I'm Going To Kenya

I have been given an amazing opportunity to learn about life beyond my comfort zone and within the borders of one of the most impoverished areas of the world: Kenya, and the Slums outside of Nairobi.

Kibera

I’m currently in the process of planning this trip (to happen in May or June) with an organization called Africa Heart that a dear friend of mine works with to bring education and awareness to people living in a situation of dire poverty. Through this process, my friend and the Intern Coordinator for Africa Heart – Steve Sacher has impacted me greatly with his protectiveness of the organization and the people of Kibera, whom I know he treasures.  You can read his blog here: http://shadefromthetrees.blogspot.com

He does not want them to be exploited for the sake of storytelling or to end up as another sad demographic, pathetic photo or statistic on the news that people see and then forget about 5 minutes later. He wants them to be recogized for the extraordinary and unique human beings they are and for their beautiful and illuminating contributions to the world in the face of encompassing poverty and darkness. I respect this integrity so much and I’m inspired as a marketing and PR consultant  to work with Steve and the staff at Heart to find a way to tell the stories of beauty, triumph and character with integrity and dignity worthy of the determination that they live out daily without complaint.

On this trip, I will be unofficially acting as a consultant Intern with a focus on development, marketing and PR. I will be taking photos, keeping a journal and writing reports and stories about what I experience and the hopes and dreams of the staff and students on site to share them with people around the world. I will also be taking some selective video footage to edit into hopeful and enlightening promotional videos for the organization that they can use to raise awareness for their efforts and draw new volunteers to the service opportunities that are available in Kenya.

I know personally that it is easy for those of us with means and comfort to become immune to feeling sorrow for the plight of people who are homeless, poor, uneducated or in some other way marginalized because we are inundated with negative news and messages in the media about how the problem is so big we can’t really make a difference. But I have learned a valuable lesson that has helped me overcome this cynicism – life is not about my comfort or success, it’s about helping other people. With that purpose, my life is rich, meaningful and full of beauty.

Thus, I am making it my goal this year to learn more about how I can practically take on some specific problems, understand areas of need, and help be part of the real solution with a tangible result and outcome for real people with faces, names and stories to tell. ­­

I am excited to invite you to participate in with me as a prayer support partner and a financial supporter in my goal to raise $5000 towards this trip to assist the organization with developing new marketing and development tools.

Please remember that what I am doing isn’t a hobby or a social experiment: Instead helping others through the implementation of opportunities like this one is what I have chosen to dedicate at least the next two years of my life to achieving and I am going to get it done. I invite you to join with me to be part of the success and experience the joy of making a positive impact in the lives of individuals in need this year.

Please remember that no amount is too small to make a difference, after all, David killed Goliath with only a stone. Help me throw my first stone.