By Missy McConkie | Kenya Keys US Board member and 2018 Team Volunteer
How do young girls in the African bush learn to express themselves? How do they discover who they are and what their gifts may be? Kenya Keys' motto is "unlocking potential". Yes we provide funds for education, develop leadership skills, and provide resources for girls at risk. But sometimes potential is unlocked by the creative endeavors of our dedicated volunteers. In June, volunteer Missy McConkie visited the girls at Taru Secondary school and engaged them in an art project which will be displayed in the new dormitory built through Kenya Keys. Here is her story:
For girls at Taru Secondary School, the dormitory is not just a building. It’s a symbol. It represents their commitment to education, to their families and community, and it marks a connection between these dedicated students and the many people both in Kenya and the U.S. who helped make it happen.
As the girls walk in the main entrance of the new dormitory, they will be greeted by something extra special: art. Not just any art, but a creation of their own hands—a large mural filled with colorful faces that they themselves made.
Art offers not only aesthetic beauty, it also gives us a chance to express ideas as we process our experiences. We wanted to give the girls a creative way to explore their unique identities and to express themselves through color and form. As we painted and cut and pasted, we talked about what it means to be a strong girl, an educated woman. Girls expressed over and over what it would mean to them to be able to lift their families out of poverty and change their circumstances, to be respected members of their communities. They want to contribute, they want to be valued for their opinions and their efforts. And education, they said, would help them get there.
Art is an expression of the soul. Even a person who doesn’t consider herself an “artist” finds a story that comes out the moment she puts a brush to paper. In creating something that has never before existed, she finds within her an expression that is unique to her. We discussed what it means to create, to add beauty to the world, and how important it is for girls to learn to express themselves.
Midway through the process, the girls walked around and looked at each other’s art. They noticed things they liked, considered things they hadn’t yet thought of, and were inspired with new ideas. Then they returned to their own projects and kept working. We have so, so much to learn from one other if only we pause to look around.
At the end of the second day, the girls proudly displayed their creations: faces of themselves. Some looked more like self-portraits, others had more stylized appearances. It was striking to see how similar and yet how distinct each person’s portrait turned out. To think—each girl had been given the same tools, the same instructions and the same amount of time, yet each product was uniquely their own. That’s because each one is an expression of who they are.
After each girl smiled and posed for an individual picture with their collaged face, we collected them all and put them together on one large mural. We discussed how that is like a community; we all bring our individual strengths and together create an even greater whole.
As the girls anticipate moving into their new dorm, they look forward to seeing their beautiful creation every day. It will serve as a reminder to them, and all the girls who come through that education is valuable, that together they can succeed, and that every person has it within her to create beauty. Each life is a work of art.
As Andrea Bocelli said, "I think that every life is an incredible story that deserves to be told . . . every life is a work of art and if sometimes it does not seem so, perhaps it is just because you need to light up the room that contains it.”
Our thanks to all the supporters of our Girl Empowerment program for making it possible for Kenya Keys to provide for the immediate needs for the education, safety and well-being of young girls in Kenya - and for the opportunity to help them discover their potential through creative expression.
For more stories and reflections from our 2018 Trip, please visit our blog at the link below.
Links:
Project reports on GlobalGiving are posted directly to globalgiving.org by Project Leaders as they are completed, generally every 3-4 months. To protect the integrity of these documents, GlobalGiving does not alter them; therefore you may find some language or formatting issues.
If you donate to this project or have donated to this project, you can receive an email when this project posts a report. You can also subscribe for reports without donating.
Support this important cause by creating a personalized fundraising page.
Start a Fundraiser
