Initial Plans

This summer (May 26th-September 3rd) I'm going to Kenya to work with SOTENI International (http://www.soteni.org/). This is an organization focused on stemming the spread of HIV/AIDS through a variety of different projects. I will be traveling to the four "SOTENI Villages of Hope (SVH)" (Mbakalo, Kuria, Mituntu, and Ugenya [collections of villages as opposed to one specific village]), and my primary focus will be on the educational talks given to secondary school students about HIV/AIDS. One of the interns I will be working with, Marla, has been working on setting up surveys to assess the short-term and long-term effectiveness of the talks. She will be joining me for six weeks in the middle of June, and we will be traveling around to several different schools in three of the four SVH's. We will be able to give a preliminary survey and assess the short-term accomplishments of the talks (by traveling back after three weeks), but the long-term retention of the talks will be determined by later volunteers (months later). In addition to working with Marla, I will be joined by Mo for the first four weeks of my trip (he will be there for six) and Grace (coming with Marla, but pairing with Mo upon arrival and joining us after he leaves). We will be working to visit the thirty-eight students SOTENI sponsors (HIV/AIDS orphans) to provide updates on their status (education, health, etc.). For the final four weeks of my stay, I will be working alone, wrapping up anything that was left unfinished by any of the other three interns and/or on a few smaller tasks. I will be going through orientation Sunday and Monday and will have a more detailed schedule (though it could very well change a week after we arrive) to post then, but it will give you (and me) a better idea of the plans and smaller projects.

As a secondary project, I will be looking into the possibility of setting up a pen pal system with my high school in Cincinnati, St. Xavier, and some of the secondary school students (either the ones sponsored by SOTENI or a class at one of the secondary schools) in Kenya. The freshman house system at X provides a reliable pool of students (and I think what could be a pretty cool English project for the year), but the issues will be getting commitment from the students and teacher sin Kenya. Will it be something that will work for them for incorporating into their curriculum (to ensure that it will be reliable)? How will the different school years line up for logistical purposes (Kenyan students are in school during our summers [Perhaps the final letter from the Kenyan students could be delivered during the summer to the X student's address?])? Will gender be a barrier (St. X is an all-male school)? How reliable will the mailing system be (the Kenyan system is known to be slow and prone to lost mail)? These are just some of the questions I will be asking so it can get off the ground. My initial thoughts for the project would be something along the lines of once per American quarter (with some prompts to start the conversation for the first couple of letters). This would ideally allow for enough time for delivery both ways. Thoughts, suggestions, brainstorming for good prompts are all welcome. (Same goes for any questions about anything else. I'll do the best I can to answer.)

For someone who has a degree in biochemistry and is planning on a PhD in biomedical sciences, this summer is certainly outside of what would be considered my normal range of interests, but regardless, going to Kenya has been something I have considered and talked about for about eight years. My family hosted a man, coincidentally also named Patrick, from the Sega Township area (in the SVH-Ugenya) my freshman year of high school. While I didn't know what to think or expect before he walked through the door (certainly not someone in sandals, a fleece, and jeans in the middle of a December snowstorm), he's become family. Through the course of my work, I will have the opportunity to meet Patrick's family (in Nairobi and in his village). The stories he has told will finally have the actual places to go with them. Patrick sponsors students at the Sega Township school. Visiting all of the students in the four SVH's will give life to the students' letters I have read. It adds a little extra to the already important work I will have the chance to do.

-Pat