When Alexa Letkeman learned about the famine in East Africa, she knew she had to do something. The Grade 7 Mennonite Educational Institute (MEI) student learned about the drought and famine as part of a class at school, and was moved to action by the sheer scale of the disaster.

"We had to answer some questions after we read about this famine, and reading about how many people have died and how many people are close to dying really struck me," Alexa says, adding, "I had to do something."

A bake sale she organized at her church with the help of family and friends raised just under $1,000 to help Mennonite Central Committee (MCC) respond to the famine in East Africa. It was her pastor's wife who suggested that Alexa send her funds to MCC. After doing some research on the organization and learning how funds are used by MCC in response to the East African famine, Alexa decided that this was the organization for her.

The experience of raising funds for others in need has made an impact on Alexa as she thinks about her future. "I really think that this is not the end of my helping people," she says. "God is going to take me on more journeys like this one."

She encourages anyone who is moved by compassion to make a difference in the lives of others in need: "Follow your heart and God, and see where it takes you in life. It only takes one person to start something and make a difference in the world."

Author affiliation:

BY ANGELIKA DAWSON

Mennonite Central Committee B.C.

ABBOTSFORD, B.C.