MGRC’s founder, Rick Morro’s 16 year old granddaughter spent two unforgettable weeks volunteering at MGRC. These are her words on how the experience has changed her life.

Now that I am home in Arizona and back to my usual routine of living a blessed life, I cannot stop thinking about the girls I was staying with at the Maasai Girls Rescue Center in Tanzania. I feel a constant pull to help the girls and other people I met while visiting my grandfather. I saw the kind of hunger I never really knew existed except in stories. I saw people with so little that it made me cry.

Happiness isn’t what I thought

I really miss being in back at the MGRC center. I especially miss seeing all the smiling faces and playing with the girls. The experience has changed my life. I saw girls who had so little smiling, playing and being happy. It made me understand that all the things I thought I needed were not what makes you happy. It is makes me understand how selfish we are and that giving makes you happier than receiving.

Answering the call to help

I have been considering using the funds from my small part time job after school and on weekends to sponsor a girl. I cannot afford a full sponsorship but want to at least do a partial sponsorship. My grandfather wants me to pray about it, because he says it is a long-term commitment.

This trip made me realize how much my grandfather cares about helping the poor. I never really understood why he sold his nice house in Arizona and moved to Africa.

I now understand how difficult the Maasai people’s lives are. I am thinking and praying about taking a gap year after graduating high school and I begin college. I want to spend it in Tanzania helping my grandfather run the MGRC Center.

I plan on trying my best to raise money for my grandfather’s charity. I am not sure what type of fundraisers I might do but I am talking to my friends and sharing ideas. I am sure some of my friends will help. I am also saving my money to return next year, maybe with some of my friends. Once I told them about my trip, they started asking their parents if they could go. I think once my friends see the difficult lives these girls have, they will want to help also.

Makayla