My name is Laurie Scharp. I’ve had a dream of living in Africa since I was a child. I went to university, studied chemistry and worked as an analytical chemist for 10 years. I was trying to be sensible and white collared but after 10 years I hung up the lab coat and decided it’s time to go to the place that’s been calling me for decades.

December 2015 through June 2016 I spent in Liberia, Uganda and Kenya teaching, exploring and building websites, during what I call Laurie Goes to Africa Part 1. Part 2 starts March 2017 in Kisii, Kenya. I’m partnering with local organizations, schools and churches to see what’s the best way we can alleviate poverty. My mission is to share my skills and talents with Africans to help inspire and encourage individuals, families and communities to rise out of poverty.

laurie in river
Laurie Goes to Africa is not just about helping Africans or poverty alleviation. LGtA is not just about a Midwestern girl going to Africa and the beautiful and fulfilling work that can be done when you’re helping other people. It’s about following your heart, your dreams and God in and to the life you are meant to have. It’s about getting organized, keeping your head up when things (and people!) try to derail you from your mission. It’s also about living fluidly to let God push you around the way he wants to push you around and be willing to see new doors that are placed around you instead of having blinders on, walking towards a narrow goal that might not be the right path for you.

The pull that Africa has on me is beyond human understanding. I just feel like I should be there. I’ve been in love with the idea of Africa and making a difference in lives of those less privileged than myself for a very long time. Once I got to Africa, I was even more convinced that this was a really good place for me to be and I decided I’ll definitely be going back and for longer.

I am the kind of person that believes that everything happens for a reason and that we each can have great destinies. I am not satisfied living a white bread, cookie cutter life. I am not satisfied making a paycheck for a job that only exists to make myself or others’ money. My skills, energy, time and heart (and everyone’s!) can be put towards something so much more than that.
kenyan high school boys class
Growing up, whenever us kids said “I can’t do that”, no matter what it was about, my dad’s famous one liner back was “Can’t or won’t?” I believe that we are only limited by our own beliefs about what we can and can’t do. I won’t go into all the different ways that I’ve done something that I originally thought I couldn’t do here, but let’s just say there’s a list! There is no can’t, only won’t.

Who else is Laurie? I’m in my early 30s, love sci-fi, dancing, singing at bars, making crafts, art, websites, love swimming and love putting smiles on people’s faces.