Community Corner

Bridgewater Woman Co-Founded Taaluma Project

It raises money to send African children to secondary school.

She just enjoys making other people happy, and Bridgewater resident, and recent Virgina Tech graduate, Valerie Hengemuhle is continuing to do that with her work overseas to help underprivileged youths attend school.

“Ever since I was little, I have loved doing service work,” she said. “From working at the Special Olympics to even doing something so small as donating blood, I can’t really pinpoint why I enjoy it. I think I just enjoy making others happy.”

It began with a study abroad trip through Virginia Tech to Lugano, Switzerland. While there, Hengemuhle said, she and her peers started working on different projects with several environmental non-governmental organizations (ENGO), and were eventually given the opportunity to go to Kenya to implement a curriculum they had been working on in class.

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Hengemuhle said they traveled to the Gede district of Malindi, Kenya in April 2012, where they began working at Bambakofi Academy.

“It is the primary school funded by the ENGO ATKYE to help underprivileged youths attend school,” she said. “While we were in Africa, we cut ourselves off from the world (no phone, Internet), and it was the best thing we could have done.”

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“Those two weeks I spent in Africa were two of the most influential, inspirational and eye-opening trips of my life,” she added.

Hengemuhle said she had a chance to see the beauty of Africa, while also meeting very passionate people.

“By the end of my trip, the nine of us had left with a new family and bonds that could never be broken,” she said. “I wish I could put into words how amazing this experience was for me. It is just one of those things that whenever people ask me about it, all the memories come rushing back and all I can do is smile.”

But when they returned to America, Hengemuhle said, she and the other students who had traveled to Africa, with their professor, wanted to do more.

So they created the Taaluma Project—"Taaluma" is Swahili for education.

The non-profit organization, Hengemuhle said, was set up to generate and raise funds to help provide scholarships to the graduating class of Bambakofi Academy so they could attend secondary school.

“[The students there] have all the potential, they just lack the monetary funds to have the opportunity of attending secondary school,” she said. “The students pride themselves on their education and their country. They are so intelligent, caring and fun-loving.”

“When we left, we were so touched by the students, teachers and everyone who made us feel welcome that we knew we had to do something to help keep the students’ dreams of attending secondary school alive,” she added.

Hengemuhle said the goal of the project is to raise enough money to send the entire graduating class to secondary school for four years.

“It is also exciting because after almost a year of developing a foundation and awareness, we have developed a following and many local organizations in Blacksburg [VA] have helped us with fundraising,” she said.

But this is not the first time Hengemuhle has done work to help those in need.

In high school, Hengemuhle said, she planned a trip for her dad, cousin, uncle and herself to go to New Orleans to help rebuild after Hurricane Katrina.

Plus, every Tuesday before Thanksgiving, Hengemuhle goes to the Salvation Army to serve meals.

“It isn’t just serving meals, the thanks that we receive from the people is what makes it worth it,” she said.

Hengemuhle has also worked as a conversation partner with a woman from Saudi Arabia, who came to America to attend school.

“This experience was amazing, I learned more than I could wish,” she said. “I was able to get rid of the bias I had, and we taught each other things that we would have never known otherwise, i.e., I helped her study for her driving test.”

Hengemuhle also participates in Relay for Life and much more.

“When I receive a thanks or even a smile, I can’t help but have that a-ha moment,” she said. “It’s the moment when you realize one small act really does make a difference.”

Now that she has graduated college, Hengemuhle is planning more traveling in Europe and Africa. She said she will be taking other Virginia Tech students on a study abroad trip called “Creating Sustainable Social Change.”

“While I am there, I will be working with ENGOs and helping the Virginia Tech students create and develop a plan for sustainable social change in Africa,” she said. “I couldn’t be more excited.”


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