Joining Humankind: Anne's Story

I became a part of Humankind International after meeting Muuxi on December 31, 2008. That day he spoke articulately and passionately about wanting to build a school to help the kinds of bored kids he had seen during a recent trip to Africa. The kids were hanging out with nowhere to go and nothing to do. That really touched Muuxi because he had once been that kid himself. I knew as he spoke that day, that I wanted to take action to help him realize his dream of building a school. A little voice said start with yourself so that day I made a New Year’s resolution to live more simply in 2009 and put aside the unused money for Humankind. In 2010 that money was used to fund a needs assessment trip to the overflowing Dadaab refugee camp in eastern Kenya close to the Somali border. While there, it became clear to Muuxi from conversations with Dadaab locals and the UNHCR that early childhood education was an unmet need and should become Humankind’s focus. I respect Muuxi for adjusting HK’s vision to meet the local requests. When I was invited to become a founding board member in early 2011, my answer was an immediate yes!