United Planet would like to extend a hearty congratulations to the winners of the 2011 United Planet Day Contest!
Our Grand Prize Winner is Andi Enns,who wrote a wonderful piece about her experience in Uganda and how it influenced her to raise money for a Ugandan village upon her return home. Here’s an excerpt from her piece…
“I went back to my room at the hotel we were staying at and stared at the blinking cursor on my computer screen, trying to figure out how I was going to tell the story. I felt dizzy as I thought of way after way that I could help the village myself. Maybe I could sell my jeans and my laptop, and that would help. My iPod? My luggage? I realized in that moment that I would give up everything – from my laptop to my coffee addiction to my mascara – if only that little boy and his family could have some clean water.
There’s a simple word in Uganda that means a lot, “kyambura,” meaning “I have searched, and I have prayed, and that is all that I can do.” I had my own kyambura moment that day – I had searched and prayed for answers, but that was all I could do.
So I pulled out my voice recorder and pulled every conversation I had had that day off of it. And I edited a radio story that contained my heart and soul. My voice was all I had.
When I came home, the piece played on the local NPR station. The community responded, and now my university is trying to raise enough money to give a Ugandan village a well.”
Justin Lebron is our winner for the Photography portion of the contest, who traveled to India with United Planet and captured a great photo as he was driving out of the village on his last day. Justin hopes to join the Peace Corps after college.
They will miss him!
Kathryn Murphy is our winner for Video, who captured her experience in Quito, where she taught for four weeks. Kathryn traveled to Peru with United Planet following her trip to Ecuador.
Kathryn’s video of children dancing to the beat in Ecuador!
These students love to dance!
Honorable Mention goes to Sarah Daniel, who traveled to Nepal and snapped a shot of a breathtaking view from the Himalayas, as a woman trekked with her woven basket.
What a view!
Congratulations to all! We are looking forward to next year’s contest!
ABOUT UNITED PLANET
United Planet is a non-profit organization with a mission to create a global community, one relationship at a time. Established in 2001, United Planet offers volunteer abroad, virtual internships, internships abroad, gap year volunteering, and global virtual exchange in more than 40 countries.
