¡Bienvenidos!

“What gets you out of bed in the morning? What is it that you want to achieve in this world? You know, they say that if you write down your goals and continuously remind yourself of them, you are more likely to accomplish them. Let me share three of my goals with you:

1. Donate 100 pints of blood before the age of 70.

2. Make partner at an accounting firm.

3. Be the change I wish to see in the world.

I want each and every one of you to dig deep and really ask yourself what makes a life worth living …”

I was a junior in business school, and was asked to stand among my fellow accounting students to state why service was important to me. I wanted to stress the importance of a life well balanced between personal career goals and social goals. It’s not enough to be a part of a company that is socially conscience. How can each and every one of us become socially conscious in our personal lives and strive to make a positive change in the world?

Little did I know, just one year later, even my goals would be tested. My world would be turned upside down, and two of my previous goals would become a distant memory. Frequent and future trips to malaria endemic countries have forced me to discontinue my goal to donate 100 pints of blood. Also, I decided that I wanted to be in a career that would give me as much business knowledge as possible so that I could transfer my skills to the social enterprise and non-profit sector, leaving me to take a career in consulting instead of accounting.

I now only have one goal left from my initial list. Like many students who have followed Mahatma Gandhi’s quote, I have adopted it as my purpose in life. Be the change I wish to see in the world.

I am Vanessa Lopez. I am 22 years old and a recent graduate from the University of Washington. Before venturing off into the business world in January, I’m ready to take my knowledge and create change.

As an ongoing volunteer for Global Brigades, I have seen and have been a part of the many challenges that face underdeveloped communities. One very pressing problem is the need for healthcare in rural villages and solutions for the underlying causes. This summer, I will be traveling to Honduras through Global Brigades to develop a new sustainable development program to combat this very problem that threatens the villages we volunteer in. The project is called “Consejos de Brigadas.” I will be working with a team to develop sustainable health councils in rural villages. The councils will provide primary healthcare combined with innovative health infrastructure and agricultural and microenterprise solutions via a microlending model. The idea is to have the health infrastructure and solutions (latrines, eco-stoves, water storage units, etc) perpetuate the primary health care delivered.

Our team has a tough feat ahead of us as we develop this new program, and I couldn’t be more excited to stand up for the challenge. I invite you to be a part of our fight to combat the healthcare problems in underdeveloped communities. Follow our blog and take one step further in becoming the change you wish to see in the world. Each week I will post a blog every Friday and Sunday to discuss the most urgent issues. We would like this blog to be an open dialogue and center for solutions to the life threatening problems that these villages are faced with everyday. Please post responses, questions, and any advice as we work together to solve these problems.

For daily updates on our project after I depart for Honduras on June 22, follow @vanessaclopez on Twitter. Please read our next post this Friday, June 12 to find out more on how Global Brigades started.