Well a month has just passed since I've started Project 77 and I must admit that a month feels like a day. While doing this project I've engaged myself to become aware of alterations that are occurring in different parts of the world by watching many documentations, reading news articles, and watching movies. I've watched documentaries about child labor in China, sex trafficking in Cambodia, tourism in Kenya, child soldiers in Congo, and other short videos that focus on individual stories of families across the world. I've watched movies that focus on the cruelty of genocide of which are based on actual events, and I've read statistics about the vast amount of people who suffer from hunger, thirst, and poverty. Now I know I'm not an expert of any of these evolving issues but I do know what kids should not be trained to kill, women should not be forced to have sex, and people should not live like animals.
I am so fortunate in life that it is not even funny. I have a roof upon my head, a bed to sleep in, food to eat, water to drink, and so much more. While I am so blessed and thankful for all that I have, I cannot help but to feel guilty. There are people who work one thousand times harder than I do to provide for their family and I am just given things. I know poverty is not my fault; nor is hunger, thirst, sex trafficking, or war but there is something in me that makes me feel powerless because I cannot do anything about others suffering. I always talk about how much one person can make a difference and that is 110% true! I have no doubt about that! However the power of hundreds of people is even superb. This project has given me hope and has allowed me to believe anything is possible. I've gotten feedback from people telling me that I made them pause and think, which means a lot because someone in this world heard me and knows I have a voice. Other have also been following this project and I really appreciate all their support for encouraging me to pursue my aspiration to make people see the good in the world. I also have people who tell me that they love what I'm doing and love how I am incorporating photography, which I absolutely love. Most importantly, this project has allowed me to grow so much and build character. Just a little over a week after starting this project, my sister looked at me and said "I've never realized how nice you are, I think this project made you into a nice person." Of course she is my sister but for her to look at me and say that meant the world to me. I laughed and told her that I've always been the way I am but I guess this project is allowing me to exhibit characteristics that were hard for me to distinguish.
This started off as a summer project but it has become something more than that. I wanted this summer to mean something to me and its only just the beginning to a new start.