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Local students raise money to build a school in Africa

Posted at 12:20 AM, Jul 21, 2016
and last updated 2016-07-21 00:20:17-04

Local teens are defying the odds and raising thousands of dollars to build a school in Africa. It’s an inspiring story of what’s possible when you let your heart lead the way. 

This past June, 18 people from Metro Detroit, including 8 teenage students, took an adventure outside their comfort zone to travel to a remote village in Northwest Kenya. It was a trip to lift hearts and unite souls.

The teenagers didn’t just come to observe. They came to give and it grew out of a seed from years ago.

In 2014, members of the Suite Dreams Project, along with their teenage daughters, made the long haul to Kenya after raising money to build a dorm for young girls rescued from marriage. 

In the region, girls are married off at the young age of 9, 10, 11-years-old for a few cows. 

The dorm offered a sanctuary of hope for a brighter future. 

While there, the youngest members of the group couldn’t deny the condition of the school - a facility with a dirt floor, tin walls and a chalkboard. Yet, despite the harsh conditions, the students were joyful and excited to learn.

The teens returned to the comfort of their lives with the mission to build the orphanage a new school.

Their dream took root.

In just over a years time, under the name R-Turn, they were able to raise the needed $85,000. Building is underway. With it, dreams for the future and an appreciation for what they have.

Click on the video player to watch 7 Action News Reporter Ronnie Dahl’s full report.

To learn more about the R-Turn movement, following them on social media.