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tara ghassemikia //
check out the country tabs above for photos during my travels


Samburu Girls Foundation // Josephine
Josephine is a firecracker. She has a young energy and an infectious, full smile. You'll notice that one of her bottom front teeth is...


Gashora Girls Academy // Aline
Aline taught me the ropes of the Gashora Girls Academy and what her day-to-day life looks like (see previous post). She's a sweet, sharp,...
Rwandan Girls Initiative: Gashora Girls Academy
In Rwanda, 97% of girls go to primary school, but less than 13% attend upper secondary school. Secondary school capacity is very limited,...


Little Rose Centre // Penelope
“The dance center would play a big role in the children in this community because it keeps them away from the streets. It’s important to...


Little Rose Centre // Hopolang
“Mind torch, please!” The sun would set just before dinner was prepared, making the entire neighborhood eerily dark. All of the...


Little Rose Centre // N'KlaKla
“We come from different cultures and think very differently. Just by being here, you are changing the way we think and we are changing...


14 hours in Ethiopia
Five mattresses. Bucket of live roosters. 50lb burlap bag of spices. These are what I saw men carrying on their heads around the market...


...plot twist...
Life is full of plot twists, and I’m pretty thankful for them. Coming into the trip, hiking Mt Kilimanjaro was one of my “must-do”s. I...


Botshabelo
Thanks to Jonathan Matson (HBD!), Em and I had the opportunity to volunteer at an orphanage a few hours north of Joburg. Botshabelo is a...


District Six
"It struck me that our history is contained in the homes we live in, that we are shaped by the ability of these simple structures to...
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