Kenya Service Trip

Hello family and friends,

I and a small group of about 6 MFT and PsyD students from Azusa Pacific University will have the opportunity to go to Kenya this July to provide services to some of the children and staff in a few of the children's homes around Nairobi! This is about a three-week trip that is supervised by two of our psychology professors at APU who grew up in Kenya: Dr. Chege (who is Kenyan) and Dr. Bustrum (who was an MK there). They lead a small team of MFT and PsyD students each summer to help out. Short-term therapy, such as trauma-focused CBT and grief counseling, psychoeducation, and other interventions are provided for the children in these homes, while psychoeducational presentations and consultation are given to the staff members at these sites. Many of the children's parents have died from AIDS, and some have AIDS themselves. (Though there are many highly educated men and women in Kenya, there are also still many who know little about the nature of AIDS and ways in which it can be transmitted.) Some of the children in these homes have received it during childbirth, while some may have been sexually abused at a younger age. Others are there for entirely different reasons.

We collaborate with the staff at these homes, who enlist our help and support in whatever appropriate ways are needed (educational presentations, therapy, etc.). The consultation and psychoeducation provided to the staff members at these homes will continue to help foster positive environments and provide these staff members with tools that can be applied as they care for these children. Though we are only there for a few weeks, the teams that have gone in previous years have had a profound impact in the homes. The staff members and other leaders in Kenya look forward to this opportunity as much as we do, as Kenyans tend to value education very highly and are eager to apply some of the knowledge they will receive from us. We are equally as excited to learn from them!

In addition to the impact that this will have for the staff and children in these homes, this is an opportunity for us who are going to have some genuine cross-cultural experience with providing therapy. This is particularly important for me because I want to go live and serve in other countries for my career, serving in places where psychologists are needed. If you would like to support me, you can help with the cost of the trip and/or you can be praying for me and the team I will be with as I go! I appreciate all of the support you have given me.

Thank you so much for your time; I'm excited to see how this experience helping others will contribute my growth as a therapist and as a person!