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I found myself in front of a shabby and crowded house. Several women and children were waiting outside the clinic, looking confused and alerted, probably because they had never seen an Asian before. That was where I met Samuel, a bony young boy hiding behind his mother. His eyes were sticking to the little bananas, the snacks I prepared for chimpanzees in my pocket. I broke off a banana, peeled it and handed it to him. Then he took it and was about to take the first bite--then the banana fell to the ground. Samuel was stunned for a second and then quickly picked it up, staring at me as if he broke the law. I stepped up, intending to give him a new one, but before I stopped him, he threw the banana covered by dust into his mouth and swallowed it, fearing that I was going to punish him. The reality is that although tons of physical assistance like food and vaccines are delivered to Africa every year, there are millions of children like Samuel starving in Africa now. So why? I spilled my confusion out to the doctor. 'Because food aid can't solve the real problem. What's worse, they are usually swallowed by corruption.' The doctor said with a faint smile. 'What we need is sustainable assistance, like advanced agricultural facilities and training for farmers.' His words reminded me of what I saw these days in Kenya. When we went to the orphanage, we saw lots of big brand's name. Those were all large corporations in the world, and for them, the donation to Kenya was more like a positive promotion of their reputation. When I asked those teachers and students in school how did these companies actually help them, they couldn't answer. Staring at their pure black eyes and those decorated pictures on the wall showing some CEOs shaking hands with the principal, I felt empty. All along we have been blinded by stereotypes about Africans. We believe that physical help will put them on the right track. But can we give them money and food forever? If we really want them to develop, then why do we maintain this upper-lower class assistance approach? Shouldn't we find a more sustainable pattern to deliver our help? Haunted by these questions, I returned to China. I was invited to give a speech on my work experience in Kenya. It turned out that people were captured mostly by problems like "are all Africans super skinny" and "will your experience help shape a 'global citizen' profile." Honestly, I was dismayed. But when I looked back at my audience, I realized they are not the first group to think like that, and definitely not the last one. The problem is here. The misconceptions are here. So why don't I start from here? Today I am keeping a blog that has accumulated 2,000 subscribers. This blog posts mainly about the stories of those people and animals I met and natural beauties in Kenya, hoping to let more people know about this fascinating country and encourage more Chinese to go there because tourism will significantly boost the local economy and development. I also co-founded "Black Star," a project which aims to provide clean medical equipment and health tutoring to impoverished areas in Africa. Our slogan is: 'Teach first, then help.' We do value the physical assistance, but we believe the real solution lies in a long-term partnership. Until today, Samuel's banana mouth, the doctor's words, and those students' crystal eyes are still lingering in my mind. It is always easy for us to say words like 'equality' 'partnership' 'help,' but when it comes to real, people usually act oppositely. If we want to help someone, we should at least be humble and listen to what they really need. This piece of respect and empathy is what I learned most in Africa.