Cooperation and Transformation: Learnings from Maisha

Kenya is a wonderful and very special country. Its culture, its people, its landscapes and colors create a reality that is difficult to describe in words, but experiencing and learning from it, even for a time, becomes a profound reason for gratitude for the opportunity to be here.

Since I first encountered Maisha, I knew that the work of the Foundation deeply resonated with me. Accompanying young women in such a special and sensitive moment as pregnancy, contributing to ensure that their children can be born under dignified conditions, and providing them with tools for their future became a clear objective in both my personal and professional journey. Added to this is a wide network of people moved by the same purpose, who become a second family and make the field experience truly unique.

My first experience with Maisha was in 2022, as a volunteer in a combination of the Sexuality and Affectivity Education Program and the Health Program. Those months left a deep mark: daily life alongside young mothers was as challenging as it was rewarding, and life in Kenya was filled with meaning in every human encounter. I learned that coming with an open mind and the ability to adapt is essential, because time in the field is a constant learning process.

When I returned to Chile, I resumed my work in an Intensive Care Unit, and at the same time the possibility arose to remain connected to Maisha. Since 2023, I have been part of the Volunteer Selection and Support Team, coordinating recruitment processes, pre-departure preparation, and accompaniment during their stay. It has been an honor to support each volunteer in their journey, providing them with tools to live a fulfilling and enriching experience, while also seeing how their contribution strengthens the Foundation’s work.

The field experience awakened the conviction that it was important to add an academic formation in international cooperation to enrich this work. Today I am pursuing a Master’s in International Health and Cooperation in Barcelona, and I have returned to Nairobi to carry out the professional practicum, continuing the work in Volunteer Coordination. The master’s program has allowed me to bring a broader perspective to Maisha’s work, integrating topics such as travel medicine and new approaches to cooperation, applying what I have learned directly in daily activities.

One of the most meaningful aspects of this return has been reconnecting with mothers I first met in 2022, seeing how their children have grown, and how they have used the tools acquired at Maisha to empower themselves and move forward. That sense of continuity and sustainability is the greatest reward.

It has also been very special to reconnect with the local team and finally meet in person some colleagues with whom I had only worked virtually until now. It has been inspiring to witness the growth and professionalization of Maisha, with more local staff joining the team, while at the same time experiencing the reunion with such a cherished figure as Domitila.

Each reunion, each learning, and each step at Maisha confirms that this is where I want to be: building opportunities together with the mothers, their children, and a team committed to a fairer future. The greatest learning is understanding that true transformation occurs when local and global wills come together in the same horizon of justice and dignity.

M. Bernardita Sanhueza

Nurse - Volunteer Coordinator

Maisha Foundation