Learning From Kenyan Youth

Jul 30th, 2009 2:03 PM UTC
By Stephanie Parrish

Our ONE Campus Challenge students are on the ground in Kenya. Stephanie Parrish reports back:

If I had to sum up the past two days in one sentence, I would say that Kenyan youth and American youth have a lot to learn from each other. I have had the opportunity to interact with some of Kenya’s most inspiring young people. What I’ve come to learn is that all socioeconomic, geographic, political and cultural differences aside, young people across the world are not all that different. At the core, we all have struggles and we all have dreams. It is just the luck of the draw, really, that determines the difficulties we will face in realizing those dreams.

Yesterday we flew to Kisumu, Kenya in the Nyanza Province. After visiting the Miriu Health Clinic (funded by PEPFAR), we went to various homes in a remote village that have been sprayed for malaria prevention (part of the President’s Malaria Initiative, PMI). At one particular homestead, I met a fascinating young woman. It seemed odd that she was at home in the middle of the day, since the children from other homes we had visited were at school. It turns out that she is enrolled at an all-girls’ secondary school not too far from her home. The day before we arrived, however, the students of the school went on strike because they were not receiving food for lunch. This was promised to them as a part of their school fees. This simple, yet remarkable story was so amazing to me in that a group of young women were able to organize so quickly and effectively to take a stand against their school’s administration when their needs were not being met. Since the strike had just begun the day before our meeting, I am unaware of any update on its success. Regardless of the outcome, however, I found myself in awe of the strength these girls have already shown.

Later, we visited the Kagwa Community Based Organization, an organization (funded by PEPFAR) that provides services to improve the lives of those living with HIV in the community. They prepared a very moving and powerful performance for us. I was most affected by a group of young people that shared with us a poem and two songs about their experience living with HIV. I was unable to understand every word of these pieces because they were sung in Kiswahili, but the words were almost unimportant. I found myself tuning out the words anyway as I made eye contact with different individuals in the group and saw the hope and strength in their stares. It was very clear that they have found a supportive community in Kagwa that has allowed them to live their lives positively, regardless of their HIV status, as I have heard many Kenyans speak about this week.

Late that night, around 8:30pm, we drove to the Tuungane Youth Center to see their Moonlight initiative. Targeting at-risk youth, the initiative provides counseling, HIV and STI testing, substance abuse recovery support and many other services. It was a little nerve-racking because we were given specific instructions to stay together, stay with our directors and find someone if we ever felt uncomfortable. The scene of this street is virtually indescribable. People of all ages were crowding the streets, drinking from bottles, dancing to music and laughing with their friends. A tiny waiting area, barely lit, housed about 15-20 people waiting to receive services. Next to this, lining the streets, were four small tents, acting as the examination rooms. Despite the unfamiliar surroundings, it was encouraging to see so many people taking advantage of this great program. In my mind, the most inspiring part of the Moonlight initiative is the Mobilizers. These are young members of the community dedicating their time to a most important cause: prevention and treatment of HIV/AIDS.

While other members of our group went into the tents to witness testing and counseling sessions, I stayed outside to speak with the Mobilizers. I spoke with Steve, Caroline, Eunice, Elizabeth and Solomon about their experiences with the program and why they are involved. They have all finished secondary school but were unable to afford university fees. After hearing about the Tuungane Youth Centre, they were eager to help and get involved. Tuungane provides them with training in community outreach, dialogue facilitation and in-depth knowledge of issues surrounding HIV/AIDS in Kisumu. Each night, the group interacts with community members, educating them on benefits of knowing their status, male circumcision, condom use and faithfulness. One of their main goals is to bring as many young people to the Centre as possible to work towards a safer and healthier youth community. I was so inspired by the intelligence of these students. The wealth of knowledge they have about effective means of reaching their peers is unique and invaluable. As we discussed university, their dreams were so big, yet so attainable: becoming community health workers, social workers, public health officers and doctors. All of them are so thankful for the opportunities given to them by the Tuungane Centre, but they don’t seem to grasp their value in the community. I am not sure they quite understand how special their commitment is. To them, this is life. There is no other option and they have a genuine passion for helping others and themselves. All were eager to tell their stories to the camera, asking for more resources so they can continue their outreach efforts and increase their impact.

They jumped at the opportunity to exchange e-mails and I am so looking forward to keeping in touch upon my return home. At my college campus, I see young activists daily. They work towards positive change and dedicate countless hours and energy to their projects. The dream of creating a better world is not unique to Kenyans or Americans; it is in all of us. When I spoke with these young people, I heard the passion and the excitement in their voices. I saw hope in their eyes. Their reasons for the work they do run so deep: they have watched HIV/AIDS take away their friends and family, they watch their friends struggle through substance abuse because they have nowhere else to turn. They feel a responsibility to their community to create change, and hearing their stories has instilled that same responsibility in me.

-Stephanie Parrish

TAGS: 2009 OCC Africa Trip