Poverty at Home

Monarch Park students in Kenya help build a classroom in Enelerai.

Coming from an area labelled “inner city,” my high school experience at Monarch Park Collegiate was different than most. The term “inner city” refers to the high percentage of students attending Monarch Park who come from low-income families. Many of my fellow students had part-time jobs to provide not only for themselves, but for their families as well—frequently missing out on extracurricular opportunities like sports teams because of their responsibilities. Additionally, since many of my peers were first generation immigrants to Canada with parents who spoke little to no English, the responsibility of communicating on behalf of their parents would also fall to them.

There were many stereotypes that swirled around Monarch Park. Students were often deemed uninterested and were thought to lack school spirit. We were considered problematic, needy and, most of the time, it seemed like we were invisible to the greater community.

As the president of our student council, teachers often brought new initiatives to my notice. When the idea of fundraising to build a classroom in Kenya with Free The Children came about, I thought it would be impossible for our students—most of whom were facing their own issues with poverty—to be able to help others in need. It seemed that the odds where against us from the very beginning.
                                       
Our exposure to poverty overseas first came in the form of Free The Children’s Adopt a Village speech. We were shocked to hear that some schools did not even have roofs, walls or any resources at all. We learned that many of our overseas peers did not even have textbooks with which to work, and those that did were lucky to have one textbook to share among 30 students. Most of the children spent their days collecting water for their families, taking care of their younger siblings or working to bring in an income, leaving no time to attend class. Our struggles were a far cry from what was happening across the world, but the similarities were there and we made the connection instantly.

We began to understand that the power to create positive change in the world begins with each of us. Our perspectives were transformed. Through Adopt a Village, we were able to see the inequalities of the broader world and grow from the connections we made with our international peers. Through fundraising and raising awareness for Adopt a Village, Monarch Park students have helped raise more than $20,000 for communities in Kenya and Sri Lanka. Helping improve the learning environment and lives of our peers overseas, we changed our own.

Sally Hakim             
International Youth Coordinator 

Helpful Hints from Helpful Links

Learn more about Free The Children’s Adopt a Village campaign
Read how one child’s life was changed in Kenya

Free The Children is the largest network of children helping children through education in the world, with more than one million youth involved in our innovative education and development programs in 45 countries. Founded by international child rights activist Craig Kielburger, Free The Children has an established track-record of success, with three nominations for the Nobel Peace Prize and partnerships with the United Nations and Oprah’s Angel Network.