Regis University
Honorable News Volume 7, Issue 3
Greetings From Africa! —Kellynn Gates, Class of 2009
2-3-2012
“I learn as much about my community as possible, so when I start projects they will keep going long after I am gone.”
Inside this issue: Fair Winter Winds
2
Justice: We’ll Know It When We See It
3
Director’s Note
3
Announcements 4
Above: Dan and Kellynn make Neem Cream
As my Regis education drew to a close, I decided to do a couple of crazy things. First, I got married. Then we joined the Peace Corps in Burkina Faso, West Africa. The Peace Corps prides itself on promoting sustainable development throughout the world. I work as a DABA (Developing Aptitudes in Business and Agriculture) volunteer, trying to help my association and community earn a living wage in both environmentally and economically sustainable ways. I have only been in country for 100 days, so my pri-
mary goals are to learn Moore, the local language, and to get to know my community. This beginning phase of service, known as the Etude de Milue, makes Peace Corps the amazing organization it is. I learn as much about my community as possible, so when I start projects they will keep going long after I am gone. I am already planning to do some things, like make Neem Cream with my women’s group, but other things will take lots of planning and community participation, like starting a library with Moore books. My time at Regis taught
me to serve, to be a member of a global community committed to doing all we can to make life better for everyone. I hope that is what I will achieve here. But right now I spend my days being humbled by the incredible community of people around me. The Burkinabe welcomed us with open arms, teaching us how to strap 20 liter bottles on our bikes, as well as how and where to buy food. Through it all, we both listen carefully and reach across language barriers. In the fields of America, the engine keeps agriculture going, but here the heart is the engine, and we’re blessed to be surrounded by such hardworking people. We struggle to properly frappe a single bowl of shea butter while the women beside us produce twice as much. I learn so much every day, and I am so thankful to the people of this country for helping me learn. I’ll keep you posted on my progress. In the meantime… Good luck in your classes and with your theses and defenses!