Sharon's journey started at the Kuth Awendo Resource Center, a model farm served as a learning hub, where local residents could observe, understand, and adopt methods and results of permaculture. The project also partnered with 10 schools in the area, planting hundreds of trees and teaching students how to care for them while raising environmental awareness.

She spent 2 months in a village in Kenya while conducting interviews for her thesis. After hearing so many stories and learning so many lessons, she has two big words of thanks to dedicate: first, to the project itself and those who made it possible:

"Before being there in person, I didn’t fully grasp its actual impact. I knew I would be planting trees, but I had no idea how important it truly was. The irregularity of rainfall, alternating between deadly droughts and violent floods, makes it impossible to predict or adapt—whether for planting crops or seeking shelter. The lack of water leads to insufficient food, destroyed homes, no harvest to sell, no roads, no work, and therefore no resources, money, medicine, or schooling. It results in stress, suffering, and conflict."

That's when a profound awareness came up: "Before this experience, I considered environmental sustainability a priority, but only now do I truly see its urgency. I believe this is true everywhere, and that “planting a tree” can serve as a metaphor for any small gesture we can make, no matter how small, because it matters. I am grateful and happy for the countless lessons I’ve learned during this short but intense period—first and foremost, on a human level, but also about specific situations and problems, about what can be done, and ultimately, that everything counts."

For the second bis words of thank you, Sharon's wants to give it to Kenya itself and its people.

"A thank-you to my amazing groupmates and the countless inside jokes that make us seem crazy to outsiders; a thank-you to our coordinators and the local volunteers who guided us and immersed us in the pure essence of Kenya; a thank-you to the staff who made us feel at home and to the community that welcomed us with such unique warmth—I can’t even count the karibu and smiles we received.

A thank-you to the children, because there’s nothing more pure and spontaneous, and their genuine love overwhelms me! A thank-you to my loved ones back home who always support me and give me courage for every journey. Lastly, a thank-you to this wonderful land, its landscapes, and its animals! The world is (also) filled with so much beauty and love, and I am so very grateful."

The Echav project is supported by the ESC HumAid programme.

Written by

Matilde Comparini,

Italian volunteer '24/'25