Invited by a family friend, Amanda jumped at the opportunity to travel and help the truly needy people in a small village south of Addis Ababa, the capital city of Ethiopia. The trip, sponsored by the group Engage Now, lasted two weeks but taught Amanda a lifetime worth of lessons. Amanda, her sister Juliana and her family friend arrived in Addis Ababa and immediately packed their bags into a van and settled in for a five hour drive south. When they arrived in the small village they were designated to help, Amanda was immediately struck by the lack of what she considered standard fixtures but now knows to be luxuries; there were no faucets, limited access to electricity and an extreme lack of nutritious food.
donations help doctors bills
Since then, Amanda and Juliana have dedicated their time to many different charitable organizations that focus on human and animals alike. She is a big supporter of the Wildlife Conservation Society and heads the committee for the WCS branch at the Central Park Zoo.