Last month, six student mentees joined seven A²MEND board members on an extraordinary trip to East Africa as part of the organization’s Africa Study Abroad Program. A²MEND’s excursion program enables board members to escort student mentees to Africa each summer to connect them with their ancestral homeland. For this year’s trip, the student mentees traveled to the African countries of Kenya and Tanzania.
While in Nairobi, the A²MEND students and mentors visited Nairobi National Park, where they experienced a safari to enjoy an up-close look at African wildlife in their natural habitat. They also toured the Nairobi National Museum that showcases Kenya’s rich history of art and culture.
In Mombasa, the A²MEND group visited the Fort Jesus Museum nestled along the coastline near the Old Town. The museum displays various artifacts from the era where Mombasa served as a transit point for the slave trade and commodities. Also in Mombasa, the group spent time at the Maasai Market, an open-air market that sells colorful artwork, goods and food.
The A²MEND group additionally spent time at Swahili Beach, where they learned about Africa’s coastal marine life and observed archaeological artifacts from the Indian Ocean. They also rode camels along the coastline and participated in mental health practices, like sound healing and yoga, during their morning visits to east African beaches.