Sakarias Eriksson
2006-2007
During my time at SSHL, I had the opportunity to become involved with the Kenya Project. What began as a charity project, very quickly became an important part of my leisure time, mainly because of the closeness we felt to those whom the project sponsored. The contrast between our existence and the reality for the children and women we helped in Kenya became crystal clear and it gave me a new insight into the world and motivated me to continue to learn how we can contribute in a meaningful way. What became obvious to me through the years with the Kenya Project was the wonderful cooperation and strength between the groups of people in Sweden and Kenya, whose only quest was to improve the lives of each other, now and in the future. At present, I find myself referring to the project in all sorts of contexts to emphasize the importance of community and strength in charity.
After SSHL, I studied Economics with an emphasis on Asian studies at Handelshögskolan in Copenhagen where I am currently in my four term. It is a very exciting education which feels relevant to today’s economic and political circumstances. After my Bachelor’s degree I plan to work for a few years and then apply to the Masters program in Public Health at the University of Lund with the final goal of working with UNICEF or WHO in Copenhagen.
Matilda Arvidsson Kvissberg
2007-2008
Kim Charlotte
2008-2009
Emmy Wassenius
2009-2010
My name is Emmy Wassénius and I graduated from the IB program at SSHL in 2010. I was President of the Kenya Project in my Senior year 2009-2010. It was one of the best organizations I have been involved with, mainly because of the enthusiasm everyone showed. With so many people involved in the project, it was surprisingly simple to succeed in our project fundraising. My strongest memory from that time as President was when we got all the recycling bottles from the entire year from the kitchen. I think we recycled 6 to 7 full grocery carts.
Serving as President for the Kenya Project opened my eyes and my possibilities to continue with charity work after my studies at SSHL. Presently, I attend the University of St Andrews in Scotland and am active in several charity projects. I am the President of One Water Society, an organization which collect funds for the sponsorship of water pumps in Africa. We collect about 20,000 SEK yearly and soon the organization will have enough for a new pump. A couple of years ago, we sponsored an entire pump which is in Nasamba Malawi. I’m actually going to see this pump this summer as part of my other charity projects. Pedal Africa 2012 is probably one of the biggest if not THE biggest project I will participate in during my life. Together with four other University students, I will bicycle across Africa, from the east coast in Mozambique to the west coast in Namibia. So far we have raised nearly 40,000 SEK and our goal is to raise 140,000 before we are finished. It will be an incredible physical challenge but will definitely be a “once in a lifetime” possibility.
If you would like to learn more about what I do now, you can check out Pedal Africa’s home page: http://pedalafrica.wordpress.com
Casper Norden
2010-2011
As a member and then President of the Kenya Project, I had the opportunity to socialize and develop in a different and stimulating way. The challenges which my work with the Project provided, gave me the opportunity to see my surroundings with an expanded viewpoint while at the same time allowing me to use the skills and knowledge I learned at school. My work with the Kenya Project gave me the opportunity to try a role with responsibility outside the traditional school environment thus preparing me for real challenges which cannot be solved with the help of a syllabus or answer key. The Kenya Project’s ability to offer SSHL’s students the possibility to work very close with charity goals, gave me a deeper understanding of how life is for people in a developing country while also showing me how my efforts could substantially improve the project’s recipients.
My work with the Kenya Project has given me a lot of inspiration when I write my University applications and has provided an excellent starting point for interesting conversations, not just in University interviews, but also in general circumstances.
Being involved with the Kenya Project is something I strongly recommend to students at SSHL to participate in because I am sure they will appreciate the personal development and satisfaction charity work outside the school’s framework will give.