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It's our Waterloo

October 2009
 
NAME: Lauren Powell DEPT.: Kinesiology AT UW SINCE: 2007
 

Changing Kenya with the President's Scholarship

Lauren Powell

Bubbles floated through the air. For a moment, the children encircling Lauren Powell were just like any kids you'd see in your neighbourhood. Filled with awe. Mouths agape. Completely captivated. For a moment, they were no longer in a dusty school courtyard in a Nairobi slum. The pangs of hunger from their empty stomachs were forgotten.

Lauren, a third-year kinesiology student, experienced moments like this whenever she brought out her jar of bubbles. Funded in part by the President's Scholarship and the International Experience Award, Lauren spent six weeks of her summer in Limuru, a small town on the outskirts of Nairobi, Kenya. Volunteering with a program called African Impact — an organization committed to social development and economic improvement — she worked in regional orphanages and schools, and at one of Nairobi's hospitals. She experienced firsthand the highs and lows in her two fields of interest: working with children, and medicine.

What kind of work did you do while in Kenya?

At the hospital, I helped physiotherapists give massages to patients with back and shoulder injuries; in the schools and orphanages, I cooked meals and taught students math and English. The simplest things meant the world to them — things like watching bubbles or listening to stories. One of my favourite memories was reading a storybook to a group of young children. They didn't understand much of what I was saying, but they were eager to listen. Sitting cross-legged in a circle, they kept inching closer and closer to me until they were so close it was difficult to turn the pages.

How has this experience changed you?

My experiences in Kenya were very powerful and eye-opening. Before I left Canada, I tried to imagine what it would be like; but you can't picture Africa until you go. It's impossible to understand how much poverty there is and how many orphaned children there are until you witness it firsthand.

Now that I'm home, it's hard not to be disgusted by the excessive wealth and comfort we have. I learned very quickly to appreciate things like safety, cleanliness, and water. Here, education is something most of us take for granted, but the kids in the slums know how much their families sacrifice for them to attend school.

A message for Keystone donors who support President Scholarships:

In short, thank you so much for giving to this scholarship program. The President's Scholarship enabled me to make a difference in many people's lives. I look forward to one day supporting scholarships and helping future students have the same opportunities I've had. Thank you!