KENYA 2019
CONSTRUCTION
Due to the continued support of the Michel Family Foundation, the 2018 Kenya team was able to help construct a community health care facility in the Kanthanje Village near Kajuki, Kenya. In the past, the villagers have had to travel long distances to receive health care, and having a health care facility within the community provides a much needed service and improves the overall health of the community.
CULTURAL EXCHANGE
The cultural committee’s job is to help bridge the cultural gap between the Youthlinc team and the local community members. To achieve this goal the committee worked hard to educate their team on Kenyan culture and ways that team members could connect and interact in meaningful ways.
The committee also did a lot of preparation in planning opening and closing ceremonies, the team mural, and how to make home visits more meaningful. Opening and closing ceremonies were extremely successful and facilitated great cultural exchange. The mural was beautiful and included themes relevant to both Kenya and Utah and home visits were a huge hit.
EDUCATION
The education committee’s main project was to plan and oversee English camp. They did a lot of work and preparation before traveling to Kenya. The majority of their pre-trip preparations were spent helping team members on with their lessons. They helped them select topics, plan, edit, revise, and practice their lessons. Their efforts ensured a smooth and successful English camp!
The committee also fundraised educational items to donate to the school in which they conducted their English camp and participated in the Mondo Art project.
COMMUNITY HEALTH
The community health committee worked hard collecting hygiene kits, first aid kits, and preparing lessons for the health fairs which they conducted in country.
The health fairs were a success. The committee members were able to teach lessons on how to prevent diseases, personal hygiene, women’s health, etc. The committee was also able to distribute hygiene and first aid kits, which people loved.
The committee also collected medical supplies which used to help restock the local health dispensary.
VOCATIONAL
The vocational committee’s focus was on teaching women how to sew. In preparation for their trip to Kenya committee members learned to sew and knit and raised money for necessary supplies. While in country, the committee was able to work with a group of women and teach them these skills. The knitting was a big success. In addition to teaching sewing and knitting, the committee was able to help fix broken sewing machines and provide supplemental lessons such as jewelry making.
By the end of the teams time in the village, the women were thriving and were able to conduct a boutique where they sold items they’d made to the Youthlinc team. Any money made at the boutique was given directly to the women to use to reinvest in furthering their skill development in order to maximize this skill as a business or a secondary source of income for themselves and their families.
Vocational committee also taught a cooking class. They taught how to make banana oat muffins, Banana pancakes, hash browns, french toast, Spaghetti, Tacos, Peanut butter cookies and Cake/cup cakes for a birthday celebration. The women enjoyed the classes and found a few new favorites!
They also provided lessons on how to plant and maintain an herb garden. They planted cilantro, cinnamon, oregano, Garlic, ginger, basil, sage, and cumin. The team was able to provide them a supply of these herbs and show them how they can be used.
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
The business committee prepared a business seminar to educate community members on basic business principles such as product, price, placement, promotion, and profit. To culminate their business seminar the committee planned a business competition. The business competition was a huge success. The ideas that each participant came up with were remarkable. Each of the competing groups were awarded money at the end of the competition to be used toward putting these principles into action by starting or growing their own business.