Africa Bound

Long time readers might remember that I was suppose to be in Kenya last month helping teach a class on entrepreneurship.

Due to some unrest, the government officially postponed the trip.  While I still hope it happens some day, when I got the news I assumed I might never make it to Africa.

I've got a permanent case of wanderlust. There isn't a location on this earth that I wouldn't want to see in person. To smell the air. Taste the food. Meet the people. Those experiences are what I live for.

But, then last week a bit of magic happened and in two weeks I'll be boarding a plane for Africa and I'm super excited to tell you why.

On April 26th, Ghana will become the first GAVI-eligible country to rollout two new vaccines at same time. They will be pneumococcal and rotavirus vaccines, which will save thousands of children's lives.

As a guest of The GAVI Alliance, ONE has invited me to come along for the journey to be part of this historical announcement and see how their efforts are changing lives on the ground. The White House credits ONE (ONE’s supporters, volunteers and moms) with successfully pushing for the multi-year $450 million pledge of commitments to the Global Alliance for Vaccines and Immunizations (GAVI).

Watch this beautiful video to learn more about what is happening.

I'm not sure I can fully express how thankful I am that ONE approached me with this opportunity. While getting seven shots last week was less than fun, I've already forgotten them and am getting filled with excitement as I think about the week I'll spend there and what stories I'll be able to capture and share.

Last year when the #ONEMOMS program brought some of my friends to Africa, I followed along on their journey.

The above photo was taken by Karen Walrond who was on that trip and who shared all the beauty she discovered along the way. I remember sitting here at home dreaming of going on a trip like that someday. Now, it is a reality.

You'll be able to follow along on my journey to Ghana as I'll be sharing as much as I can across all of my channels, but there will also be updates daily to http://one.org/blog and http://facebook.com/one as well.

Thank you ONE for having me be part of something so important and so special.

Africa, here I come!