"It's a small world!"
Those were the words from former Lausanne college counselor Emilee Tollefson after her parents told her of what they encountered on a trip to Africa.
After spending three weeks volunteering at different schools and outreach programs in Kenya, her parents found themselves at the Naivasha Children Shelter Project. A nonprofit organization based in Naivasha, Kenya, the shelter spends time working with boys that are homeless and living in the streets. They gain their trust, introduce them to a home-like environment and give them an education so that they will have more opportunities in the future.
As they toured the shelter, they found themselves in a room full of books and were told that not only were the books donated from a school in Memphis, they were donated from Lausanne.
"I had no clue that Lausanne had donated books to a boys shelter in Kenya. It was is truly amazing," Tollefson said.
As part of the Lausanne Way, students are taught global mindedness and building character through service to others. Tollefson said she was moved by hearing about how those characteristics taught in Memphis make a difference in lives all over the world. All students at Lausanne find ways they can make an impact on their community through their Creativity, Activity and Service (CAS) Project.
Lausanne students made the trip to Africa when the books were donated to help launch the school portion of The Shelter. The books are used by qualified teachers that help the boys learn through informal education that will prepare them to return to school. Since 2015, 55 boys have been reunited with their families and are attending school. The Shelter currently supports 40 boys with school fees.
"Those books have been taken cared of, useful and loved. Lausanne has truly touched the world," Tollefson said. "It is incredible what that shelter does. Those books were donated to a very worthy cause."
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Click here to see all the photos from Kenya on our Facebook page.
If you are interested in helping out with the Naivasha Children Shelter Project, click here.