Think Globally; Act Locally

My mum has real wanderlust, but with a passion for combining no-frills travel with active community service.  Whatever destination we visit, our family usually finds itself doing volunteer work. While I did not always enjoy the work when I was younger, I can say now that there is no better way to get to know and truly understand a local community than by rolling up your sleeves to volunteer. The volunteer work I completed as a kid played a large part in the motivation for Harrow Helps Harrow.

For example, a few years back, we visited South Africa. While we had the benefit of being able to stay in a hotel, I never would have been exposed to the complicated race and economic issues plaguing South Africa if we had not gone out to connect with residents. Despite the progress made by contributions from Nelson Mandela and his peers, Cape Town, like other modern cities, masks South Africa’s challenges. However, my mum made sure to bring us outside the city limits. 

Visiting Khayelitsha, the largest and fastest growing township in South Africa, was an eye-opening experience. Here, 400,000 people lived in tight quarters (and still do), with a median annual income of less than $2,000 per year. Even with the miracles of medicine, AIDS still runs rampant, especially with young people my age. My mum had an idea: our soccer club in London is affiliated with a charity organisation called Grassroots Soccer whose mission is to reduce the spread of AIDS among Africa’s youth. Inspired by our club team, my mum suggested that my brothers and I spend a couple of days playing soccer and sharing life skills--namely, dedication, hard work, and the power of focus--with Khayelitsha’s kids. These kids were born with next to nothing in life but they were some of the happiest children I have ever met. They were passionate to learn how to take better care of themselves.

Here are some pictures from the Grassroots Soccer program:            

My mum brought us on another inspirational trip to Rwanda. Here, we visited The Kampanga School which serves 3,000 students, ranging in age from 3-18. Most of these students lack the basic support tools to further their learning or to enjoy sport. After seeing the lack of learning necessities such as pencils, backpacks and rain ponchos (heavy rains destroy books and interrupt learning), my mum challenged our family to turn our one-off school visit into something bigger. As a result of our experience there, our family started a small charitable organisation that supports The Kampanga School with essential supplies. Currently, we’re looking into ways to further expand this venture so that we may help more schools and more kids like the The Kampanga School. 

Here is a picture and a video from my visit to The Kampanga School: 

When COVID-19 broke out, I thought about our friends from the Khaylitsha Township and The Kampanga School. I wondered if they would have enough cleaning supplies and all forms of medical equipment. I felt anxious that there wasn’t more we could do. Then, I realised just down the road from my own school, people also lacked basic PPE and other vital necessities. While I thought about the COVID-19 issue globally, it felt like my time to act locally. 

This was another driving force behind the birth of Harrow Helps Harrow. But, to be fair, the seeds of this impulse were originally planted by my mum. Thanks, Mum, for all that you do - for me, our family, and, most of all, others. You see opportunity for impact and make it happen. You inspire me.

I love you!