Member Spotlight:
Kristy Kim Gives Back in Kenya
This year, Give Back Cincinnati
members will traverse the globe,
helping many areas in need. Give
Back Beyond will lead groups to
Guatemala, New Orleans and Vietnam,
but many members make treks of their
own, as well.
For Kristy Kim, a public
relations professional and Edgemont
resident, traveling to Kenya with
SOTENI International will be a
chance to help women there while
being immersed in a different
culture. Before her mid-February
departure, she spoke to Give Back
Cincinnati about the opportunity:
What kind of work does SOTENI
International do?
SOTENI has offices in Walnut Hills
and also in Nairobi, Kenya. They
work in poor villages to make them
more sustainable after being hit
with the HIV/AIDS epidemic. SOTENI
works with community members to find
out what they need, and the
community makes the decisions.
What project will you be focusing on
while in Kenya?
I will be working with the Women’s
Empowerment Project, which was
awarded a two-year grant to help
local women get educated on business
and entrepreneurship skills, AIDS,
reproductive health and gender
equality. I will be in Nairobi for a
few days to get acclimated, and will
then be heading five hours away to
the village of Mituntu, where I will
be staying for the majority of the
time.
Why are you so passionate about this
group?
Initially I thought it was
incredible that while there was this
small group in Walnut Hills, it was
changing lives halfway around the
world. It’s just satisfying to see
what you do here positively
affecting others.
What kind of advice would you give
to other Give Back members who might
want to volunteer abroad?
Be open-minded, and let yourself be
submerged into another culture. For
me personally, I’m a vegan, going to
a country where that’s not easy. But
I’m just going to roll with it.
What benefits do you find in
volunteering outside of Cincinnati?
I do travel a lot, and you get a
real appreciation for what you have.
The other day, my hot water heater
broke, which was annoying, but I
know I’m lucky to have running
water. You get more appreciative of
things like that.
You can learn
more about SOTENI International at
www.soteni.org.
Applications Being
Accepted for Give Back Beyond
Applications are currently being accepted to give back abroad with Give Back Beyond; however, time is running out! To join Give Back Beyond for service travel to Guatemala, New Orleans, and Vietnam in 2011, please visit www.givebackbeyond.org for information and application details. Applications are due by Feb. 28, so submit yours today!
