My path to creating change in the world has been walked by many people. They are my role-models, my mentors, my collaborators and my friends. I have learned so much about the world through Free The Children – from campaigns like WE Create Change, WE Scare Hunger and WE Are Silent, to Take Action Camp, WE Day and the WE Create Change Tour. I have learned that the biggest challenges faced in developing communities are all interconnected – Education, Clean Water and Sanitation, Health, Agriculture and Food Security and Alternative Income and Livelihood. These have become known as the 5 Pillars of Free The Children’s Adopt A Village initiatives in Kenya, India, Haiti, Nicaragua, Sierra Leone, Tanzania, Rural China and Ecuador. What I have learned is that all of these things need to be in place so that these communities can thrive on their own.
I believe that the best way to truly learn and understand an issue is to see it for yourself. It’s the next step in my journey as a change-maker. It’s the one I’ve been wanting to take since I launched my first We Create Change campaign for water. Now is the time.
I am going to Kenya in June with ME to WE!
I am so excited! I am going with a special assignment – to explore and share the impact that one of Free The Children’s partners has been making. I am so proud to be going to Kenya on behalf of RBC, who has been creating some serious change. RBC is making change possible on the ground in Kenya through their generous support of programs such as WE Create Change, WE Day and through products like the RBC Free The Children Visa Virtual Debit. This card has given people like you and me, the ability to do what we do – create change.
My assignment is to give you that first-hand look at the impact, support and successes that our collective change has been making. I can’t wait to see it all. I have many friends who have been to Kenya and spent their summer in the Massai Mara gaining understanding and making contributions in each of the 5 Pillars. Their stories and passion have inspired me. Please meet my friends and let them share in their own words how each Pillar impacted them:
Water – Delicia Raveenthrajan, ME to WE Kenya 2015
“The water walk shifted things into perspective and changed my life in more ways than I can put into words. I remember when we were walking we took several breaks to drink our clean filtered water, and my heart sank, knowing that the water I was carrying on my back from the river is what many families would be drinking. As I reached her home I broke down in tears, because all Mama Grace said was “thank you, thank you thank you!” And I realized she did that 8km walk multiple times every day and that one walk was so draining both physically and emotionally. She taught me true strength.“
Food – Gage Wood, ME to WE Kenya 2015
“I drive by a lot of farms in Canada and don’t think twice about them, such as their importance or how they affect our communities. However, while at Oleleshwa, something changed in my mind – it was truly incredible. As I was shown around the farm, I began to have a different perspective and became thankful for all the healthy and local food that it was producing and how it was employing people from communities in the Maasai Mara. Little did I know at the time, all the food I was eating during my stay in Kenya was grown and harvested there. Overall, the Oleleshwa farm and Agriculture and Food Security pillar amazed me; learning about the farms production and how it employs local people was truly incredible; I now have a deeper appreciation for the food I eat and care about local farms.”
Health – Ashley Rose Murphy ME to WE Kenya 2014
“When I visited the Baraka Health Centre, it had a profound impact on my life. I had a false vision of what life would be like for children living with HIV and meeting Naomi & Faith changed my own impressions and made me SO grateful for the work that Free The Children do all around the world. Those kids are as healthy as I am in regards to their HIV status and are attending school. They have a bright future ahead of them.”
Income – Linda Manziaris ME to WE Kenya 2012
“One of my favorite and most memorable activities on my ME to WE trip was beading with the mamas. I loved the mamas’ passion for design, their hard work and the independence these women were gaining by creating and selling their art.” [Note: Linda was so inspired by these moments with the mamas that she created her own line of jewelry, Body Bijou. Linda donates a portion of the sales to Girls Helping Girls, an organization founded by her sister, Susanna to raise the global status of women one girl at a time.]
Education – Rachel Parent, ME to WE Kenya 2014
“We were building the foundation for a school, which is the most difficult and strenuous task. Some days the temperature was extremely high and we were working our hardest on extremely dry and hard land filled with large rocks, making it seem as if we weren’t making a dent. The harder the task got, the more of a community we became, we knew that with every hit from the pick axe we were paving a way to a better future and education for those around us. Our pain became our motivation and our struggle became determination.”
These are just some of the things that my friends return home from Kenya with. I am so excited to go and see and do all of these things for myself. It is also going to be a really special trip because I am going with my mom. I know that it will be moment after moment that we’ll always remember. It was really surreal when I first learned I was going, but now that we’re a bit more than one month away, it’s getting real.
Congratulations Hannah!