Oprah for a month

Whenever someone asks me, “How was your trip to Nairobi?” I find it extremely difficult to think of a response that will capture the depth of my experience. I always knew that I wanted to volunteer in a third world country at some point in my life, but I could have never imagined that it would have such a heavy impact on me.

I was teaching at the St. Aloysius site in Kibera along with Mike, Christi and Joanna. Our students were all around the same age as me, so I found it pretty easy to socialize and a joke around with them just like I would with my friends back home. Although there were obvious differences between us, I was surprised by how similar certain behaviors were accross cultures. For example, the students teased each other in the same way, were competitive when playing games, and the girls were often doing each other’s hair or gossiping about their love lives. On the first day of class, we asked our students to brainstorm some of the social issues in their communities and identify where a business opportunity was possible. This activity made me realize that they were not at all oblivious to the issues within their community. In fact, they were well aware of the problems and could provide us with detailed information about the root causes. The challenge became coming up with a solution that would engage the residents of Kibera and allow them to make a profit at the same time. Some students believed that this was impossible to do, and referred to other businesses that had failed while attempting a similar idea in the past. However as the weeks went on, they began to realize that this wasn’t impossible and became very passionate about their ideas – some to the point where they refused to modify anything that was clearly unrealistic (eg: not paying themselves for 6 months in order to have a large positive cash flow statement!), but that soon changed as well.

I really enjoyed watching each group’s progress and each student’s confidence grow after grasping a new concept. Moreover, I was inspired by the strength and positive attitude that the students had demonstrated every day, despite having come from such difficult backgrounds. Through reading their profiles provided by the school I learned that some of the students in my group had been badly abused, had recently lost a loved one, or were raising their younger siblings on their own. However when they came to class they seemed to put all of this aside. Their smiles and willingness to learn would make it impossible to guess the hardships they had once endured. When it was time for the final business plan presentations, I felt like a proud parent watching my group stand up before the class and share their idea! I was so pleased to see how far they had come and it assured me that they had been paying attention during our lessons. After spending three weeks together, it was really hard for me to say goodbye to the students, who had become my new friends.

Since coming back home I have been in touch with most people from my group through email. They have been updating me on their personal lives as well as their progress with the business plan. I have also been fundraising to purchase a waterproof tent that St. Aloysius can use to hold future workshops in, as our classes were held in the backyard under an old tarp (which blew off on the last day!). The trip was unlike anything I have ever experienced before. It really opened up my eyes to some harsh realities of the world that I had only ever read about or seen on TV. Having a physical presence in Kenya offered a whole new perspective, and has inspired me to continue volunteering overseas. Joining the SE 101 team was one of the best and most rewarding decisions I have made in my life thus far.