A Small Act was a documentary in competition at this year’s Sundance Film Festival, and it tells an amazing story. 25 years ago, Hilde Back, a Swedish woman of modest means, sponsored an impoverished Kenyan boy so that he might attend school, for just $15 per term. They hardly knew one another, and rarely corresponded, but the boy, Chris Mburu, never forgot the kindness of his sponsor. Her gift allowed him to complete school, and he went on to Harvard Law School and finally the UN, where he became a human rights lawyer. That’s when he decided to start a scholarship fund for kids like him in Kenya — and he names it after Hilda, his modest benefactor, who couldn’t be more surprised that her donation had such an amazing effect. But the story doesn’t stop there — when election violence rocks Kenya, Chris is faced with a whole new challenge; in a land where basic necessities are often a challenge to obtain, education is still the primary concern, because as Chris himself acknowledges, it’s ignorance that most often breeds violence.
Check out the trailer, which is really touching –
Anyone interested in donating to the Hilde Back Education Fund should check out their website.
mental_floss Blog » How One Small Act of Kindness Inspired a Big One
s a m h o c h b e r g - m e t i c u l o u s l y r a n d o m i z e d 