Local College Student Looks To Raise $25,000 For Children In Botswana

Written by Elizabeth Hanks.

While many college students are spending their summer at the beach, University of Pennsylvania sophomore Lauren McCann has been spending her time working in an orphanage in Botswana and attempting to raise $25,000 by the end of the summer to help the children there.

She and a classmate are calling it “The Campaign for Kamogelo” and with the support of some friends, families, and even some kind strangers, they are doing everything they can to make it happen.

“Every single person we walk past each day has both a beautiful and a complicated story, a story you very well may identify with,” explained McCann. “It’s only when we sit down, ask questions and finally shut up that we become truly aware of the world that surrounds us. Once we really start listening, that’s when we can change the world.”

McCann, who graduated from East Greenwich High School in 2012, considers herself an “EG kid” at heart, but it appears that she has been stepping beyond the comfort of her little town for years. She has participated in numerous service and mentoring projects, which merely added to her desire to help those in need.“I truly believe that everyone is wired with a desire to help others. I have just been blessed with opportunities to do so,” she said.

Starting when she was young, McCann's parents taught her the importance of helping others. They encouraged her to do something that she was passionate about and they continue to be supportive.

“Growing up, we often volunteered together as a family and my dad never let us pass a homeless person without first giving him some money and giving him a warm hello. The biggest gift they ever gave me was freedom to serve where my heart led me, even if it was potentially dangerous,” she said.

After the earthquake that devastated Haiti in 2010, McCann took three separate trips there to help rebuild. She picked up rubble in the streets and helped out at an orphanage, where, as she puts it, she changed way too many diapers and cared for the cutest kids imaginable.

As she entered college, she began to find new opportunities to help others, but this time in a much different manner.

“The best thing about Penn is that it offers you literally endless opportunities. It really encourages its students to get out into the world and experience something new, whether it takes the shape of an internship, research or even, say, a trip to Botswana,” she said.

Soon she discovered the 10-week summer opportunity in Botswana in which she would be working at the Kamogelo Orphans and Vulnerable Children Project, located in a small village. There, she would be working directly with 2 to 6 year olds who are either orphans – 25 percent of Botswanans are HIV positive – or who come from a family struggling with poverty.

McCann took a leap of faith into the unfamiliar. She said her parents would describe her as “curious,” something she’s carried with her in her travels.

“That curiosity to understand the world and to understand myself has anything but faded over time. Botswana offered me an incredible opportunity to engage in what I already love, serving people, and finding new passions along the way,” she said.

“I did what I’ve always done – I took hold of my desires to know more and more and jumped into the unknown with the humble understanding that there is so much more that I can learn,” she added.

On May 16, McCann and 11 other Penn students made their way to Botswana. Since then, McCann and her classmate Rosa help throughout the school day and with administrative work. They have assisted Sister Margaret, the woman who runs Kamogelo on a daily basis.

Though they were originally spending a lot of time on in-class assignments with the kids, they soon realized that funding for the school was even more important. That quickly evolved into the Campaign for Kamogelo and the decision to raise $25,000 by the end of the summer to attempt to cover the deficit for an entire year.

“We understand that this amount of money is massive – but that’s the point. We know it won’t be easy to raise, but we think Kamogelo is worth it,” said McCann.

That money that they are currently trying to raise will be going directly to services for the children. Some specific examples are clothing, food sponsorships, toys, and new developments on the school itself, all of which are necessities.

“Putting the worry of money out of the staff’s mind for a year will allow them to truly focus on the children and to love them better,” she said.

“While we would love to give Kamogelo one good year, we don’t want to stop there,” she said. “We want to use the funds so that they have many good years to come as a result of our improvements.”

To date, they have raised enough money to get new uniforms for the children and they have received various other donations.

The First National Bank of Botswana donated a new play structure for the children and Bass Shoes donated 90 pairs of brand new shoes, each costing about $70.

McCann’s 10 weeks in Botswana are coming to a close. She considers her time there some of the greatest of her life, but her involvement won't end when she returns to the U.S. She said that they will continue to fundraise and make a difference in Botswana even after they leave. They have witnessed the struggles of Botswana firsthand and they understand the need to make a change.

“The most difficult thing about being in Botswana is saying goodbye to my kids at Kamogelo each day. Stepping into the reality of their lives, even if only for this short time, has absolutely shattered my heart. Visiting their homes, meeting their families, seeing the unfathomable conditions –it all breaks your heart more and more by the day,” she said.

McCann appears very passionate about her desire to help others and her idea to raise $25,000 in a short amount of time is evident of that. She wants to make a difference no matter how big or small and it seems obvious that she uses the support of others to fuel her.

“I can look at the friends, families and strangers who have joined in our efforts for Kamogelo. Despite not being here, they recognize that this is something bigger than all of us, and they’re not afraid of it. They give me hope,” she said.

Check out Lauren and Rosa's video about their project here. Visit the campaign's website here.