the environment and job creation to gender and race relations.
This fall, Blackshire will enter Clemson University to continue pursuing her dream of working in foreign policy and aid specifically in the realms of job creation and education. She certainly doesn’t need to worry she hasn’t used her time productively.
Click below to see a very special thank you from the villagers to Hilton Head Prep. For more information about Light Gives Heat or Ashoka visit http://lightgivesheat.org and http://ashoka.org.