Volunteer Africa

My name is Mariah, I am originally from New Jersey, USA. I was given an incredible second chance to escape my troubled life in New Jersey and move to Singapore, so I took it! I feel that the least I can do is give someone else the same second chance that I had, and to give back! As mentioned above, my story starts in New Jersey. When I was eighteen years old I decided to see a doctor about my chronic migraines. Unknown to me, this doctor ran a pill mill (a doctor's office that freely writes prescriptions for heavy narcotics, in order to get a "kick back" from the pharmaceutical companies) and wrote me a prescription for a very powerful, opiate based, painkiller. Before I knew it, I was completely dependent and addicted. After a year or so, the doctor I was seeing began to get nervous after several of his patients were hospitalised, and without pryer notice, refused to see me. Being addicted,young, and not knowing who or where to turn, I began to purchase the prescription illegally of the street. I continued this for about two years. Right around that time, the U.S congress decided to pass a bill limiting the amount of opiate based painkillers that doctors could write prescriptions for. This made them very hard and very expensive to buy on the streets. Like most people addicted to opiates, I was terrified of becoming terribly ill from the withdrawal that is experienced when one stops taking opiates. The only solution my addiction could comprehend, was to use a more powerful, addictive, and cheaper opiate, heroin. It didn't take long for my heroin use to spin out of control. One night, nearly six months ago, I decided that enough was enough and for the next few weeks I relentlessly called drug detox programs in my area. When I finally found a detox program that had room for me, I was very optimistic about my sobriety, but knew that it would be hard for me to stay drug free where it would be so easy for me to relapse. As fate would have it, my mom was visiting from Singapore around the same time I was getting out of detox, so I made the decision to go back to Singapore with her and start over. I know all to well that most people don't have the options that I had, and I am extremely grateful for that. I can't think of a better way to give back to the world then to help the unfortunate people of the world in anyway that I can. I began researching NGO's all around the world, but primarily in Africa. After much research, I contacted a organisation called, GVI. They offer many different programs that one can join. I am most interested in working with the children in the orphanages, teaching them how to speak, read and write in english. Eventually I would like to look into Doctors Without Boarders and other programs through organisations like the Red Cross and the United Nations. Unfortunately, the cost on this program is nearly 5,000USD. When I started my life over, I left everything behind and because of this, I do not have nearly $5,000. I am asking that anyone who ever wanted to help the children of Africa, but cannot either do to scheduling conflicts or other responsibilities, to help me take this adventure and give back to the world for the unbelievable second chance I've been given.