On April 7, 2013, Carlie Masterson facilitated an effort to raise awareness and funds for 16 orphaned children living in Kenya who have the dream of gaining an education. Through her contacts at Dream Sponsors, Inc. and with the help of UPAC funding, she and the rest of the Rotaract Club were able to welcome Mr. Fiston Kahindo to Penn State.
The day started off at noon with the first ever Dream Sponsors Dance Off in which three campus dance troupes competed for the title of champion.
Penn State Dance Alliance
Peace Love Lyrical Dance Company
And the Penn State Belly Dance Club
After all of the routines, the audience members were asked to put their ticket stub into the container of the group they liked best. While the votes were tallied, the viewers were shown a video of the children Dream Sponsors supports. The children clapped, danced, and chanted a poem of thanks with the message of gratitude for the opportunity to learn and be emotionally and financially supported.
And the winner (separated from second place by 1 vote!) was…. The Penn State Belly Dance Club!
Later that evening, Mr. Fiston Kahindo presented the story of his upbringing in 112 Kern Building. His story included justification of his heavy nondescript accent; he was put in a position to speak more than 5 different languages before the age of ten including French, Swahili, English and various local dialects of each. This was a result of his imminent need to flee the Congo (his home country) after the government poisoned his father, a prominent surgeon who supported the destruction of governmental oppression. His mother died soon which left he and his brother the option to leave their home and walk across the Democratic Republic of Congo through Uganda to Nairobi in Kenya. Any other mode of transportation would be riskier than facing the wildlife of the jungle and surviving off of nuts and fruits found along the way.
Once he and his brother arrived in Nairobi, they were shipped off to a refugee camp that was not conducive to healthy child development. Managing to find a way to live in the city, Fiston began the process of trying to get to France or the US to find safety and education. He began a grueling process of acquiring the proper documents and found that his friends supporting his quest were his biggest help.
After a lot of stress, he made it to the United States and studied on full scholarship all the way through his Master’s degree. His mission now is to provide orphaned children in desperate situations in Africa the means to become educated. One of the ways he ensures this is through teaming up with Carla Neumann, the President of the Board of Directors for Dream Sponsors, Inc. He works to share his story and serves as Vice President of Dream Sponsors.
After an incredible day, the Penn State Rotaract Club owes a huge thank you to Carlie for planning this event and working hard to ensure that the dreams of 16 Kenyan children can come true.