Blessed to be a blessing

A couple of months ago I heard about an organisation called Bristol International Student Centre (BISC). They were looking for volunteers to welcome new international students to the city and to take them to their new accommodation.

My pointy little ears pricked up. After spending a good chunk of my gap year in Italy, I knew how it felt to arrive in a new country not knowing anyone. I've also spent most of my life relying on lifts as I didn't own a car until earlier this year.

This was the perfect opportunity to ‘pay it forward’. I turned up for my first collection assignment to find three people eagerly waiting, each boasting several large suitcases. Now me and Ulrika (my trusty Ford KA) were a little unprepared for this.

In the end I took two slightly squished Malaysian lads. Baggage was jammed into every crevice, with large cases resting on laps and all manner of things obstructing my gear stick and handbrake.

Fortunately, I've always had something of a cavalier attitude to driving and we managed to find both sets of accommodation (yes, doubters, my sense of direction is better than you think).

I ended up doing several trips, mainly with students from Asia. I even did a couple of house viewings with two Chinese girls who had turned up without booking any accommodation. BISC had kindly put them up with a family for a week, but they desperately needed to find somewhere proper to live.

I'm pleased to report that everyone survived my kamikaze driving, and it was such as blessing to get to know some of these students, who were getting their first taste of English life. Suffice to say my tour guide skills need a bit of work, but I did know where a large Chinese supermarket was, so that earned me a few brownie points!

I was a little sad dropping the last two students to their digs, but fortunately the adventure wasn't over. Another part of BISC’s work is providing meals for internationals at the beginning of term. The first meal is free, and every subsequent meal is just £2, which doesn't even cover costs.

Despite working full time, the guy who ran the kitchen, Charl, had worked every night for ten nights by the time my meal assignment came round. I was really moved by his and his wife’s (BISC coordinator Jacqueline’s) amazing dedication and enthusiasm, which was also displayed beautifully by Jacqueline’s second-in-command, Ruth. They really did work tirelessly to meet the students’ every need.

A team of volunteers had assembled by the time I’d moved Ulrika from her slightly illegal parking spot. Everyone had a dish to make and mine was veggie pasta. It was hard not to compare my progress to everyone else’s (very slow, apparently) and I suddenly wished hadn't relinquished the household’s cooking duties over to my brother in favour of washing up when I moved in with him and his wife earlier this year.

But the dish finally came together, and I think we served about 50 students in all. The food seemed to go down well and it was lovely to see the students getting to know each other over steaming apple pie and custard.

And my washing up skills weren't wasted! Catering for 50 people creates a fair few dishes, so we cracked on with that.

I was even pleasantly surprised to find that one of my fellow washer uppers was a boy who had been in my year at school. I had the privilege of meeting his wife and catching up on what he’d been up to in the (too many to mention) years since we left.

What BISC is doing reminds me of what Christ did during his earthly ministry. He spent time with people, he fed people and he met their needs. He didn't discriminate or turn people away – and his capacity for love was contagious.

I'm sure there is an organisation like BISC where you live. I would encourage you to find out and get involved! It’ll bless you just as much as it blesses the people you are serving.

Read more from Joy in the new issue of Liberti - out now!

Compassion offers Maasai girls a better future

The Maasai tribe is one of the most recognisable tribes in the world, but many of the cultural practices carried out by the group continue to suppress women and even endanger their lives.

Through a network of local churches in Kenya, child development charity Compassion is challenging many of these damaging traditions and offering young girls from the Maasai tribes an opportunity to fulfil their potential.

One of the practices Compassion Kenya is seeking to change is that of childhood marriage. In Kenya, an estimated 42% of girls are married before their 18th birthday. This has a severely detrimental impact on their education, social and emotional development and their health, with pregnancy being the leading cause of death for girls aged 15 to 18 in the developing world.

Another dangerous custom perpetuated in many tribes is that of female genital mutilation. In Kenya alone, 49% of women are victims of this form of mutilation and the practice is highly prevalent in the Maasai tribe.

Pauline Shonk is a 16-year-old sponsored child who will not face early marriage thanks to her participation in a Compassion project. "I want to shape my future so that I can be of help to myself and others. I want to be a doctor," she explains.

Thanks to the support of her Compassion sponsor, Pauline attends the prestigious Ewaso Najile Girls School, a girls' secondary boarding school that is approximately 70km from Nairobi. Of the 267 students, 21 are Compassion-sponsored girls.

"Other girls [who are not in school] look much older than me," continues Pauline. "They are married and have children at a young age and they face many hardships at home.”

"Illiteracy and lack of exposure has dragged us behind. We have many bright girls who can compete with anyone," says Isaac Teeka, a history teacher at the Ewaso Najile Girls School. "This opportunity to be in school offers them that chance."

By working through local churches who understand local traditions, Compassion can reach out to those who are in greatest need effectively and with sensitivity. It often takes many, many years to see change, which is why the local church is the best vehicle for long-term development.

The landscape of rural Kenya is undoubtedly changing and with a generation of educated and confident young women, it will be better prepared for the future.

Find out how you can support these and other women across the globe by visiting Compassion. And don't forget to mark the United Nation's International Day of the Girl Child on October 11!

Read more about female liberation and empowerment in the upcoming issue of Liberti magazine.