During the long holidays in March/April, Elimu Resource Centre received over 2,000 student visits from eager learners who sought a conducive study environment and access to both traditional and digital study materials. We were also joined by two German interns who came to complete their research projects on child wellbeing.
Carina and Amelie, both Health Science students from the Technical University of Munich in Germany, were in Malindi conducting research on play and self-esteem and how children manage stress levels.” During their stay, they also held a life skills program with the students. As part of their course work.
“Because isn’t it a true happiness to help others?”
They met learners in groups of about 15 for what would become their most memorable university activities. Carina’s group worked on self-expression, goal setting, self-discipline, team work, and public speaking exercises. Amelie introduced her group to yoga, guiding them through breathing exercises and stretches to increase tranquility and improve their ability to handle stress.
In the beginning, the learners were shy and unsure. They were also encountering yoga for the first time. Girls especially benefited from these activities. It later led to groups of girls reciting poems and leading a dance group that entertained over 400 youth during Elimu’s 3rd annual Youth Info Forum. The students were also able to record their goals on camera.
Elimu also benefited as their projects shed light on how we can strengthen our programs by incorporating activities that help learners build mental resilience, self-esteem, and self-efficacy.
Amelie and Carina also spent time playing football and dancing with the learners. This allowed them to learn the local community’s culture and dialect. In the end, they shared German dishes with us, learned to speak bits of the Swahili language, enjoyed local delicacies, and even learned how to cook some of the Swahili dishes.
Elimu’s youth interns and volunteers are an important part of how we execute our core mission. They engage in all of our projects and that includes working with learners of all kinds. Youth interns and volunteers co-create programs at Elimu. They help us assess the impact and provide feedback from the youth’s perspective.
We are inspired by the zeal and dedication of Amelie and Carina. They have truly left a mark in the lives of the many learners they worked with, and we believe, they have set a path for other young people from the international community who will come seeking internship opportunities at Elimu.