Boys of Baraka

I just finished watching an extraordinary documentary. The Boys of Baraka by Rachel Grady and Heidi Ewing is an intimate look at a group of young men from inner city Baltimore who are accepted to attend a special school in Kenya. The boys all share the strife of living in abject poverty, on streets that suck kids into a life of drugs and crime. They also share a dream of being more than just another number, more than another young man in an orange jump suit, more than a man in a box six feet under. They all want to graduate and escape the life they are seeming destined to live.

When the young men leave home to attend the Baraka school for boys, they are given a fresh chance. Removed from their surroundings they are given the opportunity to succeed, to dream, to grow. They evolve, not just because they age, but because their heart and soul are allowed to breathe. Shot over 3 years, the film gives us an inside look at what opportunity and dreams can create. Some of the boys make it, some of them fall back on their return home. It is both inspiring and hurtful. I say this because only a handful are given the chance. The world they live in, one I can never truly understand, never lets go. The chance is what they need. The environment is their salvation.

This story exists all over the world. Poverty is not limited to Baltimore. We have the ability to alleviate the suffering, to promote a better surrounding, but we lack the will. We can change, we choose not to. The Baraka School is an opportunity to catch a glimpse of something simple and profound taking place with just a change of scenery. We can make that happen anywhere, anytime. Dreams are powerful things, when you take them away you are left with a yearning. Give people a chance to dream again and they will grow. Inspire yourself by inspiring others. Baraka School can only manage a small group of young men, but we have the ability to help an entire world.