A representative of particular note was alum Jeff Hall, President of the Class of 1986 and founder of the Amherst Hunger Action Committee. Hall gave a presentation on Third World development and life in Africa, with a particular focus on Sierra Leone, West Africa. According to the United Nations, Sierra Leoneans are among the poorest people in the world and many, having lost their homes and villages in the 90s as a result of civil war and continuing violence, reside in crowded, unsanitary refugee camps.
Familiar with the country and its people after having served there with the Peace Corps from 1987 to 1989, Hall returned in 2004 to find his friends struggling to rebuild their homes and farms. Hall then established the Roofs for Sierra Leone project which works in partnership with villages to improve the health, education, food, water and income of the village. So far, the project has provided 400 roofs for 4,000 people in the past two years and plans are being made to build eight new water wells and a primary school addition. The project also provides funding for over 150 scholarships.
During his presentation, Hall discussed summer internship opportunities for Amherst students.
Other projects of note represented at the Fair included Project Pipeline-a program that helps public school students build the skills, competencies and confidence necessary for college-and the Abele Public Service Internship.
Speaking of her experience at the Fair, Katina Hubbard '07 said, "Non-profit fairs give good examples of people and organizations that are trying to change things." She continued, "There are so many opportunities for college grads to use their skills, energy and creativity to create change ... both domestically and internationally. Many seniors have only a vague idea about how they see themselves serving the world. We often see it as something for later in life-we'll work on changing the world after we've made money, have a family, etc. But, in reality, these are the years to do it!"