Guam resident seeks hope for Kenya village

by Krystal Paco

Guam - One Guam resident is looking to help others on the other side of the globe. 24-year-old international relations graduate Lorianne Mercado has spent the last three months in Kabuchai, Kenya as a member of the Peace Corps where she observed high poverty, high drop out rates and extremely high student-to-teacher ratios.

"I realized that the area really needs a resource center because if you go to a school there's about 878 kids and about 11 teachers," she told KUAM News. "It was a usual trend - after the 8th grade people usually end up dropping out because even if they go to public schools they still have to pay school fees, and a lot of people really do live on less than a dollar a day."

Mercado is pursuing grants to fund equipment and supplies for the resource center, but estimates she'll need close to $3,000 to purchase property and build the structure. Her fundraising event is set for Thursday at Club Xscape from 6-10pm. Entry fee is $10 per person.