Alumni Journal

One day we spent the morning at the clinic near the primary school where we served our delicious homemade soup to over 60 orphans. We made the kids laugh as we played games, helped them eat and distributed clothes and toys which we had brought from home. The nurses kept repeating: “God will bless you” and asked us to please come back next year.

Excerpt from Community Service Africa Trip Update

Today is our last day of service work at Sihlekisi Primary School. I spent the day surrounded by the laughter and cheer of about three hundred and eighty Shaagan children playing soccer with Matt and Jordan. We also learned an African song and dance. All of our trip members have been showing tremendous amount of skill in engaging the local kids in play, and giving them much needed TLC. We have accomplished so much in only four days of service work. We finished planting all the spinach and mandarin trees in the garden; we finished and hung all the educational and decorative classroom signs; and with the leadership of Carly, we finished the bookcase and the cleaning of the NEW library! We are all so proud to give this school something that will last a lifetime.

Excerpt from Community Service Africa Trip Update

I think we can all agree that our experience at the Sihlekisi School is one that we will never forget. Our positive impact on the school and its students is undeniable. We planted 2,000 vegetable plants in their garden. The staff and students were all so grateful and excited for their future meals of cabbage, spinach, beetroot and tomato. Our contributions to their garden will sustain them for many seasons to come. Our experience in total was incredibly fulfilling. We provided sustainable options as well as emotional contributions. I can safely say that our work at the Sihlekisi provided a lifetime of cherished memories.

Excerpt from Community Service Africa Trip Update

The Moholoholo Rehabilitation Center was an educational and amazing experience. The people that work at the rehab center are unbelievable, dedicating their whole lives to rescuing and caring for injured animals.

Excerpt from Community Service Africa Trip Update

Maun was the town where we began our next service project. As we traveled, we encountered monkeys, baboons, elephants and giraffes. We began our work at a primary school in Maun. We were welcomed by the whole community who greeted us with a formal assembly at the chief's house. We had a local reporter for The Guardian come and interview many of the trip members, asking them why they chose to do service work in Africa. It was a great experience for us to reflect on the work we have done so far, and what it has meant for us. Half the group worked on repairing a fence that was broken, which prevented wild animals from eating the school's vegetables. Carly, Jackie and Leah learned how to build a mesh wire fence using pliers and securing it with rocks, while other trip members worked on planting trees and toiling the earth. The community was so grateful for our work today and even commented to our trip director that it brought their own people closer together. Our trip and the Chanoga community were working side by side, to complete a common goal. When the garden project was completed, we spent the afternoon with the seventh graders and helped them work on their English reading skills in the library. The children thanked us by putting on a traditional song and dance for us and by running after our bus as we were leaving screaming, "Sleep here!"

Excerpt from Community Service Africa Trip Update

The room was quickly filled with the beautiful voices of the children living at the Ebenezer Orphanage. We all clapped along and they even taught our group a dance that went along with their music. It was clear that friendships were being formed very quickly. What was most amazing was the fact that the kids were thankful for so much even though it seemed they had nothing. Although there was no grass, no goal posts and no basketball hoops, we played soccer, box ball and basketball with the kids. Watching them run around barefoot and smiling, and knowing that we were giving them something to be excited about were such great feelings. The kids even taught us one of their own games called “In the river, out of the river”. It was simple. No equipment, no uniforms, just a stick in the sand. It was so much fun. Perhaps sometimes simple is better and these kids definitely proved that. As we left that afternoon, it was clear that we had made an impact on the children living at the orphanage and in turn they had left quite the impact on the 22 of us.

Excerpt from Community Service Africa Trip Update