A group of Reagan High School students is preparing for a two-week trip to Africa. But will not be a sight-seeing trip. The group will be working in one of Kenya's largest slums.
A short home video uncovered a whole new world.
"Peace only. Can you come to Kenya?" asked a teenager who lives in Kibera, Kenya.
Briana Fowler, a junior at Reagan High School, was one of dozens of students watching the that video.
"They're happy. Like they're so happy and they have nothing. They're so happy and that's shocking to me," she said.
Fowler was not alone in her reaction. A Reagan High School teacher showed the video to explain to her students that they are privileged. She did not expect students to react the way they did. They rallied around the idea of helping the people who live in Kibera. It's a one-square mile slum with more than a million residents, located just outside of Nairobi, Kenya.
"It's like filled with feces and they play in that water and they're dirty and stuff like that. So it's really bad where we're going. Really, really bad," said Fowler.
The students will have to raise $2600 each to get there. They must also volunteer in their community, pass all their classes and stay in school -- all to get what they call the privilege of going to the Kibera slum.
Rikki Dautel is a mentor who works with Reagan High School students. She's helping to organize the trip.
"The first week they're going to be leading sports camps. The weekend in between they're going to be doing talent shows with the kids. The second week they're going to be doing crafts and tutoring and educational things with the kids," said Dautel.
"I just really want to learn from them. Like how they smile in that whole situation. Because I've been through some things in my life, and I'll be mad about it. But they've been through way worse than me and they smile. And I'm like, I want to do that," said Devonte Sanders.
Students will become sponsors and try to raise the $250 each Kibera child needs to pay for high school.
"This is an amazing school, and an amazing group of students. So it's awesome to see these kids raised as leaders," said Dautel.
And, she says, bring those leadership skills back to help in their own neighborhood.
The two week trip is set for mid-June. The students are confident they can raise the money. For more information about the project, visit: http://reagantokibera.wordpress.com/
