Yesterday a guy named Steve Peifer was honored by CNN for his work to help school kids in Kenya. CNN did this cool awards show for heroes, (and mentioned that we didn't need another award show where people who are pulling in $20,000,000 receive fake gold statues.
Steve and his family moved to Kenya at about the same time that our family left Kenya. He is a college entrance counselor at Rift Valley Academy, (where Byron attended many moons ago.)
On the side, if you like, Steve has figured out how to feed about 11,000 Kenyan school kids one meal every day so that they have the energy to go to school and learn. He also sets up computer labs for them.
I cried as I told Byron about the award but I was mystified by my own tears...
...I think they came from the same place in my heart that is weary of seeing beautiful, famous, outrageously rich people honored for what they do (out of their excess funding) for Africa. (OK, I KNOW it's good they use their celeb power to raise awareness, but I would not classify them as heroes.)
Steve and his wife are normal folks. He gave up a good job in the States and they have planted themselves in the African soil where they make far less and give far more.
I am so happy for them to have received this award.
PS All the recipients of the awards were normal every-day hero-type folk. I also really liked hearing about the Catholic sister who works to rehabilitate girls who were kidnapped by the Lord's Resistance Army in Uganda, and the doctor who gives his time and talent to kids in Ethiopia.
