BY KAREN BOSSICK
Emilee Struss had her eyes opened wide in a village in Tanzania.
And now she wants to do her part for the children she met there by leading a hike a half-world away.
Struss wants to raise money for Hailey native Theresa Grant’s Make a Difference (MAD) Now program, which has been educating vulnerable youth in Tanzania since 2008. And she’s doing it by leading a charity hike to Machu Picchu—that fabled 15th-century Incan citadel--in Peru’s Andes.
“I need at least six participants to make the trip a go,” said Struss, who has a deadline of Jan. 15. “It’s such a great way to see the world, greatly impact another’s life and get fit in the process.”
Struss moved to Sun Valley two years ago after studying creative writing at a college in Northern Minnesota. She has worked with a local outdoor program for at-risk youth, served as a barista at Hailey Coffee Company and led school programs for the Blaine County Drug Coalition. She’s also currently learning carpentry helping Brian Caulkins out with renovations at Rotarun Ski Area.
Having spent six months in South Africa, she was intrigued when she learned of the program Grant founded in 2008. Make a Difference (MAD) was named one of the Top Rated Nonprofits in 2017, awarded a GuideStar Gold Seal of Transparency.
“I love the Swahili language,” Struss said, describing how it contains lots of more syllables, x’s and z’s than the English language. “And I love the African culture and everything that goes along with it.”
Villagers in Tanzania are “so opposite Americans,” she said.
“Everyone has more than enough time to sit and talk with you. Everyone has more than enough time to spend three or four hours preparing meals by the time they’ve peeled the potatoes and cooked the meals for a couple of hours.
“There’s a lot of poverty but they’re so rich in family time,” she said.
Make a Difference is currently sponsoring the education of 25 students who have lost one or both parents due to disease.
One of its students, whom MAD began working with when he was nine, currently attends a university in Canada. Another attends Duke University.
“Education there is very expensive—it’s not free, as it is here,” said Struss. “And not only do you have school fees, but you have uniforms, books and, in many cases, room and board to pay for.”
Some children who don’t get an education end up panhandling in the villages, she added.
“The percentage of children going to school is very low,” she said. “Seventy percent of Tanzanian children don’t make it past primary school. Imagine how different our culture would be if 70 percent of our children didn’t make it past primary school.”
MAD offers a variety of charity hikes to raise money to help educate its students, taking hikers to Patagonia, Mt. Kilimanjaro, the Dolomites in Italy and Mount Everest Base Camp.
“I’m inspired by these because they’re a way not just to give money but to come to know who and what you’re giving to,” said Struss.
The Machu Picchu hike will be held along the Inca Trail Aug. 5-12, 2018—right before the rainy season. A Peruvian guide with Adventures within Reach will accompany the group, with porters carrying the gear.
“It’s not like a solo backpack trip. Anyone can hike the Inca Trail—it’s not strenuous or difficult.” Struss said. “Immediately, people say, ‘I couldn’t do that.’ But I respond, ‘Can you go on a day hike?’ If so, just think of this as five days of day hikes and it becomes very manageable.
“And, when you’re intentionally investing yourself and your money in someone else’s life, every step has purpose.”
THE HIKE:
Make a Difference is asking $1,865 per person for the nine-day tour. The money that goes to the children is tax deductible. Hikers can raise pledges in support of their hike.
The nine-day tour includes a day admiring the archaeological ruins and magnificent Spanish colonial architecture of Cusco. Hikers will then head to the Sacred Valley for a five-day journey along the Inca Trail to Machu Picchu.
There, they will enjoy a guided tour of the site and spend the night in Aguas Calientes before returning to Cusco. Those who wish may add an optional three-day trip to visit the Amazon rainforest.
For more information, visit www.gomadnow.org/cause/machu-picchu. Or, contact Emilee Struss at Emilee.struss@gmail.com or 218-929-7457.
See Sun Valley Live's interview with Struss and Lynn Pattnosh here.