Who We Are

Hi Friends! Thank you for reading about our adventures!
We are Christina and Taryn and this is our story. ☺

In the fall of 2005, we met in the Middle Eastern country of Qatar, where we immediately became close friends! Taryn was working as an English instructor with the Berlitz International Language School and Christina was working as a teaching assistant at the satellite campus of her school, Carnegie Mellon University.

While there, we had a two-week break during the Muslim Holiday, Ramadan. It was during this time off that we were able to make our very first trip to Kenya, a place that we had both always dreamed of visiting.

One of the most shocking realities we faced during our trip was the multitude of children supporting themselves on the streets. It was heart-wrenching to see children as young as 5 years old, begging for money and carrying their younger infant siblings with them. We could see the desperation in their faces and right away, we knew that we had to come back as soon as possible. We needed to do something. We wanted to help!

For the past 3 years, we have been brainstorming and researching ways to get ourselves back to Africa. After comparing several different volunteer programs on-line, we decided to apply to the Institute for Field Research Expeditions (IFRE).

IFRE was able to place us in an assignment together, at an orphanage where we would be able to work with children, which was one of our main goals. Compared to many others, this organization was also the most affordable. To see a copy of our proposed budget, then please email Taryn at: taryntb@gmail.com and she will gladly send you one.