The first day at Wale was really something special. When I walked in at the center and saw how dedicated the kids were at their first meeting of the year, I knew that I had come to the right place.
My name is Karl Svensson. I’m 19 years old and grew up in Stockholm, Sweden. When I was 16 years old I decided to go to Kenya and attend the Swedish School in Nairobi for an exchange year. That year was absolutely amazing and when I touched Swedish ground after one year in Kenya, I knew for sure that I were going to be back soon.
I came in contact with Wale for the first time during my year at the Swedish School. A guy called Petter visited my school and spoke about the organization he was currently working with. I got really fascinated about the project and especially that it was the kids themselves who run the organization.
When I two years later looked for a place to volunteer at, I didn’t hesitate to get in contact with Petter. And after a few Skype-sessions with Petter and other staff at Wale I had made up my mind. I’m going to join Wale!
I’ve been here for one month now and I already feel a lot for Wale Wale. To meet the kids every afternoon and read, dance and help them with their homework gives you an energy that I couldn’t imagine. It has also been really fun to work with the team during the days. Here at Wale we have office hours from 9.00 am to 1.00 pm. At the moment our team includes Venna (project manager), Evette, Happiness and Adero who have been members at Wale for a long time and are very familiar with the projects and the kids, and then there are two volunteers and two interns from Sweden. During these hours we plan upcoming projects like for example the mobile library, the book project and the academic follow up program. These hours include hard work but it is so fun to be part of a team with so different people who all contribute with their own ideas and thoughts.
The best thing with Wale so far has been that I have had the opportunity to be a part of so many different projects. A normal day at Wale could consists working with planning a mentorship lesson, go for a Mobile Library Session, do an Academic Follow Up with one of the kids and then finish the day with some dance.
During my time at Wale I stay at Monica’s place. Monica is one of the most involved people in the organization and has been around Wale for a long time. Currently we are 6 interns and volunteers living under the same roof, and I must admit that it fits me perfectly. It is fun to live with all the others so that you can share your thoughts and ideas with each other even outside the office. Though, the best thing with staying at Monica’s place is Monica herself. To have Monica around has made me feel a lot safer and it has been so valuable to have someone to talk with about any difficulties that may pop up. .
For the rest of my time at Wale I’m really looking forward to continue develop the projects and to set a clear structure over them so that they will last in the future. And I must say that it is easy to work hard to achieve these goals, because the energy I get from seeing progress everyday keeps me focused to contribute as much as I can.
WALE WALE KENYA 