The Universal Language of Friendship 👫

On most days, he comes to school wearing very old clothes with holes in them, arms and legs covered in sand and dirt. I remember him on my first night at the IDP camp. Classes were suspended for two days as teachers had gone on strike. He was at the playground alone, standing on a broken plank and did not wear any shoes. I had wondered if anyone was looking for him. 

He saw me approaching from afar as I walked towards the school and without hesitation, he ran to me quickly with arms wide open, and wrapped them tightly around my legs. We exchanged smiles, both looked at each other and giggled. He then grabbed my hands, and together we ran towards the plank. He didn't want to let go. 

In a country I traveled alone to and knew very little about, I held a sense of insecurity, but something about being in the presence of this boy made me feel safe. That particular memory taught me a few things I will never forget:

1. Follow your dreams: I learned that life was more than the constant fight for acceptance and approval from my family in my professional advancement and personal relationships. Good was never enough. Nothing could be more harmful than great job. Chasing a meaningless dream only to satisfy your parents meant that I had to be okay with living a very long, unfulfilling life. I didn't want that. Slowing down and practicing patience helped open my eyes to something greater, and that was to join the fight against poverty.

2. The little things matter: I was once in a relationship where I was convinced to ignore my emotions, pick my battles, and only confront matters of upmost significance because the little things weren't entirely worthy of a conversation. Overlooking the present, in the now, moments was a choice. The attachment to a smartphone, taking human interaction and emotional connection for granted was also a choice. Though the signs may be subtle, another person's energy is an undeniably powerful, contagious thing. My heart was not full. This was a reminder that details mean everything, and the simple and small things DO matter because the way someone makes you feel today can manifest and change your world. 

3. Trust yourself: Someone who once meant the world to me had said that I would never be successful in this pursuit and that it was too ambitious. The worst thing you can do is to go against your gut feeling, and sacrifice your voice for the sake of someone else's opinion or happiness. It is something that is always worth protecting and fighting for. I learned that nothing is more valuable than believing in yourself, and no one can define your happiness or purpose than you alone. 

4. Pay attention to your heart: There is nothing that could describe, to the fullest extent, something that can only be felt in my heart. This boy possessed an unconditional love that radiates from within, and his eyes were filled with raw hope. He didn't ask for anything but for my friendship and company. I've never experienced anything more sincere, joyful and free. Nothing else mattered when everything before me became still; and it was beautiful!

It's amazing how much perspective and wisdom I have gained from slowing down, and appreciating the world around me! I knew the only obvious answer was to spread joy as much as possible, and make it my life-long goal to promote education so these children have an active role in someday working toward breaking the vicious cycle of multi-generation poverty, improving their health, promoting gender equality, peace and stability. 

The boy never told me his name, but I nicknamed him Star in Chinese (星 shares the same pronunciation as both star and heart), as he was the brightest one shining amongst the sky. We didn't speak the same language and he hardly spoke, but we shared a universal language: friendship, and that's all we really needed. He will never know this, but I owe it to him for teaching me to follow my heart. ☺️

xx,
st

Pictured: Star wearing the best clothes he owns, which is his school uniform required at Southern Cross Academy. Uniforms reduce conflict around social groups identified by appearance and promotes equality, which means greater ability to focus on academic performance. 

“The best and the most beautiful things in this world cannot be seen or even touched. They must be felt within the heart.”

— Helen Keller

Eradicating Polio

Finally: A generation of children has grown up polio free! In 1988, there were more than 350,000 children diagnosed with polio and in 2014, there were only 359. This is the FIRST time in the history of polio where so few children have this crippling virus.

The progress to end polio for good is tangible, and it is real. However, with just two countries in the world where polio still persists (Pakistan and Afghanistan), the threat of outbreak exists. UNICEF and Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI) leads vaccine supply, providing cost-effective, easily administered vaccines to the most insecure and poverty-stricken areas of the world, reaching over 500 millions of children in over 70 countries. The goal is to eradicate polio entirely by 2019. We've never been closer.

On World Polio Day, we celebrate the brave leaders who go to great lengths to #ENDPOLIO.

xx,
st

Follow Your Dreams

Motivational speech on my last day at Southern Cross Academy with 241 hearts of gold.

It's Mashujaa Day! 🇰🇪

Today we celebrate Mashujaa Day, commemorating the day Kenya achieved full independence, and in honor of the heroes who liberated their country from colonialists. In the new constitution (2010), the meaning of this special day also recognizes all of their heroes at large. Heko! To the Kenya Defense Forces for their protection, to the Olympians who provide hope for their country, to their Nobel Peace Prize winner Wangari Maathai, to their courageous female leaders who inspire young girls that they can beat the odds, and to all of those who push for the reduction of poverty and environmental conservation.

I thank the educators at Southern Cross Academy, the hard-working families at the camps of Maai Mahiu, and every child who I know in my heart, are destined for amazing things.

Teachers at Southern Cross Academy (+Ian)

Happy World Smile Day!

I wanted to share a few of my favorite moments with the children I was blessed enough to connect with. If my heart could smile...

This sweet girl. I love capturing moments like these. They like to pinch our arms (fascinated by our skin color), and play with my hair.

Two children followed us around the camps behind the school, giggling and saying hello. The one in the front is pretending to be a horse.

Joel is my sponsor child. Whenever I point at him, he covers his face with his tiny hands, but leaves a sliver between his fingers big enough to see me through it. His grandmother cares for him. 

Daily walk from our host family's home. Children wait for us to arrive from afar. These two children take the lead with Enrique, walking us towards school.

Welcome to Kibera, Africa.

This was a lot for me to digest all at once. Kibera holds the unfortunate reputation of being Africa's largest slums with over 1.5M people calling it home. It is very hard to understand how many people make it at all, and even more shocking to have discovered Kenya was ranked #31 in highest death rate worldwide (2014), due to remarkably poor living conditions.

Source of Income
I learned that rent for a small dirt-walled shack is approximately $20 USD per month. The small economy within the slums are driven by trading with each other. A large population work for the industrial or service sectors, and they are required to walk very long distances for work. Any money earned is, for a lack of better terms, robbed, from them; as they are required to pay rent on land that is supported to be free. Clean water is considered a privilege, for an unreasonable fee to access. Often times monetary support from aid programs flows back out of the slums and straight into the government. Much corruption interferes with the development process for advancement or fair human rights. 42% of Kenyans live below the poverty line.  

Education
Children who can attend school is considered a luxury, and it is believed that this is their best hope for a brighter future. Because education is not free, many cannot afford to attend school - with the exception of institutions operated by non-gov organizations, but the children must perform well enough to be accepted and therefore the needs far outweigh the opportunity. Those who attend school as mentioned in my previous story, are much healthier and happier because they are fed once a day. What happens to the others? There is an alarming high probability they turn to criminal activities. 

Although some teachers aren't properly certified, students are in the hands of those who can provide hope, confidence and guidance necessary to become productive members of society to help strengthen their economy. 

Higher income countries have a lower death rate
- In high income countries, 7/10 deaths are among 70+ years old or older. Only 1/100 deaths are among children under 15. In low income countries, 2/10 deaths are among 70+ years or older, and 4/100 are among children 15.

- In high income countries, people predominately die of chronic diseases (cardiovascular disease, cancer, demential, chromic obstructive lung diseases, diabetes). In low income countries, the die of infectious diseases (lower respiratory infections, HIV/AIDS, diarrheal diseases, malaria, tuberculosis - which also accounts for almost 1/3 of all deaths in these countries). 

In 2012, 6.6M children died before reaching their 5th birthday, and almost 99% of these deaths occurred in the low-income families bracket. It is even more alarming that 44% of deaths in children under the age of 5 occurred within an average of 28 days of birth. Childbirth complications are more common, whether it is prematurity, birth asphyxia (deprivation of oxygen to newborn infant) and birth trauma. 

What's next?
This data helps health officials identify and measure contributing factors to leading death and focuses on actions to prevent certain illnesses. If a country recognizes that many children are dying of malaria, they may increase their spending in the health budget, dedicating to providing effective treatment for those affected. What's concerning is the data is incomplete, as many births and deaths are not recorded at all (nationally only 60% were registered in 2013). Therefore, the high number of cases related to pathogens - bacterial, parasites, viruses, may be substantially underestimated, and is believed to be "2x as high as analysts reported". 

Taken at the top of the hill on an old railroad track, looking down at the Kibera slums, home to over 1.5 million Kenyans.

A boy carries two gallons of water back home presumably. The government provides water twice a week but it must be purchased on any other occasion. 

A typical outhouse, which typically costs 10 shillings to use. Only 6 toilets are plumbed for 1.5 million people. The sewage dumps into trenches that runs along the roads. An outhouse could be shared for as many as 50 or more families. "Flying toilets" is also a common practice, were people relieve themselves using plastic bags which are thrown as far away as possible from their homes raising hygiene and disease concerns, particularly diarrhea and cholera, Women living in the slums are at high risk for rape crimes as they look for sanitation facilities outside and in the dark.

Covered in garbage as there is no process to collect trash. I will never forget the smell of filth, amongst something burning or decaying as we walked through the slums. 

This is an example of a sewage trench. On several occasions I've seen very young children playing with a piece of garbage outside. They are not in school and it does not appear that anyone was looking after them. They look hungry. 

A woman walks on the dirt road in the slums after a rainy day.

"Marafiki hi" means hello friends

Students wave at me as I take their photo during lunch time. Children are taught both Swahili and English at school.

Supporting child refugees is everyone’s responsibility

Modern slavery is all around us, but most people don't even realize it.

“There are 2X as many child refugees today than 10 years ago”, UNICEF stated. That means 8 million child refugees face the a shockingly high risk of human smuggling, trafficking and abuse. More than half of all refugees are children.

Modern slavery is a huge business that generates annual profits of over $150 billion. There are 21 million modern day slaves - that’s about 3 out of every 1,000 people worldwide working in agriculture, fishing, construction, manufacturing, mining, utilities and domestic work. Moreover, approximately 1 of 5 are victims of sexual exploitation. 

There are more people in slavery today than any other time in history. 

What you can do:
Support the international treaty to end modern slavery for good at 50forfreedom.org. All you have to do is sign the petition. 

What this does: The International Labour Organization's Protocol on Forced Labour could restore hope and freedom to millions of people trapped in slavery. It requires countries to ensure the release, recover, rehab of these people and protect them from prosecution of any laws they were made to break during that time. It requires employers to exercise due diligence in effort to support ethical business practices to avoid modern slavery in their supply chains.

Your impact:
The goal is to persuade at least 50 countries to ratify the Protocol on Forced Labour by 2018.
Currently, there are 12,087 current signatures, and 7 of 50 ratifications.

Will there be food today?

Schools in Kenya provide lunch because it helps reduce absenteeism and improves learning ability. Students at Southern Cross Academy in Maai Mahiu only have access to one meal per day as 42% of the Kenya population live below poverty line. Poverty is closely related with starvation. 

Last year, we planted crops in a small empty field next to the school, using vegetables that require very little maintenance or water to grow. It is however, not enough to feed the 250+ children enrolled here, whose meals consist of bean and maize. It is prepared by a mother of one of the "baby class" students (kindergarten), who spends her day in a tiny stone room and cooks over an open fire. Lunchtime truly is the most exciting part of day for the kids.

Children line up, eager to enjoy their only meal of the day. The older girls (4th-5th graders) are responsible for forming orderly lines, distributing the plates to the younger peers, washing and cleaning using water collected in three large black barrels from the rain or long journey in the mountains, a difficult endeavor per Enrique (one of our volunteers). Rainwater picks up many pollutants and contaminants in the air before it hits the ground, making it unhealthy to consume. When there is no rain, there is no water. When there is no water, lives are at risk. 

Spotted: A hug ☺️

The woman wearing the pink apron is Ian's mother, who prepares the children's food during school days. She must transport heavy, enormous bags of beans and maize by lifting and carrying them to the school. Resources are limited, and depend on funding to ensure the children's survival. 

Enrique consoles Ian, who had a stomachache that day. They were a close bunch. (I've never seen this little guy wear shoes)

The woman dressed in black serving the children is one of the teachers at the school, whom I believe is in her early 20s. Children can identify fruits from their studies, but never tasted them. 

Spotted: 4-year-old Ian is to the right, who enjoys supervising operations and on a separate note, is not afraid to stand up for himself.

International✌🏼 Day

Is a crucial reminder that conflict can and must come to an end. It is dedicated to the absence of war and violence, such as might be occasioned by a temporary ceasefire in a combat zone for humanitarian aid access, for 24-hours.

However, peace is more than putting down our weapons. Peace-building initiatives are about building a global society where people can live free from poverty and share the benefits of prosperity. It is our responsibility to contribute to building a safe, healthy society, and to promote literacy and quality education for all. It is an absolute right. It is about growing and supporting each other as a universal family.

“Problems such as climate change, poverty, hunger, lack of clean water and sanitation, and inequality are widespread, bringing suffering to far too many members of our human family.  We must do all we can to alleviate this suffering and contribute to a world of peace, sustainable development, and prosperity for all.” - UNICEF 🌍

So in the quest for peace, every year, the UN invites all nations to “honor the cessation of hostilities and commemorate the International Day of Peace through education, public awareness and issues related to peace”. The theme this year focused on sustainable development goals, because we need to protect our planet.

Conflicts arise when we compete each other over limited resources, using weapons and violence as out last solution, meanwhile costing the lives of many innocent people or destroys their chances of building a stable future. What is next for these children? 

Imagine a world where resources such as basic medical care and safe water are accessible! 768 million people do not have access to safe water, something that would be hard to give up for just 1 day.

Amazing things can happen when education becomes the heart of all our global goals! For example, if women had the same access to resources as men, they could reduce the number of hungry people worldwide by 150 million. Young girls should learn that they CAN beat the odds. Only by working together can we make our common home safe for future generations.

When we fight with our neighbors, we are teaching our children that violence is the only answer. We are teaching them the art of war. We are harming their futures and putting them in unimaginable danger. The refugee camps for settled internally displaced persons in the outskirts of Maai Mahiu, Kenya, is an example of millions of people affected by this. We can change their future by nurturing their dreams with education and support.  

While International Day of Peace continues its tradition of supporting everyone in the world to observe this important day - I hope we keep in mind to celebrating this daily as every person’s contribution takes us one step closer to building a world of lasting peace. Through this partnership, we stand a better chance of achieving success.