Meet Julia Sawatzky – Part Two!

Last time we found out why Julia decided to partner with MindLeaps and how important dance had become to her. This time around, with the second part of our interview (if you haven’t read the first part, you MUST!), we discuss her recent trips as well as what she will...

Meet Julia Sawatzky!

MindLeaps is proud to introduce our newest volunteer from the Guinea team, Julia Sawatzky! She is a former dancer turned medical student. After graduating from University of St. Andrews in Scotland, she went on to receive the R&A scholarship that allows her to...

Why Dance?

During my second week with MindLeaps in Conakry, the dance program began – and with it came a full-on plunge into new and diverse avenues of this learning experience! I am learning about both Guinean culture and society, and the capacity of dance to empower! On...

My First Impressions of Guinea

Just 10 days into my time in Guinea, I am reeling from the huge diversity of fascinating experiences I have had being in Conakry with MindLeaps. Guinea is truly like no other country I have ever been to before, in terms of both its difficult political history and...

Giving Shoes To Children Across Guinea

The government of Guinea is one of our partners in the distribution of shoes donated by Ruben’s Shoes from Canada.  These shoes are destined for all the children of Guinea, and recently, we organized a series of activities to distribute the shoes throughout the...

Western Union Sponsors Aissatou & Mohamed

In Guinea, two more children have received the chance to attend school : Aissatou Tounkara and Mohamed Samaké. It has been a long, tough road for Aissatou and Mohamed.  In both cases, their parents are handicapped and very ill.  Aissatou had to drop out of school in...