CAS Essay

Throughout my CAS, I have been working with Excellent School in the Mathare slums. I started this year by consolidating my service and creativity projects to both involve Excellent. I made a web page and it was actually a huge challenge! After producing the webpage it is so much easier to refer interested parties to the page to learn more about the school. So many things have happened over the years and I learned to be more structured, to plan, promote and market as well as balancing the account. To apply for money from various organizations and companies was also a new task, and difficult. I developed a strategy of trying to be smart about it, and formulate all the applications in a way that would appeal to the exact company/organization I was applying from. I was disappointed, occasionally, that I did not receive funds, but I grew into knowing that this is what happens mostly, which made me become more appreciative of the funds we already have. My leadership skills has developed a lot, and it is rewarding to know that everyone I involved in the school always ask for my advice. I also had to organize help when the mud slide and flash flood caused a lot of damage. To call and mail everyone I knew and collect blankets and other necessities was a challenge to overcome in a short time. It was also a new experience for me, and I had to put my regular CAS work aside to really focus on this task.The most rewarding thing with this project, is still the opportunity to meet the students. The lower graders who always wanted to hug me and follow me around wherever I went, to discussing with the 8th graders who are a lot like me, but with entirely different problems. To listen to the teachers and headmasters struggles was also a learning experience. My social network project was not very successful. I did get some money, but not nearly as much as I expected because the website was not well known. From this I learned that I have to be extremely active to make a difference.For me, my work with Excellent is a life changing project, and I'm going to continue for as long as possible. My goals has changed over the period as well as my dedication and engagement in the school. My work have been so much better that anticipated and that has fueled my determination to continue my work with Excellent School. Hopefully I can raise international awareness next year while in University. 

I reached my goal early in my action project, but I learned to love Taekwondo, finding it a perfect way to get all my aggressions out and keep fit. I discovered that I'm more comfortable  with a “notn team” sport. MMA is another sport I learned about through Taekwondo. It is terrific for stamina, technique and power. I'm sure I'm going to continue with both MMA and Taekwondo. They are both styles of fighting that really appeal to me and suits me well!

My work with the Swedish society taught me to be more sociable and to always be accessible and agree when they need help. I got to do a lot of creative things, like invitations and project reports. The biggest reward with this job was to learn that as long as you meet new people and tell them about your CAS, new opportunities will open up. I got many ideas for my other CAS projects from interested Swedes and I got a stronger connection with my community. 

The photo books for the babies in the Nest was another successful project. I produced two books of the babies and their home, friends and surroundings in their first year of their lives in Nairobi. The children I chose were adopted, and through my work with the Swedish society, I was able to make contact with the adoptive parents and hand over the books. This project lasted about 6 months but also made me help the Nest with laundry and feeding and playing with the children. I did encounter one big difficulty: The babies I chose to photograph were adopted before I was done with my books. I solved this by photographing all the kids, and finally make books for the ones I had contact with the adoptive parents of.

I believe that the different activities I participated in for CAS really has helped me develop as a person in a positive way. My service in the slums made me realize that there are many fantastic and positive communities in Kenya, quite different from the dangerous images often portrayed in the media. I am grateful for the insight and experiences that the CAS program has enabled me to experience.