05/11/2023
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We warmly welcome you to the Kenya NVC Retreat and at the same time, we enjoyed reading about Bawidamann's experience in Tanzania and would love to share it with you 👇👇
"Having been a participant at the IIT Tanzania last year, I would love to speak to option 5 you, Kirsten, are mentioning : "Maybe you yourself are up for a trip to Kenya and immerse yourself in a first-hand experience of what life is like in Kenya.”
Last year, I chose to join an IIT in an environment that is not familiar to me and in a country that I would otherwise probably not visit. The experience has been amazingly enriching. I added a few days before and after the IIT to travel in the country, partially with some of the participants, which was extremley nourishing, created connection and insights I would otherwise probably never have had. It also gave me access to experience things I would not have experienced as a tourist. F.ex. traveling with the local busses, seeing the homes of IIT participants, their offices, their families.
In my case I also visited a Montessori Kindergarden one of the participants is leading. Beside all the treasurable sessions of the trainers at the IIT, I had the chance to connect to many many people that are living and working in Tanzania, Kenya, Ghana, Uganda, Sambia etc. Most, if not all participants, were social activists, working on reproductive health, women´s rights, children´s rights, education etc. For about 2 weeks I could fully immerse into their sharings, challenges and lifes. It´s been an immense value to me to dive into life and work realities that are so very different from my own.
It´s also been a very particular experience to be 1 out of 5 white participants when all other participants were Black. We shared a lot about prejuduces, too. I am happy to share more personally if someone wants to hear more.
One last side note: the only thing I was a bit nervous about upon arrival, was the standard of the venue. Eventough I don´t need so much luxury, I was afraid, of bugs, no running water and pretty low standard on hygiene. I have to say that the venue we were at in Tanzania was impecable, even to a level where I felt it´s more "Western" than "local". I don´t know how it will be in Kenya, but it´s worth exploring rather than just assuming.
I am writing this, hoping it might encourage people to join this event or similar ones. On the picture below you see me and my homegroup. For questions pls reach out to me under [email protected].
Here you can find a playlist with a few videos in which I interviewed some participants. Maybe that gives even more of an impression of my experience and intrigues you to join a similar one :-).
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLHS2sjWz4D-x78t_mweixcIDlXiA5waM6
Warmly Iris (Frankfurt, Germany)"
We hope you will reasonate with Iris' words when you join us for the Kenya pre-IIT 2021
