Ajok's Peru Internship Fund

My name is Ajok Deng and I am an advocate for how political, social and cultural issues jeopardized and continue to affect the lives of women within my community. My family and I are refugees from South Sudan. We were part of the diaspora, which affected tens of thousands of my fellow countrymen. I came to the United States in 2003 at the age of 7 without formal education. My mom, a single mom (my dad having been killed in the war when I was just born), is a strong woman who raised six children with pride and a solid work ethic to provide a bit of the American dream. Because she lacked reading and language skills, my mother settled for housekeeping and kitchen work. This is a sacrifice that she made to ensure that her children would have access to proper education. I worked hard to learn English and to assimilate into western society as quickly as I could with dreams of becoming an advocate for women like my mother. If granted the resources to carry out my work, I will able to apply the knowledge I have gained to empower women such as my mother, thereby, honoring her sacrifices with my accomplishments.

I am a Global Studies and Spanish double major at St. Lawrence University. As I have been granted the internship with Asociacíon Grupo de Trabajo Redes [AGTR] this opportunity is only attainable with your help. This is a non-governmental organization that offers domestic workers a place to stay, organize, and exchange experiences. It also offers homework assistance to encourage the women to further their education. My duties will be, but are not limited to, tutoring subjects such as English and Computer skills, advocating for better working conditions, and sensitizing others to the plight of these women by writing articles and emails on behalf of the domestic workers.

My request for funding in the amount of $3,000 USD is to facilitate the acquisition of a plane ticket to Lima Peru, the city where I will be carrying out my internship. The balance will also go towards living expenses for two months, transportation on the ground, and groceries. Although the deadline is quickly approaching, I hope I can meet my deadline by January 1, 2016. 

Thank you very much for your time.