International

Virginia Emmons is the founder of Educate Tomorrow International, an organization to fight hunger and promote education in Niger.

Q: How did you get involved in the fight against hunger?

A: I was a Peace Corps volunteer in Niger. While I was there, I began a few programs for elementary education to increase literacy in the village I was living in. When I returned to the U.S., I wanted to keep that going. Our main hurdle to keep educating children and keep motivation up was the underlying need for food. Parents needed their children to work in the field for food, not to be in a classroom. We founded the relief effort, what we call Educate Tomorrow International, in 2000. We decided to start a hot-lunch program where if a child came to school they would receive a meal. This alleviated a lot of the problems families faced in finding food. Additionally, we started the Food for Work program. Traditionally, parents would work in other people's fields to earn money and never work on their own fields to invest in the future. We did a fundraiser here to get food so I could give families rice in exchange for working in their own fields.

Q: Why do you think hunger is such an important issue?

A: Hunger has always been a huge issue. The shift in development to the area struck by the tsunami takes people's attention away from hunger in Africa, but these problems are still here. At the same time the tsunami hit, there were locusts throughout West Africa, which hurt an already-limited food supply. Also, both myself and my four sisters are involved with the foundation. Education is a key to advancement, but we have had to deal with hunger first.

Q: What are your plans for the future?

A: We want to continue feeding children in villages through the hot-lunch program and the Food for Work program. In Miami, we have a mentoring program where we set up mentors with children in foster care. Mentors help their child to graduate from high school and guide them through the college-application process. They act as motivators, but they end up doing a lot more -- they help them find housing, healthcare, etc. They act more as a parent to fill their needs. We have been focusing on our mentoring program here and haven't really done much to advertise our work in Niger. Since the issue was brought up in the news, we decided we should address it. We would like to continue expanding both of those programs here in Miami.

Q: What can readers do to get involved?

A: To get involved or make a donation, the easiest way to reach us is to visit www.educatetomorrow.org, or call me directly at 305-303-5890. We are offering a trip to Africa in late November. These trips are a way for people to go to Niger, see what we are doing and get them involved and investing in these regions. We would like to initiate more projects and continue to expand, but we need investments.

Q: What are some of your other passions?

A: I am originally from Wisconsin, but I love the water here. Being from up north, I enjoy rock climbing, snowboarding and now, surfing. I am absolutely a very passionate person about all different causes. It's funny how things get dropped into your lap. I've always been passionate about the advancement of women and empowering them to find self-esteem and be on top.