How Can a 16 Year Old Make a Difference?

For my Girl Scout Gold Award, I chose to look at the global subject of children's welfare. My project is dedicated to raising awareness of the orphans of Mexico living in substandard conditions at the US/Mexico boarder. These under-funded, and otherwise neglected facilities house thousands of abandoned children that would otherwise be living on the streets; providing them food, clothing, shelter and opportunities for a better life through education.

During the course of my project I worked with a US-based non-profit organization, Corazon de Vida, to identify a needy facility.  The facility that we selected was La Casa Esperanza ("Hope House") that had severely damaged flooring in the central living area; with broken/uneven tiles and exposed dirt floor.

During the course of the project I raised over $2,000 and contributed 92 hours in raising funds and organizing the renovation of Casa Esperanza. My hope is to make an impact of the lives of these children and to inspire others do what they can to help these otherwise forgotten children at the Mexican-boarder. Can a 16 year old Girl Scout make a difference? Yes I can!