Inspired to make incredible changes and leave a positive impact upon the lives of children in Africa, Kristy decided to take a punt and join one of the volunteer program trips to Kenya with the Evie Grace Foundation. Having been thinking of volunteering for a not-for-profit organisation for quite some time but hadn’t found the “right” one yet, Kristy stumbled across the Evie Grace Foundation and so her journey began.
“I really liked how Evie Grace Foundation is focused on implementing positive changes and creating that connectivity,” Kristy says of her desire to collaborate with an organisation as an advocate for human connection.
Embarking on her first volunteer trip to Kenya and placing her trust in the Founder of Evie Grace Foundation, Maddison Kent, Kristy set about achieving what she dreamed of: making an ever-lasting positive impact on the lives of children in need. Young girls in Kenya are too often subjected to child trafficking, sex slavery and their human rights stripped from them as well as their childhood. Boys so young and fragile growing up in this world are subjected to slave labour and trafficking and too many are left out on the streets starving and experiencing the brutality of violence. Kristy was determined to help the boys and girls that Evie Grace Foundation had rescued from child trafficking and slavery.
A big question on Kristy’s lips was what she wanted to achieve by going on a volunteer trip to Kenya with Evie Grace Foundation. She says ‘at the time, I just wanted to give back and be a part of something bigger than myself and the “daily grind” of work and life that we can sometimes fall into’.
Working with the children during the volunteer trip, Kristy fell in love with the way they appreciated the little things in life and that little gestures meant the world to the boys and girls. Throughout the trip, Kristy volunteered her time and dedicated herself to aiding young children and young adults up to their early twenties. Engaging in Human Rights education, Kristy connected with the children with warmth, empathy, and compassion. She helped young girls with the Girl Mentorship Program run by Evie Grace Foundation and distributed reusable menstrual pads to girls, something that is much needed as the girls often have to turn to dirty rags and don’t attend the school due to the embarrassment of having stained clothing and being uncomfortable.
Kristy delivered seven hundred dollars’ worth of textbooks for children to utilise at school and ensured that children were able to attend so they gain the most of their education which is a basic right. During her time, Kristy engaged in a street outreach connecting with current street boys and helping them with food and water. The experience overall Kristy says was ‘amazing’. In her words, ‘I was definitely out of my comfort zone at times and challenged but I was expecting that from the day I signed up. But I think that’s when you grow the most as a person and human being’.
Kristy’s experience with the rescued street boys at Global Hope Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre was powerful and moving for her. The boys have come from the brutality of the violence on the streets, physical and sexual assault and starvation, deprived of their basic human rights and necessities. Furthermore, street kids are deprived of their childhood and love, compassion, shelter, food and warmth, and safety. Every child deserves to feel safe and loved.
Kristy says of her experience: ‘I found it so humbling to be able to spend time with these incredible youth who were so open and wanting to share their stories. The boys at Global absolutely stole my heart and I can’t wait to go back and see them again!’
The accommodation was diverse and included staying with local families, an aspect which Kristy feels helps gain a better understanding of the culture. ‘I’ve made some incredible connections and I’m already looking forward to my next trip back to see my Kenyan Mumma!’ The program is powerful and progressing for change for a brighter future for children of Kenya. For Kristy, the best aspects of the volunteer trip were spending time with the boys at Global Hope and the Massai Mara National Reserve which was incredible. She firmly believes that the work that Evie Grace Foundation and Global Hope Rescue and Rehabilitation Centre are doing is amazing and inspiring.
To continue to volunteer with the Evie Grace Foundation from Perth, Western Australia, Kristy is engaging in organising tasks and fundraising for land for building new tenable accommodation to house more street boys. It is much needed as the current accommodation is becoming untenable and the number of boys is outgrowing the residence. No one wants one more than one hundred and twenty boys back on the streets to suffer the brutality including the “street clean-up” where children are beaten to death. Kristy is inspired to continue to fundraise for land which is urgently needed for Evie Grace Foundation and Global Hope.
Kristy says ‘by volunteering with Evie Grace Foundation, I feel like I’m a part of something that’s able to make a really genuine, positive difference for at-risk youth in Kenya. So it’s really important for me to be able to continue achieving that by volunteering with the foundation’.
Written by: Andrea Manno
