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June 4,
2007 
VOL.
45, NO. 11Oakland,
CA
St. Elizabeth students reach out to Kenya
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| Fascinated children from the I Can Fly School in Makakoi watch a slide show on a laptop computer brought to the school by St. Elizabeth High students. |
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| St. Elizabeth High students LaTisha Young (left) and Irene Gallegos (2nd from left) join the crew laying the foundation for an addition to the I Can Fly School. |
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| Frankie Rodriguez, a senior at St. Elizabeth High, and three children from Makakoi play a game of tag. |
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St. Elizabeth High freshman Teresita Gill is joined by members of her “fan club” at the school in Makakoi. ST. ELIZABETH HIGH SCHOOL PHOTOS |
When six students
from Oakland’s St. Elizabeth High School went to a small village
near Nairobi, Kenya, earlier this spring, they had two stated goals –
improve the water supply at a school in Makakoi and deliver supplies for
the 300 elementary and secondary school students in that community.
But far more was accomplished. And they returned home with a new awareness
of the economic divide between themselves and their peers in Kenya.
Frankie Rodriguez, a senior, watched Makakoi residents build a lunch room
at I Can Fly School, using tools they had made by hand. “They did
not let the lack of tools stop them from doing what they needed to do,”
Rodriguez said.
He was also amazed that the Kenyans did the construction work without
shoes, especially, “when in the USA some people won’t go to
school if they do not have clean shoes.”
Teresita Gill, a freshman, was equally awestruck when she saw the villagers
so excited about the delivery of one of the two 3200-liter water storage
tanks the students had purchased. “When the water tank arrived the
women from the village sang and danced,” she said.
One tank was installed in Makakoi and the other at Mekulo, a neighboring
village.
Rain gutters were put around the roof of the Makakoi school and during
April rains the tank filled with rain water. The only other water source
for the village is a spring about 800 meters away. Women and girls are
usually assigned to haul the water.
The Oakland high school students used money from fund raisers to purchase
66 cases of PuR, a water purifier, from Population Services International,
a non-profit organization in collaboration with Proctor and Gamble. A
small packet of PuR will purify 10 liters of dirty water in 25 minutes.
During their two-week stay, the students taught the village students and
their families how to use the packets.
The international service project was directed by Christina Alexander,
a teacher at St. Elizabeth High with extensive experience leading student
trips. She knew about the I Can Fly School in Makakoi from a friend.
The students spent several months hosting private dinners and silent auctions
to raise money for the trip. They went into the community to seek donations
for what turned out to be a successful raffle. They also received school
supplies from several groups and businesses, including the catechumen
class at St. Michael Parish in Livermore, which donated 30 backpacks.
They volunteered with Habitat for Humanity to learn basic construction
skills they put to use in Kenya. They also sought out native Kenyans now
living in the Bay Area and invited them to speak to their group about
the culture, traditions and politics of the African country.
Students like Frankie Rodriguez returned to the East Bay deeply touched
by the journey to Kenya. He met youngsters without adequate food or clothing
who live in homes without electricity. “I learned to appreciate
life and to really value the things that I do have and not to complain
about what I don’t have,” he said.
LaTisha Young, 18, also a senior, said one of her most cherished memories
is the time she spent playing with the kids in the village. “It
was great because I usually don’t play with kids – the kids
in Africa inspired me to be more open and a loving person.”
Teresita Gill said she learned the joy of giving with no expectation of
anything in return. “The act of helping others can make a big difference
in people’s lives,” she said. “I would like to go back
next year.”
