After 2 weeks in Africa all I can say is wow... I officially got back on July 4th, but I didn't want to make a post that was just me rambling about everything, I wanted to post something more meaningful. While I was in Africa, I met so many amazing people and saw so many life changing things. When I first got to Africa, I was struggling to take it all in. There were so many amazing things to see! We drove in a van to the city and I saw the villages people can only imagine for real. It was a sad reality how these people were living, but it has driven me to do more. We spent the first week at ZOE orphanages, which was an incredible experience. ZOE is a program that empowers orphans and vulnerable children to start businesses and get things for themselves instead of giving items to them. It was amazing to see how the participants progressed over the 3 years, from struggling to thriving. The second week we saw water wells which made a huge impact on me. Seeing how happy these people were to get clean water. There were some hard times though. One village had geography that made it unable to drill a well in. It was very sad, but it is also something that keeps me motivated. I met tons of wonderful people. Kelly and his brother Hugo are like my brothers! They are caring and hard working people who are always there for me. I also met Mercy, who I had met before in America, but meeting her in Africa was even better! The ZOE staff were all very nice, and the first week there was an awesome group from Texas who made the whole trip just that much better. Also the group we went with for the second week was equally amazing! My trip to Africa was something I will never forget and it has truly changed how I look at the world! I thank everyone who donated for supporting and believing in me, and everyone who helped me get to Africa!!!
I have more than a thousand photos, and within the next few weeks I will cut them down into a smaller album that highlights the best moments of the trip.
I will also be making a longer documentary with videos and more in-depth details of everything, but it will take a while to make and edit.
~Cooper Crockett
