Cindi Brown dropped out of corporate America, sold her possessions and began a heartbreaking and exhilarating adventure of volunteering in Africa as marketing adviser to TICH, a college in
Kisumu, Kenya, on Lake Victoria's shore. The reader will experience daily life in Kisumu as well as travel to the coast on the railroad built by British colonizers. Travel, also, to Ethiopia
and learn about landmines that kill and maim. Take a road trip to the Congo as the author drives solo through Rwanda. The author, new to international development, learns as she goes,
attempting to assimilate into a culture where she can never blend in. She learns about poverty's effects on people, sees how illness is often a death sentence for those living in poverty, and
explores the effectiveness of aid in making a real difference in the lives of Africans. The author's philosophy evolves as she meets people who have various motives for talking to, or
befriending, her. She must consider her personal safety as crime escalates throughout Kenya, a byproduct of the uneven distribution of resources. As she works with her colleagues, learning
about community research and health issues, she struggles to connect all the pieces; people in extreme need, a college dedicated to lifting Kenya out of poverty, middle class colleagues who are
doing well but are locked within this system of limited opportunities for everyone, a government that's disconnected from the true needs of its citizenry, aid organizations of all types working
towards different ends and often at cross-purposes, westerners who prey sexually on the poor and vulnerable, the powerless position of many women in society, and the promise of children who
lack proper stimulation through education. And yet, with all the negatives, the author, and ultimately the reader, is amazed at the hope found in the people.
