What I Can't Do

Everyday I look around me and see people who are in need. In need of what you might ask? Sometimes a lot, sometimes a little but no matter what they need sometimes it is not within my reach to provide what they are looking for. I would like to think that unlimited bank accounts and unlimited money would make people’s lives in Kenya all better but unfortunately this is the tip of the iceberg. Seeing the amount of people struggling to make ends meat each day reminds me of how much more then money the people need.


The almighty dollar seems to make the world go round. This is the sad truth. Without money, people are left with the inability to buy things like food, shelter and clothing. Even if they can produce these things themselves, they need money to buy material, supplies, and land to meet the above mentioned needs. I’ve been in a couple of situations where money is what I offered but I knew even then that money does not solve the problem. I had a long conversation with a young woman (16) whose stepfather drinks and has kicked her out of the house. Her mother is in complete compliance with her husband because she cannot find a voice for herself. The daughter was lucky enough to find refuge with a woman in town but has to provide all of her own food and clothing as money is tight for the woman who took her in and her family. The girl works washing clothes and cleaning floors for 50 cents a day and is struggling to pay for her education at ACREF. Right before midterms, she was asked to leave the school because she hadn’t paid her exam fees to write the midterm examinations. She asked me for the 200 Kenyan Shillings, it would cost to write her exams and hesitantly I gave her that money, the equivalent of $2 CAD.

We were told not to give money to individuals and although I understand why we were given those instructions in that instance I just could not let her be kicked out of school and leave her education in Form three (Grade eleven). I saw her take the money and give it to the teacher directly at the office so I knew it was well spent but I did not feel great afterwards. I just kept thinking that although she had the money this time, what about the next time money became tight for her? What about the next time she had to pay her school fees? The problem of her accessing her education does not simply end with me giving her money to pay her exam fees, it ends when she is able to afford that education or better yet when the education is provided to her at no cost. I don’t regret giving her the money but I hate the situation because it feels impossible in my hands and I feel like I can do nothing to help her. I can and will continue to support ACREF but the reality is that there are millions of children around the world that continue to have the same problem accessing education.

There are other issues beyond money that in three months I can’t just solve. Having the skill sets and resources to look after these issues seems removed in the context of Canada, and even further removed right here in Kenya. The student that eats paper to numb his hunger in my early Tuesday morning class or the man that sniffs glue outside of the public school I visit six times a week. These people have addictions that are beyond my control as a student finishing an undergraduate degree in history and religious studies. How do I council these people when I don’t even have the beginning of an answer. The world has enough food to feed everybody on this planet but yet these people have addictions because of the hunger they face each day. It seems easier to access these problems head on in Canada. The simple answer is to recommend counseling, notify Family, Children Services if need be and have a case worker help the family find resources from a food bank or counseling agency. I understand that there is way more to the story but to reflect the reality of Kenya, its lack of a social support system and access to addiction therapy and counseling paints the differences loud and clear.

What can I do? How can I help? Sometimes it seems impossible to do the right thing. Sometimes you help where you can while other times you pass the man on the street because you feel so helpless in offering real help to someone who is in real need of help. Its one of the most frustrating feelings to have: powerless. Although I have gained valuable experience and have had fun helping where I could and knowing that teaching and education would hopefully stick around with the students I taught, too feel powerless is still a frustration and reality. I knew I couldn’t save the world when embarking on this three month journey but hopefully this frustration will drive me to create as much action as possible so eventually the larger problem can actually be tackled. Until next time…