CHILDREN OF AFRICA: PROJECTS ACHIEVED IN SUMMER 2010

The volunteers of Children of Africa are back! With lots of strength, energy and very satisfied with the great achivements of this summer. First, I want to congratulate all those who made a big dream come true, the dream of working together to improve even a small part of the world, and making us realise, day after day, that our lives are somehow more useful when staying in Kenya, rather than staying at home on the sofa.
This year has been very successful for Children of Africa since, after getting registered in February 2010, everything has evolved at a very fast pace. Many volunteers have already joined the organisation, the number of volunteers coming to Kenya this summer has been multiplied by two and the achievements, thanks to their efforts, adapting capacity and hope, have been spectacular. Achievements of Children of Africa summer workcamp 2010 with the help of other organisations such as Maisha Safi and Treviglass School:

Construction of 2 showers

Construction of two latrines

Expansion and caring of vegetable garden

Construction of two remaining classrooms at Timbwani School Barcelona Block

Construction of a public library for Tsunza

Doctor examination for more than 120 people in Tsunza

Brought children and babies to hospital

Brought, organised and stored medicines

Distributed lots of school material, clothes, baby shoes, toothpaste and toothbrushes

Acquired and delivered all the school material for the 51 sponsored kids in Tsunza

Paid for the school fees of 15 kids and university students in Likoni

Bought a wheelchair for a handicapped student

Bought food for more than 14 families in Tsunza

Bought a handcart, a wheelbarrow and tools for Tsunza

Bought more than 30 blankets, clothes and shoes for many people in Tsunza

Bought 14 beds for future volunteers and workers and varnished them
Bought 3 bicycles

Bought beds, matrasses and bedcovers, restore furniture for Likoni Aids Orphanage

Brought kids on excursion and prepare entertaining and sports activities for them

Bought a power sow to start a carpentry project

Speeches about health, hygiene, ecology, family plan, etc.

Given lessons and started a studying system for the kids

Cleaned all the area of Nigamba and digged a pit for burning rubbish

THE ESSENCE OF VOLUNTEERING

"Volunteering abroad is not an opportunity given to the rich and developed citizens of occidental countries in order to experience an extraoridinary adventure. In fact, I think it's unacceptable that we allow ourselves the luxury of dreaming about sensational experiences, while the people of the needy countries we want to visit can only allow themselves to dream of some piece of bread in their mouths.

A volunteer workcamp is not a selfish opportunity to satisfy our egos or our cravings for travelling; a volunteer workcamp is an opportunity that the volunteer himself provides in order to offer inconditional assistance and support, time, economic resources and efforts to the most needy ones; an opportunity to change a small, tiny piece of the world.

Therefore, a volunteer should never allow himself to become an extra burden for those he's trying to help. It would be simply nonsense. A volunteer must be a relief, water on top of fire, sugar on top of the bitterness that rules their lives, a streched hand, a balm for the open wounds, a whisper of peace...

Then, we cannot expect that a home, where we are planning to spend some time and where they already have problems enough to bring 50 children to school and provide them with food, water, clothes, etc., opens its doors for us only for love's sake, just becoming another mouth to feed. It is not the same being a volunteer in our own country or being a volunteer in a different continent in somebody else's home. Here, we can offer our time and efforts and later go back home where we are catered with everything. In Africa, to become an assistant requires something else.

When we arrive at an orphanage, we become part of it, another member, which means more food, more water, more electricity, more dirty clothes, more washing-up liquid, more bed covers, etc. It is clear that the romantic idea that Occidentals have of bringing our big love and tenderness to those people, of spending time by their side and exchanging our knowledge with them is highly praisable. But there is something that we should never forget: LOVE ON ITS OWN DOES NOT FEED CHILDREN.

I've been moving in and out of Kenya for almost four years now, living with those incredible peoples, and I swear that they really appreciate the time we spend with them, the moments we listen to their problems, the time we play with their children... But, no matter how strong you might me hugging them, if in that moment their stomachs are empty, and there is nothing to bring to their mouths, our big love will be vanished to ashes. And it is normal and understandable: human beings can only allow themselves the pleasure of loving and dreaming when the basic human needs are covered (drinking, eating and sleeping).

As a consequence, with my full belly, I allow myself a dream: to fill their bellies so that they can also dream. And among many others, the best ways to achieve such a dream are those where governments will never invest enough, building up strong and long-lasting infrastructures, with auto-sustainable projects which can bring them autonomy and better life standards and, ABOVE OF ALL, improving the whole institution of education by building up better schools, with better materials, improving teachers formation, and working on the basis of universal values and human rights.

Susanna

CHILDREN OF AFRICA

PROJECTS ACHIEVED IN SUMMER 2010

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