Eleven Volunteer Service Awards were granted this spring; these awardees will be spending between 8 weeks to more than a year volunteering. This and following blogs profile these individuals.
Anne Borgeson and Michael Marchese will spend the second half of 2017 and summer of 2017, respectively, volunteering with Manna Project International in Chillos Valley, Ecuador. In Ecuador, Manna works to break the cycles of poverty by focusing on health, education and livelihood initiatives through a holistic approach to development. Rather than focusing on one aspect of poverty, Manna recognizes that poverty is multi-faceted and thus works to develop the community as a whole. 
As Program Directors, Anne and Michael will work on programs ranging from Adult & Children’s English classes, to the creation of a library & community center, to Health & Wellness classes, to Small Business Development & Education Global Access Programs (E-GAP). These programs, among others, work to improve the overall quality of life of these citizens living in poverty that may be malnourished, uneducated, underemployed, and facing many other challenges that poverty brings.