Short Answer Essay

Short Answer Essay I've had a burning desire and an unquenchable passion for counseling since I was little. In high school, I was an active member of Guidance and Counseling team in which I was named the Counselor of the Year. Even after I graduated from high school, I did stop counseling- I have started regular counseling sessions in my home area, Flax. The counseling sessions focus mainly on contemporary issues that are affecting youth in modern Africa. This spans a continuum of social aspects including, but not all, social relationships, HIV/AIDS awareness, unemployment, education and drugs. With HIV/AIDS prevalence rate in Africa being the highest in the world, I believe peer counseling can help reinforce the rigorous campaigns championed by both governmental and non-governmental organization. Though largely HIV/AIDS based, our discussions extend to the rest of aforementioned subject matters and the vitals of each in the campaign for eradication of HIV/AIDS. I also use such opportunities to create environmental awareness. My challenging moment was probably during the terrifying spasm of post-election violence that resulted in more than 1000 deaths and the internal displacement of more than half a million people. I joined the Kenya Red Cross team later in January. We not only distributed food to the IDPs, but also tried to stabilize them psychologically through rigorous counseling. The challenges were complex and heart-rending; most of them had lost either their loved ones or their entire properties. We had also to face bitter tribal antagonism, a complex issue amongst Kenyans.