Volunteers bring kindness to Kenya
St. Anthony women spend two weeks helping at orphange in Africa
It was the allure of international volunteerism and an unwavering desire to make a difference that sent two St. Anthony natives on a life-changing excursion to Africa last month.
For two weeks, Stacey Kean and Amanda Hillier bunked at two Imani Children’s Homes in Kenya — one in Malindi and the other in Ngong.
A simple surfing of the Internet one evening sparked 24-year-old Kean’s plans to travel overseas. Shortly afterwards Hillier, 25, and their mutual friend Jill Penton, decided to join the adventure.
Getting there was a lengthy process, but with the help of family and friends, as well as a multitude of fundraising events, they met their financial goal and the trek to Africa commenced May 20.
Though their original plan was to volunteer at Rainbow House in Malindi, their agenda was rearranged upon landing when they were informed their assistance was required at a different facility in the area, the Imani orphanage.
“The woman who founded the orphanages — Faith, or ‘Mommi,’ as she is affectionately referred to by those in the area — is a very kind, down-to-earth woman who put the needs of the children first,” said Kean, adding that the woman gave up a lucrative modelling career to focus on helping children.
“Although she was wealthy, she felt very poor in her heart, so she moved to one of the biggest slums (Kayole) and built her first orphanage, which included children of all ages,” she said. “She now has seven orphanages.”
Collectively known as the Imani Rehabilitation Agency, the group endeavours to improve life for orphaned and vulnerable children.
An integral part of the St. Anthony women’s experience was assisting local workers. They found themselves scrubbing floors, handwringing clothes, cooking meals and washing dishes.
As a nurse, Kean was in charge of checking the children’s temperatures each morning at the crack of dawn, comparing them with the doctor’s records from the previous night.
“Many of the children were sick with chest infections and some of them had what the staff would call ‘dirty blood,’” said Kean. “We never did find out what the actual name of the illness was, but many of them ended up with sores on their legs that were troublesome to treat because of the difficulties that arose when trying to come up with enough money to buy medication.”
Kean said it was difficult to see all the illness, but they did everything in their means to keep the place clean.
Despite the sickness, they were the “happiest children in the world,” she said.
At five in the morning, Hillier began her days cleaning the children’s bedrooms, stripping beds and cleaning the rooms from top to bottom.
Hillier said the experience was rewarding, and she was amazed at how polite and eager the children were to help each other.
“They sent me one day to clean the tables and chairs in the new dining hall and there was this one little boy who came over, grabbed the soap and just started scrubbing,” said Hillier.
“He didn’t speak any English, so we didn’t say a single word to each other, but he stayed with me for an hour until all the work was completed.”
The volunteers say they’ve learned a great deal from the experience, both personally and culturally.
“The locals were great and, altogether, everyone treated us with respect and kindness,” said Kean.
She said she experienced culture shock when it came to simple dialogue and mannerisms, and that it was difficult to observe how impoverished the area was.
“It was very sad to see the level of poverty and the way people lived, but for the most part they haven’t experienced life outside of that and it’s all they know,” said Kean. “But with all these new organizations doing such great work, it’s easy to see a bright future for Kenya.”
Hillier told a heart-wrenching story of their new friend, Jimmy, who had taken them under his wing as soon as they arrived. He led a tumultuous life from age 2 and eventually became a starving outcast living in the street after all the members of his family died.
“He had the most amazing life story I’ve ever heard,” said Hillier, who explained that a kind stranger bought medication for Jimmy when he was languishing on the streets with malaria. Once he was well, a 20-year-old Canadian man furthered the generosity by sponsoring him.
“Though he was literally living on the streets, he took it upon himself to take advantage of the sponsorship, which paid for all schooling,” she explained. “He ended up going to university, working in the States for two years and making a lot of money. … But he said he felt as if he still hadn’t accomplish anything in life.”
Jimmy eventually donated everything he owned and moved back to Africa to begin building libraries in the slums to provide accessible education to children living there.
The project received enough funding to construct the buildings, but it still needs to outfit them and Hillier is hopeful she’ll be able to go back in 2014 to help with the project.
She is also hoping to raise enough money to supply the library with books and computers.
“It would be an incredible experience,” she said. “To see it built and to see it stocked, knowing you helped make it happen.”
She is hoping to hold a fundraising event in St. Anthony, if the interest is there.
The journey wasn’t all work, though — they managed a series of excursions, including sailing on the Indian Ocean, a tour of the Malindi beaches and a safari at the Masi Nara National Park, where they observed a rare lion kill.
A gift from home
In April, The Northern Pen reported on a United Church group in St. Anthony that encouraged its 34 members to make pillowcase dresses.
On the African trip, those dresses were delivered.
“It was the most amazing thing, seeing their reaction to the clothing,” said Hillier. “They all took their turns, one-by-one, picking up the clothing, trying it on, and suggesting suits for other children — they were so happy, and just seeing how grateful they were was one of the most rewarding moments for me.”