Ever since she appeared in Consent: The Louise Nicholas Story, Thomasin McKenzie’s acting career has gone from strength to strength, with lead roles in Jojo Rabbit, Leave No Trace and most recently Eileen, with Anne Hathaway.
As part of the Harcourt acting dynasty – Thomasin’s grandmother is Dame Kate Harcourt and her mother Dame Miranda Harcourt – award-winning Thomasin has always known that fame comes with responsibility.
“Success has given me great privilege and influence, and I’d be remiss not to use that power for good,” she says.
With Eileen co-star Anne.
To make good on her promise, 22-year-old Thomasin is an ambassador for So They Can, a non-profit organisation that seeks to empower materially poor people in Kenya and Tanzania through education. Established 14 years ago, So they Can has set up schools, teachers’ colleges, medical centres and children’s homes, as well as offering business courses and providing micro-finance.
Thanks to Wānaka-based CEO Cass Treadwell, So They Can has also attracted a team of dedicated Kiwi ambassadors, among them Kimbra, Peta Mathias, Neil Finn and Conrad Smith, who all shine a light on this vital work, with Thomasin the most recent recruit.
To deeper understand the work being done, Thomasin visited Kenya in March. “I’d already taken part in 1HumanRace, which is a major fundraiser, and I sponsor a child, but actually seeing the work made it more real,” she explains.
Yet no matter how well-prepared Thomasin was, a visit to Africa was always going to be confronting. “I’d just been in Paris for a fashion show, then I met Cass in Dubai and we flew to Nairobi together, which was such a contrast. But I’m very aware it could be detrimental to define myself through acting alone, which is why I need to live life not just for myself, but for others.”
So They Can CEO Cass was impressed with Thomasin’s rapport with young Kenyans.
By her own admission, Thomasin isn’t the most intrepid traveller either. “Considering I’ve been travelling for work most of my life, you’d think I’d be more courageous, but I’m used to arrangements being made for me. I also used to be a very nervous flyer, although lately I’ve become more confident.”
Lucky for Thomasin, Cass took the star under her wing.
Cass says, “I always warn people when I take them to Africa, the days are jam-packed, and these trips are draining emotionally and physically, but Tom shone. She even rolled her sleeves up and got stuck in, weighing and measuring babies at one of our bush medical camps.”
Recalls Thomasin, “That was one of the more eye-opening days, where people walked 20km in the boiling heat carrying sick children.”
She was especially distressed to see young girls whose hair had been styled into tight red curls. “That’s the marketing message to say they’d been ‘cut’ and were ready for sale into marriage. Seeing girls much younger than me with pregnant tummies and a baby on their hip was also very confronting.”
But thanks to So They Can, over 35,000 children and their communities across Kenya and Tanzania have been offered hope through education and improved health outcomes, which includes working to prevent female genital cutting, the procedure that precedes forced marriage.
“One of the coolest things,” says Cass, “is seeing what sustained impact looks like. I’ve known some of those children since they were three and of our first 120 students to graduate, 106 are going on to university or vocational training, whereas before their futures would’ve looked so different.”
What touched Thomasin most, though, was seeing people with so little be so generous. “I met Chemisto, the girl I sponsor, and although we didn’t speak the same language, a teacher translated for us, and we communicated with gestures and facial expressions. Then Chemisto introduced me to her sister. She took a cold Fanta out to her and once her sister had taken a sip, she poured the rest into cups for all the other kids. She didn’t do it for praise, it was simply because she saw a need.”
Facing a brighter future thanks to people like Thomasin.
Returning home has been unsettling, but it helps Thomasin to know she’s at the start of a life-long mission. “The work doesn’t stop because we’re back in New Zealand. We’re still seeking donations and growing support, and I’m more determined than ever to spread the word because Kenya is on my mind every single day.”
To learn more about So They Can or to donate, visit sotheycan.org
