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Habitat Mission to Kenya, One Volunteer's Experience

By Stephanie Cobb

When I volunteered for a habitat mission in Kenya, I figured this would be just another opportunity to offer my labor and support in a different community. I had no idea what was in store for me.

I traveled with a group of 15 strangers from the US and Canada to a small village in Kenya, Antubochiu. We camped for 10 days in a village, and built 3 homes. These homes are a basic shelter of cement footings, wood walls and a tin roof. There is no water or power in any homes in this area. We lived with the community, and got to live life as they do.

I learned that I can do things I never thought possible. Our first day building we spent the entire day just picking up and throwing rocks into the foundation outline. I thought we would never fill it, but we did. I thought I could never swing a sledgehammer to pound rocks flat. I did. I thought I would be good at using a hammer. It is much harder than it looks.

By the end of my trip things didn't even phase me. The island of Lamu, where my trip ended, rarely had power in the hotels and restaurants. I didn't notice it after awhile. I came to love the simple lifestyle of the island for what it lacked as much as I loved what it provided. I was open to life that crept by slowly.

The entire trip became about allowing yourself to being open to the possibilities. I danced in church, woke up before the sunrise on my own, slept through rainstorms. All these I thought impossible at home, but the longer I was there the less doubts I had.

More important to this idea of being open to the possibilities is the fact that this idea is reciprocal. I bet the families of Antubochiu never thought they would own a home, let alone have a bunch of Westerners help them do it. These people became open to the idea that they don't have to live in poverty. The simple act of owning a small home opens these people to the idea that their kids can go to school, and life can improve for all of them.

As much as I miss Kenya, I still carry it with me. I became excited for the possibilities in my life, and I am even more excited to pass on the idea that "it is possible" to more people.

Be open to the possibilities of this world - shock yourself - and share the excitement, fear, wonder, and amazement with the people around you.

Taken from the October 2001 HfHOC Volunteer Voice

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