What inspired you to work for Because All Children Matter?
I volunteered in Kenya for a month in 2018 and was lucky enough to have Deanne as my roommate. I feel in love with Kenya and volunteering almost immediately—the world needs more people making a conscious effort to make a difference!
Kenya is an incredible country full of positive energy and kindness; I have yet to find another country that made me feel so welcome every single day the way that Kenya did.
In 2019, when Deanne told me she was going to start her own organization and asked me to be a part of it, I couldn’t say no! I’m honored to be a part of a team full of such selfless people who are truly changing lives of children in Kenya.
Finding lion tracks on my very first African Safari!
What is your favorite part of your job?
My favourite part of my role in Because ALL Children Matter is connecting with people through social media who want to make a difference.
Whether they are interested in sponsoring a child, donating or fundraising, or joining us in Kenya for a volunteer trip, it always excites me to talk to people and discuss how they can help us make a difference. Often they don’t realize how easy it is!
My favourite part of my visits to Kenya is spending time with the children that we work with. Nothing compares to their incredible smiles—they completely inspire me.
What challenges do you often face and how do you overcome them?
As a new organization, our biggest challenge is growing a following and developing a reputation.
This is a challenge every new organization faces; growth takes time. We are lucky that we have a team of international board members and use that to our advantage. We have the ability to easily spread information worldwide through our board members situated in a variety of countries.
We focus on educating people on what we do and why we do it. We try to be as transparent as possible—we want everyone to know that their money is going directly to help the kids, every dollar! We want a reputation of being honest and compassionate.
In order to grow our following, we use social media. We make sure we consistently make posts and engage with our followers. We developed a website that people can learn more about what we do and how they can help us make a difference and we host fundraisers as well!
Learning how to make Chapati, a traditional Kenyan food (similar to naan).
What advice would you tell your pre-travel self?
Have an open mind. Be open to learning everything you can from traveling to a new place. Make an effort to immerse yourself in their culture. Try to learn their language, learn their traditions, eat traditional foods! There’s no sense in traveling just to live how you would at home.
What makes Because All Children Matter special?
Our organization is a team of international board members that was hand-selected by Deanne. We are all people she has volunteered with around the world. We all have similar values and we all have a very special place in our heart for volunteering.
Our team is truly a powerhouse; each member brings unique ideas to the table, but we all share the common goal that we want to change the lives of the children we work for to a level that brings a whole new meaning to the word “passion”.
We are also all strictly volunteer—none of us are paid by the organization. We are committed to every penny going to the children.
What hopes do you have for the future for your organization?
Our biggest goal at the moment is building a rehabilitation center for street kids in Kenya. We have already started fundraising for this project, but we still have a long way to go!
I can’t wait until we have our center built and can have our volunteers working in our own center! I think it will be life-changing for so many children that are currently living on the streets.
Me and Caleb—one of the children I worked with my first time in Kenya in 2018.
What do you hope participants take away from your programs?
A new outlook on how they live their day to day lives.
After returning from my first volunteer trip, I very quickly realized how little the things I did in my day-to-day routine benefitted anyone else. It changed the way I thought of things.
Now I consciously make an effort to do things that make a positive impact on someone else, whether it is someone within my community or something that makes an impact on a larger scale, such as supporting causes in need, attend fundraising events, or even just paying for someone’s morning coffee—positivity is contagious!
If you could participate on one of your organization's programs, where would you go and what would you do?
I would participate in our Human Trafficking program. Human trafficking is a growing concern, not just in Kenya, but around the entire world. I was very excited when we partnered with HAART to offer this program. I don’t believe that anyone should ever feel pressured to sell their body or that anyone should ever fall victim to being trafficked by someone else.
Why is it important for people to travel abroad and experience new cultures?
Traveling is an incredible way to grow as a person. You learn to become more independent and you are forced to step outside your comfort zone.
Experiencing different cultures and learning different languages gives you an understanding of how diverse the world is. In the case of visiting a developing country, it is also incredibly humbling.
You will learn very quickly how blessed you are to simply have things like clean drinking water. It teaches you to appreciate the things you have and to show more gratitude.
At home in Canada, I managed a showjumping horse barn. This is my own horse, Quivari.
What advice do you have for individuals thinking about going abroad?
Do your research and don’t be afraid to reach out to organizations, bloggers, friends, social media, etc. to ask questions and/or opinions. Think about what kind of experience you want to have and choose a destination and/or program accordingly.
Do you want to work with children? Or would you prefer to work with adults? Are you interested in visiting a developing country? What kind of climate would you prefer and what time of year will you be traveling?
What does meaningful travel mean to you?
Meaningful travel means having a greater purpose than a weekend getaway or a week of relaxing in the sun.
Meaningful travel allows for personal growth and new opportunities.
