Valley teacher, mom aims to help poor African kids

By AMANDA TONOLI

atonoli@vindy.com

YOUNGSTOWN

A mother of two girls under age 5 will travel to Africa to spread her wealth of knowledge to impoverished children.

Elizabeth Danyi of Struthers, a Stambaugh Charter Academy teacher, said simply, “I’ve got to do it.”

From July 15 to 23, she’ll be on a volunteer trip in Arusha, Tanzania.

Although the cost of the trip, through International Volunteers HQ, is an affordable $600, the cost of the plane ticket is not. The cost is more than $2,500.

But it’s something Danyi is determined to do.

She recalls when she was her oldest daughter Violet’s age, 3, she carried one of her mother’s African anthropology books as if it were her teddy bear.

“So ever since I was [Violet’s] age I said I was going to Africa,” Danyi said.

But the path to getting there wasn’t easy.

Danyi found she was unable to in high school and college due to a number of obstacles, including a heavy financial burden she just couldn’t bear.

“I tried to raise the money – I really tried hard – but being young made it difficult,” she said. “Then I graduated [from Youngstown State University], got married and had kids and said, ‘Well, I guess it’s never going to happen.’”

And then Danyi had an epiphany as a teacher, a parent and role model for countless young minds.

“I said, ‘Wait a minute. What am I teaching them?’” she said. “That I’m not going to pursue my dreams because I had kids? That you can do whatever you want, but if you have kids you can’t? So I have to go.”

Teah Crew, Danyi’s mother, said she’s overjoyed to see her daughter live out her lifelong dream.

“It shows a lot of gumption for a mother of two very young daughters to want to go overseas and donate her time to volunteer work,” she said.

Dario Hunter, Stambaugh dean, said a trip like Danyi’s is something he would expect based on her personality.

“Liz [Danyi] always has an engaging and caring attitude with her students, and so this volunteer project, while uniquely exciting, is no surprise in light of her giving nature as an educator,” he said.

From now until July, Danyi hopes to raise the remaining $1,500 to pay for her plane ticket.

I want people to know that even though you’re a mom, you have to have your own dreams and your own life, and I’m trying to show my children that,” she said.

The adventure won’t end there, however.

Danyi said this is just the start of many trips.

“It’s a calling, and I’m excited to see what’s in store for me in the future,” she said.

For information about Danyi’s trip or to donate to her cause, visit facebook.com/lizdanyiteachinafrica/ or gofundme.com/liz-danyi-teaching-in-africa.