Community in Kenya

Rolling up to the Dandelion Africa headquarters in Nairobi, Kenya, after 32 hours of travel from the U.S., senior civil engineering major Lily Kuebler took in her surroundings. Her driver pulled to the side of the road so they could see zebras up-close, and the grass was greener than she’d ever seen. A well-kept compound surrounded by these gorgeous grasslands would be her home for the next 12 weeks, along with five other UD students. 

“I remember finally setting foot on Dandelion’s property and being like, ‘Wow, we are actually here,’” Kuebler said. .

The semester of online modules and in-person coursework she took before traveling to Kenya could only prepare her so much for the structural projects she and her coworker Andrew Burdick, a junior electrical engineering major, would lead a team of locals to complete. Not only that, but adjusting to the seven-hour time difference and Kenyan culture from a Western perspective brought its own challenges. 

But she was ready.

“The first two weeks were spent in the community Dandelion serves,” explained Kuebler. “The youth programs at the schools, women-led initiatives and backpack nurse sites gave me a much deeper understanding of the communities and people the projects I would be working on were designed to support.”

On the engineering side, Kuebler and Burdick completed three major projects from the design process to construction and full completion. The first was a temporary kitchen to be transformed into a space for workshops for women and children in the community. Next was a permanent kitchen three times as large as the previous temporary one. Finally, they worked on a water table to collect rainwater to bring more access to water in the community. 

Kuebler was incredibly nervous because she had never completed projects to this scale before, but the contractor, John, supported her along the way. 

“He answered questions and guided the process, but let us lead, calling me ‘Boss’ or ‘Engineer Lily,’” she said. “He pushed us out of our comfort zones at times, but he pushed us to be the best we could be.”

The progress in the projects reflected the cross-disciplinary relationships developed throughout her time in Kenya. Through Ethos and UD’s Human Rights department, six UD students were stationed at the Dandelion Institute from pre-med, engineering and teacher education programs. Living in the same building, the students ate breakfast together, went their separate ways to work on their respective projects, before returning to the compound for dinner in the evening. 

“We got to tell each other all about our days — the good, the bad, the fun, the interesting — as we sat at our dining room table,” said Kuebler. 

With no internet much of the time, the group played card games, had lots of conversations to get to know each other and went on long walks to enjoy the land. 

“We came in as strangers, and left as a family,” said Kuebler.

“I wouldn’t have wanted to go through this experience with anyone else.”

Upon returning, Kuebler knows more travel and work abroad is in her future, along with a realized passion for the construction side of engineering. Seeing projects from start to finish and being on the job sites interacting with and helping the people building is a whole new side to the industry she had never experienced before, she said. But ultimately, she is leaving Kenya inspired for her senior year.

“In the work I got to do this summer, I left Kenya with a lot more confidence and joy, and memories and friendships to last a lifetime,” she said.