why do we go to Kenya instead of just sending the money?
Beginning in 2009, a team of university students and professionals has gone to Kenya for two weeks to spend time on the Nyakach Plateau with our friends. Team members have to apply and be interviewed for limited spots. About one-third of the team is made up of people who have been before and want to go back multiple times. The team prepares for the trip during the year by reading books and articles about Kenya’s history, the geopolitical context in Africa, women’s issues, and perspectives on humanitarian aid. Members write reaction papers, meet in small groups, and gather for a retreat to receive more training. This intense orientation sets up the expectation that new team members are walking into a 20-year-long conversation. They learn to take blood pressure and they learn about diseases, but more importantly, they learn to listen.
2020 was the first time in a dozen years that the team did not make the trip to Kenya. The pandemic shut down the world, and travel was banned into Kenya. It was three, long years before we got to return. May 2022 was a great celebration of friends!
Here’s a glimpse of what our visits are like.
