DukeEngage | Duke Center for Civic Engagement

¡Hola todos!

In less than a week, six of us will depart for Santiago, Chile until August. While in Chile, the six of us will live with host families, volunteer at Acción Emprendedora, and learn more about Chilean culture, history, and politics through tertulias (tutorials) with famous artists, writers, and political figures. Acción Emprendedora seeks to alleviate poverty through entrepreneurship. 

We have an exciting and challenging summer ahead of us! Our official blog has already begun with more information about the trip and the preparation we've gone through over at:

http://dukeengagechile.blogspot.com/

¡Hasta luego!

I recall a young boy during one of my days volunteering. He shook my hand and hurried off before coming back with a glass of chilled water. I explained in Hindi that I had brought my own. Those around me stood puzzled, confused why I would prefer my warm bottled water over the refrigerated tap water they had offered me. How could I explain respectfully that Delhi's tap water wasn't "clean" enough for my body to handle? How could I justify spending 12 rupees (U.S. $0.25) on each liter of water when that's nearly one-fourth the average daily earnings of Delhi's street populations? To me, bottled water was a necessity; to them, it was an extravagance.  Read the entire editorial here.