On my way...

Well, I'm off to Africa tomorrow... I can't believe that this day is finally upon me! Between finishing this crazy semester, salvaging every second I could to spend with family and friends, and then attempting to mentally and logistically prepare for a summer in Kenya, I feel like this trip has been a year in the making. One of the benefits (or disadvantages?) of running a million miles an hour is that I avoided really internalizing the reality of this trip until very recently. As the craziness has subsided over the last few days, my nerves and emotions have literally robbed me of sleep. I'm decidedly less terrified than I was when I led the City of Joy trip to India, but I'm definitely feeling an intense amount of anxiety about what to expect for the next three months. It's actually somewhat comical how little I know about what I'm about to get into...

Just to share with you what I do know, I'll be working for an organization called Lisha Mtoto in Nairobi, Kenya this summer. Lisha Mtoto, which means "feed the children," is a relatively new NGO that's dedicated to child and community welfare and development. The overall goal of the organization is to provide Kenyan youth with the tools and resources they need to break the cycle of poverty, AIDS, and violence that has been so crippling to previous generations. As it stands, the organization's founders, Eric and Saidah, are running a child sponsorship program, the funds from which are used to provide basic education and food to Nairobi's street children. Most of the kids that Lisha Mtoto works with have been orphaned by HIV/AIDS or have parents who simply cannot afford to take care of them. Eric and Saidah, both native Kenyans, have invited six interns over for the summer to help them expand their current operations and to possibly add additional programs to the organization's repertoire (HIV/AIDS outreach, microfinance, child empowerment, etc).

While the newness of the program and the uncertainty of my daily routine are definitely adding to my anxiety, they are also responsible for fueling my excitement. As a student of international development, I am especially drawn to Lisha Mtoto for its grassroots, bottom-up approach to development, and I am beyond enthused to have the opportunity to be a part of that process. Does that mean that I think I'm going to change the world in one summer? No, but I believe in what Eric and Saidah are doing, and I believe in my own humanitarian spirit. I feel strongly that I have more to offer the children of Kenya than just my sympathy. Thus, I go into this experience ready to work and serve in any capacity I can to make at least one person's life better for a period of time.

Without getting too sappy in my very first blog post, I just want to thank the family and friends who sustain me. Your blessings and support mean more to me than you will ever know, and I could not utter enough thank-you's to truly express my appreciation. I plan to blog as regularly as possible, and I hope that you all follow me along for the ride...