African dream

Ms. Smart said the trip was an overall character-building experience.

She added she shared her dream with her grandfather, Reg Smart, who passed away a year ago. The two had planned a trip to Africa together before his passing.

“He’d be thrilled and relieved that I made it back and forth in one piece,” Ms. Smart said. “I’m sure he’d be astounded by how strong of a person I’ve become and how throughout the whole time that I made these relationships, I stood up for these people and I tried my absolute hardest to make their life even the slightest bit better.”

Ms. Smart said before leaving Africa, she started a women’s organization in her community of Maunguja in which the women get together once every week.

“A lot of them are being abused and a lot of them are facing so many difficulties in their lives because they are unaware of their rights, and this is becoming one of the hugest problems in this community,” Ms. Smart said. “So I tried to manipulate the idea in a way that after awhile you grow and you build these friendships with these women and you’re more accustomed to tell them of your experiences. My only issue with that is, who is going to do it now that I’m gone?”

Ms. Smart said the trip made her more aware to the problems and situations in other parts of the world, and more open to try to make changes in how people think.

She said in the parts of Africa she was living, the men may work and the women take care of the children.

“So they still have that barrier,” she said. “They don’t communicate. So we had to try to inform them ‘this is how you communicate with your partner.’ A lot of them were saying ‘how can I punish her if she does something wrong?’  So we had to try to manipulate that thought and say ‘you don’t have to punish the person, you can talk about how it makes them feel.’ A lot of them that wasn’t their train of though whatsoever.”

Ms. Smart said she is hoping to plan a trip back there as soon as possible

“Next time I go I will definitely be doing a trip by myself, as in not with an organization, so that I can pick my own projects, like if I want to grow on my women’s organization in Maunguja then I can travel there myself and make sure it’s done up to par,” Ms. Smart said.

She said the time went by so quickly and she did so much and made so much progress, she was sad to see it end.

“That was the biggest disappointment for me knowing that I was so close to getting so many things going and educating these people and getting them so excited about making such changes in their lives and then I am gone.”

Ms. Smart raised $6,000 in three months for her trip. She said the people of Botwood and the surrounding communities were fabulous in helping her fundraising efforts.

“I would like to thank everyone who supported me throughout my efforts and who supported my entire cause and fundraised or help fundraise for my dream of Africa,” she said.