Read about why Sarah Anouilh joined the Becky’s Fund team!

My name is Sarah Anouilh, and I am about to begin my senior year at the University of Mary Washington in Fredericksburg, Virginia. I have lived in Arlington, Virginia for most of my life, but have always enjoyed traveling to other countries. Growing up in an Army family at Fort Myer, I was taught to value volunteerism. I am majoring in International Affairs, and I plan to join the Peace Corps after graduating. Eventually, I want to focus my career fully on international development and serve as a Foreign Service Officer. I am interning at Becky’s Fund to learn how domestic violence affects women in the US so that I may apply that knowledge and experience to my service abroad.

Due to my major, I knew that I wanted the experience of interning in Washington, DC as well as with an organization that focuses on an important issue that extends beyond US borders. I want to expand my knowledge of domestic violence and its effects on families through my internship at Becky’s Fund because women’s empowerment is a crucial issue in international development. Women’s education, advocacy, and empowerment are focuses of many non-government organizations that successfully aid victims of domestic violence abroad. By interning at Becky’s Fund, I will gain the experience of working within Washington, DC as well as the opportunity to empower countless women across the United States.

Unfortunately, domestic violence is present both in developed and underdeveloped nations. The United States must place their efforts in ending domestic violence within the US so that they may act as a positive influence to developing countries. I want to work for Becky’s Fund because international development cannot occur without women’s rights. I believe that the US should extend its values of gender equality to areas in which women have little rights or representation. With the experience gained from my internship at Becky’s Fund, I will not only be doing my part to advocate against domestic violence but also learning how to help women in nations whose regimes do not lend them a voice. I believe that by eradicating violence against women in the US, we will be well on our way to ending domestic violence worldwide.