Back in 2013, I met a South African at
The Nest where I volunteer. In one of
our conversations she mentioned that she is part of an organisation called SAWA
(South African Women’s Association)and they get together on the last Thursday
of each month and that I was welcome to join the next coffee morning. At this point I had only been in Kenya for 6
months and I was still struggling to find a friend base, people to hang out
with and I really hoped that I would be accepted, as I was Australian, into
their association and prayed even more that they liked me and I liked
them. I was really missing my friends
back in Australia and I saw this as a great opportunity to
finally get myself out of my apartment and back into the land of the
living. The following day I received an
email from one of the committee members welcoming me and inviting me to their
next meeting which, at the time, I thought was a pretty big deal as the group
is predominantly South African and they try and maintain an 80/20 ratio mix of
international members. As fate would
have it, they DID like me, and I actually liked them and 2 years on I have made
some WONDERFUL friends through SAWA. I
joined as a member after the first coffee morning and pretty much went to each
end of month coffee morning from that time on.
Like any association, there is a new
committee that is nominated and voted on at a yearly AGM, held in the January. As we are in an expat community, there are committee
members that come and go, as their contracts are finished and they leave to
head to new contract locations or back to their homelands and this committee is
no different. SAWA has been lucky that
it has had a great run of a stable committee the last 3 years, but as time
ticks on, the contracts are coming to an end and a new blood, a new generation
is about to embark, to carry SAWA forward and keep achieving amazing results
for the local Kenyan community for 2015.
This is where the token Australian comes in. I was asked if I would be interested in
joining the committee on the charity side of things and I didn’t really have to
think about it, and I said yes. For me
it was an opportunity to meet new people, get to see more of my local community
and to also feel like I have more of a purpose here in Kenya and also in my own
life. It sounds quite deep, but when you
are helping people that are not as lucky as you, it kind of grounds you, it gives
you an appreciation for your own life and also an insight into Kenyans lives as
well. As like most 2nd world
countries, there are a lot of people, with a lot of good ideas and they just
lack the financial backing to turn these ideas into a reality. Whether it be a small business setup that
will be self-sustaining or desks for a school.
This is where SAWA comes in and I am hoping that 2015, under a new
leadership, we will be able to sustain the previous committee and who knows, may
even be able to do better. The last committee
has left very big shoes to fill and from my own perspective I want to
personally thank the outgoing committee for leaving us a well-oiled machine,
with policies, procedures and want for a better word, a productive ‘business’
and I hope that myself and the new committee will do you proud.
So what is SAWA?
SAWA is a non-profit organization
of women who volunteer their time, energy and love in order to give back to the
communities of their host nation. As a group of mixed Nationalities
predominantly South African, they understand the challenges and opportunities
facing women living their life as an expatriate and they try provide the
necessary assistance and support to help newcomers settle into Kenya. They
are also committed to improving the lives of their members, and their
families, by way of various networking and socializing events. They have a dedicated committee who work
tirelessly to create successful fundraising events which enable them to help
the various charities we support. There
are 2 big fundraisers a year, 2 big families days along with other various
social events throughout the year plus the monthly meet ups as well. Knowing what I felt like when I was a newbie
in Kenya, not knowing anyone, these kind of support groups, just for the social
side is a great concept and the great thing with this particular association is
that they also help the local community as well. I like that. It would be great if there was
an Australian equivalent, I have heard rumours that one has just restarted up, ANZA
(Australian and New Zealand Association) so I am trying to find out more
information on that. In the two years I
have been here I can count on one hand how many Australians I have met and would
be great to meet a few more if ANZA can get itself back on the scene again.
Every year the newly appointed committee
selects three main charities that we will support and specific tangible goals
are set for each. The charity coordinators then work hand in hand with the
teams to achieve these goals. With the
start of any new year, we are having a lot of meetings, a lot of site visits to
prospective new charities, the finding of feet for the ‘newbies’ (myself
included) committee members, and getting our first fundraiser for the year
planned and organised, the social calendar for the whole year detailed to name
some of the BIG things. There are also
ongoing commitments from the previous year’s charities, completing their final
projects and getting everything signed off.
Joining a committee is a lot of hard work, rewarding, but a lot of time
and effort is involved and if you know someone on a committee, of any kind,
just remember there is a lot of things that go on in the background and all the
people are volunteering their time, for free.
So I am very excited to be part of this
dynamic, diverse and amazing association, working with cool people and
extending my friendship and expanding my friend base with new people. SAWA welcomes an Australian into their group
and I am very thankful.
xx
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