Welcome Home: My Cisco Time2Give Volunteer Journey in Kenya

[ad_1] [Includes Video] Learn on for Chris’s story, then keep tuned for a video behind the scenes of his most up-to-date Kenya journey on the finish of this publish.

I by no means thought I’d find yourself portray a pc lab in rural Western Kenya for work — till Cisco made it attainable.

I’ve been within the Cisco orbit for many of my profession — as a buyer, companion and even competitor. After becoming a member of as an worker, one of many greatest surprises was discovering a number of the wonderful applications that empower staff to offer again. One profit, Time2Give, modified every thing. It’s 80 hours of paid time without work annually to volunteer with causes that matter to us, along with our common paid time without work. My staff didn’t simply enable me to make use of these hours — they actively supported and inspired me to take the time.

Consequently, I discovered myself over 7000 miles from dwelling on the Wema Academy, a rural faculty close to Bungoma, Kenya. With 500-plus college students, Wema’s mission is to coach, feed, and empower kids from the neighborhood. A nonprofit group referred to as Engineers With out Borders (EWB) had already been supporting clear water and renewable power initiatives on the campus for a number of years. As an current member of EWB since grad faculty, I had solely helped handle initiatives remotely and by no means thought I’d have the possibility to be a part of a journey staff. When the chance got here, I didn’t hesitate.

The First Journey — “Welcome House” After I arrived in Kenya, the college administrators greeted me with two phrases I’ll always remember: “Welcome dwelling.” As an African American who had by no means set foot on the continent of Africa, these phrases hit deeply. It wasn’t simply hospitality — it was belonging.

That journey was uncooked, difficult, and unbelievable. Whereas I used to be the one Cisco volunteer that yr, I had the privilege of working alongside skilled civil and environmental engineers. My challenge? To rebuild Wema’s Info and Communications Know-how (ICT) facility — what most of us simply name a pc lab.

Besides the “pc lab” turned out to be a big gritty room with solely three desktops that have been over a decade previous, had no connection to the Web, and have been filled with sufficient mud to create a small desert. Earlier than I might even begin to consider bringing in new know-how, I spotted we must intestine the complete room. With a bit of assist from workers and some college students, we patched cracks within the flooring, sealed water leaks within the roof, repaired damaged benches, and put a recent coat of paint on the partitions and desks. Lastly, I used to be in a position to arrange the seven donated laptops that my staff painstakingly helped get by quite a few checkpoints inside backpacks.

The scholars’ curiosity made each minute price it. Rising up, a lot of what I noticed in media portrayed African children as hungry or in want. Nonetheless, these college students weren’t in want of meals — they have been hungry for data. They wished to study computer systems, discover careers in tech, and perceive the world past their village. Each time I attempted to wrap up work for the day, they’d beg, “Can we've got pc class tomorrow?”

And regardless of how drained I used to be, I all the time mentioned sure.

The Return — Turning One Mission right into a Motion Once we left in 2023, the college administrators mentioned, “Come again — and subsequent time convey extra associates from Cisco.”

Whereas I had no concrete plan but, I promised to make it occur.

In 2025, we delivered on that promise. With the great help of EWB, Cisco Kenya, and Cisco’s Inclusive Communities — Related Black Professionals and Conexión — we returned to develop the affect. As a staff, we improved the getting old clear water system, expanded the photo voltaic system to energy the complete campus, added new computer systems for distant studying lessons, and flooded the darkish schoolyards with automated lighting so the women can stroll safely to the dorms at night time.

Belief me, it wasn’t straightforward. Between political protests, sluggish provide chains, and loads of “make-do” moments, we discovered to improvise, adapt, and snicker by all of it. However someplace between energy outages, portray classes, and late-night campus walks, we constructed greater than infrastructure — we constructed relationships.

Classes From Wema What struck me most wasn’t what they lacked, however what they've: optimism, resilience, and pleasure. These college students don’t have telephones or quick Wi-Fi, however they've immense drive. Each handshake, each smile mentioned, “We’re able to be taught. Simply give us the possibility.” It makes you rethink what your “issues” actually are. In my nation, children will complain about not having the most recent thousand-dollar iPhone. In rural Kenya, children are comfortable simply to have the possibility to be taught, join, and dream past their village.

Past these profound classes, Kenya provided one other unforgettable expertise: a bunch safari to Maasai Mara Nationwide Reserve on the finish of our journey. Watching giraffes, elephants, and lions roam free within the savannah whereas I used to be protected in my cage (aka Land Rover) was surreal. Kenya actually flips your sense of the world in all the appropriate methods.

The Street Forward We’re not accomplished. In 2026, I plan to launch a mentorship program that pairs skilled Cisco staff with senior college students at Wema through Webex. As well as, I wish to preserve the momentum alive by bringing extra Cisco teammates to Kenya and different communities that EWB serves in Africa and Latin America.