2010.12.22: December 22, 2010: Next month, Ethiopia RPCV Kyle Henning will embark on a journey across Africa to raise funds and public awareness for The New Day Children's Centre in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
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2010.12.22: December 22, 2010: Next month, Ethiopia RPCV Kyle Henning will embark on a journey across Africa to raise funds and public awareness for The New Day Children's Centre in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
Next month, Ethiopia RPCV Kyle Henning will embark on a journey across Africa to raise funds and public awareness for The New Day Children's Centre in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
He applied to the Peace Corps and was accepted into an HIV/AIDS relief program based in Ethiopia. It was there that Henning connected with the New Day Children's Centre, where he has been teaching a life-skills course to young adults for the past two years. "I've started to appreciate more and more how fortunate I am to be healthy, educated and from a stable community," Henning said of what his time spent serving has taught him. Though he has witnessed the effects of extreme poverty, droughts, famines and wars, he was bolstered to discover the "positive nature" and "amazing resilience" that humans possess. "It's been great to see the best of people come out during the worst situations," he said. "Every corner of the earth has good people that would sacrifice a little bit of their own comfort to relieve someone else's suffering." In order to complete his mission, Henning will have to sacrifice a lot of his comforts. Calisthenics and weight lifting are only part of his preparation for the grueling months ahead. Yet, Henning feels that the hardest part of his trip will be psychological. He would have preferred to make the journey with others and knows that the months of solitude ahead may prove overwhelming.
Next month, Ethiopia RPCV Kyle Henning will embark on a journey across Africa to raise funds and public awareness for The New Day Children's Centre in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia
Journey through Africa: One man's ride to change
By:Catherine Colmerauer
Date: Wednesday December 22, 2010
Three-thousand miles.
Six countries.
One man.
Next month, Hamburg native Kyle Henning will embark on a journey across Africa to raise funds and public awareness for The New Day Children's Centre in Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
His quest will require fierce determination and physical prowess.
Dubbed Low2High: Africa, the expedition will begin on the shores of Lake Assal, Djibouti – the lowest point of land on the continent. From there, Henning will bicycle over 3,000 miles through Dijbouti, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda and Tanzania until he reaches the base of Mt. Kilimanjaro. In the final leg of his trek, Henning will hike to the summit of Uhuru Peak, which is the highest point on all of Africa.
"The idea is to go from the lowest point of land in Africa to the highest, all by human power." Henning explained. He is fairly certain that he is the first person to ever attempt the feat.
Yet, he hopes to walk away from the mission with more than the pride of a job well done. All of the money raised for Low 2 High: Africa will go towards building a new compound for the New Day Children's Centre. The NDCC is a not-for-profit organization that works to end children's life on the streets and help them receive an education.
Henning is no stranger to helping others. Not long after graduating SUNY College at Fredonia in 2005, he joined AmeriCorps, where he spent over two years working for disaster relief efforts in the Gulf and responding to natural disaster recovery efforts in various states.
"It was hard work," Henning remembered. "I was often sleep-deprived and frustrated, but I loved the work and was good with it, so I pushed on."
Though his time with AmeriCorps allowed him to experience life across the country, Henning's curiosity of the world and his passion for helping others was far from quenched. He applied to the Peace Corps and was accepted into an HIV/AIDS relief program based in Ethiopia.
It was there that Henning connected with the New Day Children's Centre, where he has been teaching a life-skills course to young adults for the past two years.
"I've started to appreciate more and more how fortunate I am to be healthy, educated and from a stable community," Henning said of what his time spent serving has taught him.
Though he has witnessed the effects of extreme poverty, droughts, famines and wars, he was bolstered to discover the "positive nature" and "amazing resilience" that humans possess.
"It's been great to see the best of people come out during the worst situations," he said. "Every corner of the earth has good people that would sacrifice a little bit of their own comfort to relieve someone else's suffering."
In order to complete his mission, Henning will have to sacrifice a lot of his comforts. Calisthenics and weight lifting are only part of his preparation for the grueling months ahead.
Yet, Henning feels that the hardest part of his trip will be psychological. He would have preferred to make the journey with others and knows that the months of solitude ahead may prove overwhelming.
Music has always been his rock, and he has packed a harmonica to combat loneliness on the open trails.
The separation from family and friends has been the only pitfall in Henning's service career.
Still, he assures anyone who is considering joining a volunteer organization such as AmeriCorps or the Peace Corps that the separation from loved ones can be overcome and the commitment can be extremely rewarding.
"If you can take a year of your life and do something great, then go do it," he said. "I'm in my fifth year and it still seems like a blur."
Henning described his future plans as "wide open," although he is considering graduate school and returning to disaster response work.
"I definitely want to keep moving forward in life and never feel stagnant again," he said.
After college, Henning spent a year working for a bank until he realized that an office job was not for him.
"I wanted to travel out west, get my hands dirty, and never sit in a cubicle again," he remembered.
Considering that he now updates his blog under the safety of his mosquito net, it is safe to say Henning's wish has come true.
To learn how to donate to Henning's cause, go online and visit his blog at http://low2highafrica.blogspot.com or visit Low2High: Africa on Facebook.
Links to Related Topics (Tags):
Headlines: December, 2010; Peace Corps Ethiopia; Directory of Ethiopia RPCVs; Messages and Announcements for Ethiopia RPCVs; Bicycles; Fund Raising
When this story was posted in March 2011, this was on the front page of PCOL:
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| How Volunteers Remember Sarge As the Peace Corps' Founding Director Sargent Shriver laid the foundations for the most lasting accomplishment of the Kennedy presidency. Shriver spoke to returned volunteers at the Peace Vigil at Lincoln Memorial in September, 2001 for the Peace Corps 40th. "The challenge I believe is simple - simple to express but difficult to fulfill. That challenge is expressed in these words: PCV's - stay as you are. Be servants of peace. Work at home as you have worked abroad. Humbly, persistently, intelligently. Weep with those who are sorrowful, Care for those who are sick. Serve your wives, serve your husbands, serve your families, serve your neighbors, serve your cities, serve the poor, join others who also serve," said Shriver. "Serve, Serve, Serve. That's the answer, that's the objective, that's the challenge." |
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This story has been posted in the following forums: : Headlines; COS - Ethiopia; Bicycles; Fund Raising
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