Submitted by: Alex Avant

Between July 28th and Aug. 4th, I had the honor to travel from Africa to Mexico with President Clinton and his Foundation, with the mission to better the future for those in need. During my trip to Ethiopia, we visited a village called Debre Zeit, a rural area outside of Addis Ababa where thousands of people gathered, waving their Ethiopian flags proudly. They listened to President Clinton lay out his plans on helping people with HIV/AIDS, particularly women, to stop the spread of these terrible diseases. You could tell by the applause that everyone was excited the Clinton Foundation was helping to resolve these issues and reducing the cost of medicine.

We traveled far to get to Rwinkwavu, Rwanda, to meet a special boy named Jean- Pierre, who at 15 years old has AIDS and has lost his parents to this disease. One of the many phenomenal things I noticed in certain parts of Rwanda was how clean the streets were, literally. I saw people sweeping the streets constantly. There was an aura of purity floating around. You must give credit to their leader, President Kagame, who continues to prevail in his country despite all the fighting that’s gone on in that country.  I was honored to visit his home and to meet him and his children. He has great vision for his country.

As we drove through Monrovia, Liberia, you could see the devastation of war by looking at the destruction of houses and huts along side the roads. Seeing the kids run up to the motorcade with those smiles on their faces reminded me of the first smile I ever had. The principle difference was that their circumstances are diametrically opposite of mine. Eighty percent of the country lives without electricity. I couldn’t survive a minute and a half without it, and I have the audacity to complain; boy was that a wake up call.

We went to the Jorkpentown Market where I walked alongside Chelsea and watched her interact with children. She was very caring towards them as they were to her, nothing but smiles lit up on their faces. Later on we listened to President Clinton and the honorable President Ellen Johnson Sirleaf discuss how to eradicate malaria.

While in Mexico City, Mexico, thousands of us watched Clinton give the keynote speech at the World AIDS Conference. As silence filled the room and President Clinton got up to speak, he wasted no time and cut to the chase, stating AIDS is big dragon that must be knocked out. He shared what was happening in the states, where there is a serious problem among African Americans with HIV. He discussed rising oil, food prices and the mortgage crisis which adds pressure on the people infected with HIV. People cheered from every corner of the venue on hearing how his foundation is going to help.

Last, we had the distinct privilege of being invited to listen to President Clinton speak at a very intimate setting. He joined philanthropist Frank Giustra, Carlos Slim and President Of The Inter -American Development Bank Luis Moreno announce new projects in Columbia., Peru and Mexico, including one to strengthen small and medium sized businesses in undeserved areas.