Building Foundations

Story appeared in the 2016 issue of QMS Connections Magazine.

BY LEANNE SCHULTZ, OPERATIONS & HR MANAGER
ALUMNI KELLY DENG (GRADE 10)

QMS 2016 Service Trip to Ecuador

Over the 2016 Spring Break, Kelly Deng and 15 of her fellow QMS students travelled with teach-ers Sue Stone and Jane Richmond to Quito, Ecuador on a service learning trip, facilitated by Me to We. Below, Grade 10 student Kelly Deng describes her experience and how it impacted her.

Kelly Deng with a new friend in Chimborazo

When I first heard about the service trip to Ecuador, I was so interested because at QMS, I’ve learned that many people all over the globe are suffering, and young women have the ability to make real changes. In the past, I had made videos and posters to raise awareness, and also participated in several bake sales to collect money to make others’ lives easier. I thought if I can actually go to a place and help build schools for children, it would be much more effective, so I was eager to join the service trip.

In Ecuador, we visited Quito, Chimborazo, and the Amazon rain-forest. We learned about Ecuador’s history and culture in Quito, but the most memorable part was when we were in Chimborazo. That was where we were building a school for the local community.

I was shocked when I found out that there was only one school to serve several communities in Chimborazo, and that the school consisted of only two or three classrooms. We, members of the service team, were so excited to dig holes for the foundation of the school, build structural columns, and make bricks from a mixture of sand and soil. We met a few kids who were so cute, but there was one boy who made me feel so sorry. He him. He was always following his father and helping him. He could do all the work we did, but even better and faster. I couldn’t stop questioning myself: as a 15-year-old girl, what had I done to help my parents back home in Shenzhen, where I am from? There were also two young ladies our age who came to visit us and told us that they were so happy to have a school because they could now study. This made me feel that coming to Ecuador was such a good choice.

This experience taught me to cherish things I have and helped me to realize that making meaningful changes to other people’s lives is easy and creates joy.

ME TO WE is a social enterprise founded in 2008 by Canadian brothers Craig and Mark Kielburger. It was created to offer leadership training and volunteer trips to developing communities served by their charity, Free the Children. In association with Me to We and Free the Children, Queen Margaret’s School is proud to be a We School that challenges young people to identify the local and global issues that spark their passion and then empowers them with the tools to take action. Queen Margaret’s School takes part in several initiatives that support Me to We and Free the Children every school year. More information about Me to We can be found on their website. www.metowe.com