Michael Frederiksen immigrated to Canada from Denmark in 1951. His career in education spans thirty-five years as teacher and administrator at the elementary, secondary and post secondary levels of education. He has served as chair of Phi Delta Kappa (U of Toronto) and the Toronto chapter of the Royal Commonwealth Society. He has worked on a number of international humanitarian and educational projects in Kenya, India, Pakistan and Grenada . In 2004 Michael was instrumental in founding CES Kenya and presently is it’s President and a member of its board of directors. He is a strong advocate for children with disabilities, particularly those who suffer from polio and HIV/AIDS.
Adversity into Joy
There is a tendency for Canadians to see Africa as a place of recurring tragedy and hopelessness. It is not so. My experience in Kenya tells me a different story. The beauty of its people, the approach to life that values community above personal gain and the vibrant culture of the arts serve to transform adversity into joy and hope.
Kenyan grandmothers – many looking after a dozen or more children orphaned by the HIV/Aids pandemic, somehow find ways to feed, clothe, shelter and love their adopted grandchildren. I have seen youth raising their siblings and teenagers, hustling in the marketplace so that a younger sibling can attend school.
I met a successful business executive in Kakamega who once needed support to pay his secondary school fees. He now sponsors many orphaned youth in their education. I often communicate with a visually impaired teacher from Garissa, NE Province who at age seven ran away from home to live as a street kid in Meru. He now has an earned PhD in Education. He is a strong voice for children marginalized by physical challenges.
I witnessed a CES Canada graduate give back an entire year to her school, volunteering as a mentor and assistant teacher. I know of a number of principals within the CES Family of Schools who have adopted and mentored at-risk youth, providing them with the necessities of life and personally subsidizing their school fees. A close friend who is presently the Patron of CES Kenya, recently retired from a diplomatic posting to Canada. He returned to Kenya to coordinate a humanitarian education project in the area around Kakamega where he was raised as a child.
I have heard the drumbeats on a Sunday morning, their echoes resounding across hills and valleys calling people to worship. I have stood in awe as people danced and sang with an exuberance that would cause any lover of music to be inspired. I have met artisans in Nairobi who through the Undugu Society of Kenya market their stone carvings, baskets and handicrafts to help shelter, rehabilitate and educate street children. There is no end to these incredible stories.
Turning adversity into joy is a rare miracle, seldom seen in these troubled times. In Kenya however, it is a common theme. Kenya has much to teach the world about embracing adversity with joy.
November 2010
