Woman who lived among young criminal offenders in remote area says Americans should feel 'very grateful'

A young American pupil felt motivated to measurement retired of her comfortableness portion and springiness others a helping manus successful beingness — and coiled up learning astir harsh sentencing practices successful different countries and seeing the United States successful a caller light. 

Tess Emanuel, a precocious schoolhouse senior, spent 2 summers traveling to Kenya and moving determination arsenic a volunteer.

"I grew up being told that I needed to bash things to assistance others and service others," the teen, who is from McLean, Virginia, told Fox News Digital.

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After doing her research, she discovered Better Me, a nonprofit focused connected education, grooming and beingness skills for children and young radical successful distant locations who are trying to crook their lives around. Signing connected successful a unpaid capacity, she embarked connected missions to Kenya during 2 abstracted summers. 

Working with the Kisumu Children's Remand Home, a correctional installation located successful Kisumu, she and different volunteers taught lessons to children of each ages.

Tess Emanuel of McLean, Virginia, volunteered for 2 summers with a nonprofit created to assistance children successful unfortunate circumstances.  (Tess Emanuel)

"I worked with children who were serving clip for their crimes oregon waiting for trials," she said. 

"At first, I was precise intimidated due to the fact that I heard I would beryllium moving with criminals and didn't cognize what to expect."

Emanuel said she worked with youngsters charged with theft and robbery — but learned the larger discourse of the crimes they committed and the hopeless circumstances successful which they'd been living. 

They had been stealing nutrient and resources to survive.

Emanuel said she "worked with children who were serving clip for their crimes oregon waiting for trials," she said. Many of the children had been stealing nutrient successful bid to survive.  (Tess Emanuel)

"After speaking with them more, I rapidly learned it was chiefly the responsibility of the strategy and the authorities that they were nether — alternatively than malintentions connected [the children's] part," she said, sharing her opinions.

"I learned however important it is to perceive to others and not fto judgments oregon definite categorizations truly specify however you presumption a person," she said.

Volunteer enactment tin "create affirmative alteration successful ourselves, others and the world."

Fox News Digital reached retired to Better Me for comment.

On its website, the enactment says "the transformative powerfulness of volunteerism" tin "create affirmative alteration successful ourselves, others and the world."

"I ever had the knowing that not everyone other had that privilege, truthful I was researching organizations to enactment with children successful Africa … I’ve ever conscionable had a curiosity astir Africa," said the young pistillate from Virginia. (Tess Emanuel)

It besides says its "volunteer programme is tailor-made for open-minded individuals who are anxious to grow their horizons, situation communal misconceptions and summation invaluable knowledge, skills and real-world experiences."

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Emanuel said the volunteers would enactment determination 3 to 4 times a week, teaching English lessons to the children arsenic good arsenic beingness skills. 

"You could speech astir hygiene, nationalist speaking, manners, spiritual lessons. It was truly chill to program your ain lessons and truly thatch them immoderate you knew a batch about," she said. 

Volunteers besides spent clip astatine the Korando School, location to 200 students, including immoderate 90 orphans.

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"[Students would] often conscionable beryllium extracurricular playing, and you could play sports with them," she said.

"You could work to them, which was my favourite happening to do. And you could bash aquatics lessons with the kids."

The students’ favourite enactment was swimming, she said.

"I learned however important it is to perceive to others and not fto judgments oregon definite categorizations truly specify however you presumption a person," said Emanuel. (Tess Emanuel)

Volunteers would each devour meal unneurotic — and connected Wednesdays, they enjoyed karaoke night. On weekends, volunteers went connected safaris oregon explored adjacent towns.

Emanuel noted the modulation backmost to the United States taught her caller insights each summer. 

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She felt immensely blessed and fortunate for her family, her school, her friends and the resources she antecedently took for granted, she said.

"I've ever been a precise grateful person, and I've understood that I unrecorded precise nicely and that not everyone has that, but I did not recognize the grade to which different radical had to unrecorded successful those conditions," said Emanuel.

The modulation backmost to the United States taught her tremendous lessons. 

"And I deliberation it conscionable made maine very, precise grateful for my position. And it made maine consciousness arsenic if I had a work to proceed giving back."

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Before she heads to the University of Virginia this fall, she has launched fundraisers for the schools wherever she volunteered. 

She's besides helped sponsor 3 kids implicit the past 2 years, assisting successful covering the outgo of caller apparel and schoolhouse supplies arsenic good arsenic healthcare costs.

"I truly anticipation to bring [along different volunteers] that person that aforesaid passionateness and tendency to research the satellite with me," said Emanuel.  (Tess Emanuel)

Her program is to stock the connection astir Better Me successful the years ahead. 

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"I truly anticipation to bring [other volunteers] that person that aforesaid passionateness and tendency to research the satellite with me. It's 1 of the champion things I've done with my beingness — and I would urge it to anyone."