Women's Volleyball | July 16, 2018
La Salle University volleyball student-athlete Jenny Edwards recently spent three weeks in Kenya as part of Project Mapendo, a service mission in conjunction with the Lasallian Immersion and Volunteer Experience (LIVE) program that is run by La Salle's University Ministry and Service (UMAS) organization. Here's Edwards' first-hand account of her trip.
Project Mapendo strives to fully immerse participants in the education and culture of Kenya. As a group, we work directly with the boys and community of St. Mary's Boys Secondary School and Child Rescue Centre to further this goal. We accomplish our goals by spending one-on-one time with the boys.
Participants spend time in the nursery program, helping the younger boys developing their English and in the secondary school observing classes. We also take part in cleaning up the community or whatever else the brothers need during our time there.
The day at St. Mary's starts very early. In the morning, some people help to get the youngest boys ready for school or help to serve breakfast to boys of all ages. After we have breakfast, we go to the nursery or to the secondary school for the rest of the morning and early afternoon. Later in the afternoon, there is time to talk with boys and play with them. This is where we form the closest bonds with everyone.
After supper, there is a period called Preps where the boys work on homework. We have the opportunity to tutor the Juniors in whatever subjects we can. I enjoy forming relationships with the boys in my time there. Having gone a second time, I knew many of the boys incredibly well and was able to deepen connections I had with them. This is incredibly special to me because it allows for a unified growth of understanding one another and the differences in our cultures.
[One particular boy that touched Edwards during her time there was Brandon, a young child in the program.] Brandon is currently in the cursory at St Mary's. He is a smart, young boy who is incredibly lively and welcoming. I immediately connected with him during my time there because of his silliness, charisma and his obvious drive to learn.
He holds a very special place in my heart and my family has decided to be his sponsor so he can continue to advance educationally, spiritually and emotionally. It's boys like him that thrive at St. Mary's. What he lacks in material things he makes up for in spirit and I think it's absolutely incredible.
The way he interacts with adults as a young boy is so amazing. He once went up to a group of adults and asked if they wanted to hear a story. When they said "Yes," he said "Good, I'll tell you tomorrow."
He is so happy and well taken care of by St. Mary's, this incredible place gives him an opportunity to thrive and excel in school and in life.
On the very last day, one of the older boys made a point to come up to several of us to tell us to make sure we spread the good word about Kenya, to tell people back home of what a beautiful place it is and how the people are kind and welcoming. My biggest goal when I return home is to be an advocate for how hard these people work and how they strive to achieve goals that people at home don't even aspire to.
If you ask the boys what they want to be when they grow up, they give answers like a brain surgeon, a pilot, or an engineer. They inspire me to be the best I can be because I can see them working to be the best they can be for themselves, their families and their country.
