Karibu, Uhuru Child. (pt. 1)
After four days, I think I've finally managed to recover from the jet lag (just in time for me to get right back on a plane and head south to Lima, Peru for the rest of the summer!). Tomorrow night, I will have officially hit 4 continents (Africa, Europe, North America, South America) in less than a week. What? Crazy. I guess this is what I get for asking for a life of adventure.
...Not that I'm complaining.
Before I embark, more about Kenya:
I spent the first couple weeks of summer in Limuru, Kenya, just outside of Nairobi, working with an organization that I've been interning with, Uhuru Child. I was joined by my best friend and co-intern Julia, as well as (soon to be) world renowned photographer and all around adventure head Haley George (please check out her stuff here.) Uhuru seeks to break people from the cycle of poverty, and to do this, they have built social businesses that employ the adults of Jikaze, an IDP (Internally Displaced Persons) camp, including lettuce and chicken farming. They also recently opened a school, Uhuru Academy, an all girl's high school, and are doing so much for the community, with a huge heart for the Lord and an impressive entrepreneurial spirit.
Such a solid opportunity to learn about the field of social entrepreneurship, and the potential it yields to effectively change the lives of the poor, something, if you don't know me, that I'm passionate about.
The majority of the trip was spent at the school, at the farms, or in Jikaze, the IDP camp Uhuru works with, engaging in lots of manual labor, spending time with our host families, playing with kids, and getting to know the high school girls (which felt very a la Young Life for me--shout out to my girls in Winston!) At the end of the trip, we went on safari--a dream that I've had since I was a tot (Stay tuned to the next post for pictures from that)
I couldn't be more thankful for this opportunity, and humbled by how God would let little ol' ordinary me to experience and be a part of something so extraordinary, a sentiment surely to be repeated over and over in the next few months.
Jikaze:
via Haley George:
Angel's Home for Abandoned Children:
More to come.