AU students studying abroad in Nairobi, Kenya this semester are volunteering with relief efforts to help the 250,000 Kenyans displaced by recent violence following elections in December.
The contested results of last month's elections in the country led to widespread violence, leaving 685 dead as of Tuesday, according to CNN.com.
Soon after their Jan. 10 arrival, the students started volunteering at displacement sites, distributing food, clothing and blankets, aiding in logistics and playing with children.
Students who studied in Nairobi last semester left old clothes and shoes for a local orphanage, but this semester's students donated the clothes to displacement sites instead, said Liz Wallis, a junior in the School of International Service, who is studying in Kenya both semesters this year.
Kenyans living in the displacement camps are very positive, Rachel Voss, a sophomore in SIS and the College of Arts and Sciences, said in an e-mail.
"The kids just want to play, and the adults like to be able to meet new people," she said.
The camps have plenty of food and clothes donated by the Red Cross and people all over Kenya, according to Voss. Radio DJs are constantly calling on Kenyans to donate, she said.
"The fact that they're making donations really shows that this country isn't falling toward civil war," Voss said.
Working at the refugee camps has been rewarding, Molly Canty, a sophomore in the School of Public Affairs, said in an e-mail. Canty said she especially liked playing with children.
"One of their favorite American games that we taught them was Simon Says, which the kids went crazy for," she said.
Although opposition rallies are losing steam, tensions are still high, Voss said.
Several students expressed frustration at continued restrictions on their movement, as they have not taken public transportation. Voss told one Kenyan she wanted to see Kenya get back to normal.
"[He] pointed out that Kenyans had had their government stolen away from them, and that they were mature enough to choose a new leader if that's what they wanted," she said.
Kenyans do not complain when faced with difficult situations, Amanda Parker, a junior in SIS, said in an e-mail.
"I worked at a refugee camp yesterday, and I saw no crying, no fighting, no anger whatsoever," she said. "When you ask people how they are, they say 'Fine. It's a sad thing that happened to us, but we'll get by.'"
Several students said the violence has affected many people they met, including a woman who runs a nursery school for orphans who was chased out of her home in Kibera.
"She shared with us how she had to flee her home and how she is sure peace and calm will prevail in the coming weeks," said Kelly Jo Bahry, resident director for AU Abroad's Kenya program.
