When I was walking home from my grandpa's 80th birthday party with my dad 15 years ago, I remember telling him that I was going to go to Africa one day, and I was going to do non profit work. Over time, I had basically forgotten about that statement/promise and moved on with school, degrees and a career.

     My humanitarian disposition eventually transferred over into my passion of photography. My love for people, and the idea that I can tell their story through photographs and maybe somehow make their lives better compels me. And now, I have the opportunity to fulfill this long lost goal through my passion.

     I was selected from a competitive pool of other photographers and invited to work with a social enterprise in Zambia, Africa starting on June 1, 2016. The organization is called Rent To Own, a social business that provides assets to micro-entrepreneurs in rural Zambia to help them start and/or grow their business. Check out more about the social enterprise at http://rtoafrica.com/about-us/.

What else is awesome about this? My World Vision sponsor child just happens to live in Zambia! So not only am I going to get to meet this little girl I've been sending money to for the last few years, but I am going to physically and personally make a difference in her community and hopefully life. 

I'm not one to ask for money, ever, and I normally have a hard time accepting anything, but I am going to work for Rent To Own, pro bono. I will not make money, nor are they helping with the expenses for me to go there (but they are organizing my lodging and food and all that good stuff!). All of my work will go to help them get more funding and expand their organization so they can in turn help more entrepreneurs in Africa. This is also an amazing life experience and who knows what will come of it in the future! Do not feel obligated, but anything small gesture is appreciated. Thanks everyone for the love regardless :) xoxo

Below is info about the organization that is providing me with the opportunity....

Changing worlds with photography.

Rent to Own Zambia - Crystal Schick

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Donors like you have helped photographers fundraise 100% of project-related costs since 2014!

All donations are calculated in US Dollars and are tax-deductible for Americans and Canadians with US income.

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Every year, our photographers and videographers donate hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of their time to document the work of grassroots initiatives that are making a real change in this world where it is most needed. By capturing, honouring and witnessing humanity at its best, we are not only inspiring many, but we are forging new narratives of what is and what is possible. 

You can help by supporting our photographers and videographers (See the side bar to the right to see fundraisers for our most recent recruits).

Each of our official photographers/videographers is assigned a GroupRev fundraising page by PWB upon acceptance. These pages are a privilege we offer that are intended to make our programs accessible to all and enable our volunteer photographers/videographers to subsidize or cover these necessary project-related expenses:

• Airfare
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• Etc.

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Photographers Without Borders® (PWB) envisions a world where we all put ourselves in each others' shoes and work together. Our mission is to inform and inspire positive change by visually communicating the ways that grassroots initiatives are addressing problems in their communities. PWB is registered as a charity in the United States with 501(c)(3) status and is registered as a not-for-profit organization in Canada. All donations are calculated in US Dollars and are tax-deductible for Americans and Canadians with US income.

PWB is not responsible for any donations made outside of these pages.

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All donations are calculated in US Dollars and are tax-deductible for Americans and Canadians with US income.

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