How Humanitarian Work Changed My Life — and Why It Matters
There are experiences that can divide life into a before and after.
My 2024 humanitarian trips to Kenya and Armenia were such a turning point — I now find myself firmly in the "after."
When I boarded the plane to return home from Kenya, I felt a physical ache — as though I was leaving piece of me behind. An essential piece. No amount of family or study abroad travel had prepared me for what it means to travel with purpose: to serve, to listen, to connect deeply.
On my trip with Kenya Keys, a non-profit who helps meet educational needs of individuals in Taru, Kenya, my eyes were opened to circumstances I could have never comprehended and my level of gratitude is forever changed.
One moment that stayed with me was while visiting a home in Taru. The father of the home proudly showed us his bed, bending down and knocking on the sturdy wood. It wasn’t polished or finished, but it was strong and functional — a place where he and his wife could sleep comfortably. His pride in something so simple and “essential” where I live was humbling beyond words.
Another perspective altering moment was at a boarding school for individuals with intellectual disabilities. Not only did we feel the goodness and strength of the students, but we were deeply moved by the teachers. They loved their students unconditionally. One teacher shared that some nights she couldn’t bear to leave her students and would sleep on a table at the school rather than go home.
I learned that $450 — what many of us might spend on a weekend getaway — can educate, clothe, feed, and house a student for an entire year.
I watched emotional meetings of students that had traveled entire days to meet their sponsors, and I witnessed how education created a ripple effect: young adults who, after graduating, now support their families and even become sponsors themselves.
But beyond the visible needs and tangible efforts, something else shifted inside me.
The people of Kenya filled a need I didn’t even know I had: to see that happiness doesn’t come from abundance, but from perspective.
One graduate told me, “We have lots of reasons to be gloomy, but we see each day as a big opportunity to smile. We choose happiness.”
I truly had felt like I was going to a country where I was needed, but truly I needed them.
Humanitarian work changes lives — not just for those being helped, but for those offering the help.
It peels away assumptions.
It deepens gratitude.
It plants seeds of humility and hope that grow for a lifetime.
As I reflect on last year — traveling to Africa, Armenia, and across the U.S, all with a purpose. — I feel an overwhelming sense of gratitude for every story, every smile, every lesson.
Last year was a year filled with travel and gathering. Gathering information, experience, and stories. This year is a year of reflection. To record. To preserve. To connect.
