First Impressions at Village HopeCore
Jambo! It is hard to believe that my first month in Chogoria has already come to a close. The phrase time flies when you are having fun has never been truer! The past month has been filled with new experiences, lessons, people, and places. During this period of change, I was made very welcome and received a great amount of support from my new HopeCore family. Everyone at HopeCore has made the adjustment process much easier than expected. After only a few days it felt like I had known many of the people here for years as opposed to a very short time.
Learning more about my role with HopeCore as the incoming Micro-Enterprise Fellow and becoming acquainted with Chogoria itself has been a pleasure. Already in the first month, I have been able to interact with the community on many different levels. I have joined fellow HopeCore representatives during the process of creating the five-year strategic plan for Maara sub-county, the home of HopeCore’s headquarters in Kenya. Inclusion in the process of creating this document to guide development and growth in the region awards HopeCore the opportunity to strengthen its ties within the community, with the local and regional governments and assures HopeCore will continue to act as an agent for change and advancement in this part of Kenya. I am very appreciative to have been included in the development of such a worthwhile and necessary document.
During this first month of my stay here in Kenya with Village HopeCore International has also given me many other opportunities to interact with the community. Accompanying the Micro-Enterprise team into the field and conducting visits to our client’s homes and businesses has been a pleasure. Kenyan generosity will result in more of me to welcome if I am not careful! The tea, treats, and food are much too tempting to turn down!
A few highlights from the first month include: visiting our clients and seeing the ventures that are being supported through various activities supported by Village HopeCore International, discovering people are very anxious to help my Kiswahili language skills (or lack thereof), realizing how colorful and naturally beautiful the area surrounding Chogoria is and hearing many times from community members how happy they are to be home to HopeCore and how beneficial the work done for the community is. I am extremely happy to have joined the HopeCore team and look forward to many rewarding experiences and activities during the next year. A productive and fruitful year for Public Health!
By: Kory Hansen, 2013-14 Micro-Enterprise Fellow