Ujima

By Emma R. (Dalton Class of ‘07)

Living in a world as privileged as my own, it is really difficult to relate and appreciate a life very unlike the one I’ve known.  I’ve always wanted to be part of a project, which, (as clichéd as it sounds) would make a difference in the world or change people’s lives for the better.  Clearly, being a student, and coming from an advantaged background, I can’t really make that ideal difference alone.  However, joining the collaborative effort of the students, parents, and faculty who make up Ujima has given me the opportunity to actually make a world of a difference for some people.
The students who are chosen for scholarships lead such difficult lives, very different to anything I know.  Many of them are orphans who have lost one or both of their parents to AIDS or other tragedies.  Many have difficult and strenuous commutes to school each day, as well as lots of physical work outside of their academics.  Last year I received a letter from my pen pal in Kenya, Peter.  Although the experiences that these remarkable students have undergone are in some ways incomprehensible to me, I was able to appreciate everything that Ujima had done for him. The simple tone of gratitude and hope in this short letter allowed me to grasp- on maybe a distant level- the life-altering opportunity we had provided Peter, as well as many other students.  Everything Ujima has done for these students will help shape their lives and the futures of those around them.  To be able to make that difference for someone is a feeling of fulfillment that is truly indescribable.