We spent most of the day yesterday with Jimiya, Khaltouma, Rahma, Ali, Murtada, and Raouda. In the morning we trained them on CommKit. They picked it up quickly, just like our kids back home in CA can figure out the games on on my cell phones quicker than me (Reason #38)! It was so great to see them all working through how to us the CommKit and send messages to Yuen-Lin, who build the system, all the way in Malaysia! And then sent a photo from the computer cam also!
We also facilitated two successful live feeds between sister schools. One in Connecticut and one in Hawaii, all the way across the world students were talking to students, sharing their lives and asking questions. It was awesome.
Tomorrow we start again early (G and I have been getting up around 4:30am each day) and head to the camps for more CommKit training. Hopefully we also get to hand out soccer balls, volleyballs, and t-shirts that were donated by Gabriel’s sons soccer club, Manhattan Beach Sand and Surf. Some of his teammates gave us letters and we will pass them on to kids here.
The days are long but it feels so good to be out here. So rewarding that we are making real relationships between youth across the world. I think both sides will come to understand that they have so much in common. And that both the US and Darfuri students will learn and grow from such strong connections.
peace, ktj