Citizen of the World

East junior sacrifices cell phone to help rape victims in Africa

By Kayla Furlano, Current Staff

One act of selflessness can spark a chain reaction of kindness. Maggie Moran, an East junior, experienced this firsthand.

In March, Moran donated $300 to the charity 300 for Congo to buy a surgery for a rape victim from the Congo. The charity 300 for Congo is run by Jean Frizzell, a member of Kettlebrook Church, and the idea is to pay for fistula repair surgeries on behalf of victimized women.

Moran’s original intention with the money she had saved up from working at Cousins Subs was not to donate, but to buy a Moto X cell phone, which is around the same price as the surgery.

“I have the means to save up that much money and somebody in Africa wouldn’t. I feel like as a world citizen, it’s my responsibility to help someone else first,” Moran said.

Moran’s donation did not go unnoticed. The day she donated, a man from her church showed up on her doorstep with $600: $300 for another surgery, and $300 for Moran’s new phone. “That was pretty crazy,” Moran said.

Not only did Moran receive a new phone but, more importantly, she also helped improve the lives of two women.

“These rogue gangs of militia go through and rape all the women, and attack people and kill everybody, even if they’re not fighting them. They just do it,” Moran said. “A lot of the women, after they’re raped, are shunned by their community. Nobody tries to help them.”

Moran’s donation was one of the first for the charity. “Now they’ve bought, like, over 15 surgeries,” Moran said.

(Image: Maggie Moran studies in East library on May 28, 2014.  Photograph by Mike Smale, Current Staff.)