In this blog series, we feature the reflections from employees who have participated in the AMPATH / Corteva fellow program.
How has Kenya impacted our lives in the last five years?
For Cindy and me, it has had a profound affect. We have both grown so much as a couple and as individuals. The reality of what we have accomplished in the time we were given is so gratifying. We realized quickly that the opportunity brought new awakenings to us. We saw that it takes a village to be part of the Corteva endeavor.
Family, friends and co-workers played a major role in our being able to do this. It was hard to leave my co-workers, but they supported the decision. Our children stepped up to the plate and kept the home fires burning. Our friends have been supportive through both prayers and donations to see that the needs of the Kenyan people we worked with could have a better chance. Any and all accomplishments were made possible from so many others willing to give and support those who need it in Kenya.
Another impact was the relationships with people in Kenya that developed over the last five years. There is something that keeps drawing us back to Africa. We have now spent a total of two years from eight trips back and forth. We developed lifelong bonds with the doctors from AMPATH and the Kenyans we worked with. Together we strived to bring a more sustaining way of life by teaching better crop practices to the Kenyan farmers. The medical side of AMPATH is amazing in the way they touch and heal so many lives. Population Health brought a realization to a broader group that along with treating the illnesses, they also need good nutrition and wealth to survive. The healing is short term if we don’t help them in sustaining a livelihood and give them hope for a better future.
Lastly is the spirit of the Kenyan people. They are eager to learn new and better practices to produce higher yields. They are kind, loving and willing to give what little they have to host you when you visit. They have worked hard forming table banking support groups, which can develop into cooperatives that allow them to significantly income. They live with a lot of faith. Faith that today will bring food, water, and a way to provide education for their children. They look to the next day knowing they will try hard again. We have seen the impact that Corteva has made on many lives here in Kenya.
It has been life changing and a privilege to have served in this capacity over the last five years. Even though I am retired now, we continue to return and support the mission. It has become part of us and us part of them.