Jonathan Walker is a strong believer in the power people have to make positive change.
The 24-year-old West Vancouver man recently completed a 1,500-kilometre journey, Running for Great Hope, travelling from Hope to Saskatoon by foot and by bike, as a means of raising funds for a permanent educational centre for displaced children of a community school in Nairobi, Kenya.
While the trip is over, Walker's long-term campaign to support the school, which he's been working with since 2012, is not, and he remains committed to helping the students, teachers and administration get the support they need.
Walker's introduction to the school, the Great Hope Educational Centre, located in the slum community of Kayole, came as a result of his work with the Directorate of Agencies for School Health (DASH) B.C. Through his involvement with the non-profit, he set up an international classroom partnership program, connecting with schools all over the world, many of which were in East Africa. In 2013, he had an opportunity to complete an internship with the Canadian International Development Agency and spent six months in East Africa. While there, he visited some of the schools he had been working with prior to going to Africa.
"It was a very surreal experience because I had seen their pen pal letters and their pictures (sent) to schools in Canada.. .. so it was super neat getting to visit the schools and see the kids from the letters," says Walker, who, following his recent graduation from human geography at the University of British Columbia, just moved to Prague, Czech Republic, to teach English.
One of his contacts was with the Great Hope Educational Centre and he got involved doing some community development work there, including a photography project.
Walker came to know many of the students, teachers and administration and it became clear to him the important role Great Hope played in the local community. The school works to provide education, affordable school fees, boarding provisions, food and clean drinking water to more than 150 children, many of whom are homeless or orphaned as a result of poverty and HIV/AIDS.
"It was a pretty dilapidated building but it had some space nevertheless," he says. "It was in some way shape or form functioning, and it was doing good work. They've been around for nine years and they provide an opportunity to kids that can't afford government school fees, because they're not cheap, especially for kids that are homeless or from vulnerable families."
"They never really dwelled on their hardships, they were super positive and I was really inspired by that. They just soaked up any opportunity for community development projects, education (and) any opportunity for personal development," he adds.
A few months after Walker moved back to Canada, he heard Great Hope's landlord wanted to go in a different direction with the building, displacing the school. "It's very hard to find suitable buildings for a school in that neighbourhood. It's a very high-density slum area," he says.
While they eventually found a space 250 metres down the road, it's a very small structure, making for extremely cramped conditions and lacks running water and electricity.
"It's not an ideal situation and it's negatively impacted a lot of the homeless kids, the orphan kids, who were boarding at the previous school. They don't have a place to live so they're not attending school as much," says Walker.
Walker decided to make use of a window of time post-graduation and organized his fundraising journey, setting a goal of raising $115,000 to help move the school into a more suitable building with space for the boarding of students, and eventually purchase land to build a permanent home.
An endurance athlete, Walker ran for UBC on the varsity cross-country team and has completed a number of competitive road races, including some in Africa, he planned to run the entire route. However, due to injuries sustained, including severe tendonitis, and a strain in his right foot, he switched to his bike around Jasper to aid in his recovery. He finished the route nonetheless, completing it from May 27 to June 16.
Joining him were two documentary film graduates from Capilano University who are working on a documentary about the project. The goal is for the resulting film to serve as a further fundraiser for Great Hope.
Donations are still being accepted via the Running for Great Hope campaign website, youcaring.com/running4greathope.
Walker plans to continue supporting Great Hope, and launched an organization, Healthy Settings Kenya, with his contacts at the school. It's registered as a communitybased organization in Kenya under the Ministry of Gender, Children and Social Development.
When asked where his motivation comes from, Walker says it extends to his philosophy related to community engagement. "It could have been some one-off project where I go to Africa and experience it for myself and take way more than I contribute back, which I feel is what a lot of volunteering programs do.. .. I really believe in long-term commitment," he says.
"This whole experience is not only just a run or a fundraiser, but it's also with the documentary, we're trying to make a statement about how charities should work, from something that's dependency-driven and short-term to something that's more empowering and long-term," he adds.
While in Prague, Walker plans to continue spreading the word about Great Hope to his students, and in September 2015, he hopes to begin a master's degree in social development in London, with a goal of tying his interest in humanitarian work into his studies, all the while continuing to promote and expand Healthy Settings Kenya.
"It's a long-term project, so stay tuned and keep following for updates on the progress we're making. It's not just a one-time thing. By donating, you can be a part of a longer process and really see the impact you're having long-term," he says.
healthysettingskenya.com
