Experiencing Africa
If I was to say the word 'Africa' to you, what's the first image that enters your head?
Starving babies with swollen bellies and flies swarming around their faces? Genocide in Rwanda? War, hunger, poverty and sadness? While there is no denying that these images we see of Africa are true, there is another side to Africa, a side which shows the positive work being done and that proves that money you donate to charities makes a difference and doesn’t just disappear like a grain of sand on the beach.
In 2002, I was selected to represent my school on a cross-border, cross-community project run by Third World Development Agency, Children in Crossfire. The project involved bringing 14 students from England, Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland out of their usual environment and showing them how conflict between communities occurs in other countries and to also demonstrate the work being done by development agencies such as Children in Crossfire.
We spent 12 days in Kenya, on the east coast of Africa. The trip involved visiting 3 different communities and spending 2 days with each of the communities. On the first day in each village we would see projects that Children in Crossfire helped fund and on the second day we would do a cultural presentation with our group doing things such as Irish dancing and presentations on traditions and customs from our areas and the Kenyans doing likewise. We got to see first hand the real difference that charities can make to actual lives, not just to feed people enough to keep them living for one more day but to actually improve their quality of life.
In the first village we visited, Makatanu we saw a water dam, which Children in Crossfire had funded and built with the help of the locals. This meant the village had clean, safe drinking water on their doorstep, unlike previously when they had to walk for miles each day to get water to cook and clean with. And yes they do actually walk with massive water urns on their heads while carrying a baby in their arms!
In the next village we took part in some of the projects. I was put to work making mud bricks for a latrine in the school, which was heavy work in the searing heat and compared to the Kenyans we were useless at it! The final village we visited was a Masaai tribe settlement. Here we got to see inside the traditional Masaai huts, made of cow dung, we visited an AIDS awareness project, which Children in Crossfire set up with local community groups and we even witnessed a Masaai wedding.
Everywhere we visited, we were overwhelmed by people’s positive. Each village invited us into their homes and shared their food with us even though they didn’t have much. Plenty of the stereotypes I had of Africa were reinforced, the roads are dusty red dirt tracks, the food is very basic, the schools are similar to Ireland one hundred years ago but my viewpoint was totally twisted on its head in other ways.
The Kenyans are not helpless people looking for a hand out; they want to work for themselves to build up their communities. They want lasting differences to be made to their communities and that’s why organisations such as Children in Crossfire make such a huge difference. It’s not just about quick fix solutions; it’s about making lasting changes to improve life for generations to come.
By: Lucy Friel
Children in Crossfire
Children in Crossfire is a Third World Development Agency, based in Derry. Children in Crossfire aims to eradicate poverty by helping local agencies implement initiatives that improve the quality of life for the world’s poorest communities. The charity runs various campaigns throughout the year to raise funds, from treks in Brazil to selling ‘Flicker of hope’ badges in schools, to individuals organising charity walks/ quizzes/ fun events.
You can find out more about how to get involved by visiting: www.childrenincrossfire.org
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