Field Trip to the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi

This week, we organized a field trip to the U.S. Embassy in Nairobi for 14 of the high school students sponsored by the Children of Kibera Foundation. All of the students were so excited about the field trip, and they were ready to go at 11a.m. neatly dressed in their school uniforms. After passing several security checks, the students followed our guide to the interior of the U.S. Embassy.

The main purpose of our visit was to introduce the students to the library, which contains useful resources for both Kenyans and Americans. The library is free and open for public use. There is information on how to apply for entrance to American unversities, as well as how to study for standardised tests such as the ACT or the SAT. The library also contains resources that are found nowhere else in the country. For example, the book titled It's Our Turn to Eat is currently banned in the Kenya, but the U.S. embassy holds a copy that is there at all times. The students learned about electronic journal resources such as JSTOR and PROQUEST as well as educational videos that are available to watch on site at the library. Finally, the U.S. Embassy staff informed the students how to become a member of the library and how to check out materials. Overall, our visit was peaceful and informative, and the students were amused with their first-hand experience of American security measures.