This post features student writing.

Most nights after work we will wander around the village in hopes to find kids to befriend. One particular night after the welcoming ceremony we walked past one of the Maasai warrior’s homes who immediately recognized us. After a short conversation I took a family picture of their family members with my Polaroid and gave them the picture. The grandfather then proceeded to show us pictures he had taken while visiting a local national park, which were absolutely adorable. I loved being able to give them something that represents a core value for most humans. After taking this picture it was definitely a significant moment for me to watch as the picture slowly appeared and they were able to see all their family members together, but I wasn’t sure if this had the same affect for their family. The next day at school while we were working a young girl came up to me who I vaguely recognized. She introduced herself as Miriam and reached into her pocket to show me the picture I had taken the night before. She had the biggest smile on her face while everyone crowded around her to look at the picture. Knowing that she liked the picture enough to carry it around with her made me so happy. Early in this trip we had discussed that we will all have an impact on this community in Maji Moto but it was up to us if that impact was positive or negative. It took less then five minutes for me to be able to make Miriam smile with the picture, demonstrating how easy it is to have a positive impact no matter how small. Izzy and I based our independent project around this fact by taking school pictures for the 7th grade class at the primary school we are working at.

— Molly O.