EASF is a key sponsor of the Education and Social Empowerment Program which recently concluded nearly three months of work with ten high-achieving students at its "camp" in Nandi Hills, Kenya. The group has completed SAT and TOEFL exams and early decision applications to U.S. universities, as well as community needs assessments, passionate debates, productions of Othello and Romeo & Juliet, and twilight games of dodge ball. Student David Chege is already nostalgic:
6.30 pm in Nandi Hills
In the Nandi Hills EASEP compound stands a wooden platform. It was my favourite spot, and I’m certain it would have been yours too. The tea farms extend throughout the hills like the picturesque carpet in the Emirates Stadium (before we proceed, Long Live Arsenal!!). The jungle-green trees occasionally shoot out of this carpet. Look further and you will marvel at Lake Victoria at the edge of the horizon. But nothing beats the sunset.
It is a truly heavenly spectacle. If there exists a sight more beautiful, tag me a photo on Instagram. The orange reflection off the fluffy clouds renders an out-of-this-world experience. The setting sun is a blazing red ball that holds my gaze no matter how much I resist. One by one, my friends step out to bathe themselves in this downpour of brilliant golden light. I have lost count of the photos that we have taken of this sight.
Like two progressive waves superimposed in phase, the frequency of our hearts’ ambitions resonate with the scenic sunset. To my right are budding Computer Scientists; taking double selfies are our Entrepreneurs; the Architects are quietly designing the landscape; the Health Specialists envision a time when all children in Africa will have access to healthcare; I’m still torn between Civil Engineering and the Visual Arts. Our Mum, and Mentor, is also here. She too is enthralled by the wave of splendid beauty – and also by our completing our early applications to college. One happy family.
I suddenly sit up straight as if I have been pricked by a needle in my spine. Vigorously, I inhale the passing air. Porridge is ready! Now, will it be porridge or the sunset? Porridge – Sunset? Sunset – Porridge? I can’t help it!
I flip to page 196 of ‘Half The Sky’…
6.30 pm in Nandi Hills
In the Nandi Hills EASEP compound stands a wooden platform. It was my favourite spot, and I’m certain it would have been yours too. The tea farms extend throughout the hills like the picturesque carpet in the Emirates Stadium (before we proceed, Long Live Arsenal!!). The jungle-green trees occasionally shoot out of this carpet. Look further and you will marvel at Lake Victoria at the edge of the horizon. But nothing beats the sunset.
It is a truly heavenly spectacle. If there exists a sight more beautiful, tag me a photo on Instagram. The orange reflection off the fluffy clouds renders an out-of-this-world experience. The setting sun is a blazing red ball that holds my gaze no matter how much I resist. One by one, my friends step out to bathe themselves in this downpour of brilliant golden light. I have lost count of the photos that we have taken of this sight.
Like two progressive waves superimposed in phase, the frequency of our hearts’ ambitions resonate with the scenic sunset. To my right are budding Computer Scientists; taking double selfies are our Entrepreneurs; the Architects are quietly designing the landscape; the Health Specialists envision a time when all children in Africa will have access to healthcare; I’m still torn between Civil Engineering and the Visual Arts. Our Mum, and Mentor, is also here. She too is enthralled by the wave of splendid beauty – and also by our completing our early applications to college. One happy family.
I suddenly sit up straight as if I have been pricked by a needle in my spine. Vigorously, I inhale the passing air. Porridge is ready! Now, will it be porridge or the sunset? Porridge – Sunset? Sunset – Porridge? I can’t help it!
I flip to page 196 of ‘Half The Sky’…