Our Youth in Kenya - Latino Students to Promote Education in Kenya

By Ricardo Ibarra,

These three Latino students managed to graduate from High School this year in Santa Rosa, thanks to opportunities provided by the Youth Connections program. Not only are they graduating, but by the end of June they will visit the African continent for humanitarian work with children in Kenya.

Isselle Tellez, Denise Morales and Jessie Ceballos got a shot for redemption after dropping out of High School. Now they will inspire other boys and girls who are probably facing greater obstacles than they did, in a part of the world where education is accessible only to those with money.

The trip is organized by Children’s Humanitarian International, with the intention of creating leadership among youth and to motivate them to continue their studies, as well as giving them perspective of how things are in other parts of the world.

“Many of the students here take school for granted”, said the executive director of CHI, Jordan Burns. “In Kenya you can only study if you can afford to pay for it, while here most students don’t value what they have.”

But Isselle, Denise and Jesse know how difficult it is to complete high school, including the obstacles to earning enough for a decent living.

Isselle dropped out of High School when she was 17. “I started working seven days a week. After one year of working, when I was 18, I wanted a better job, but I wasn’t qualified for anything without a High School Diploma. I learned about Youth Connections and went back to finish the necessary credits for graduation in 6 months,” said the 20 year old Santa Rosa native. This May will mark the end of her first semester at Santa Rosa Junior College majoring in Criminal Justice. “I’m the first generation of my family with the possibility of attending university”, said Isselle, “With this, I would be an example for my family, for them to aspire to be something when they grow up.”

Denise chose not to continue her studies at Healdsburg High School after having academic disagreements with the school staff. She recognized that her independent ways were different from other students. “Because of how I grew up, I learned to be independent and motivate myself, to overcome any obstacle and never give up,” she expressed.

After her experience in Africa, 17 year old Denise wants to be a teacher. “I will have the opportunity to be with kids and to educate them. I will find out how far I wanted to go in teaching. It will also be the first time I leave Sonoma County, and I am ready for that,” she said.

Jesse is quite open about his situation: “I grew up in poverty and never had much, not even good clothes. I learned to be humble, meanwhile people around me, as American, take things for granted, little things like having water…” This he says, is what inspired him to leave his comfort zone to help others, “even though I have many of the same difficulties in finding housing,” When he returns from Africa Jesse plans on signing up with Peace Corps, to bring humanitarian aid wherever it’s needed. “I consider myself a person with many talents, but my gifts are not to make money with, that’s not what I’m looking for, instead I’m more life oriented and want to make people happy, even though at this moment I’m not sure how”, said Jesse, 20 years old.

In Ruiru, they will work and study in a school that CHI opened in the area with the help of nine Sonoma County students who made the trip last year, in 2016, the first excursion of its kind by this organization founded by Burns.

“Over there many children are homeless because they lost their parents to AIDS or have been abandoned and live in the streets. We have around 150 students at the elementary school, between the ages of 4 and 14,” said Burns.

For more information on educational programs offered by Youth Connections, callHerman G. Hernandez at 707-578-2034. Donations to help send these people to Africa can be made at:

Jesse Ceballos: https://donate.childrenshumanitarian.org/fundraiser/916864 Friends and family, I would love if you could help me raise my share of the cost for the 2017 CHI Summer Abroad trip!

Denise Morales: https://donate.childrenshumanitarian.org/fundraiser/907760 Help me raise my share of the cost for the 2017 CHI Summer Abroad trip!

Isselle Tellez: https://donate.childrenshumanitarian.org/fundraiser/909008 Being raised by a single mother with five sisters I never imagined having an opportunity like this to do my part of humanitarian work. Please help me make it to Kenya this summer!

Translated to English by La Prensa Sonoma Intern, Jessie Velasco.