The internet is often a festering, boiling cyber pot of horrible people doing horrible things. And when we, the collective internet, see someone do something stupid, we pounce on the opportunity to mock them endlessly.
So when Sevelin Kinya from Nairobi, Kenya posted a bunch of blatantly photoshopped pictures of herself on Facebook visiting China, things might have gone sideways. The photos immediately went viral because of the obvious Photoshop job. However, the story changed directions when fellow Kenyan Sam Gichuru, founder of the startup Nailab, discovered the photos. Instead of merely laughing and reposting the botched pictures, he decided to do something interesting: He and his friends raised enough money to send Kinya to China for real.
“Get your passport ready because your dreams are about to come true,” wrote Gichuru on Facebook.
There is some good in the world, see? A complete stranger and his friends decided to raise money for a woman’s dream vacation for no reason other than to see her smile.
Afterward, Gichuru discovered that Kinya is a farmer’s daughter in Nairobi who has never been out of Africa. She’d asked her friend to Photoshop her in those pictures to China because she wanted to feel like she was really there. Gichuru managed to raise enough in cash to pay for her flight to China, four-star accommodation, travel insurance, and pocket money. He’s also trying to arrange for her to visit the Kenyan embassy in China to meet the ambassador.
Kinya is applying for her passport and is planning to visit China this summer. We look forward to the much improved REAL photos!
