Assessment Trip Success

This entry is a little belated, but better late than never, I suppose. Time got away from me a bit when I got home from the assessment trip, what with the start of my first co-op job. It’s incredible how busy we all keep ourselves here. We don’t know any better, it’s part of our culture. That is one of the many striking differences between home and Otho Abwao. We are always on the move, accomplishing more, learning more, doing more, while they operate on “Kenya Time”- they’ll get around to their tasks, but nothing is so important that it can’t wait. But I digress.
I would definitely call the trip a wonderful success. We accomplished everything we set out to do, and more. We gathered all the necessary assessment information for the Otho Abwao school project. We administered enough health surveys across the community to label the water system extremely effective by virtue of drastic decreases in water borne illness cases. Finally, we repaired several flaws in the design of the water system, including the roofs on the water tanks and the vulnerability of the solar panels to lightning, to make it more robust and sustainable. Thus, from an engineering standpoint, we succeeded very well. More importantly, though, I think we all grew a little bit as students and as global citizens in a way that professors can’t simulate in a classroom. Doing the design work and fundraising for our projects back home is all well and good, and should be commended, but actually traveling to the communities with whom we partner to perform the work at ground zero shows true commitment and purpose. It shows that we are willing to take on the most pressing issues of our generation with zeal and ingenuity, both of which are absolutely essential if any solutions are to be found. As the rest of the world chugs along the road of progress at an ever increasingly rapid rate, how will we look back at those less fortunate and ensure they are not left behind to fend for themselves? It will be one of the great challenges my generation will address. They say it is typical of college students to work for a cause greater than themselves. I wish this were not typical of only college students. I certainly hope the drive to care for others does not die in me among the engineering job and family awaiting me post-graduation. I hope it does not die in those with whom I traveled this spring break, as well. We all certainly have the potential to be parts of the solutions to the world’s problems. The question is, are we driven to turn that potential into tangible results?
I realize this is a fairly scatter-brained post. I think it was more for my benefit than anything else. It helps to hit the pressure-release valve on all these thoughts that have been bouncing around my skull for the last few weeks. I hope readers can draw something meaningful and helpful from this collection of sentiments. If projects like these strike your fancy, feel free to come check us out anytime and learn more of what we’re all about. Most of all, though, I hope you experience the joy of that typical college student characteristic: working towards a cause greater than yourself. After all, what higher cause is there?