Volunteering Changes Lives and Perspectives - The Summer 2026 Journal

Volunteering Changes Lives and Perspectives – The Summer 2026 Journal

The world is round, but for some it has more edges and corners, that make the road of life everything but smooth. It is a lesson that I learn again and again on each visit in Kenya. Every time in a different way. It is a wake-up call that makes me reflect on how privileged some people are and how others miss their chance because they were born in another place on Earth.

It is also the lesson learned by the seven volunteers that I have had with me this time in Kenya. Together we have achieved amazing things in the two week spent at Madago and Muhaka – over 300 medical check-ups, renovated classrooms and exterior walls, tens of hours of games and plays with the learners, a wi-fi installation, workshops on drug abuse, menstrual health, healthy relationships, one women empowerment workshop for mothers in the community, and many more small acts of kindness for school and community members.

This time I will give the scene to the volunteers who have agreed to open up and share their experiences, as they are the ones who made the magic happen this time.

Corina has been a part of the medical volunteer team, demonstrating determination and valuable medical hands-on expertise from the first second. Here are her thoughts:

“After a medical career that has started and ended in Europe, I have decided to form a small enthusiastic group that offers medical services to children and parents in Kenya. We have put in a lot of energy and empathy. Maybe the help that we have provided is not very big, but I am thinking that a small step forward can mean something to a person and their family.

I was impressed by the calm of the people in Kenya, I have never experienced any quarrel or raised voices. I cannot help asking myself whether this is good or bad. I sometimes had the feeling that the silent acceptance of a precarious life is not good.

However, I have also witnessed the power of small gestures and discussions, which can light a spark and offer an appetite for advancement in one’s life.

I have also met very determined persons – Mercy, a single mother of three, who is constantly fighting to keep her children in school and is explaining to them the importance of education as the only means to lead a better life. Abigail, who has rapidly proven that she is so much more than only our Swahili translator, understanding things very quickly, offering an excellent organization, proving her intelligence and taste for medicine – whom we have decided to support to pursue her medical studies in Romania.

All this in a setting of wonderful nature, the ocean, the beach…

We are eagerly waiting to return to Kenya.”

Camelia is also a member of the medical volunteer team, she is a cardiologist, and has definitely one of the kindest and biggest hearts I have ever met.

“My first trip with the Young Step Kenya association was a truly unique and deeply moving experience. Meeting the children, and especially the child I have been sponsoring for the past year and a half, filled me with overwhelming emotion and even brought me to tears.

This association provides significant benefits to both schools, not only through material support but also by creating a lasting human impact. One of its greatest achievements is the installation of a clean water pump, which also benefits the entire village.

Meeting the local people was equally enriching. They are incredibly kind and welcomed us with great warmth and generosity.

As for the location, Ukunda and Diani Beach are absolutely beautiful, and we had a wonderful stay.

I would gladly return and will continue to support this association, which was founded through Timeea’s determination, kindness, and compassion.”

Abigail is a young inspiring lady who has joined our team as a local volunteer. Without her, most of the things that we have accomplished would have been so much more difficult. She gave us all a lesson on how strong characters can arise in every context.

“The past two weeks have changed me in ways I never expected. Volunteering alongside an incredible team of wonderful doctors and superb youngsters was more than just an opportunity to serve; it was a journey that transformed my heart and my perspective on life. Every patient we met reminded me how blessed I am and how important it is to use our gifts and opportunities to make a difference in the lives of others.

There was something deeply healing about this experience. It felt like home. Seeing children smile after receiving care, watching them leave with hope and happiness, and spending time talking to young people about health, drug abuse, and making positive life choices filled my heart with a sense of purpose that is difficult to put into words. It wasn’t just about treating illnesses; it was about listening, encouraging, educating, and reminding people that they matter.

This experience has reignited a dream I had tucked away. It inspired me to go back to school and pursue medicine because I want to dedicate my life to serving others with compassion, knowledge, and love. As I leave this chapter, I carry with me unforgettable memories, valuable lessons, and a heart that is more grateful, more hopeful, and more determined than ever to give back to society.”

Adela stepped into this journey with curiosity and found so much more than she expected.

“This summer, instead of taking a holiday, I spent two weeks in Kenya volunteering with Young Steps. The experience was beyond words — I met so many bright, talented children who, with just a little support, have a real chance to become someone in life and build a future they’d otherwise never reach. I came home deeply moved, certain that even the smallest act of help can open a door for a child, and grateful to have discovered that Kenya is a strikingly beautiful country whose warm, generous people quietly changed the way I see my own life.”

Mihaela, who is an engineer at her formation, stepped in as a help for her sister, Corina, in the medical room. It was a carousel of emotions:

“Kenya was an emotional battleground. I can perhaps compare it to the experience of a newly qualified doctor facing their first untreatable case, when the idealism built during years of study is suddenly shaken. The need for help is immense, and the hope in people’s eyes for rescue is emotionally draining, especially when you realise that what you are doing may not even amount to a drop in the ocean.

What impressed me most was seeing children’s pure need to be loved, to be seen as unique individuals, and to touch them, even if only with a spark that might inspire them to strive for more and rise above their circumstances. Children reward you with their honesty and innocence, and a smile or even a burst of laughter is all you could wish to receive in return.

Realising that the cost of a single coffee could feed a child for an entire week is painful, and perhaps a valuable lesson for those who complain about their lives back home.

The conclusion is that your entire system of values is turned upside down and then reshaped. You come to realise just how fortunate you are. Kindness and empathy cost nothing, and many more of the fortunate could choose to share them.”