Taken from St. Johns Preparatory High School Newsletter:
How did two former Prep classmates from Ipswich and Nahant find themselves in Kenya helping to bring water to a Maasai village? It is a journey of service that began at St. John’s and brought Stephen Pasinski ’10 and Tristan Hacket ’10 together to work on the same project. They were on campus this week to share their story with students.
They are helping their Kenyan friend, Jonathan Simel, with his efforts to provide a safe house for girls in his village, as well as a water project to obtain clean drinking water for the people in the community. Joining with the Maasai people, and working with Jonathan’s grassroots Maasai Youth Outreach Organization (MAYOO) project, they are focusing on the issues facing many of the young girls who have no support system. Visit the MAYOO blog here.
The three friends discussed the importance of the initiatives. They began by sharing the Massai names given to them by Jonathan’s family: Steve is Lemaiyan, which means “blessed one,” and Tristan is Saruni, which means “the protector. Jonathan, who was dressed in traditional Maasai clothing, described life in his village – both the beauty of the culture and the challenges.
In an interactive demonstration, Steve and Tristan asked students to take turns carrying a large jug of water on their backs, in the same fashion that Maasai women do when they walk 45 minutes to the only clean water source. Hunched over under the weight of the water jugs, students moaned and groaned as they tried to walk down Xavier’s hallways. All agreed that there was no way they could walk with that load for 45 minutes.
The exercise really brought to life the challenges facing the Maasai people, who struggle to have clean drinking water. Tristan said that an estimated 801,000 children younger than 5 years of age perish from diarrhea each year mostly from drinking contaminated water in developing countries. This harsh reality struck the students, knowing many Americans take for granted their clean, readily available water.
In the face of steep challenges in Kenya – little education, poor diet, inadequate sanitation – Steve and Tristan are inspired to continue to try to make a difference.
In addition to the clean water initiatives, they are working with MAYOO to find sponsors for at-risk girls so they can live in a safe house and receive an education. Steve and Tristan have raised enough money to educate and house seven girls in the safe house, and Jonathan has arranged sponsors for an additional 30 girls.
Giving Back
Steve and Tristan’s love of service began in their junior year at the Prep, when they each went on a service trips through Campus Ministry; Stephen went to Haiti and Tristan went to Jamaica. These trips made such an impact on the two young friends that this week they hope they may have inspired future humanitarians.
“I encourage you to get involved with Campus Ministry on campus,” Steve told students. “I came out of my service trip experience with a greater understanding of how big of an inequality gap exists in the world today.” Stephen and Tristan both attribute their motivation to service from the Prep’s Campus Ministry and specifically getting to know campus minister, Mr. Lawrence Molloy. They immersed themselves in the services programs that St. John’s provides, including PULSE and Social Action class, among others.
After the Prep, they attended different colleges; Stephen went to George Washington University, while Tristan went to the University of Vermont. Post-graduation, they joined forces to continue their passion for service and adventure. Stephen is now set to join the Peace Corps in a health volunteer position in either Ethiopia or Rwanda. Tristan is applying to work with international humanitarian organizations here in the U.S. with a focus on crisis-relief.
Tristan sums up his passion for service, “When you are completely immersed in such an impoverished community it is difficult to ever remain optimistic. However, you eventually learn that if human beings have a deep-rooted sense of solidarity and community then they can still find happiness in the most adverse of settings.”
Steve said to the students in Mr. Molloy’s Social Action class, “ You are more than capable of making a difference. It is all in the action.” For more information on their efforts visit their Crowdrise page. “
Thank you St. Johns Prep for your incredible support
Thank you Deb Vivian!
Thank you Glenn Wood and Denise Clinton!
Maasai Youth Outreach Organization 