July 8, 2010

Sarah Hunter lives in a community service house on the campus of Boston University, where she majors in Political Science. However, it was in Rwanda that she really tried to make a difference.

Hunter, who is from Charlottesville, describes herself as an optimist. She lives by the phrase, "Act locally, think globally." So, when Hunter learned about the anti-poverty organization ONE, there was no doubt in her mind she had to be involved.

"When they say things like 'we could make poverty history' I believe it. We lobby congress, we make phone calls to senators and try to get bills and issues raised that are important to ones cause," said Hunter.

Co-founded by U2 lead singer Bono, ONE is described as a grassroots campaign and advocacy organization backed by more than two million people who are committed to the fight against extreme poverty and preventable disease, particularly in Africa.

Of more than 100 students across the country, Hunter was hand-selected to visit the African nation of Rwanda with the summer ONE Campus Challenge (OCC).

"I was expecting a torn apart place, a place where there was very little hope, it's so hopeful and a lot of development is going on," said Hunter.

Upon returning to the States a week ago, Hunter reflected on her experiences in Rwanda. She saw women walking miles with jugs of water that weighed 50 pounds or more. She saw things that shouldn't be, and some that should. She saw development right in front of her eyes, while developing herself.

"On every last Saturday of the month, the entire country gets shut down and everyone does community service work for the entire country. If we could have just a little bit of that [in the United States], as the world's superpower, we could make a huge difference," said Hunter.

Hunter will soon travel back to Boston to complete her senior year at BU. Upon graduating, Hunter says she would like to take a job lobbying Congress, but admits she'll likely spend some time in the Peace Corps.