Teaching, dorm life and adventures in Africa
Smiddy Family
Our mission is to support missionary kids as they navigate the unique challenges of growing up between cultures and transitioning into new stages of life.
RVA holds a special place in both of our stories. It is the school where Nathan and I spent our own childhood years. Rift Valley Academy serves missionary families across Africa by providing a place where their children can receive a strong education while their parents continue their work throughout the continent.
Because we lived this experience ourselves, we understand what it feels like to be a teenager at a boarding school far from home. We remember the excitement, the homesickness, the friendships, and the adults who stepped in to encourage, guide, and care for us during those formative years. Those memories have stayed with us, and they are a big part of why we feel called to return—this time not as students, but as the people who will walk alongside the next generation.
WHY RVA?
– Nelson Mandela
education is the most powerful weapon which you can use
to change the world.
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We invite you to join us on this journey as we walk alongside Third Culture Kids in the unique setting of East Africa, where global stories unfold in everyday moments.
Unique opportunity for mentorship
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Global education holds particular value for Third Culture Kids (TCKs) because it validates and harnesses the complexity of their lived experience.
The value of global education
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Visual communication—through photography, videography, and photojournalism—has the power to transcend language, culture, and borders, making complex global issues immediately human and accessible.
The Power of visual communication
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We’re building a global digital community for people who want to follow our journey and connect with others who share a heart for helping people around the world.
a Global community
How we can make an impact
Our partners
We invite you to join us on this journey as we walk alongside Third Culture Kids in the unique setting of East Africa, where global stories unfold in everyday moments. As dorm parents, we experience life up close—late-night conversations, shared meals, quiet victories, and hard transitions—seeing firsthand how community, mentorship, and stability shape young people who live between cultures. These spaces are where belonging is built and identity is formed, and we believe they are worth telling about with honesty, care, and hope.
Through visual storytelling, we are working to connect TCK life to the wider world, translating dorm life and global education into stories that resonate beyond campus walls. Our goal is to build a global community that not only understands TCKs, but learns from them—recognizing their perspectives as vital to our shared future. By inviting you into these stories, we hope to spark empathy, deepen connection, and inspire collaboration across cultures. This is more than documentation; it’s an open invitation to see, listen, and be part of a story that is still unfolding.
We invite you to join us on this journey as we walk alongside Third Culture Kids in the unique setting of East Africa, where global stories unfold in everyday moments. As dorm parents, we experience life up close—late-night conversations, shared meals, quiet victories, and hard transitions—seeing firsthand how community, mentorship, and stability shape young people who live between cultures. These spaces are where belonging is built and identity is formed, and we believe they are worth telling about with honesty, care, and hope.
Through visual storytelling, we are working to connect TCK life to the wider world, translating dorm life and global education into stories that resonate beyond campus walls. Our goal is to build a global community that not only understands TCKs, but learns from them—recognizing their perspectives as vital to our shared future. By inviting you into these stories, we hope to spark empathy, deepen connection, and inspire collaboration across cultures. This is more than documentation; it’s an open invitation to see, listen, and be part of a story that is still unfolding.
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Unique opportunity for mentorship
Global education holds particular value for Third Culture Kids (TCKs) because it validates and harnesses the complexity of their lived experience. TCKs grow up navigating multiple cultural frameworks, often developing a fluid sense of identity shaped by movement, adaptation, and cross-cultural relationships. A globally minded education recognizes, supports and fosters these skills—cultural empathy, linguistic agility, and perspective-taking—not as side effects of an unconventional upbringing, but as core strengths. By embedding global histories, multiple narratives, and intercultural dialogue into learning, global education gives TCKs the language and context to understand and express themselves. It gives them the vocabulary to express their unique multicultural identity through their own lens. This provides them the confidence while they come from and how they belong in the world.
Beyond personal identity, global education equips TCKs to translate their experiences into responsible global citizenship. Having seen firsthand the interconnectedness of cultures, economies, and global challenges, TCKs are uniquely positioned to act as bridges across difference. Global education sharpens this potential by pairing their adaptability with critical thinking, ethical awareness, and a commitment to equity. Rather than simply producing students who are “international,” it empowers TCKs to engage thoughtfully with global issues, challenge simplistic worldviews, and contribute with humility and insight in diverse settings. In this way, global education does not just serve TCKs—it amplifies their capacity to serve an increasingly interconnected world.
Third Culture Kids of today are uniquely positioned to become tomorrow’s world leaders because they grow up navigating diversity, complexity, and change as a normal part of life. Constant exposure to different cultures, languages, and worldviews fosters adaptability, empathy, and the ability to listen across difference—skills essential for leadership in an interconnected world. TCKs often learn early how to mediate, translate perspectives, and build relationships in unfamiliar settings, preparing them to lead with cultural intelligence rather than rigid ideology. When supported in developing a strong sense of identity and purpose, TCKs can transform their global experiences into vision-driven leadership that bridges divides, addresses global challenges, and shapes more collaborative and compassionate futures.
Global education holds particular value for Third Culture Kids (TCKs) because it validates and harnesses the complexity of their lived experience. TCKs grow up navigating multiple cultural frameworks, often developing a fluid sense of identity shaped by movement, adaptation, and cross-cultural relationships. A globally minded education recognizes, supports and fosters these skills—cultural empathy, linguistic agility, and perspective-taking—not as side effects of an unconventional upbringing, but as core strengths. By embedding global histories, multiple narratives, and intercultural dialogue into learning, global education gives TCKs the language and context to understand and express themselves. It gives them the vocabulary to express their unique multicultural identity through their own lens. This provides them the confidence while they come from and how they belong in the world.
Beyond personal identity, global education equips TCKs to translate their experiences into responsible global citizenship. Having seen firsthand the interconnectedness of cultures, economies, and global challenges, TCKs are uniquely positioned to act as bridges across difference. Global education sharpens this potential by pairing their adaptability with critical thinking, ethical awareness, and a commitment to equity. Rather than simply producing students who are “international,” it empowers TCKs to engage thoughtfully with global issues, challenge simplistic worldviews, and contribute with humility and insight in diverse settings. In this way, global education does not just serve TCKs—it amplifies their capacity to serve an increasingly interconnected world.
Third Culture Kids of today are uniquely positioned to become tomorrow’s world leaders because they grow up navigating diversity, complexity, and change as a normal part of life. Constant exposure to different cultures, languages, and worldviews fosters adaptability, empathy, and the ability to listen across difference—skills essential for leadership in an interconnected world. TCKs often learn early how to mediate, translate perspectives, and build relationships in unfamiliar settings, preparing them to lead with cultural intelligence rather than rigid ideology. When supported in developing a strong sense of identity and purpose, TCKs can transform their global experiences into vision-driven leadership that bridges divides, addresses global challenges, and shapes more collaborative and compassionate futures.
The value of global education
Visual communication—through photography, videography, and photojournalism—has the power to transcend language, culture, and borders, making complex global issues immediately human and accessible. A single image or short film can convey emotion, urgency, and context in ways words alone often cannot, drawing viewers into lived realities they may never experience firsthand. Visual storytelling invites audiences to see the world through someone else’s eyes, fostering empathy and connection rather than abstraction. In a global landscape shaped by digital media, strong visuals cut through noise, hold attention, and transform distant problems into personal stories that demand awareness and response.
Equally important is the act of telling your story with intention and authenticity. When photographers and visual storytellers ground global causes in personal perspective, they build trust and emotional resonance with their audience. Story-driven visuals help audiences understand not just what is happening, but why it matters and who it affects. By combining compelling imagery with ethical storytelling, visual communicators can inspire action, shift narratives, and amplify voices that are often unheard. In this way, visual communication becomes more than art or documentation—it becomes a catalyst for global understanding, advocacy, and meaningful change.
Visual communication—through photography, videography, and photojournalism—has the power to transcend language, culture, and borders, making complex global issues immediately human and accessible. A single image or short film can convey emotion, urgency, and context in ways words alone often cannot, drawing viewers into lived realities they may never experience firsthand. Visual storytelling invites audiences to see the world through someone else’s eyes, fostering empathy and connection rather than abstraction. In a global landscape shaped by digital media, strong visuals cut through noise, hold attention, and transform distant problems into personal stories that demand awareness and response.
Equally important is the act of telling your story with intention and authenticity. When photographers and visual storytellers ground global causes in personal perspective, they build trust and emotional resonance with their audience. Story-driven visuals help audiences understand not just what is happening, but why it matters and who it affects. By combining compelling imagery with ethical storytelling, visual communicators can inspire action, shift narratives, and amplify voices that are often unheard. In this way, visual communication becomes more than art or documentation—it becomes a catalyst for global understanding, advocacy, and meaningful change.
The Power of visual communication
We’re building a global digital community for people who want to follow our journey and connect with others who share a heart for helping people around the world. This online space will bring our partners into our everyday life in Kijabe, Kenya—where we serve as dorm parents and teachers at a boarding school while raising our own family in a culture very different from American life. Through video updates, social-media-style blog posts, and live streaming events, our community will have an authentic window into the joys, challenges, and lessons that come with living and serving in a third-world context, along with opportunities to ask questions and engage with us directly.
Over time, we hope this digital community grows into a place where real friendships are formed, trust is built, and like-minded people can encourage one another across borders. We also envision it as a meaningful space for Third Culture Kids (TCKs) to find common ground, shared experiences, and connection through technology. More than just following a story, this community is about walking together—learning from one another and being part of something bigger than ourselves.
We’re building a global digital community for people who want to follow our journey and connect with others who share a heart for helping people around the world. This online space will bring our partners into our everyday life in Kijabe, Kenya—where we serve as dorm parents and teachers at a boarding school while raising our own family in a culture very different from American life. Through video updates, social-media-style blog posts, and live streaming events, our community will have an authentic window into the joys, challenges, and lessons that come with living and serving in a third-world context, along with opportunities to ask questions and engage with us directly.
Over time, we hope this digital community grows into a place where real friendships are formed, trust is built, and like-minded people can encourage one another across borders. We also envision it as a meaningful space for Third Culture Kids (TCKs) to find common ground, shared experiences, and connection through technology. More than just following a story, this community is about walking together—learning from one another and being part of something bigger than ourselves.
@smiddy.africa