Alumni
Portland Magazine
June 9, 2020
Kenechi “Kene” Anigbogu ’18 was a member of the 100th group of American Peace Corps volunteers to serve in Morocco. His Peace Corps service was cut short by the COVID-19 pandemic.
AS THE WORLD goes through unprecedented times, we are all being pushed to develop resilience. As a Peace Corps Volunteer in Morocco, I saw amazing examples of resilience every day, and what stood out to me was the resilience of young people. For a year and a half, I worked as a youth development specialist in the small city of Afourar. In the rural areas that I visited, it was not uncommon for me to see youth walking on the side of the road, walking for miles to get their education. In Afourar, I marveled at the determination of the girls that I worked with. Despite not having much support for their athletic interests, they continued to show up regularly. Members in the community noticed the consistent attendance, which led to designated girls’ time at the sports center and a new girls’ soccer team. The willpower that these children displayed each day inspired the resilience that I would later call upon during my service.
As an African American, I wasn’t what most Moroccans were expecting when they heard that an American would be coming to live in their community for a couple of years. So this led to some unwanted attention, harassment, and even just negative energy emitted in my direction. In my opinion, enough of this kind of attention is liable to wear anyone down, but when I thought about the youth traveling long distances to get to school every day, I knew that I could find the resilience within to block out some of the negativity and focus on having a positive, fruitful service.
When I left for Morocco in September of 2018, there was no way that I could have expected a return to the US under these circumstances. Despite the tough times, I find that I can find inspiration in the resilience of others, like that of the Moroccan youth, or by simply reflecting on the blessings in life.
—Kenechi Anigbogu
University of Portland
5000 N. Willamette Blvd.,
Portland, Oregon 97203-5798
503.943.8000
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