Thursday night I attended a fundraising dinner for ALARM, an organization with which I became acquainted a little over a month ago.

ALARM operates in 8 African countries with a focus on leadership development and transformation of communities through forgiveness and reconciliation. Their work in regions racked by violent conflicts has been very successful. We saw videos of people in Rwanda and Burundi whose lives have been completely changed through reconciliation. We also heard stories of people in Darfur, Sudan; Goma, the Democratic Republic of Congo; and northern Uganda, who benefit tremendously from the work of ALARM.

As I listened to their stories, I couldn’t help but realize how fortunate I’ve been, even though my life has its share of obstacles. Many of these people displaced by violent conflict live interrupted lives. For some, all their education and professional skills go down the drain while they are stuck in refugee camps. They lose years that can never be regained, and many children grow up without the opportunity of any formal education.

I am proud to support an organization that is doing so much on the ground to better the lives of people. Find out more about ALARM‘s work and how you can support them.