Summary
Cindi Brown dropped out of corporate America, sold her possessions and began a heartbreaking and exhilarating adventure of volunteering in Africa as marketing adviser to TICH, a college in Kisumu, Kenya, on Lake Victoria’s shore. The reader will experience daily life in Kisumu as well as travel to the coast on the railroad built by British colonizers. Travel, also, to Ethiopia and learn about landmines that kill and maim. Take a road trip to the Congo as the author drives solo through Rwanda. The author, new to international development, learns as she goes, attempting to assimilate into a culture where she can never blend in. She learns about poverty’s effects on people, sees how illness is often a death sentence for those living in poverty, and explores the effectiveness of aid in making a real difference in the lives of Africans. The author’s philosophy evolves as she meets people who have various motives for talking to, or befriending, her. She must consider her personal safety as crime escalates throughout Kenya, a byproduct of the uneven distribution of resources. As she works with her colleagues, learning about community research and health issues, she struggles to connect all the pieces; people in extreme need, a college dedicated to lifting Kenya out of poverty, middle class colleagues who are doing well but are locked within this system of limited opportunities for everyone, a government that’s disconnected from the true needs of its citizenry, aid organizations of all types working towards different ends and often at cross-purposes, westerners who prey sexually on the poor and vulnerable, the powerless position of many women in society, and the promise of children who lack proper stimulation through education. And yet, with all the negatives, the author is amazed at the hope she finds in the people.
About the Author
Cindi Brown is currently Communications Director with Diversity Wellness, a firm providing corporate wellness programs to companies in varied industries across North America. Ms. Brown received her bachelor’s degree in communications with a journalism emphasis from Kennesaw State University. She then completed her master’s degree in Communications from Georgia State University in 1998 and taught as an adjunct professor at Kennesaw State University. In addition to her experience as an academician, Ms. Brown also worked for Experian, a consumer credit reporting agency, for six years as Marketing Manager, managing North American communications for Experian’s Scorex division. Ms. Brown was a full-time writer and photographer for ten years with a monthly entertainment newspaper before she worked at The Coca-Cola Company’s world headquarters in Atlanta, in their Consumer Affairs department. Her combined academic, journalistic and corporate experience provided a rich background for stepping into the international development as a volunteer.
