Impact and Inspiration
~Written about a week ago
As my time in The Gambia is coming to an end, I’ve been reflecting on my purpose here. I’m used to judging what I have accomplished by the tangible things I can point to: a report, a presentation, an event, etc. And there are some concrete things that I have accomplished since I’ve been here. I led a workshop for the Starfish mentors on developing STEM curriculum, I co-taught STEM and web design classes, and I started a website for the Starfish Business Center. However, I’ve come to realize that these completed tasks are perhaps not the most important part of my service this summer. I’ve started to reframe my thinking and instead judge my impact by the connections I made and relationships I built. These hold so much more meaning and will last far longer than any lesson I taught.
Every volunteer that comes to Starfish has to participate in Talk Show. Talk Show is essentially an interview in front of all of the Starfish students, mentors, and volunteers. There are one or two interviewers who ask questions, of which tend to be deeply personal. The point of this is to create connections because many experiences are shared across cultures. I remember when it came time for me to be interviewed, I was dreading it. I hate speaking in front of large groups of people, especially about myself. While I can’t say I enjoyed being in the hot seat, I appreciated the experience in part because it pushed me to be emotionally vulnerable. Additionally, after each Talk Show, students are asked to come up if they felt they had a connection with someone who spoke. A couple of Starfish girls came up and talked about things I had said. It was powerful to hear that my experiences and words resonated with them.
While I served Starfish this summer, I learned far more from the Starfish students and mentors than I think they learned from me. This is in part because I had the opportunity to hear students frequently talk about their goals, their triumphs, and their tribulations. Their stories and experiences were both impactful and inspiring. I can easily say they are some of the most resilient people I have ever met and have overcome such adversity. One of the Starfish girls, Mariama, shared with me what she considered to be her greatest accomplishment. She has a younger sister who is around 6 years old. In the U.S. you’re normally in Kindergarten or 1st grade at this age and have had a few years of school. Mariama’s sister wasn’t enrolled in school though. Her dad wasn’t supportive of the idea and while her mom was, she never took the steps to enroll her. Mariama knew how important an education was and grew tired of waiting for her mom to act, so she made it a personal goal of hers to send her sister to school. However, she didn’t have the financial means to do so. Instead of giving up, she setup her own small business with the help of Starfish. After just a few months she had made enough to pay for her sister’s school fees. It didn’t stop with just that one payment though. Mariama continues to pay for her sister’s tuition, books, and uniform, and walks her sister to school every day. Mariama’s sister just finished her first year of school, and when Mariama talked about that fact, you could see the pride in her eyes. Never have I seen someone employ such self-agency and compassion from that young of an age.
Many girls, like Mariama’s sister, struggle to get a full education in The Gambia. I’ve heard of Gambian parents threatening marriage if their child doesn’t pass their exams (usually only the case for girls and not an empty threat). Others cannot afford school fees and therefore drop out. Some become pregnant. Most do not have support networks in place. The good news is this narrative is slowly shifting for the better, with the help of organizations like Starfish International.
I’m so grateful to have had the opportunity to support Starfish’s vision of uplifting Gambian girls by providing a quality education and an unwavering support network. And I’m forever inspired by the girls it has reached.
With love,
Lindsay
