Teaching Art Lessons in Kenya
SEEDO Volunteer Chenxi Xu:
“During my journey to Kenya, I volunteered at Children’s Garden Home & School to teach art lessons. My workshop invited the children to transform the ordinary—fallen leaves, petals, and branches—into art. After gathering their materials, everyone settled into a quiet hum of creativity.
”One girl, Solomon, immediately drew my attention. Using a single pencil as a straightedge, she drafted the façade of a house, then embellished it with emerald grass, drifting clouds, bright flowers, and playful animals. I never asked whether that house was a fragment of memory or an outline of her future. Instead, when I asked what she wished to become, she met my eyes and—without hesitation—pronounced, ‘I want to be a judge.’ In that instant, the headmaster’s remark echoed in my mind: ‘Our task here is not merely to give these children a home; we must also kindle their hope.’
”That moment revealed more than a picture: it unveiled an entire cosmos conjured from brittle twigs and sun-bleached leaves.
”Yet some 250 million children worldwide still share Solomon’s longing for opportunity while lacking even basic literacy. The United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goal 4—quality education for all—is no abstract slogan when set beside these young faces.
“The orphanage boasts no fancy facilities, but it embodies education’s essence: books line shelves cobbled together from weathered planks; the computer lab’s aging machines date back a decade; and teachers tailor lessons to each child’s curiosity, scouring the town for spare parts to fuel a mechanically inclined boy’s imagination.
”Every grand ambition germinates from a seemingly insignificant spark. Perhaps the house Solomon sketched is the embryonic blueprint of her own Hall of Justice. Our charge is to ensure that countless other children like her not only dare to dream but also trust that their dreams are worthy—and ultimately attainable. As the movement for quality education continues to flourish, I am convinced that the plight of children like Solomon will become increasingly rare, their aspirations no longer stifled but instead propelled by societies determined to transform every dream into reality.”