This article is from the EMU News Archive. Current EMU new is available at www.emu.edu/news

From Kenya With Love

Family and friends join Geoffrey Sakuda (center) following his graduation from Eastern Mennonite University on Sunday. Sakuda, who is from the Ngong Hills, Kenya, was among the graduates receiving diplomas at the university. About 20 from the village came from Kenya to see Sakuda graduate. Some had to sell cows to make the trip.
Photo By Holly Marcus

By Rob Longley, Daily News-Record

Before last week, most of Geoffrey Sakuda’s friends and family had never left their tiny Kenyan village west of Nairobi. Many had never been in an airplane, or even a car.

But for Sakuda's graduation from EMU, there they were, nearly two dozen of his fellow Ngong Hills residents — some of whom had to sell several of their prized cows to afford the trip to Harrisonburg. Others were forced to use their livestock as collateral for their visas. The U.S. embassy in Nairobi, they explained, demanded some form of guarantee that they would return to Kenya.

The lengths to which Sakuda’s family and friends went to attend his graduation is indicative of the immense pride they feel for their 24-year-old countryman.

"Very, very, very proud," village elder Ernest Ole Matura said through a translator following EMU’s 86th Annual Commencement.

Matura was one of those at Sunday’s ceremony who had never left the village. He described his reaction to his first-ever airplane ride.

"It is unbelievable — to think something that big can go up in the clouds," said Matura, who believes he is about 47. (Members of the Maasai tribe, to which Sakuda, Matura and other residents of the Ngong Hills region belong, don’t keep track of such things.)

Everyday Things

Sakuda’s fellow villagers also were awed at many of the everyday things most Americans take for granted.

"I’m amazed at the development, like the roads," said Matura, who also expressed gratitude for the EMU and Harrisonburg communities.

"I feel very welcomed by the warmth of the people here," he said.

Sakuda, whose brother, Moses, is a 2000 EMU grad, felt much the same way when he first arrived in Harrisonburg four years ago.

"Getting adjusted here was easy," Sakuda said as he and his brother chatted following the commencement. "Friends here made me feel accepted. One of the things about EMU, they are very accepting of the international students."

Indeed, EMU has one of the largest contingents of international students in Virginia. Students from Nepal, India, Croatia, Japan, and of course Kenya, were among the 406 members of the class of 2004.

Sakuda’s popularity at EMU was apparent Sunday, when the announcement of his name evoked one of the biggest cheers of the day.

Moses Sakuda, who now works for a relief organization in New York City, says he felt just as welcomed when he arrived at EMU. (Moses stepped in as seminary commencement speaker on Saturday when the seminary's scheduled guest, Dr. Cheryl Sanders, could not attend due to a loss in her family.)

Cultural Differences

Overcoming the vast cultural differences, however, was a challenge. It did have its lighter moments, though.

"I remember the first family here that hosted me," said Moses, referring to the program where local families open their homes to foreign students on weekends. "They told me to ‘help myself,’ meaning I could eat whatever I wanted.

"But in my culture, ‘help yourself’ means to use the bathroom," he said with a laugh. "I told them I already went."

Geoffrey Sakuda almost didn’t get the chance to experience American culture. The U.S. embassy denied his visa application three years in a row. But he refused to give up, and continued to apply to EMU, which continued to accept him. Finally, on the fourth try, his visa was granted.

Geoffrey Sakuda, who graduated with a degree in business administration, plans to return to EMU in 2005 to pursue an master’s degree in business. In the meantime, though, he will return to his village of 3,000 and work to improve the lives of his neighbors — just as his brother did four years ago.

Giving Back to the Community

Moses Sakuda, who believes he is about 33, started a program that brought several wells to the Ngong Hills region.

"One of the greatest desires and prayers was for my village to have clean drinking water," said Moses.

A fund-raising campaign, which included a flood of donations, including one for $10,000, following the circulation of an Associated Press story on his efforts, led to the development of a well in 2000.

"Now we have three more," he said. "I’ll never forget what one of the elders said: ‘All these years we have been roaming around with our cows, never knowing there was water underneath.’ It’s amazing."

Geoffrey Sakuda hopes to one day open a social services agency in Ngong Hills.

"I’d like to start an organization that helps the community," he said. "I want to take what I’ve learned back to my village to be useful and teach people how to grow and prosper."

For now, though, the Sakuda brothers are taking a few days to enjoy their friends’ and relatives’ visit, which will end Thursday when the group returns to Kenya.

"It’s just such an honor to have everyone here, especially my mother," said Geoffrey. "It just feels really, really great."

— posted April 26, 2004