Welcome to Amondi's Avengers! Inspired by my time with the World Food Prize

My name is Arilyn Oatman and I am the Amondi in Amondi's Avengers! You may be thinking what does Amondi mean; well, Amondi is a Swahili word for someone who is born in the early morning. During my time in Kenya this summer my students gave me the Kenyan name Amondi and it only makes sense to keep the title since they are the ones who inspired the creation of Amondi's Avengers. This blog will highlight my adventures around the globe and the work that we are doing here at Amondi's Avengers. Keep reading to learn more!

This is me on the first day teaching my Grade 4 students. They were very excited to have an American teacher.

This is me on the first day teaching my Grade 4 students. They were very excited to have an American teacher.

A Little About Me

I am a current student at Iowa State University majoring in Global Resource Systems with a focus on nutrition and education. For many years I have had a passion for helping others and have found the best way I can do that is through the education of others. In 2019-2020 I served as a Pennsylvania FFA State Officer where I was able to expand my leadership and mentoring skills while also building my love for teaching. A fun fact about me is that I used to have an indoor pet mini pig named Panda! She was my best friend and I even brought her to college with me!

How It All Started- How I got from the World Food Prize to all of this!

You may be asking yourself how a college student comes up with the idea to start such a large project. Well, this past summer I served as a Borlaug-Ruan Intern through the World Food Prize. I was stationed in Mbita, Kenya with the International Centre for Insect Physiology and Ecology. I never imagined that this one internship would change my life forever. While in Kenya I was invited to teach at the local primary school which I graciously accepted. At the school I observed the difference between the education systems in the United States and Kenya noticing quite a few large differences. My students were sharing desks, broken chairs, pencils, papers, and books. Their uniforms had holes and their shoes lacked laces. Despite these challenges they still showed up everyday ready to learn, and passionate about improving themselves. Their optimism and resilience sparked something within me and I knew I needed to help. My family collected money for school supplies before I departed in August, but I knew it wasn't enough. We needed to do more, and so we did. My mom and I started what has now grown into Amondi's Avengers with the goals of raising money and supplies to improve the lives of these students. We hope someday to expand outside of my original school to more programs in need over the years.

I hope you enjoyed learning a little about me and Amondi's Avengers. Follow along for my updates and stories about my adventures!

"I alone cannot change the world, but I can cast a stone across the waters to create many ripples" -Mother Teresa