Monday morning — Visitors came to the ZanaA residence from the United States, filling the house/office with new faces and new voices. Within 20 minutes, the gap between Kenya and America was bridged, as Kajani (a Junior Field Officer) played the guitar and everyone, Kenyan and American alike, joined in to sing “God We Adore You”.
Kajani (right) and Grace sing "God We Adore You" in the morning session.
The visitors, who came as part of the InterVarsity Christian Fellowship, told of their favorite experiences of the past week—which included attending a Kenyan bridal shower and spending time with their new Kenyan host families. Although many of them had only been here for a few days, they already felt at home within the Kenyan culture.
Throughout the morning and afternoon, the visitors learned about ZanaA, and the ZanaA staff learned about the visitors. Megan explained the genesis of ZanaA, from its humble beginnings, to the vibrant organization it has become. Through her explanation, the American students were able to learn about a shining example of an organization that uses Kenyan tools to solve Kenyan problems, rather than imposing Western tools on Kenyan society.
A central element of ZanaA’s “toolkit”, the sanitary pad, was discussed in depth with the visitors. The students appeared particularly moved when Grace (the head field officer) revealed ways in which some Kenyan girls are forced deal with their period, as many do not have the money to purchase sanitary pads.
“They will sometimes use lots of tissues, or they will wash old pads and reuse them. Sometimes, they even use cow dung,” said Grace.
“Did she just say cow dung?” asked a student.
To illustrate the different kinds of sanitary pads that are currently available, Megan passed the pads around the group—drawing uncomfortable glances from some of the visiting boys. But after the initial shock, the boys avidly examined the pads, and even joined in the ongoing conversation.
The visitors were then given an opportunity to teach the ZanaA staff about themselves, and ICF leader Casey led the whole group in an interactive exploration of our passions and interests, in the hopes of discovering which direction our lives should lead.
While many of us simply wake up in the morning because it seems the natural thing to do, the session let us explore the specific things that sustain us through each and every day. Some present said “meeting new people”, while some took a more literal approach and said that it is “coffee” that gets them up in the morning.
And then it was lunch: home-cooked Spaghetti. Some went out onto the back lawn, some stayed in the living room. Music, accompanied with guitar, rang through every room, and both English and Swahili could be heard from every corner. A truly multi-cultural experience. Which, in essence, is what ZanaA is all about—bringing people together from different corners of the world to create solutions for worldwide challenges.
What a well written article, sounds like a great day of interracial sharing.