A formerly homeless child being fitted for school uniform in Kenya.
photo | Julianna Morrall
organization | Flying Kites
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Kandace |
Pennsylvania
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In March, I was among more than 25 Cabrini College students who embarked on a Project Appalachia service and immersion trip in the mountains of West Virginia.
Montgomery is a town frozen in time. It was difficult to believe it was 2009 in America because the surroundings looked like they were torn from the pages of the Great Depression. The streets were broken and dirty, the air smelled of propane and dust, and businesses were vacant. At first I was nervous, but once we met the Pratt family, my thoughts shifted to how I could help these people.
Pauline Pratt, a woman in her 80s who suffers from cataracts, has lived in her house all her life and has no plans of moving into a retirement home. Pauline shares her one-bedroom home with her grandson, Sam. The floor in her home had begun to collapse.
A group of us worked hard removing Pauline’s floor and prepping it for a new floor; others installed the insulated drop ceiling in a separate room. When we showed Pauline and her family the repairs we made, they thanked us graciously.
The experience taught us about the cycle of poverty, inspired us to continue service work, and gave birth to a motto for the trip: It doesn’t end here. With hope and hard work, the livelihood of this region will return.
>> for more: kandacekeefer |
Rodney |
South Africa
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Grade student Ashley Kaimowitz awakened the best instincts in people worldwide. She and Noncawe Mankayi of the Nonceba Centre for the victims of child rape set out to raise money to erect a building that could cope with the flood of victims. There was a meeting of minds and hearts between the two. Ashley she set out to make a film that would bring the fate of the children to the public’s attention.
She learned the elements of filmmaking and edited the five hours she filmed into the 20 minutes she put in the can. She received a standing ovation at the film’s first screening and the cash started rolling in. In Japan as a Rotary Student her movie created a stir. Back in South Africa she continued with her work. In late March 2005 Ashley was involved in a collision with a drunk driver. She died instantly. Rotarians closely connected to her have overseen the collection of money resulting in the opening of a modern counseling centre: a living memorial to an inspirational young woman.
>> for more: rotary9350 |
Darlene |
Kansas
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Of the photos I took during my recent visit to India, this is among my favorites. The waving people are men, women and children at New Life Colony in Tuni, who never knew a permanent home until recently. Their lives are changed thanks to many of my friends who responded to their need with compassion.
These people are members of one of many nomadic tribes in India. They are a caste ranking above the untouchables, or “Dalits,” but often living in more deplorable conditions. They could not attend school; they had no job training opportunities; they had nothing other than what they begged for.
During Christmas 2007 they were forced to leave a public park where they had set up tents. With nowhere to go, they moved to a remote area without access to water. Dr. Christopher Premdas, founder of India-based NASA (Nazareth Association for Social Awareness) contacted US-based Wells for Life to request a bore well. He prevailed upon the government to sanction the use of government-owned land. The government committed to match every $1,000 his organization provided to build permanent homes.
I work with NASA and Wells for Life, primarily by making friends and acquaintances aware of the plight of India's Dalits and raising money. With funds my friends donated, the New Life villagers built homes. When I visited in July 2008 I witnessed women hauling concrete blocks up the mountain to the men who were doing construction. The children in this village are now in school. Their parents can put them to bed each night without fear of cobras or scorpions. |
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