Becky Wilson, ’76 arts, has some unusual items on her Christmas wish list this year: mosquito nets and a school.

Not for herself, of course, but for the villagers of Korosion in rural northwestern Kenya.

Wilson and her sister, Sandy Green, have been involved in charitable work in rural Kenya for a number of years, helping first through Green’s church in California to provide needed medical supplies and medical clinics. During one of their visits, they heard a presentation by Harmon Parker of Bridging the Gap: Africa about the dire need for bridges in areas where flash flooding can occur during rainy season.

The sisters were inspired. So, they raised the money to build a footbridge in Korosion, where elementary students sometimes had to miss school because of the swollen river there. Thanks to this new crossing, now known as the “Sister’s Bridge”, the enrollment in school has tripled.

The joy you get from helping others is indescribable.

Which leads to the next project the sisters are hoping to tackle: building a new school. Their goal is to raise money to construct a modest cinderblock and tin roof structure that would serve double duty as a church. In addition, Wilson wants to raise funds to buy mosquito netting to protect mothers and children from malaria.

Wilson and her sister are currently preparing for their seventh trip to Kenya in January. She says her work their “is the best thing that ever happened to me. The joy you get from helping others is indescribable.”

If you would like to help Wilson with her school project, you can contact her at rawilson7@yahoo.com.

To read more about Wilson, a 35-year employee of the University of South Carolina, check out this article.

11/30/2012