Culture Trek

Posts Tagged ‘Volunteering’

July 9th

The Welcoming Committee

A young boy about 13 years old ran top speed toward us with sweat pouring down his brow. He introduced himself as Jimmy. I shook his hand and said hello which was followed by his customary “You are welcome!” I introduced my travel mates to him and slowly worked through my own name since Paul, EDYM’s director, mistakenly told people I was called Kimberly. I said with my most gracious smile, “I’m Kim. Just K-I-M.”

“Kem? Ah, Kem! Kem! I see!” He enthusiastically shook my hand again. “You are welcome!”

I would not let Jimmy carry even one of my bags so we all climbed back in the car, Jimmy on Emily’s lap in the front seat. Driving a few hundred feet up the road, Christian parked and unloaded my things. We were met by Emmanuel who I later learned is Jimmy’s uncle and Paul’s brother. A slightly older boy, also named Christian, soon came too. As they all tried to navigate the rocky, uphill footpath, each with my 69.5 lbs (x2) of donations on duffel wheels, I said my goodbyes to the others and caught up.

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When I first planned to travel to Kenya, I knew what my lodgings looked like, what language was spoken, what weather to expect and what my mission was. I had spent about 8 months doing research on the culture and political climate by reading every blog and book I could find and sitting in on an African Lit class.

Switching gears so quickly after Kenya’s outbreak of post-election violence, I had little lead time to research Ghana well. I didn’t even know the name of the village I would reside in until my invoice came three weeks ago. It’s absolutely my own fault. I had been so distracted by finals, graduation, time sensitive home improvement projects and family responsibilities that I failed to address what this shift in plans meant. It was time to get a serious move on.

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It has been an overwhelming two months with final papers, graduation, the never ending basement reconstruction and family responsibilities galore. Through it all, I have been scrambling in preparation for my trip to Ghana, a rush that began on May 23rd with the following introduction from Florinda at Village Volunteers:

Please help me welcome Kim Clune to Village Volunteers International Organization.

We should all be honored that Kim has chosen to volunteer with Village Volunteers and be a part of your village family. We know the camaraderie and friendships that develop between community leaders, villagers and volunteers will enrich all of our lives and keep us all connected for years to come?

Kim is a writer/photographer with a passion for genealogy. Kim has traveled the world as an international flight attendant. From a young age, Kim had the desire to join the Peace Corps but her family strongly dissuaded her. When she first read about the Village Volunteers memory box project, her heart fluttered.

Kim knows the joy and healing that can be experienced through remembering (having healed rifts and mended false perceptions in her own family through a genealogical photo preservation project). Kim would like to help empower young girls by allowing them to see their own self worth and potential, allowing each child to realize together that they hold the power to change their lives. Spending a great deal of time in her own garden with no fear of getting her hands dirty, Kim’s interest in learning environmentally sound/organic farming, water preservation and solar technologies is strong. Homeopathy is something she knows little about but has a desire to assist with.

PLEASE NOTE: Kim is a vegetarian

Next came a letter on May 24th from Paul Kpai, director of the Environmental Development Youth Movement in Have, Ghana where I’ll be staying.

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Mere moments ago I received the following news:

With the continued unrest in Kenya, Village Volunteers finds it necessary to cancel the Kenya program for the remainder of 2008. If you would like to volunteer with one of our other programs in Ghana, India or Nepal or if you would like to postpone your trip, please contact our office.

I’ve known all along that this decision would have to be made for me, having refused to consider alternatives in the name of hope. Now that the choice is out of my hands, I feel oddly numb.

Village Volunteers has officially suspended their volunteer program through February, and cannot guarantee volunteer placement in Kenya for future months.

While it is our hope that peace will be restored soon, we are committed to the safety of our volunteers and will not be able to resume our program in Kenya until we can be assured that all volunteers will be safe.

Safety seems a distant dream. AlJazeera’s video today illustrates a situation so far removed from safe that, from where I sit, only the escalation of crimes against humanity is plainly evident. I cannot fathom how, in interviews, angry mobs can speak of rights to land, land that has been stolen but cannot feel physical and emotional pain, and at the same time they steal the rights of human beings who have an enormous capacity for pain when limb is severed from body, father from mother, parents from children, life from death – forever. The land will remain, but it will be indelibly stained with the blood of the murdered and wounded.

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Twice yesterday I heard it voiced that I will likely have to change my volunteer trip from Kenya to Ghana in July. While it might well be true, I continue to reject lost hope for the success of Kenya to soon arrive on the other side of chaos.

When I last spoke with Village Volunteers executive director, Shana Greene, we gracefully wove the rhetoric of possibility into a conversation filled with concern. On 14 Jan 2008, two volunteers decided to stay behind while the rest had been transported safely to the airport with the help of the village coordinators and hired police guards. Understandably, Village Volunteers cannot send people to the Rift Valley if the violence continues, but Shana reassured me that we still have time before making a solid decision and that continuing VV’s sustainable programs was of the utmost importance for the re-stabilization of the village. The decision to send more volunteers would likely hinge on either a re-election or the formation of unity government. Then, two days after we spoke, Kenyan protests began and more violence broke out for another three days.

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“KENYA IS MINE” is the latest motto for Kevin Sudi. Kevin first introduced himself to me after I had posted to the Facebook Village Volunteers’ group about my pending trip to Kenya. He has been instrumental in working with the Common Ground Program and as part of Village Volunteers. He works at a local level:

mainly with widows, teaching them organic farming, HIV/AIDS awareness and positive living, micro finance, entrepreneurship, nature conservation, and we also have a primary school catering majorly for orphans and other vulnerable children.

It is because of our communication that I chose to join forces with the Common Ground Program.

I recently wrote asking where Kevin was, what has happened to Common Ground, and what he thought might come next. My guess is that I was just one of many who had bombarded him with these questions. His reply was an informal mass email written with anger, disallusionment and, most importantly, a passionate sense of national pride and determination:

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Linda Szeto has been invited to write a three part series on the situation in Kenya at Eugene Cho’s blog, Beauty and Depravity.

• The first installment was posted today, 2008 January 10. It’s a well researched, up-to-date, summary of Kenyan events as reported in the media world-wide.
• Tomorrow promises to present a compilation of Kenyan reactions from Linda’s friends and from various Kenyan blogs.
• The last will feature an account of the emotional and political struggles of Linda’s friend and Village Volunteer host, Emmanuel Leina Tasur.

I look forward to reading on with great anticipation.

The following is a portion of my acceptance letter from Village Volunteers sent August 24th.

Congratulations Kim,
We have reviewed your application and we are excited to offer you a spot in one of our partner rural village programs. I called after I read your application since you sounded wonderful… We are happy to work with you every step of the way to create a volunteer experience that is truly meaningful and full of wonderful people and heartfelt experiences. This is a big step and we understand the anxiety at choosing the right program for you. We do want you to know that once you are picked up at the airport, you will feel confident that your safety and well-being is a priority to us.

This letter gave me the greatest joy… until my conversation with Shana Greene, Village Volunteers’ Executive Director, surpassed every ounce of excitement I thought possible. We spoke for more than an hour about my goals and where I can best achieve them. Already acquainting myself with with several volunteers on Facebook, one specifically from Kenya’s Common Ground Program, Shana and I decided that this could be the perfect place for my stay. Not only will I be able to work with Kenyan families on the Memory Box Project, I may also be able to continue this blog, albeit with limited internet access.

One of my prime goals, aside from the obvious hands-on interaction, is to raise greater awareness. This blog may offer a window into an unfamiliar world while offering the ultimate transparency and insight into how donations are helping directly.

I look forward to Christmas break when I can better focus on which supplies will best help the village and who to solicit them from. Aside from school and medical supplies, I hear Barrack Obama campaign materials are a hot commodity.

Linda Szeto recently fired up a Village Volunteers group on Facebook. Over the past week, she and I have been trading questions and experiences, some of which I include here…

August 22

Hi Kim!
I went to Kenya through Village Volunteers this summer, and had the best time getting to know the people, environment, culture, languages, and most importantly, myself … I’d be happy to answer any questions you have about your trip. The memory box project does sound perfect for you. So many of the people still have not ever seen themselves in a picture before, so for anyone to have such a wonderful keepsake really touches my heart too. I’m getting excited for your trip vicariously!
Linda

I do have one question: As a vegetarian, I realize that I’ll probably have to make dietary concessions out of respect for those hosting a meal. What types of food are most popularly eaten and what would you suggest is the best way to retain respectful relations within the village if tastes are conflicting? I’m certainly willing to be flexible. I just have no idea what to expect.

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