Kim Sprout is a junior International Affairs major from Fairfax, VA and one of the founders of the Feed a Child Campaign here at JMU. This past December and August, Kim was able to visit Sierra Leone, Africa with her church. Sierra Leone is one of the poorest countries in the world, where one in five children die before their first birthday. After her first visit, she really became interested in the welfare of the children she worked with, and after the second trip, she knew she needed some way to help them out while she was away.
While Kim was in Sierra Leone, she volunteered at the Child Rescue Centre. The Child Rescue Centre houses 40 children who are orphans of war or poverty, but it supports about 250 others. This campaign is designed to help children who are supported through the Child Rescue Centre, the community, and the Mercy Hospital. The Mercy Hospital serves anyone, regardless of their ability to pay, and has a special nutrition program for expecting mothers, and mothers with malnourished children.
The Feed a Child Campaign is unique because it is run completely by college students from around the country. The campaign runs from September to October and has already raised around $4,000. Kim’s personal goal is to raise $2,000, with $900 raised so far. There is also a donor who is willing to match the amount of money that the campaign raises, which creates even more motivation to donate. Kim raises money by selling sunglasses and t-shirts around campus that have the Feed a Child Campaign logo on them.
Through her two unforgettable trips to the Sierra Leone, Kim has been able to stay connected to the children she cares so deeply about. If anyone is interested in purchasing a t-shirt or sunglasses, or wants to donate money to the Feed a Child
Campaign, you can e-mail Kim at
sproutkn@dukes.jmu.edu.