Coming together in a world apart
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And he should know. As part of an informal agreement between GAA and the University, Derdak, who is an adjunct philosophy professor, has been leading Loyola groups on African immersions for the past 10 years. “It will take a long time to psychologically and philosophically process everything that happened during those nine days,” says Mark Waymack, PhD, associate professor of philosophy and one of the trip’s participants.
The trips are educational, focusing on issues that are pressing for many African nations. For participant John Drevs, Web content manager, the group’s experiences in Africa turned expectations on their heads. “You’re told you’re going to see orphanages and slums, and you form a picture of Africa in your head. But it was 180 degrees from what we thought it would be.” Those expecting a hot, dusty clime were surprised to land in the green city of Nairobi. Though over the course of their trip, the group encountered poverty, famine, and illness, they were surprised to find a sunny mentality seemingly at odds with those conditions.
The moment Drevs will most remember happened at Nyumbani Orphanage, a home for children infected with HIV. “They prepared us for a difficult situation. We expected this place and this program to be marked by sadness. But as soon as I rounded a corner at this orphanage, this kid came running up and hugged me around the legs.”
That’s not to discount the seriousness or severity of Africa’s very real problems. But perhaps this unexpected optimism is crucial to finding solutions. “We were prepared for grief, but we saw smiling kids and program directors who were hopeful about their chances of survival,” says Drevs. “In slums, people live in real poverty, but the programs we visited are about people doing good things, working together, getting out of the slums, and returning to help others do the same.”
There are no pat answers when it comes to Africa. It’s too easy to rhapsodize about hope in the midst of poverty and sickness. It’s too easy to conclude that this contradiction demonstrates some essential truth about the continent, its people, or its problems. But it is no stretch to say that experiencing it challenged Loyolans’ assumptions and showed them an Africa they didn’t expect to find.
Tom Derdak started Global Alliance for Africa in 1996 to address health care issues in East Africa. To learn more about GAA, how to get involved, and ways to contribute, please visit http://globalallianceafrica.org.