My Volunteer Experience and Civic Engagement in Kakamega
“Great social forces are mere accumulations of individual actions. ” Just think about that. These are the words of world-renowned Professor of Economics and leader of sustainable development, Jeffrey Sachs, in a March 2005 article “The End of Poverty” on Times magazine. This is very true. Every great thing which has been done or will be done is through a series of small things brought together.
I am Kelvin Nyaberi. I have a Bachelor of science in Mechanical Engineering from Kenyatta University. I have been a Volunteer Graduate Assistant under the G-United Programme for the last 5 months at Ivona East Primary School in Kakamega county. I am responsible for conducting Read Aloud Sessions (RAS), promoting national cohesion and initiating and implementing community engagement projects(CEPs).
My passion for doing a social good and desire to leave an impact on someone’s life stemmed way back when I was still in college. I remember reading ‘Down and Out in Paris and London’ by George Orwell (I am an avid reader. Particularly of history) who was born into a family of wealthy middle class parents. Unhappy at accepting the conventional social wisdom, he set out to experience life from a different perspective and see the situation from other people’s point of view. He decided to live with the poorest of society during the Great Depression. By living with the underprivileged, he gained a unique insight. He also volunteered to fight for the Spanish Republic who at the time were fighting the Fascist forces of General Franco. He was part of many international volunteers from around the world who went to the aid of Spain when she truly needed it. Another great person that inspired me was our very own Tegla Loroupe who since retirement, has devoted herself to various initiatives, promoting peace, education and women’s rights.
All these great personalities and their deeds sparked an interest in me for doing something good for the plight of others. That’s how my journey with G-United began. Here was this exciting opportunity to get out of myself, gain some much-needed skills and give back to the society all at the same time. Why not grab it? I did not hesitate. This far, I can say the experience has been a satisfying and rewarding one.
I am proud to say that I have greatly improved primary education outcomes. The class two pupils have embraced learning and they are always ecstatic when we conduct group activities. The camp that I am currently conducting has only 17 readers and most of them can read short paragraphs comfortably. However, the ultimate goal is far from being achieved. Academic performance is generally poor. The hard work that is put by teachers is not being translated to results on the pupils side. That is how my co-VGA and I decided it was time to step in. We discovered that this trend was attributed to chronic absenteeism, lack of motivation, low self-esteem (only a fraction of the students can read fluently) and lack of role models. So far we have been holding mentorship talks to students of our school and nearby institutions. The target group is standard 8 and form 4 candidates. We hold talks on various topics. These include but not limited to discipline, revision, examination tips, life skills, leadership, career choices and peer pressure. My thoughts on Education in Kenya is that it should produce citizens with skills, knowledge, expertise and personal qualities that are required to support a growing economy. Emphasis is on personal qualities. We’ll need citizens who are able to stand out from the crowd, be resourceful and possess a get-up-and-go attitude. That is why I decided to choose that particular area for my community engagement project. The pupils have been responsive and we try to make the sessions as lively and interesting as possible by. having a Q&A session. We have partnered with a local initiative called Husika Elimisha Boresha Foundation(HEBF) whose goals are aligned with ours.
Another achievement that gives me pride and fulfillment is launching an appeal-for-funds drive to help needy and vulnerable children afford school uniforms. While I was conducting RAS, I discovered that some of my readers either lacked uniforms or they were in a bad condition. Some had only one pair and that meant an absent day in school especially during the rainy season. Therefore we launched a proposal to the sponsor of the school. The congregation at Ivona East Church of God in East Africa Kenya who also felt it was a noble idea and agreed to offer us their full support. As of now, we have 3 metres of clothing material and still appealing for more funds to enable us knit school uniform(shirts, dresses and shorts) for at least 25 children. The community has embraced the idea whole-heartedly. They see it is a good way of inculcating a culture of brotherhood and altruism among the people.
My love for football did not go unnoticed. I am a team member of Ivona East FC. We organize and attend football matches and tournaments. Lugari Constituency is a settlement scheme so naturally you will find people from different tribes and cultures. Sports has helped me to exercise my mandate of being a peace ambassador and promoting national cohesion and inter-ethnic interaction. With the help of the coach, the members have created a savings account where they make contributions and use the funds to invest on projects for example rearing chicken, planting vegetables and sand harvesting. As a result earning some income.
Most people might think that volunteering is energy and time consuming. But contrary to popular belief, it is actually a requirement for happiness. Volunteering has helped me develop a healthy self-image and built my confidence. I feel I have become a better problem-solver and communicating in a different community has helped me be open-minded, clear in my message, learn the people and also be sociable. I have forged friendships and who knows? Some day I might decide to build a home here.
In conclusion , I am positive that my deeds, however small have contributed to a much greater cause. Someone once told me “You don’t find yourself, you create yourself” It is my hope that my service opens up unexpected opportunities for me.
Get in touch with me
Facebook Kelvin Nyaberi
Twitter @Kelvin_Nyaberi
