East Villagers Non-Profit Community News » Africa

American Education Pro

Sharon Li — Mon, 05 Sep 2011 16:54:09 +0000

America’s education is something many people take for granted. Growing up in the United States made me believe that everyone had the same opportunities as I did. As I wrote in some of my blogs from before, China’s education excludes many activities that involve the child’s creativity side to come out. Also in many parts of the world, it’s difficult to even get a good public education at all.
When I visited my friend from New York, I was surprised to discover that almost everyone went to private school, whether they could afford it or not. While I was walking around the city I saw run down beat up public schools that I, frankly, was afraid to go in. Because New York City and other cities in the state are some of the busiest, most crowded places in the United States; it’s difficult to find a well-run public school.
Although we do have some kinks that we have to work out, America’s educational system is something, I believe, has improved a lot over the years and is still on its way to getting better. Children here have such a wide variety of places to go from, there are schools within walking distance or biking distance, or if not, the ability to take the bus for free, then things like free and reduced lunch for kids who sometimes cannot afford it.
I was looking at a world map the other day, of the percentage people that are literate around the globe. America, Canada, Argentina, 4/5ths of Asia, Europe, and Australia are all pretty much one hundred percent literate. But as for Africa, a large portion of it remains for most people being illiterate. Other countries in South America, and the ones unlisted follow somewhere between 60% to 95% literate.
America is really working hard on having a higher percentage of graduating students and lower of student drop outs as well.

http://broadeducation.org/about/crisis_stats.html

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Down the Slippery Slope of Oil

Onome Uwhuba — Thu, 01 Sep 2011 22:37:06 +0000

I would like to preface this article by admitting that I am from the Niger Delta (as in born and raised there, all my ancestors are from there, etc.), and therefore my perspective is definitely not the objective outsider, but one struggling to show one side with little sympathy for the other side.

Growing up in Nigeria, I always assumed that the ever present blue-green tinge that often appeared after it rained was common everywhere and came from oil and petrol everywhere. I assumed that the ever present natural gas flares visible near the coast where a staple of oil mining. I never once considered that it was a sign that my city Warri, was just the urban face of a continual multi-decade pollution business plan.

Most Americans remember the BP Oil spill last year, and the wave of public (American) outrage against BP, Britain and what they saw as an affront to their nation and a lack of ownership by the management of BP. In the coming weeks, the amount of scrutiny paid by the American media and news-watching public was severe and critical.

At first, I was equally as outraged, but also resigned. But then when I saw the wave of public indignation, and the fact that BP was taking responsibility for the spill, I became very outraged. In the Niger Delta, spills the size of BP’s spill occur multiple times every year.

Oil in Nigeria has always been an incredibly political issue, one that remains very dangerous to speak up about. In 1995, a peaceful activist Ken Saro-Wiwa, lead protests against the environmental degradation of his land—and he was promptly arrested and executed by hanging after a tribunal. It is incredibly naive to assume that the Oil companies and their close relationships with Nigerian politicians then, and now, had nothing to do with the execution. In fact, with the help of several human rights activists, the Wiwa family sued Royal Dutch Shell for human rights violations including: summary execution, crimes against humanity, torture, inhumane treatment and arbitrary arrest and detention. And….then days before the trial could begin, Shell paid the family $15.5 million while still denying any liability for his death

As I watched the news programs attacking BP, I thought about the three largest oil companies in Nigeria—Shell (a Dutch company), Exxon Mobil (an American company) and Chevron (also an American company)—and how they must be sitting in their tidy offices laughing at the powerless Africans they’ve trampled on for years. While the Americans raised their fists and raged against the British company—perhaps bringing up their inherited or adopted anti-Britain sentiments—they (and the media) remained firmly closed to the fact that their own American companies are doing the same things in places where a $15.5 million settlement is rarely if ever seen and thus justice could never really be brought.

But I refuse to the deny the parts that my own people have played in the environmental crises. I have written countlessly about the corruptness of the Nigerian government. In fact, the last Governor of Delta state was arrested for money laundering. These officials make deals for the betterments of their pockets and not with the consent or care of the people who supposedly elected them into office. This has led to widespread loss of livelihood with the destructions of numerous waterways and fish sources. The oil companies—Shell in particular—have also blamed the people for the spills, stating (and proving in some cases) that civilians cut into oil pipelines to siphon oil to sell on the black market. In fact, in my father’s village in 1998, an oil leak resulted in people attempting to siphon oil for later sale, however an explosion soon occurred, killing about 1000 people.

To add more intrigue to the Jesse fire, there have been several arguments and testimonies that the oil company and the government was to blame:

“The company and the government then sent a helicopter to the area. The officials in the helicopter warned the people in English to disperse or something would happen to them. Most of the crowd did not understand what was being said and the sight of the helicopter added more fun to the fetching of the liquid gold manna.

The officials followed up their threat with firing nerve gas at the crowd, which made it impossible for them to run. Those who attempted to run could not move their limps with agility. Then the horror came; the place was set on fire with the intention of killing everybody present and to prevent anybody from giving evidence.”

I personally have a complicated relationship with Shell. My mother used to work as a nurse in state government hospital, when she got a position with Shell that offered her over 3 times her salary as a public servant. She took the job, and I learned to swim in the Shell pool, I attended the summer camp for children of Shell employees, our house was built in part with money from bonuses given to my mother from her work with Shell. But I refuse to be grateful for them, and I would rather the whole world realized this and stood up and raised their voices and fists at Shell, Chevron and Mobil till they were forced to acknowledge that they were destroying lives.

The UN has been conducting research and writing a report to ascertain the causes of the leaks in the Niger Delta, especially in Ogoniland which was the subject of Ken Saro-Wiwa’s protests and later execution. At first, reports indicated that the UN intended to blame the people….and here I lose my objectivity and refrain from writing what I think, but you are welcome to use your imagination. This early reports were in 2010, but the UN was quick to recall and rebuke the early birds, stating that:

Media reports over the past days and weeks have indicated that it is UNEP’s determination that 90 per cent of oil spills are linked with so-called ‘bunkering’ and criminal activity. In referring to this data, UNEP clearly indicated that these figures represented official estimates of the Government of Nigeria, based in part on data supplied by the oil industry. They therefore do not represent nor reflect results of UNEP’s current assessment process which is still ongoing. To link this data with UNEP’s study or indeed any future attribution of responsibility is incorrect.

So basically upon facing public outcry, they quickly went back to the drawing board. This statement was released on August 23rd 2010. It was almost a year after that in August when the report was finally released. And here are some of the fun facts it contains:

In one community, at Nisisioken Ogale, in western Ogoniland, families are drinking water from wells that is contaminated with benzene- a known carcinogen-at levels over 900 times above World Health Organization guidelines. The site is close to a Nigerian National Petroleum Company pipeline.

UNEP scientists found an 8 cm layer of refined oil floating on the groundwater which serves the wells. This was reportedly linked to an oil spill which occurred more than six years ago.

Control and maintenance of oilfield infrastructure in Ogoniland has been and remains inadequate: the Shell Petroleum Development Company’s own procedures have not been applied, creating public health and safety issues.

The impact of oil on mangrove vegetation has been disastrous. Oil pollution in many intertidal creeks has left mangroves-nurseries for fish and natural pollution filters- denuded of leaves and stems with roots coated in a layer of bitumen-type substance sometimes one centimetre or more thick.

I write this article not to be self-righteous, or bash the American public for their lack of international knowledge. I write this to raise awareness, and to bash the American media for the creation of a circular and inclusive space in which while living in and watching the news in America, even the international news, all I end up hearing about is America and not the rest of the world—thus creating and upholding a double standard.

There: I’m done. (I would appreciate any comments that perhaps indicate my increased objectivity or lack thereof).

And by the way, the UN calls for an initial $1 billion dollar fund over a 30-year period to kick-start restoration of the Ogoniland alone. I am not even from the Ogoniland. The Ogoniland is only a small part of the Niger Delta. I have lost my objectivity, and I am proud to say it.

But there has been progress. Shell has admitted responsibility for an Oil Spill in the Bodo community in the Niger Delta (once again, only a small part of the Niger Delta). The oil spilled was 20% that in the BP spill, but spilled in a small creek which represented the livelihood of the Bodo community—a fishing community with no more fish. Shell was told of the spill about 6 weeks after it started, and the spill was not mended for another 4 weeks. So when pushed against the wall, Shell had to admit responsibility. But responsibility is simply not enough. Shell needs to no only pay up, but clean up.

Also, after the UN report, Shell is starting to take responsibility. So is there hope? Yes. But as long as there are Nigerian politicians, hope becomes a tiny sliver only seen through the eye of a needle.

References:

http://hqweb.unep.org/newscentre/Default.aspx?DocumentID=2649&ArticleID=8827&l=en

http://www.vanguardngr.com/2011/08/un-report-on-ogoni-oil-pollution-fg-to-sanction-shell-if-%E2%80%A6-2/

http://hqweb.unep.org/dnc/Portals/155/countries/nigeria/press_release_ogoniland_en.pdf

http://www.unep.org/nigeria/

http://www.waado.org/Environment/IdjerheFire/CausesOfFireDisaster.html

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/8090493.stm

http://wiwavshell.org/

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107200794.html

http://www.unep.org/Documents.Multilingual/Default.Print.asp?DocumentID=646&ArticleID=6727&l=en

http://www.guardian.co.uk/environment/2010/aug/22/shell-niger-delta-un-investigation

http://www.guardian.co.uk/global-development/2011/aug/09/niger-delta-shell-oil-spills?INTCMP=SRCH

http://allafrica.com/stories/201108040967.html

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Voo-Doo, Herbs and Science: a merging of minds?

Onome Uwhuba — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 22:34:21 +0000

A long time ago, when I still entertained dreams of being a chemist—before my meeting with organic chemistry killed all such hope—I had always wondered about African traditional medicines. My rationale was that as a human race, we have survived millennia without the use of “scientific” medicine. The fact that “science” as we know it now only exists because no one has yet to disprove it, further made me more interested in understanding the medications and treatments of generations past. As the daughter of a Nigerian nurse, my experiences with herbal medicine were very very rare, and usually fell to things like drinking really spicy soup to cure a cold. But I was also aware of herbal medicines, and “witch doctors” with their cures. I was never ready to try and of their so called cures, but I was very curious to see if they worked. My previous article discussed the burden that pharmaceuticals place on a country due to their high cost, and I have always wondered if it isn’t best if we just used the tools we already have to make the things we need.

I faced this same issue this summer in Australia. The Indigenous Australians who inhabited their continent for 40,000 years before the present, had the most amazing and ingenious uses for their flora, fauna and landscape. I spent some time there talking to medical professionals about Aboriginal healthcare, especially due to the 17 year life-expectancy gap between indigenous and non-indigenous peoples. One of the reasons for this gap is a lesser use of medical facilities by the indigenous community, whether due to lack of access or due to lack of want. One of the reasons for lack of want, was the incredible fount of medical knowledge held within these communities and tribes. But I still wanted to ask the big question, which was: Does it work? And from my conversations, with medical professionals, they agree that the herbal remedies worked, but there was a big caveat. They worked on illnesses present before the colonization of their continent. They would work on an injury, childbirth or sore muscles but not on diabetes, or heart problems.

A recent article on herbal medicines talks about the two sides: it works, but only for things that could possibly have been around when it was developed. The article discusses the increased export of herbal medicines from India and China, and the continued critique of claims due to lack of scientific proof. While I believe that the best scientific proof is one that can stand the test of millennia, one is hard pressed to decide who to believe. One main point in the article about African traditional medicines is that they were previously made for small communities with one-on-one consultations. Many of these medicine-men have passed away and taken their knowledge with them, both in Africa and Australia. Furthermore, the methods, cleanliness and ethics of the mass-produced “miracle herbs” leaves a lot to be desired—the fact is you are never really sure if you are taking the amazing herb from 2,000 years ago or ground spinach sprinkled with an ‘exotic’ flavor.

So do I believe in herbal medicines? Absolutely. Would I take any herbal medicine? Very unlikely. Why? Because I need to see the proof. I cannot believe a salesman or a company that has not yet been certified or proven. But if the proof is there, sign me up! The best medicine is one you can grow in your kitchen for little to no money and trust to cure you with little (or a lot of) fuss. So for those miracle herbs from “ancient civilizations” that help cure every disease (with side effects that include ‘possible death’), I would advise you to avoid them. But I remain strongly interested in gathering knowledge from the true (though how one would determine this remains a challenge) medicine-men, and then using modern science to test these claims.

Afternote: while a more apt title would be “Juju, herbs and science”, assuming my audience to be American, one would expect that they equate the mystical VooDoo, with the West African “ju-ju” medicine. As for what you would call Aboriginal herbal medicine, I am at a loss.

References:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107201055.html

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The Forgotten Child Killer

Karen Ngo — Wed, 31 Aug 2011 20:52:27 +0000

Pneumonia. When this word is mentioned in Canada, there is an immediate assumption towards it being an affliction of the elderly. However, pneumonia has been identified as the number one killer of children all around the world. Annually, over two million children die from pneumonia, and over 98% of these deaths occur in a subset of sixty eight countries in the world.

The high prevalence and incidence of pneumonia is mainly due to the fact that its symptoms have often been mistaken for the common cold. This is a logical assumption, as pneumonia is an acute respiratory infection, and the symptoms of both pneumonia and the common cold share many similarities. Visible symptoms of both diseases include labored breathing and coughing.

Pneumonia is an easily preventable and treatable disease. Vaccines exist that can be distributed to children under the age of five. However, these vaccines are often not found in the country’s vaccination program, leaving many children susceptible to the disease. In addition, the data concerning pneumonia’s disease burden are not available in many countries, simply because it has not been collected in the past. As a result, the severity of the disease burden has not been made known to the government, making it impossible to prioritize the prevention and treatment of pneumonia. In addition, there has not been enough global attention directed to this particular disease, and the extent of this disease has been made relatively unknown to the world.

Incidence of Childhood Pneumonia - Country Level (WHO)

However, much progress has been made since the development of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) in 1990. One of the goals that are specific to the reduction of the prevalence of pneumonia is MDG4, which aims to reduce the under-five child mortality by two thirds by the year 2015. In the year 2008, the World Health Organization and UNICEF developed the Global Action Plan for Prevention and Treatment of Pneumonia (GAPP) to suggest a plan of action in addressing and reducing the mortality caused by pneumonia. This plan included three simple steps: Prevention, Treatment, and Protection. The Advanced Market Committee (AMC) has also accelerated the production and distribution of pneumococcal vaccines through aiding in the process of distributing more cost-effective vaccines.

The Pneumococcal Vaccine has been introduced into the vaccination programs of both Kenya and The Gambia. In addition, on June 13, the GAVI Alliance Pledging Conference for Immunization was hosted in London. This conference aimed to solidify the intentions and plans to raise the extra $3.7 million that is needed to effective manufacture and distribute cost-effective underused vaccines, the pneumococcal vaccine being one of these.

With continued efforts, hopefully the reduction in the disease burden of pneumonia will be possible. However, that is not to say that there are still numerous neglected diseases in the world that require the same amount of attention, if not more.

Sources

http//www.who.org

http://www.countdown2015mnch.org/documents/2010report/CountdownReportAndProfiles.pdf

http://www.mchip.net/node/316
http://www.who.int/bulletin/volumes/86/5/08-053348.pdf

http://www.nature.com/news/2011/110211/full/news.2011.89.html

http://www.gatesfoundation.org/pneumonia/Pages/a-mothers-story.aspx

Karen Ngo

McMaster University

Toronto, ON

Team 5: International Health

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Somalia Republic

Sharon Li — Sun, 28 Aug 2011 00:30:38 +0000

The Somali Republic is a small country in the eastern part of Africa. It’s bordered by Djibouti, Kenya, Ethiopia, Yemen, and the Indian Ocean. It has not had a government since 1991 and is considered to be in a failed state as it is one of the world’s poorest and most violent places. Its current population is a little bit over ten million persons and the life expectancy rate is only 46.6 years; because, their life rate is so short, over forty percent of children from ages five to fourteen are all working. Not only this but only one fourth of their population can read or write at all.
So what’s the current situation? Although this is all going on, there have recently been many reports of the country being hit by a terrible famine that led to tens of thousands of Somalis to die or continue to be in terrible health. More than half a million children were on the verge of starvation even. In the Horn of Africa, alone, almost twelve million people are already in a food crisis, and considering the country already has the highest malnutrition rates, it leads to even worse consequences.
One of Africa’s largest leaders is Al Shabab who is feared by almost all. He controls most of the southern part of this country and much more. He and his group of people were widely blamed for many deaths considering they had blocked connections to organizations/relief groups that were international. Even so, some things can get in and people believe that the food goes to the intended source, considering the countries violent and un-organized ways.
America’s standing in this is for the people…since last year the Unites States has begun operations inside the rural country by striking armed aircrafts in Somali to bring down the militants. Forty five million dollars has already been approved by the Pentagon in arms to be shipped to troops fighting in Somalia.
There are already hundreds of ways Americans are helping victims of the famine in Somalia and so many more organizations that help out as well.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/07/23/997624/-Worst-Drought-in-60-Years-Brings-Famine-To-Millions-in-Somalia,-Kenya,-and-Ethiopia-Aid-is-Blocked

http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/somalia/index.html

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Toilet.

Onome Uwhuba — Sat, 27 Aug 2011 22:49:54 +0000

Some of the best jokes are often about toilets, and what goes on within (or without) them. However, 40% of the world population do not have access to the “Western toilet” or WC (water closet) as it is called. The United Nations recognizes that “Disease caused by unsafe sanitation accounts for roughly half of all hospitalizations in the developing world.” These statistics likely played a large part in the decision by the Gates Foundation to launch their: Reinventing the Toilet Challenge. It is part of the foundation’s new Water, Sanitation, & Hygiene (WaSH) strategy that focuses on improving sanitation.

The Gates foundation awarded 8 $400,000 grants to universities around the world with the challenge of reinventing the toilet, and one of those universities is surprisingly in Africa, though not surprisingly in South Africa. So what exactly are the challenges? From my experience, the challenge is the infrastructure. In all the houses I lived in Nigeria, we had individual “suck-away pits” that were drained by ominous looking trucks every few years, after a few days of the stench of an overflowing sewage tank. There were no centralized waste disposal systems and the burden of sanitation was left to home-owners, which left people at the mercy of their income, or their landlords.

So the goal of the initiative is to build an economically accessible toilet that can gain valuable materials from recycled waste. Something interesting I found commendable was the goal not to try to build the infrastructure in their research site in South Africa (an actual neighborhood), but rather work with the existing infrastructure.

So here’s to ingenuity, and I hope they are successful.

References:

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107191408.html

http://allafrica.com/stories/201107191399.html

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Kenya 27: For Good

Joy Liu — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 20:29:07 +0000

** This is an excerpt from my journal on my journey to Kenya this summer. Some names have been altered or omitted to protect privacy. Also, the views that are expressed are my personal views and do not express the views of any organization or institution.

August 15-

We are in Nairobi right now, getting ready to do some last-minute shopping before boarding our flight back home. I wish I knew exactly how this experience impacted me, what lessons I learned from it and how my path will be different because I have been here. But what I can leave with are these words, from the song “For Good” in the musical Wicked. This song has been on repeat as I’ve painted the mural and the words speak so much to me. I might never see them again, but I know that I have been changed because of them. For that, I will always, always be grateful.

For Good (from Wicked):

I’m limited
Just look at me – I’m limited
And just look at you
You can do all I couldn’t do, Glinda
So now it’s up to you
For both of us – now it’s up to you…

I’ve heard it said
That people come into our lives for a reason
Bringing something we must learn
And we are led
To those who help us most to grow
If we let them
And we help them in return
Well, I don’t know if I believe that’s true
But I know I’m who I am today
Because I knew you

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood
Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better?
But because I knew you
I have been changed for good

It well may be
That we will never meet again
In this lifetime
So let me say before we part
So much of me
Is made of what I learned from you
You’ll be with me
Like a handprint on my heart
And now whatever way our stories end
I know you have re-written mine
By being my friend…

Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a skybird
In a distant wood
Who can say if I’ve been changed for the better?
But because I knew you

Because I knew you

I have been changed for good

And just to clear the air
I ask forgiveness
For the thing I’ve done you blame me for

But then, I guess we know
There’s blame to share

And none of it seems to matter anymore

Like a comet pulled from orbit
As it passes a sun
Like a stream that meets a boulder
Halfway through the wood

Like a ship blown from its mooring
By a wind off the sea
Like a seed dropped by a bird in the wood

Who can say if I’ve been
Changed for the better?
I do believe I have been
Changed for the better

And because I knew you…

Because I knew you…

Because I knew you…
I have been changed for good.

Thanks for reading and joining in this journey with me. I’ve had a great year here at East Villagers. Thank you so much.

Joy Liu

Team 2 – Servant Scholars

Durham, NC

Sophomore – Duke University

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Kenya 26: Masai Mara

Joy Liu — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 20:17:12 +0000

August 12-

Today we left Muhuru and headed for Masai Mara for a little bit of safari before heading back to Nairobi and the United States. There were a few people I never got to say goodbye to, and I leave with a little bit of regret that I didn’t get to see them that one last time. That aside, my first impressions of Masai Mara were not particularly promising. We were on a high point looking over Masai Mara and it looked like a very expansive pale yellow plain dotted with the occasional tree (Masai Mara literally translates to “spotted plain”). Somehow I know I won’t ever forget that first view and impression of Masai Mara, but at the same time I wasn’t particularly taken. This changed very quickly as we entered. For the western portion, we weren’t allowed to open the safari hoods on top, but once we crossed to the eastern portion we did. It was a perfect safari day. We saw four of the “big five”, including a black rhino, elephants chasing one another in anger, hippos sprawled out on the banks of the river, three lion cubs suckling from their mother, two cheetahs, herds of zebras, gazelles running across the plain, topis, and a beautiful bird with shiny blue wings when taking flight. The special thing about now, however, comes from the wildebeasts, who are on the move all across the Mara. They are such funny creatures. As one of our safari drivers puts it, they’re like a combination of different animals: the mane of a lion, horns of a buffalo, body of a horse or donkey. People call them ugly, but when they turn face you their V-shaped face really takes on a unique appearance like none other. They move in herd, and their run is quite a sight. More than once I found myself wondering how they can pick themselves up to run with the gait and speed that they do (although it’s by no means a graceful or elegant run). They give off the appearance of being old and somewhat lethargic.

I’ve never been really into animals, but I was so excited by safari. I think a big part of it for me is the experience of the ride. It’s especially true when the door on top is open and you’re standing with your head turned towards the road. It’s like there’s nothing else except you, the sky, and the land. There’s an awe I can’t really describe when I feel the wind on my face and see the road and grasses passing underneath. Yet when I look out into the distance, I find that the land hasn’t moved at all. The animals are wonderful and exciting, but the land is a creature in itself-one that is always present and never fickle. I don’t even know how to begin describing the Mara. The earth is sometimes light gold and at other times a thick green. There are hills that rise in the distance, gradient in blue in the distance. The eye can see vast, expansive planes across the land. It’s almost like an ocean in how the ground faces into the sky. It’s a wild and untouched beauty, free from the ambitious grasp of civilization and globalization. It’s Africa as it was, for centuries before people arrived.

Joy Liu

Team 2 – Servant Scholars

Durham, NC

Sophomore – Duke University

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Kenya 25: The Mural

Joy Liu — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 20:09:08 +0000

August 11 (continued)-

Besides my goodbyes, today was also significant for another reason. I finally finished the mural that I had been working on for the past two weeks. It was an idea that had been in my mind even before arriving. In addition to research and teaching (which I didn’t anticipate doing at all before arriving), I wanted to incorporate art into my time in Kenya. One idea that came up was a mural for the school. In the last two weeks, motivated by the necesity of beginning in order to finish before I left, I began. The mural would go on the wall of the computer lab. My idea for the mural was a phoenix-a creature that is everything but comes from almost nothing. In the phoenix, I wanted to draw things that would represent dreams for the girls at the school (the symbols ended up being a 500 for a perfect score on their exam, an A for the highest grade possible, a diploma and a graduation certificate). I have experience with painting, but had never done a mural before. So, with a little bit of apprehension but the best of intentions, I set out to draw. Every day for the last two weeks, I would spend at least two or three hours in the computer lab, painting. Usually it was late at night when everyone else had gone to bed. If there was power, I stayed up painting. Listening to music, being alone in the room painting, it was my haven. I thought I was doing the mural for the school, but I realized that I needed the project just as much. Whenever a difficulty came up, whenever I was feeling a little low, I would go paint. I had no other obligations when drawing, no other thoughts besides the girls that I was painting for. Everything was simplified when I was painting, just me and my craft.

Today, I finished the mural. It went much slower than I anticipated, in part because the last week was much busier than I expected. Although I wish I had more time to perfect it, I’m glad I left behind something very tangible for the girls that will hopefully be somewhat inspiring. I did this for the WISER girls. I really wish I could have told them that my art is as much a part of me as any of my ideas or thoughts. It’s a part of me that I chose to leave with them.

So to conclude, I want to leave you with the quote that also accompanied the mural, by Miguel de Cervantes.

“The phoenix hope, can wing her way through the desert skies, and still defying fortune’s spite; revive from ashes and rise.”

Joy Liu

Team 2 – Servant Scholars

Durham, NC

Sophomore – Duke University

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Kenya 24: Touched

Joy Liu — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 20:04:21 +0000

August 11-

I said most of my goodbyes today. One of the students from the local primary school kind of ruined his goodbye for me by asking for a sponsorship. He’s such a sweet boy and I know how difficult things are for him. Hes never asked for anything before, but it still makes me question the nature of our relationship and what I mean to him. When I first got here, it was an extremely difficult point for me. I would make friends with people and not long after they would ask me for something. The students have sometimes asked me for school fees. It really made me question how they viewed me. Am I more valued for the money that people think I have or just for me? But I decided that I wouldn’t let that stop me from trying to interact with people. I understand that it must come as part of my identity. I haven’t been too bothered by it except that I have known this boy for quite a while and I wonder why he chose now to ask.

The other goodbye that really stands out in my mind is with another student at the nearest primary school. He’s in eighth grade, but looks much older and is extremely mature. I met him for the first time when I was doing interviews for my friend at his school. I was struck by his thoughtfulness, how much he endured, and how much he wanted to be in school. I saw him when I went down to visit his school. There was also one time when he was absent from school because he was sick and I asked to visit him at home. I think that visit basically cemented our friendship. Talking to him, I was filled with a kind of admiration and also an acute awareness of how unjust the world could be. He hasn’t grown up in a welcoming household, and yet in contrast to harboring anger over any of it, he possesses a sense of what is right and what he wants. He works harder than I’ve ever worked in my life. He was someone that I had to see before leaving, and it almost didn’t happen. His chores kept him at home the entire day, and I only saw him much later. He wrote me a letter that contained probably the single most touching sentence anyone has ever told me. He told me that I reminded him of his mother. His mother, who is one of the only people he thinks loves his unconditionally. His mother, who left the family when he was still young and hasn’t been back since. His mother, whose absence has left the largest unfilled hole in his life. That I can even remind him of her is probably the most beautiful thing anyone has ever told me. I wish I could do more for him, give him everything that he deserves, but I believe that he will be able to achieve all those things by his own right.

Joy Liu

Team 2 – Servant Scholars

Durham, NC

Sophomore – Duke University

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