Service in Africa left lasting impressions on student

Several Siena College students left Loudonville this summer to engage in a "summer of service" in Africa.

The students are enrolled in the Siena College/Albany Medical College Program in Science, Humanities and Medicine, an eight-year continuum of medical education. Service is part of the humanities aspect of the program.

Four members of Siena College's Class of 2006 -- Peter Leahey from Rensselaer; Elizabeth Hubbard from Newark, Del.; Douglas Fair from Glens Falls; and Melissa Krueger from Albany -- recently returned from Africa, where they worked with Franciscan Missionaries of St. Joseph (known as the Mill Hill Sisters) in Marigat and Salawa, remote areas of Kenya.

Corner of world

The experience in Africa was so special for Mr. Leahey that it's difficult for him to find the right words to express what the trip meant.

"Because of its relative isolation," he said, "Marigat can be described as a hardship community in which individuals don't have the amenities that we are used to in the United States, like electricity, running water, sewage systems.

"What the people may lack in materials, though, they more than make up for in good spirits. That was perhaps one of the most disarming aspects to me. Here are individuals whose daily lives can be a struggle and who are, at times, not unfamiliar with hunger; nevertheless, they were most welcoming and excited to share their culture."

Volunteering

Mr. Leahey and Ms. Hubbard volunteered at a health clinic run by Sister Martina, a Kenyan nun.

"They really do an amazing job of providing the best possible healthcare to the 'interior' communities that have no other means of care," he said. "I noticed there was a subtle clash between the modern care the mission clinic provided and the more traditional healing that tribe 'doctors' would provide, often harming individuals and mutilating their bodies rather than truly healing them."

Many tribes in the region resort to violence in a desperate effort to secure and control what few resources the region does have, Mr. Leahey noted.

"About four weeks into our stay, there was a large massacre in a trading village of northern Kenya called Marsabit, as a result of such desperation in the face of limited resources," he explained. "I'll never forget the headlines that read 'Massacre at Dawn.' Such senseless killing really opened my eyes to the life-and-death situation many Kenyans must face as a result of a lack of opportunity."

Lasting impressions

However, the positive experiences he witnessed were far more in number and impact, he said.

"As we prepared to leave Marigat," he recalled, "I was surprised to find I didn't want to leave. I have never been away from home for so long, and here I was in Africa for the first time. But, the sincerity and honesty of the people I was surrounded by made me feel as though I was part of a family. I never thought I could feel so comfortable so far from home.

"Our lives are so fast paced here. Despite all the luxuries we have, we are still struggling for more and more material possessions. It seems useless to me now."

Poverty

Mr. Leahey said that "it was difficult to see the poverty all around me -- children with bloated stomachs with clothes hanging on their bodies by a mere thread, many people walking around without shoes, street boys begging for food, children growing up fast as they must take care of younger siblings -- and not feel a sense of guilt from how much we have in the U.S.

"I realize that such poverty exists in the U.S., but I've never seen it on such a profound and expansive scale. It was truly humbling, and I feel it has better prepared me for the realities of a profession in the healthcare field.

"My experience has enlivened a desire to someday return to Kenya and give back to its people when I am of more use as a physician."

Email recounts African impressions

In the only email he was able to send from Kenya, Peter Leahey wrote the following to family and friends:

"We arrived at just the right time, as a young woman (17 years old) was just nearing the end of an exhaustive delivery....The setting was extremely rough by U.S. standards, but a healthy baby girl was born, and it was an experience I'll never forget. This provided one of my fondest, though simple, memories of Marigat....

"The women in the labor room welcomed me there and even held my hand in anticipation as the baby was born and the cord was cut. Such a simple gesture, but it made me feel connected to the region in a way I never imagined. It was really quite amazing.

"As the only 'mzungu' (white people, literally 'Europeans,' but close enough), hordes of children follow us through the village shouting 'mzungu'....

"On Sundays, the Catholic Mass on the compound is given completely in Swahili, complete with traditional dance and song. It's so amazing....

"Mondays at the Marigat mission are group sessions with HIV-positive patients of the surrounding community, representing over 10 tribes and a number of tongues (some can't even communicate with each other). They come to see doctors that come to the compound from a nearby city (Kabarnet), and we usually send them home with raw foods such as beans, maize and rice....

"I am truly grateful for the sincerity of the people I've met here."

Students served all over

Students from Siena College in Loudonville served in three other locations this summer:

* Kristen Kaschak from Cropseyville, Karen Patricia from Clifton Park and Joseph Skowronek from Amsterdam did tsunami relief work in Khao Lak, Thailand.

"Life over there is like nothing anyone can imagine, and there is still so much damage," said Ms. Patricia. "The volunteer center that we worked with is doing an amazing job, and there are many projects near completion. Yet, so many villages and people still need help."

* Kerry Barba from Lloyd Harbor and Joan Paul from Schenectady volunteered in Oaxaca, Mexico, with Call and Response, a program sponsored by Maryknoll. Students live in community in a poor section of the ancient colonial city and work one-to-one with various people of need.

* Shyama Mathews from Coram and Gregory Perry from Lewiston are still volunteering with Franciscan Missionaries (Mill Hill Sisters) in Colimes, Ecuador.

(8/25/05) [[In-content Ad]]