The Inspiration Runs Deep
Journal Entries from Kenya Series
As I have mentioned in previous posts in this series, my trip was packed full of every emotion under the sun, often turned up pretty high on the dial. One of the most constant feelings was inspiration. Returning to Sirembe after being away for so long naturally reenergized me about all of our programs and I left feeling so excited about what the future will bring.
However, the greatest source of inspiration on this trip came from our RH Scholars, our former JCO kiddos who are now attending universities, community colleges, and technical schools through our RH Scholars Program. These remarkable students instilled in me a deep sense of hope for our future. Their individual futures, the future of Restore Humanity, and the collective future of humanity at large.
All of our RH Scholars and now RH Scholar Alumni are remarkable people. I mean that both in big and small ways. The challenges they have faced and overcome in their young lives are difficult, to put it mildly, and yet they are focused, loving, kind, hard-working, and by all accounts happy.
I spent a lot of my time on this trip just talking with them. The last time we were together they were still kiddos in our JCO Children's Home and now I was fascinated to learn more about the adults they are becoming.
Each of our RH Scholars came home to visit me and stay for the weekend. Seeing them all grown up, laughing and interacting together, made my heart swell. The bond of grown up siblings is so strong; they understand each other in a way that no one else can. Mathe's house and the JCO compound were teeming with life and I was so happy to just be a part of it!
Over the weekend I got to have some really enlightening and heart-warming conversations. Some of our scholars took the time to tell me how grateful they are for what Mathe and I have done in their lives. Others were excited to talk about what they are learning and gave me great advice on how to improve the work that we are doing based on their experiences.
Pamela, for example, is getting her Bachelors Degree in Clinical Psychology and she has some wonderful ideas on how to improve the lives of our current JCO kiddos. This was a moment that I have been looking forward to for so long. It has been clear to us for some time that as our JCO kiddos grow up and receive some type of post-secondary education or training, the insights they have will be invaluable to guiding the work we do, and the future of Restore Humanity and their community. Because honestly who would know better what our newer kiddos need? Or what would make Sirembe better? They are all just at the beginning of their adult lives, but it is already so apparent what an immense resource their insight is.
It's also just as important, perhaps more so, how these kiddos will show up in their personal lives. What kind of mothers or fathers or colleagues or neighbors will they be? Our sweet Elvis moved in with us when he was 10 years old in 2011. As with all of our kiddos, he had already experienced an enormous amount of hardship by the time he moved into our home. He was always sensitive, earnest, and had a heart of gold, but the unfortunate circumstances of his early life left quite a mark. He struggled throughout school and was often teased about his perceived lack of intellect. But Mathe saw something special in him from the beginning and gave him encouragement and special duties around our home, engendering her love and trust in him - day after day, and year after year.
Elvis left high school for a technical school to learn to become an electrician. He has excelled so impressively in the last few years that he will soon earn his associates degree and wants to keep studying! Elvis still has that beautiful heart of gold, but now he is a confident and happy young man. He sat me down, determined to tell me how grateful he was to us, especially Mathe, for all that we have done and for believing in him. He also told me that he loved my sons Malcolm and Howie and all of the current kiddos at the JCO. He said he especially loves little Omondi, one of our newer kids who has significant health problems and mental challenges. He struggles and Elvis did too. When Elvis said "I understand him," it might have been the sweetest thing that I have ever heard. Our kind, earnest boy is all grown up and he is fantastic.
We haven't figured out any secret code to ensure that children grow up to be great adults--I promise if I ever do discover it, I will share it far and wide—BUT we are onto something because the progress these kiddos have made is nothing short of miraculous. While our programs are designed to help them heal and give them a chance to become the best they can be, the greatness of what's being achieved is all coming from our kiddos themselves.
I could go on for hours about how impressive and inspiring these future change-makers are, but for now I just want to leave you with this. I had the bizarre experience of two of our former JCO kiddos; Albright and Jerrym (one a current RH Scholar, the latter now a RH Scholar alumni), unbeknownst to one another, telling me almost exactly the same thing in two different private conversations.
Both of these conversations lasted for 5 or 6 hours at a time. We were just talking and sharing together and, completely unprompted, both shared precisely the same insights. They credited living at our JCO Home with the fact that when they see children who they don't know in pain or in need, they want to help them. What's more, they not only want to help, they genuinely believe that they can - and that they will. They each told me that many people are under the misconception that you have to be really wealthy to help others. They believe that everyone can help and they are determined to do their part.
We are playing the long game here folks, and we are just now seeing what long term love, care, and support does for people and it is truly a sight to behold. This is the journey towards healing–this is what it takes to begin to restore humanity in us all. It is what I believed and hoped to be true for so long and now I can see it in these incredible young people and the choices they make.
How do we make positive and lasting change in a community? By investing in the young people who live there. This investment requires money and time but also lots of love. I feel so much gratitude for everyone in our Restore Humanity Global Family who has contributed to the healing and development of our kiddos. Our world is a much better place because of your efforts and generosity and I can never thank you enough.
With Love & Gratitude,
Sarah Fennel Buchanan
Founder/CEO
Restore Humanity
