Dear Friends,

It is with great pleasure that I officially open the application process for Watoto wa Dunia's Summer Trip 2008.

I want to express in advance the deep gratitude that the people of Kenya have that each of you is interested in participating in this wonderful project.

The Women and Children's Empowerment Project is vitally important for the world for many reasons. It is important because the scourge of HIV/AIDS continues to needlessly kill millions of human beings upsetting the global web of life, causing untold grief, de-stabilizing the economies of several nations, and leaving millions of children behind. It is important because natural disasters and human-made disasters continue to disportionately impact the people of the Global South (formerly known as the Third World), and leave a sea of despair. It is important because these same people suffer tremendously because their governments are crippled by debt and sometimes corruption.

Still, the Empowerment Village is important for a much more personal reason. It is important because it presents an opportunity for all of us to be ambassadors of America's goodness. It is an opportunity to demonstrate that despite the policies that may be made by our government, that Americans can come together with people of other nations and create something powerful. Instead of simply despairing at all of the loss that is in the world, we have an opportunity to take action and change the lives of literally hundreds of people for years to come. It is an opportunity to take the message of the people of Kenya back to the U.S. and share all the things that we learn about ourselves and our culture from living outside of our culture with people from all over the world.

The interest in this project has been overwhelming. We are tremendously grateful to each of you. At this time we have very limited space so it is important that you turn in your information on time. I would like all applications back by April 30, 2008.

Please submit all applications to us through Watoto wa Dunia's post office box not through e-mail. Our mailing address is listed on the materials. If you have other questions, please feel free to e-mail me or to call me on my cell phone (503) 805-2067.