Former Comet Bay College students Tamsin Elder and Renee Hilton-Jones shared with us news of their inspiring visit to Kenya.
“In January of 2018, we were privileged to go on a community development trip to Kenya, Africa with Initiate Australia, an organisation with the passion to inspire young leaders and youth with an interest in social justice with the tools and experiences to initiate sustainable, long-lasting change in underprivileged communities.”
“We were immersed in Kenyan culture, food, clothing, language and way of life and the trip is something that has impacted both of us immensely in our perspectives of the world and our responsibilities within it. We both are keen to revisit Kenya in the near future as we both now consider it a second home.”
“In our two weeks, we mostly stayed in Ndeiya, a remote, poor area of Kenya one hour from the capital Nairobi, where we engaged in service with the locals through water deliveries, home visits, teaching classes in local schools, planting trees in the local university, meeting local heroes and playing with the children. We also met with various political leaders in Kenya such as the Governor, the Key Speaker of the Nairobi Assembly, the Australian Ambassador for eastern Africa and several department leaders of the United Nations Headquarters in Nairobi to discuss issues affecting the Kenyan people, and brainstorm solutions.”
“The opportunities to meet some of Kenya’s most influential people were all due to the connections and reputation the organisation holds within Kenya and the positive change it is making. We also had the chance to travel to Maasai Mara for 3 days where we went on a safari and meet the Maasai People, as well as visit the Giraffe wildlife park, run with Kenyan Olympic marathon runners through the Rift Valley mountains and attend a Kenyan church service.”
