In an environment like the University, where meals are only missed by students due to procrastination, Bernard Manyibe has worked to educate people on the realities of poverty.

In July, however, the University doctorate student carried his efforts and his message further than before.

On July 2, as world leaders ate and gathered their agendas for the G8 meeting, Manyibe fasted and began gathering signatures in support of increasing aid to Africa in front of the Union.

Then, on July 5, as representatives from the world’s eight wealthiest nations prepared to begin their meeting in Gleneagles, Scotland, Manyibe and his friend, Obed Ombongi, arrived in Washington D.C., prepared to present his petition to the White House.

“I felt that it was important to carry my message to Washington,” Manyibe said.

The journey of more than 400 miles was lengthy, but short compared to Manyibe’s move to the United States from Kenya, where he was raised.

Manyibe’s family of 12 was supported by his father’s salary as a teacher, less than $35 a month.

“It was terrible for us,” Manyibe said. “What about those who did not have even that much?”

Manyibe compared his exposure to poverty to the recent uncovering by Hurricane Katrina of similar conditions in some parts of the United States in the aftermath of Katrina. Americans awoke to the poverty some of their fellow citizens were living in, and pledged their support to correct that imbalance. Manyibe, however, has been conscious of the poverty 60 percent of Kenya’s citizens persist under throughout his life, and so his commitment is magnified.

His commitment in July paid off. The G8 pledged to increase aid to Africa from $25 billion to $50 billion and to open Western markets, an important step in Manyibe’s eyes.

“Africa is in the position it is in because of trade imbalances,” Manyibe said. “Aid alone can’t solve the problems in Africa.”

Where international aid falls short, Manyibe and Ombongi work to see that more is done through the BGSU/Kenya 5K Benefit Run, an event that promotes HIV and AIDS prevention and awareness.

Ombongi, the president of the benefit run and the man behind the wheel for much of their trek to Washington, described how their annual fund-raiser works to counteract HIV and AIDS, two epidemics which are symptomatic of poverty.

“The money we bring in is channeled to our resource center in Kenya,” Ombongi said. “There it is used to buy books and materials and employ people to educate others about the risks of HIV and AIDS.”

While the efforts of Manyibe and those around him to inform those in the United States of the poverty in Africa and battle its negative effects are ceaseless, victories such as those at the G8 conference assure that they won’t be giving up any time soon.

At an award ceremony for the benefit run, Lorraine Haricombe, the group’s faculty advisor, commended them for their work to combat poverty and the problems which surround the issue.

“I have to thank them,” Haricombe said. “They are so committed and so passionate about making a difference.”