Let there be light! The SAS Puxi spring break trip to Malawi and Kenya was a huge success. Our main goal was to spread the word and the technology of the “Light Up Jacaranda” program. SAS students worked with the award-winning Evans Wadango, who designed a solar lamp which he calls MwangaBora (Swahili for “good light”) in 2004, as a way to address poor education, climate change, health, and poverty in rural areas in Kenya. Evans named the entire project: “Use Solar, Save Lives” as he aimed to use solar technology as a way to save lives in poor communities. On March 30, 2011, Wadongo was named one of three recipients of the inaugural Mikhail Gorbachev Awards for “people who changed the world.” His fellow inaugural recipients of this award were Sir Tim Berners-Lee, inventor of the World Wide Web, and Ted Turner, media mogul and founder of CNN. SAS students and the Jacaranda school helped hand-build over 300 of these solar lamps. The lamps will be donated to Jacaranda students for night study in both their homes and school.
After Malawi, the 10 SAS students traveled to Samburu-land in northern Kenya to visit the local shepherd school there in order to see the lamp program in action. After spending a “homestay” day living the life of a Samburu shepherd, SAS students visited their classrooms and donated 12 lamps to the evening study program. On May 18th at 5:00 p.m. Malawi time, the solar lamps were turned on at Jacaranda and the “Light Up Jacaranda” ceremony began. CNN was there to witness the event and will do a follow up documentary to be aired at a later date. Imagine your own classrooms and homes becoming too dark to study or read after six in the evening. Imagine how that would affect your grades, your goals, and your life. It’s just this simple — these solar lamps will not only brighten up their classrooms but their futures as well.
Nalyn Siripanichgon, Grade 12
It wasn’t until I walked through the gates of the Jacaranda School that I realized that this experience is not something that can be described remotely, it really is something that you need to experience for yourself.
We soon started to build the lamps and that was such a fun experience because I love working with my hands. I was having a great time connecting wires and creating this lamp. My pace compared to a Jacaranda student was about one lamp to three, but I was consistently moving forward. As I was building the lamps, I thought to myself that I would be making a difference in a student’s life by giving them light. We are all increasing the students’ potential to become successful, and that is something to be proud of. I see the happiness on the kids’ faces and I compare our lives.
It was truly an inspiring experience to meet visionaries like Marie Da Silva and Evans Wadongo. Their vision to bring a change to the community and country they live in is motivational itself, but actually to carry out the change they want to see in the world is more inspiring. I am glad that I had a chance to meet both of them.
Jocelyn Chen, Grade 11
We have followed the laughter throughout our journey as it acted as our compass past the unfamiliar settings of Africa. And although our trip to Jacaranda and Kenya as a whole has been an incredible experience for me, there are still several distinct moments of the trip that I will never forget, and climbing up the pebbly hill of Jacaranda is one of them. As we reached the foot of the hill, the laughter that once surrounded us subsided and turned into a series of groans (from us, not the Jacaranda kids). The path up the hill was difficult and the weather was equally unforgiving, as the torrid sun stared down at us in condescension. I watched in awe as the Jacaranda kids took the lead and maneuvered around the bushes with ease. Then, it was my turn. Unlike the kids, my steps were clumsy, and I found myself completely disconnected from the world around me as I put all my concentration into the narrow path ahead. Absorbed in my own thoughts, I was surprised when I felt a strong grip and looked up to see a boy half my age helping me up the hill. His hand was small compared to mine, but his grin was wider. Looking at him, I chuckled at how ironic the situation was — he was thin and small, and I knew for a fact that if I had slipped, we would have tumbled down the hill together. But through his simple action, I realized that this was exactly what we came to Africa for — not only to build lamps or houses, but also to demonstrate our compassion and humanity through simple actions such as (literally) lending a helping hand.
Kathryn Chang, Grade 11
I miss the games so dearly, the playfulness of the kids. It amazed me that we instantly got so close, even though we were from two different worlds. The thing I loved about these children of Africa was that they didn’t judge, they didn’t care about how you looked, and they loved you no matter what. These kids have truly touched my heart. We were surrounded by people who were deeply affected by AIDS and HIV; some lost their parents, others, their home. Yet, they seemed to smile more than us. Their laughter filled the entire school. I was deeply moved by this. They held their heads high and concentrated on moving on, studying to fulfill their dreams. I admire them. These kids are the ones who truly “Light Up Jacaranda.”
Luke Kao, Grade 10
The gaps in the mud brick widened as my petrified eyes looked on. I remember, quite clearly, what was going through my mind as I watched the mud brick collapse and crumble through my fingertips: These bricks can’t survive a rainstorm. The warm, moist, Malawian air clung to my skin as I stood in the brick line, receiving bricks, and watching brick after brick collapse and crumble in our hands. I was standing ankle-deep in mud along the edge of a build site, carrying the collapsing mud bricks that will be used to build a house for a elderly woman and her many children. I looked up at the sky as another brittle brick gave up on me. “I sure hope it doesn’t rain.” I said. “Me too …” a young local boy in a green T-shirt and broken sandals responded. The sky was overcast.
It was almost three hours later, while my friends and I were in our cabins with satisfied bellies, when the sky unleashed its fury and the rain pounded down on us. The rain swooped upon us like angry locusts and muddled the view outside the window. Overhead, the clouds rumbled when the image of the mud bricks collapsing and the little boy’s sandals flashed through my mind. I closed my half-opened mouth and looked out the window, and remained silent.
By Robert Burke, HS teacher, Puxi campus
The last streak of orange was sinking rapidly below the horizon, and the sky faded from a purple to a dark blue. As darkness crept over the Kenyan landscape, I was rummaging through the back seat of a Toyota Land Cruiser, rummaging for my flashlight. Damn, its real dark in here I thought. Two minutes later, I squirmed out of the back window with the flashlight in my hand and ran towards the classrooms. Upon entering the classroom, I was greeted with a touching sight. Groups of eager students were huddled around teachers, struggling to look at the equations, diagrams, and paragraphs being taught to them under their solar lamps.
A while later, as I sat next to a girl in another classroom majestically lit with Evans’s solar lamps, I realized that all the hard work we have done in Jacaranda and all the money we have raised back in Shanghai was 110% worth it, and as the solar lamps shone on through the night, my smile grew bigger.
Esther Yao, Grade 9
The shepherd school in Kenya was another surprise for me. Spending a day as shepherds gave me a chance to experience what these children live with every day. Because of financial problems, there are only a few teachers and it very obvious that these kids want to learn. Working with them made me feel great. Evans Wadongo’s creation has really helped the children to learn more and have more opportunities in life. When I look at the smiling faces of the children that are lit up by the solar lamps, I hope our school can help the Kenyan shepherd school just like we do with Jacaranda.
下載小花生APP
關(guān)注小花生公眾號(hào)
