This photo was taken on my first travel adventure outside the United States. I have always joke with my friends that all I wanted to do what hold babies on every continent. I decided on West Africa because visiting the slave castles was an important healing aspect to this trip, and I wanted to volunteer in an attempt to have the trip be more reciprocal and more personal. Sustainable travel meant for me that I volunteer with an organization who's mission statement and practices included me living within the community I am serving and not apart from, and utilizing we as volunteers to support a community and not simply taking jobs away from local people.