A ripple of good will in Africa

When Kevin Oakley saw the one-sentence blurb in his e-mail inbox, he knew he had to go — but he didn’t know why.

A student-run organization, One Heart Source, was seeking volunteers to work in the heart of Africa for about five weeks.

Oakley, a Huntington Beach native who attends USC, knew his mind was made up the second he saw the request.

“As soon as I read it, for some reason I just knew that was what I was going to do this summer,” he said.

He contacted the organization, sent in his application and attended a few interviews.

“The next thing I knew, I was on my way to Africa,” he said.

Oakley raised funds from family and friends; his parents gave him frequent flier miles to cover his airfare.

Although they were nervous, Oakley said he felt no fear.

“The whole time, I was just ready to go,” he said. “I’ve always wanted to go to Africa. I guess maybe I should have been scared. I don’t know if I was just naive or what.”

Oakley spent the majority of his trip in Mateves, Tanzania, a tiny village near the city of Arusha.

Some of the organization’s founders had worked there previously with another group, and felt that there was still more work to do.

Oakley and about 40 other students lived seven to a room in mud and dung huts.

The volunteers charged their mobile phones, laptops and iPods with solar panels.

After performing tasks like digging holes for chicken coop poles and pouring concrete for the foundation of a planned orphanage, Oakley taught the kids of the village, and got to know the street kids of Arusha.

The relationships he built were bittersweet; when he came home, he frequently thought about his friends in Tanzania, who were lucky to get one square meal a day.

“It was harder to readjust to coming back than to going there,” Oakley said. “I really recognized how easy everything comes here. Flip a switch and you have light, or a hot shower.”

Since coming back, Oakley has switched from a pre-med focus to majoring in international relations.

“I realized that being a doctor, you can only touch one person at a time,” he said. “In international relations or public policy, you have a broader base to build greater change.”

He also serves as One Heart Source’s USC campus coordinator.

Oakley feels he brought two key realizations home with him.

“I definitely realized that no matter where you are in the world, everyone’s experience is the same,” he said. “Everyone laughs and cries, or plays, or protects self and others.”

He also learned that there will always be need, no matter how much he does as an individual.

“You could spend your entire life helping people, but it’s just going to be a ripple,” he said. “But if everyone creates a ripple, you’ll have a tidal wave of good will.”

Oakley is eager to teach his fellow Southern Californians about how good they have it.

“The biggest thing people should grasp is that our fortune is just a matter of chance, and almost geography,” he said. “There are millions of people starving, and they didn’t ask to be in that condition, or make a mistake.”

He also hopes to help people get more involved in the world.

“The hardest step is the first one,” Oakley said. “Once you get the wheels turning, everything is just going to come so naturally. If you can make that initial push, then the wheels will be in motion to continue. If someone has any inkling that they want to do something beyond themselves, they need to just go for it. The biggest risks bring the biggest rewards.”

For more information on the program, visit oneheartsource.org.

ON THE TRAIL

The following are excerpts from Kevin Oakley’s journal.

July 19: Stonestown, Zanzibar

After my first full day in Africa, I am in love. This country is beautiful, the people are the most friendly people I’ve met, and the culture is so unique. Despite poverty, they all have smiles on their faces.

July 20: Stonestown, Zanzibar

I love not having access to my phone or computer. It is a true escape. An escape to enjoy life and discover the subtle ways life differs across the globe.

July 30: Mateves, Tanzania

I haven’t slept for over 24 hours. I was up all night, voluntarily; laying slabs of concrete in one of the mud huts we are living in.

Aug. 2: Mateves, Tanzania

I taught yesterday. It was one of the most rewarding things I have ever done. Instilling knowledge and injecting truth into the children is the greatest high one can ever hope to experience.  

Aug. 20: Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania

After this past week, I know I can make a difference and make an impact on this country. I have lots of ideas for the future already; I just hope I can deliver.