What I know of Africa

What do you know of Africa? Foreign aid, tribal politics, endangered species, starving children?  Before I landed here in Kakamega, a small town in Kenya's Western Province, these were some of my associations as well. Even now, halfway through my internship, I know very little of Africa. Recently, over endless cups of steaming Kenyan chai, I have found my self lamenting the Canadian media's portrayal of my new home, blaming them for this ignorance. Canadians have big hearts, but even they can be overwhelmed when they are bombarded with stories of corruption, extreme poverty, and hopelessness.

Me, I can tell you a different story. Because now that I live in Kenya and know exactly how far away it seems from the west coast of BC, some stories are hitting pretty close to home.

My story starts with ACCES, the African Canadian Continuing Education Society, a non governmental organization dedicated to providing educational opportunities for young Kenyans so that they can make a difference in their own society.

The setting of my story is nine 'non-formal education centres' in the villages around Kakamega. Behind the scenes, local staff arrive early and stay late in a small office, tapping out reports and budgets on archaic computers between regular power outages. It takes place in a society that values education even without field trips and computer labs, and not even enough text books for every student.

My protagonists are, of course, the kids who want to learn. Wide-eyed and attentive to the words on the chalkboard, scribbling in their little exercise books in the dim light of the classrooms. The plot thickens, as dedicated teachers stand at the front of dirt-floor classrooms and teach while heat from the tin roof throbs down.

Obstacles abound. It is hard to concentrate on learning when you didn't eat breakfast. Or dinner last night either. It is hard to empower Kenyan staff in a society dependent on handouts. And hard to trust them in a country riddled with corruption. It is hard to teach when your students are home looking after parents who are dying of AIDS.

But my story has many heroes. I work with peer educators, mostly unemployed youth, who are dedicated to educating themselves and serving their community by fighting the disease that claims up to 13% of its young people. I take tea at 10AM with a group of Kenyans who intelligently and passionately discuss a better future for East Africa and then go quietly back to work on projects that nudge the vision into reality.

My story has a happy ending. One in which both Canadians and Kenyans should take pride. One where over 1000 children who were not in school, are now learning (and sometimes academically outdoing their more priviledged counterparts). Yes, Africa is overwhelming. But for once, take a break from the pessimism that incapacitates us. Find yourself an African story that overwhelms you with Hope.