Home » Supplement » Education
Kenya trip a learning experience for volunteers
By Fei Lai |
August 29, 2012, Wednesday
|
Print Edition
Print Edition
FROM deserts to snow-capped mountains, sandy coastlines to freshwater lakes, one can experience the natural beauty of Kenya on nature hikes and safaris led by expert guides.
But Cao Yiran, a Shanghai native and 10th grader from Phillips Academy Andover in the United States, was more interested in helping build schools, digging wells and planting trees in this African country.
"It's a special trip and the best summer holiday I've ever had," Cao says. "We didn't have much time to have a more complete taste of the plains of Africa. Most of our time was donated to building schools. But I feel really happy."
Cao and her sister Cao Yijing were among the 20 students from Shanghai, Hangzhou and Nanjing who participated in a 12-day volunteer trip with their family in Kenya. Those below the age of 10 are taken care of by parents during the trip, while the older students follow the instruction of teachers from Me to We, which is a social enterprise trying to "transform people into world changers."
During the trip, students are organized to help build a school for children who may never have set foot inside a classroom, explore local villages, work on a community water project, help provide clean, safe drinking water for children and families, and participate in hands-on workshops while learning about poverty-related issues in Africa.
The three schools Me to We donates to are in rural areas.
"The roads became bumpier when we drove farther from urban areas to the rural areas," Cao says.
"However, the further we went, the more we were influenced by the warm smiles and happiness of local people."
Cao says she met some lovely kids in Kenya and they always greeted with a friendly "jambo," which means hello.
Cao says her favorite part of the trip was talking to children. She even worked as a translator, as some of the younger volunteer students in the group only speak a little English.
For half of the 12-day trip, Cao helped lay the school's foundations, mix cement and erect walls.
She says the temperature varies greatly between day and night at this time of year, which meant she needed a down jacket in the morning, but only a T-shirt at midday.
Although the students have limited time to explore Kenya's natural scenery, they do have a lot of time to observe the local lifestyle.
One of their jobs was to carry jugs of water on their backs, which is how locals do it. A water shortage in Kenya means each family has to make a 10-kilometer round trip five times a day to fetch water at a river.
"If I didn't try it, I wouldn't know how hard it is to carry the water and walk such a long distance," Cao says. "It makes our work even more meaningful."
Cao even spent her birthday with locals. They cooked local food and celebrated with her.
After finishing the trip, Cao has been quick to share her experiences with classmates and hopes to mobilize more to participate in future volunteer trips.
In the coming semester, Cao hopes to be elected as the head of her school's charity organization.
The charity enthusiast now donates one and a half to two hours each week to her community in the United States. She usually play games with mentally disadvantaged children and teaches adopted children Chinese.
According to Annie Zhang, managing director of Me To We in China, the organization plans to help build 50 schools in China, giving student volunteers more opportunities to learn about those less privileged.
"Join us on an intimate and unique learning experience set against the spectacular backdrop of the African landscape," Zhang says. "It is also our hope to move the campaign to China and bring more hope here."
Find more information about Me to We, please check www.metowe.cn.
But Cao Yiran, a Shanghai native and 10th grader from Phillips Academy Andover in the United States, was more interested in helping build schools, digging wells and planting trees in this African country.
"It's a special trip and the best summer holiday I've ever had," Cao says. "We didn't have much time to have a more complete taste of the plains of Africa. Most of our time was donated to building schools. But I feel really happy."
Cao and her sister Cao Yijing were among the 20 students from Shanghai, Hangzhou and Nanjing who participated in a 12-day volunteer trip with their family in Kenya. Those below the age of 10 are taken care of by parents during the trip, while the older students follow the instruction of teachers from Me to We, which is a social enterprise trying to "transform people into world changers."
During the trip, students are organized to help build a school for children who may never have set foot inside a classroom, explore local villages, work on a community water project, help provide clean, safe drinking water for children and families, and participate in hands-on workshops while learning about poverty-related issues in Africa.
The three schools Me to We donates to are in rural areas.
"The roads became bumpier when we drove farther from urban areas to the rural areas," Cao says.
"However, the further we went, the more we were influenced by the warm smiles and happiness of local people."
Cao says she met some lovely kids in Kenya and they always greeted with a friendly "jambo," which means hello.
Cao says her favorite part of the trip was talking to children. She even worked as a translator, as some of the younger volunteer students in the group only speak a little English.
For half of the 12-day trip, Cao helped lay the school's foundations, mix cement and erect walls.
She says the temperature varies greatly between day and night at this time of year, which meant she needed a down jacket in the morning, but only a T-shirt at midday.
Although the students have limited time to explore Kenya's natural scenery, they do have a lot of time to observe the local lifestyle.
One of their jobs was to carry jugs of water on their backs, which is how locals do it. A water shortage in Kenya means each family has to make a 10-kilometer round trip five times a day to fetch water at a river.
"If I didn't try it, I wouldn't know how hard it is to carry the water and walk such a long distance," Cao says. "It makes our work even more meaningful."
Cao even spent her birthday with locals. They cooked local food and celebrated with her.
After finishing the trip, Cao has been quick to share her experiences with classmates and hopes to mobilize more to participate in future volunteer trips.
In the coming semester, Cao hopes to be elected as the head of her school's charity organization.
The charity enthusiast now donates one and a half to two hours each week to her community in the United States. She usually play games with mentally disadvantaged children and teaches adopted children Chinese.
According to Annie Zhang, managing director of Me To We in China, the organization plans to help build 50 schools in China, giving student volunteers more opportunities to learn about those less privileged.
"Join us on an intimate and unique learning experience set against the spectacular backdrop of the African landscape," Zhang says. "It is also our hope to move the campaign to China and bring more hope here."
Find more information about Me to We, please check www.metowe.cn.
- About Us
- |
- Terms of Use
- |
-
RSS - |
- Privacy Policy
- |
- Contact Us
- |
- Shanghai Call Center: 962288
- |
- Tip-off hotline: 52920043
- 沪ICP证：沪ICP备05050403号-1
- |
- 互联网新闻信息服务许可证：31120180004
- |
- 网络视听许可证：0909346
- |
- 广播电视节目制作许可证：沪字第354号
- |
- 增值电信业务经营许可证：沪B2-20120012
Copyright © 1999- Shanghai Daily. All rights reserved.Preferably viewed with Internet Explorer 8 or newer browsers.
