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Linda’s heart is in Africa
By Jeff Wiebe
For the Lethbridge Journal
Linda Kinnell’s passion for Africa grows with each passing
month.
Kinnell spends most of her time living and working in
Lethbridge, but increasingly, she has found herself travelling
to Africa to assist with the Karim orphanage, a
project that has become very close to her heart. Volunteering
on the continent had long been a part of Kinnell’s
bucket list, and four years ago, that dream became a reality
when she and her daughter travelled to Tanzania for
five weeks. There, they lived with a host family and made
daily visits to an orphanage, where they fell in love with
the children.
“When we left we were absolutely devastated, and knew
that we had to do more to help these kids.”
At the time, the 12 children lived in an 8x8 room with
no electricity, water, or furniture, and shared a courtyard
with several other young people. Soon after Kinnell returned
to Canada, the children and their caretaker were
evicted from their property – the caretaker quickly contacted
Kinnell, asking for help finding another place to
stay. Kinnell and her husband, Greg, decided to find the
orphans a larger place and begin paying their rent, but
soon thereafter, another idea struck.
“Then we thought, ‘why are we paying rent? Let’s build
them a house.’”
So the two purchased an acre of land and held a fundraiser
in Lethbridge in an attempt to generate money for
building construction. After raising more than $15,000,
they hired a contractor, drew up plans, and began construction.
Six months later, the new building was complete,
and when Kinnell returned for her third trip, a
variety of beds and furnishings were in place. The kids
were soon brought to their new home, and they were understandably
ecstatic.
Over the years, the Karim or-
phanage project has grown
and evolved – Kinnell
joined
forces with Dan-
iel Zopoula of Bridges
of Hope in Lethbridge,
which has allowed
her to issue tax receipts
for donations
the project receives.
The orphanage
now hosts 16 children,
all of whom
are sponsored by lo-
cal residents. Every year,
fundraisers are held for
a variety of other projects,
whether
it’s landscaping or
upgrades
to the Karim orphan-
age, or one of several other initiatives
in Africa. Local Rotary members have
also been heavily involved
in the project,
recently raising funds
to help build a volun-
teer house that provides lodging for volunteers
while they’re lending a hand
at the orphanage.
And in 2010, Kinnell’s work was featured on Op-
rah – shortly thereafter, she began
receiving inquiries
from people around the world interested in helping.
As the project has grown, so
too has Kinnell’s in-
volvement with it. She now travels to Africa every six
months or so, staying longer and longer each time she
goes – her last trip lasted two months.
“It’s more rewarding than a paycheque – it’s hard sometimes
to go to my full-time job, because I’m always thinking
about Africa, and what I can do next.”
For more information on Kinnell’s work, visit mamalizzie.blogspot.com
“That was one day I’ll never forget.
When we
brought
the kids over, they
didn’t know they
were moving in
– when they
came in, their
eyes and
mouths were
just wide
open, looking
around.
They didn’t
realize
this
was going to be
their new home.
A
four-year-old
turned on a light bulb
and started screaming,
she was so excited to have
light.”
What’s more, each child now got to
sleep in their very own bed, rather than
sharing it with four or five others, though
Kinnell says during the first night, many of
the kids ended up sharing because they were still
afraid of being alone.
“Now they have a big home on an acre of land where
they have room to play and laugh where they didn’t
before. They can be kids now.”
Kinnell made a point of adorning the building with a variety
of colours, owing to the impact of her first experiences
with the children.
“I remember the first time I went, the only English song
the kids knew was a song about rainbows, and it always
stuck in my head,” she explains.
“I see the Karim orphanage as my pot of gold at the end
of the rainbow, and the kids are these rainbows.”
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LETHBRIDGE JOURNAL • WEEK OF MAY 11, 2012 • www.lethbridgejournal.ca 3