”Jambo” was the greeting in Swahili shared by Operation Smile’s volunteer Christine Stockton as she spoke to the third grade CARE (Children Acting Responsibly Everyday) Kids at Lawrenceville Elementary School (LES.)
Ms. Stockton planned to depart this week to Kisumu, Kenya with a team of medical personnel and three teen volunteers.
Ms. Stockton created Lawrence High School’s Operation Smile chapter in 1993, and it continues to be recognized as the largest student chapter on the East Coast. She has traveled across the globe to the Philippines, Thailand and other developing countries. Ms. Stockton has been traveling to Africa on behalf of Operation Smile for the past 10 years. Kisumu is on Lake Victoria near Uganda. She shared stories about the Maasai Warriors lining the small airstrip upon their arrival to clear it of antelopes and zebras to protect the landing aircraft. Ms. Stockton also spoke about eating local delicacies like fried grubs, popped into your mouth with your fingers like popcorn.
During her visit with the CARE Kids, Ms. Stockton spoke about her volunteer position as Student Education Team Sponsor. While in Kisumu she will work with the patients seeking facial reconstructive surgeries by calming the parents and entertaining their children with small stuffed animals donated by the families of LES. While the Kenyan children are awaiting their medical reviews, they will be wearing patient tags created by the LES students.
As a result of Ms. Stockton’s visit, third graders were able to understand how difficult it is to speak and be understood with cleft lip and palate. She also shared stories about her visits to the schools in the Kisumu area to donate toothbrushes and instruct the local children on proper oral hygiene techniques. A typical weekly Kenyan income is $5.75, and a toothbrush costs $4 in Kenya. Without the donations of toothbrushes secured by LES, children typically brush their teeth using their finger, a soft cloth, or a “chew stick.”
Playing soccer is a favorite activity for children in Kenya, and Ms. Stockton shared that many schools cannot afford a soccer ball for their 800 children. On her past visits she witnessed children playing soccer with plastic garbage bags, wrapped tightly into 8-inch balls with string. When she presented a donated soccer ball to the school’s headmaster, the entire school broke into excited cheers.

