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Embracing the World: Alumna Back from Volunteer Work in Kenya
When Mary Ellen Bryant started her post-secondary education in 1993 she had no idea the places it would take her. Just back from her trip to Kenya to do volunteer work in orphanages, Mary is proud of the things she has accomplished and is more than happy to tell her stories and hopefully inspire others.
”I began my education at the University of Manitoba where the student population was 20,000. After spending a semester in Hong Kong I became a visiting student at McGill’s MacDonald Campus. I moved to Nova Scotia in 1996 and then spent a year volunteering. During that year I worked in Angola for six months.”
With such great adventures and experiences in her life, it can be hard to fathom why Mary would want to return to on-campus studying again. She says it was an easy decision after visiting the NSAC campus and meeting with some professors.
“I decided to transfer to NSAC as the opportunities for individualized pursuits seemed far greater at a smaller school. NSAC's administration and professors (particularly Dr. Atlin, Dr. Freeden and Dr. Martin) not only worked with me so that I wouldn't lose two semesters as a result of the Angola program, but encouraged me upon return to use and learn from my experiences by lecturing and creating a module regarding food security in war-affected zones for the new long-distance learning course.”
Mary had already had the desire to positively impact the world, but after watching a video a friend sent her, she knew that her next step in her crusade was to go to Kenya.
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me and Baby Victor |
“A friend sent me a video called 'Invisible Children' about a town in Uganda. The documentary team makes a brief stop at an orphanage. As I watched I realized that it was just like kind I was looking for to help - a charity started and being run by a local person, in this case, a Kenyan. When I found the orphanage's website, I learned they had built a school and they had a 'library' on their wish list. I thought, ‘I can do that for them!’”
And so the mission began. Although Mary successfully created a library for the children the process was not without hurdles. We have all seen pictures and heard stories of deplorable living conditions for people in countries like Kenya. In the process of trying to help children, Mary found herself in a situation where she was seeing these conditions first hand.
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Typical package of school supplies purchased for each child going into Grade 9
(missing is a mattress and metal trunk) |
“The children were not treated well, emotionally or physically, with one boy telling me that he would rather be back on the streets. I knew things were bad when I gave my supper to the dogs and even they wouldn't eat it.”
Despite a rocky start, Mary continued with her journey and it definitely paid off. Because of the fighting in Kenya at the time she was there, Mary was not able to follow her itinerary. In doing so, she found herself at Brydges Children’s Home, an orphanage to 60 children who affectionately called her “Aunty Mary”. It was also at Brydges that she took a huge step forward in her goal to repay all of the funding she had received by helping the next generation. Mary, with the help of her mother, donated the funds needed to send 14 of the children to secondary school. And, the miles of distance between herself and the children, they still keep in touch.
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(NOTE: This photo isn't from Brydges, it is from another orphanage called Sidai Children's Rehabilitation Centre)
- shopping for uniforms day (left to right) - Helen, Ann, James, John, Jack, and Ester (and me in the back)
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“I had left some stamped addressed envelopes for them if they felt like writing and this past week I received letters from eight of them! One of the boys said, ‘The shoes, school bags, blankets and uniform that you bought for me (…) we don't take it for granted, we really feel loved and cared for.’"
And her mission isn’t over yet. She says she plans to go back to Brydges in the next year.
“They say if you show the best in yourself, then it will bring out the best in others, and this was definitely that kind of place. It was one of the most rewarding experiences I've had in the over 20 countries that I've visited in my life.”
“NSAC certainly was a crucial part of all of this, in opening up opportunities and being encouraged to explore my own unique path. I learned that sometimes you need to make allowances, give people a chance, and be human. You can't always go by the book. I don't think I would have found this at a larger school.”
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