My message to you is that there is something to learn from everyone. Most of us have something to eat and we have opportunity; we have clothes, we have housing. We don’t deal with the famine and problems that may be somewhere in India or in Africa and these places.

But let’s flip it. When I go to Africa or India, I see a joy that we don’t understand. Just family, love and spirituality are important. They don’t have any of the modern things that we have every day that we take for granted. They don’t have it! But they were happier than we are.

I think it is a wonderful thing to share some of the things that we have and we take for granted. But also we should find a way to share their joy back to us because then I think we would learn more from what they have than they could learn from what we could give.

West Pokot district in Kenya, where I come from is an arid and semi-arid district, which is inhabited by Nomadic Pastoralists. The district is marginalized, poor and underdeveloped in terms of development, education and national resources. Poverty and illiteracy levels among the community members is estimated to be over 70% and 85% of the total population respectively.

Education is the greatest challenge facing the Pokot people. Education is the greatest tool that will free the community from the bondage of gender development, poverty and illiteracy. Children face the greatest challenge as far as suffering and neglects is concerned. During my career and international exposure, I realized that I should do something to help my people in Kenya, and that is the idea of establishing the "TEGLA LOROUPE ACADEMY" which will be managed through Tegla Loroupe Peace Foundation (TLPF).

http://www.teglaloroupepeacefound.org

Tegla Loroupe