Wake Up
I closed my eyes while feeling prick after prick in my left arm. Attempting to distract me from my Yellow Fever and Typhoid vaccinations, the doctor stirred up small talk with me about my upcoming travels in Africa. I proudly mentioned the great efforts my coworkers and I contributed toward fundraising for the construction of a new school the Malawian village. After hosting happy hours in Houston, engaging our CEO in a silent auction and partnering with local businesses, we raised over $70,000 for buildOn - an organization committed to breaking the cycle of poverty and low expectations though service and education. I assessed this opportunity to travel halfway around the world as a great item for the “service” portion of my resume; a cool stamp to have in my passport; a good look for my Instagram. Even with the excitement about establishing a new school in Malawi, my perspective was self-centered, small minded and out of touch with life outside the Western culture.
After spending the night in Kenya and a second night in Lilongwe, I arrived in the Malawian village of Kasungu with my coworkers and our buildOn trek leaders (Danielle and Braulio). We were ushered into the village by a few bright eyed, ebullient children who were overflown with joy to see our bus approaching. They ran alongside our windows full of laughter and song. As we progressed further, four children turned into ten. Ten children turned into thirty. Before we knew it we were surrounded by a large group of children, parents and grandparents. Immediately, several of us reached for cameras to start recording videos when our trek leader (Danielle) dropped a sapient nugget of advice on us: “Don’t spend so much time recording the moment that you miss it.” Slightly embarrassed, I put my camera away and eventually deleted my Instagram, Snapchat and Twitter apps. What a waste my two-day journey to the village would have been if I diluted the rich experience with the distraction of social media. Meanwhile, the villagers were dancing and inviting us to step off the bus. My excitement continued to grow as I asked “can we get off now?!” The doors of the bus flung open and the rhythmic sounds of song and hand clapping grew louder. Although nervous about how I looked attempting to dance, my insecurities faded away when I was pulled into their circle like darkness in the presence of a beaming sunrise. The joy was thick and contagious, and I began to dance the moment my feet hit the soil of Kasungu.
The celebration continued as my co-workers and I were directed to a shaded area where officials of the village initiated a welcome ceremony. “Where is the school the children use now?”, I asked my trek leader. “We’re standing in it”, she replied. I’m sure she meant to say “we’re standing UNDER it”, considering it was only a straw hut with no walls or doors. There were no chairs or tables - only two black chalk boards mounted on wooden stands. Under rainy or very hot conditions, there is no way classes could be held here. The desperate need for a school in the village of Kasungu became even more conspicuous. I simply could not fathom how a straw hut could be considered a classroom - let alone an entire school.
I stood under the school hut – puzzled as I struggled to answer why I had been so blessed to receive a quality education and why these children had not. With all my heart, I believe the words of Luke 12:48 which say “to whom much is given, much is required.” The Message translation breaks it down even further to say “Great gifts mean great responsibilities; greater gifts, greater responsibilities!” Many would not consider education a gift, but it certainly is. Because I have benefitted from provision to receive an education, I now assume the responsibility to help someone else who cannot say the same. I began to reflect on every door education has opened for me. After all, this trip to Malawi was made possible by affiliation with my employer. I would have never started a career in IT with this fortune 5 company without my education. One year later, I found myself in Malawi with the chance to pay it forward. As I looked at the children around me, I noticed two things:
1. Many of the boys were dressed better than the girls. When education is not provided, males are often valued higher than women as they are stronger and deemed better fit for manual labor. Education puts boys and girls on the same plane field. Anything a boy is capable of doing in the classroom, a girl can also achieve. Enhanced education opens doors for many girls to achieve the same level of success as boys.
2. There were a lot of sick children. Many families rely on schools to provide access to clean water for their children. Without the school, children must resort to unclean water, which exposes them to a higher risk of catching diseases. As identified by several statistics, there is a direct correlation between disease and access to education. Children in Malawi with access to a school have a much higher chance of maintaining good health.
I saw the needs for a school in Malawi with my own two eyes and had to revisit my initial reasons for joining this Trek. The issues surrounding the need for a new school trumped my expectations. At the end of my first day in the village, my reason for coming to Malawi shifted from personal desires to the needs of those around me. The crazy part is – I still did not understand the true purpose of my visit. Little did I know my expectations would be flipped inside out the next day.
