Most people who know me know that I’ve always had a desire to spend some time in Africa. I’ve always had this urge inside of me to go, just never found the right opportunity, or it wasn’t the right time, or what have you. Well, I was reading my weekly copy of the Indiana Lawyer and saw a little blurb about a partnership that IU has with Moi University in Kenya. The School of Medicine has been sending medical students and doctors to work in rural clinics around Eldoret for years. Recently, the law school in Indy has helped to form the Legal Aid Centre of Eldoret (LACE), which allows American lawyers, students, etc. to work alongside Kenyan lawyers providing services to HIV/AIDS patients, orphans, and really anyone in the area who can not otherwise afford the services. Several local attorneys take trips over quite often, but this was the first I had heard of it. So, I decided to go to the meeting just to check it out. I’m glad I went, and I am so super excited that I will be going to Kenya this October!

Besides the fact that Sallie Mae has me in a permanent headlock, I really didn’t think I’d be able to afford a trip like this so soon. But, the air fare into Nairobi isn’t too unreasonable & IU has a compound where we stay for a very reasonable daily rate.

If you’d like to learn more about the programs, visit the IU Kenya Partnership online.

I can not begin to explain how extraordinarily blessed, motivated and privileged I feel. This is something that has been on my heart to do for a very long time – like since high school. My only fear is that I will want to spend an extended period of time in there. Well, I guess it isn’t a fear necessarily, but we’ll just see what happens.

Humbled. Excited.