Empower

Soon after arriving in Italy for my summer internship, a populist government came to power. Two deeply different parties, the Five Star Movement and the League, won the majority in the recent election and, defying all expectations, formed a coalition to rule the country.

This June, I had the opportunity to travel to Ecuador with fellow BUILD Latin America members, Cristina da Gama and Cami Rovalino, to work on our club’s project with Libraries Without Borders (LWB). BUILD has been partnering with LWB to implement KoomBook programs in communities in Ecuador without access to internet connection.

Each year, the Institute for Global Leadership sponsors a group of motivated Tufts University students to pursue social entrepreneurship projects that have a real-world impact.

Peter Sacco, a second-year student at the Fletcher School, is a 2016 Empower Fellowship recipient. He used his fellowship to travel to Guatemala and work with local craftsmen to begin a socially conscious line of luxury footwear. Check it out at www.adelanteshoes.com. Adelante Shoe Co.