Christelle's testimony
"Instead of being ambitious for one of the world's largest companies, I decided to be ambitious for the children and the needy. This is when I heard about ConnectSwiss and Community Outreach Centres and met with one of the Area Managers in January 2008.

"We decided to wait a few more months, until the post-election violence cooled down, and on June 21st 2008 I landed in Kisumu, Western Province.

"The Area manager involved me in all projects and kept me in the loop at all times. The projects related to kids motivated me the most and I enjoyed helping the pre-primary teacher or managing the health days in almost all schools of the location. Distributing mosquito nets, handing out desks in primary schools, having dozens of questions after an information forum, just to name a few, were also very satisfying times.

"The local community needs all the help it can get and it is the most fulfilling experience to see happy people, grateful for all the things the NGO does for them.

"Kenyans are very positive people, always happy even if life isn’t as easy for them as it is for us. They also are extremely welcoming and generous; I immediately felt comfortable around them and have made some very good friends.

"These five months were the most rewarding of my life; every day was a discovery and I felt emotions I had never felt before, or at least not as strong as what one feels in our normal home environment. I have learned so much and met so many incredible individuals – I can only encourage people to go through this wonderful journey."

- Christelle, Aubonne, Switzerland