'Step into Africa' at South Bank

Hettie, a very passionate young lady who works on World Vision's experiential initiative, 'Step into Africa' shares her thoughts on the exhibit:

By Hettie Colquhoun, World Vision UK

Good Morning – United Kingdom (Hettie, 21 years old)

Second snooze button pressed but I know that it’s time to peel myself out of bed and draw the sleep from my eyes. Thud, as my bare feet step down the oak stairs. Slipping into the kitchen, carefully, jumping over the snoozing Great Dane, if he wakes, the whole house will follow suit.

To the white gleaming sink, clear cold water gushes from the tap. I fumble to open the top of the kettle, that button always jams. I fill it just full enough for one cup. As it boils, I pour myself some muesli, chop half a banana into the mix and let the milk do the rest. Pop - kettle boiled, coffee now in hand. The musky and bitter smell is my call to arms. Ok, I’m smiling now, not usually a morning person but this routine, relaxed and familiar sets me right and ready for a good day ahead.

Dawn Breaks – Sierra Leone (Ayie, 11 years old)

The cockerel crows breaking into dawns’ silence. The flutter and cluck of his harem wake her; the day is cool and light. The dusty earthen floor that makes her bed has left a residue on her skin. Ayie folds her blankets and stores them in the corner. Kindling in hand she stokes the coals that glow like hungry eyes amongst the stove. Smoke wheezing out between the logs, filling her eyes and choking her throat. The goat needs milking and she must set out to fetch water before her father wakes or he will be angry.

She can’t focus today; her mother is due to give birth, her fifth. The last two died before they had even been named. Ayie has overheard the worried whispers of her aunty for her mother’s health. If her newest sibling died, then she would mourn the loss as any sister should, but if her mother should follow? Who would hold her tight when she was ill, who would keep this family safe?

These two mornings seem so many worlds apart, but they happened in unison. These two young women were born with the same human rights, but do not share the same access to them, or opportunities for the future. Their start in life, in each day, remains vastly different.

Wake up and smell the coffee

There are many adverts, pamphlets and billboards bearing down on our consciousness with images of starving children, poor and neglected. So many in fact, that we are in danger of becoming accustomed to them. As if those faces are now part of normalcy? There is nothing, I assure you, normal or natural about poverty...

World Vision leads the way in bringing new and exciting ways to connect with our causes and our supporters. It is vital that we take you on a journey, to feel, hear and see the work we accomplish and why the need is there.

No Hope? No chance

Step into Africa! Come with us on a journey into Sierra Leone, to the home of Ayie, a young girl, living in a country torn apart by war and conflict. Our experiential event in London's South Bank is home to two African huts, taking you through the progress of World Vision’s work.

The first thing I notice as I step into hut number one is how dank and dark it is in this one room that houses a whole family. My eyes struggle to readjust. Around the room are photos of Ayie and her community, a young girl carrying firewood on her back, a pan of dirty water stares up at me forlornly. This is day one.

However, there’s light at the end of the tunnel, quite literally in fact, as I walk between fences connecting me to the second hut. The second one is an example of our positive impact, the transformations of World Vision's ongoing commitment to empowering and facilitating sustainable change. Here comes the good stuff!

Every child deserves a childhood

Wow, now this is a home, safe and welcoming. Rushes blanket the floor, raised beds with mosquito nets draped like princess canopies over each bed. A bounty of clean water and a child’s toys scattered, dropped mid game. The signs of childhood, of real tangible change for a child such as Ayie, her community and a chance at the life we so quickly take for granted.

As I leave the huts, there’s an array of smiling faces; child profiles pegged on lines just waiting for you to choose one that you will take home to your own family. It isn’t just the life of the child you change, it is your own. Child sponsorship is a way to connect and witness the change you make to others, just as I have just witnessed by walking through these huts.

See, feel, hear

A drumming workshop has just begun; children and parents are sat on stumps of wood learning the rhythms and sounds of Sierra Leone.

We also have our I See Hope banners with 3D glasses in the following tent. I’m already planning beading workshops and African dancers to weave amongst the crowd next week. This isn’t about a guilt trip in order to open wallets. World Vision’s 'Step into Africa' experience is about opening hearts and minds by offering new exciting insight into life in developing countries, an education for young and old and of course the chance to not only see, but hear and feel.

Our new 'Step Into Africa' experience kicked off last weekend in London’s South Bank and will run until the end of August from 11am – 7pm. We also have 'I See Hope' events at Brighton’s Big Screen on the beach and around Bristol city centre this month. So hurry on down, don’t miss out and come join in the fun! Real change. Real lives. Real laughter.

Thanks to Hettie for taking the time to share her thoughts with us between two shifts in the huts. We hope you enjoyed reading about what we have created for you to experience. Head over to our Facebook page to join the discussion. Don’t forget, if you are in London, Brighton or Bristol, do come and say hi to us, we would love to chat to you.