New Moreau Center internship sends two students to Kenya for three months to learn about social justice issues a developing nation faces
By Elissa Norton, Staff Writer -- norton11@up.edu
Running water. Power. Sewer system. Paved roads. Cars or buses in which people commute to work.
In the U.S., people take these everyday necessities for granted, but in East Africa, they do not exist for most people.
Seniors Taylor Bergmann and Elle Hoxworth spent their summer experiencing these differences during the three-month intensive internship program offered through the Moreau Center for Service and Leadership.
For the first time, the program sent UP students to remote parts of Kenya in order to learn about the challenges a developing nation faces and social justice issues within the country such as poverty, malnutrition, sanitation, and education.
"The Africa internship program is a way for students to delve deeper into ‘what's my role as a white American,'" said Laura Goble, director of the Moreau Center for Service and Leadership.
The Africa internship program is not academically connected. With some travel experience and an interest in integrating social justice with everyday work, Bergmann and Hoxworth were perfect candidates for the internship.
Although the program was not well known in its first year, there are high hopes for this coming year.
"UP is working to be a globally aware university and the first step to stay engaged with East Africa was to send two interns," Goble said. "This consisted of training with FSD (Foundation of Sustainable Community Development), home stays and work statements – working in organizations learning about their mission."
According to Goble, this internship is one step past the ordinary service plunges offered by the Moreau Center. Giving students an opportunity to learn in developing nations is important, and according to Goble, it gives students a chance to wrestle with a challenge people interested in social justice issues face – there is a place for aid and a place for charity.
Adjusting to a new way of life was one of the most challenging aspects for both Bergmann and Hoxworth.
"The first day we got to our host families' houses it was mind blowing," Hoxworth said. "But then in a matter of days, it felt like home and you felt so lucky to be there. It's totally different living in a developing country."
According to Hoxworth, Kenyan time is not American time. It simply takes longer to do things. Showing up to work an hour late because you ran into your aunt on the road and stopped to talk with her is normal. Life in East Africa is family and community oriented.
Bergmann spent his time in a Kenyan village called Birhembe working for Kakamega Environmental Education Project (KEEP), a volunteer-based organization that helps to conserve the Kakamega National Forest.
According to Bergmann, the forest is the only economic livelihood for people and conservation is challenging, yet vital. The forest is diminishing quickly, and even after being up and running for 11 years, the organization faces many challenges in slowing the depletion.
"Every morning, I'd wake up at 5 a.m. because I slept next to a kitchen coop," Bergmann said. "I'd have tea and then start my hour walk to work. Everyone is walking. The entire town is on the street."
After working until 4 p.m. or 5 p.m., Bergmann walked home to his host family's mud hut where there was no electricity, only kerosene lamps. On the average day, dinner wasn't served until 10 p.m. because Bergmann's host mother, a nurse, spent her evenings treating those who could not walk to the treatment center located in the next village over.
Hoxworth had a similar experience with her morning routine. "I'd get up at 6:30 a.m., take a bucket shower because there was no running water," she said. "We collected rain water and that was our water for everything."
Hoxworth spent her time in the Western Province of Kenya, a couple of hours away from Bergmann's village. She worked for Western Education Advocacy and Empowerment Program, a women's advocacy program for themselves and their children. According to Hoxworth, these women are living in extremely impoverished conditions, existing on less than a dollar a day.
"Domestic violence is the norm there," Hoxworth said.
