saying goodbye

scale 1:1

playing with an old drum

learning from each other

maasai home

The Maasai home was in the middle of farmland as far as the eye could see. We passed a significant amount of cattle and sheep getting there but also spotted some zebra along the way. Once out at the home the elders greeted us by bending their head down and pushing their forehead towards us. As Nate was then in their view I assumed they were bending down to see him when our interpreter told us that we must cup our hand over their forehead as a greeting. It was a such a warm and intimate way to greet a stranger.

There was absolutely nothing westernised about their way of life. The milk that the babies were fed was from the cattle on the land, the food from their own produce or sourced from a local market. The only hint of civilisation was the electricity towers in the distance that crossed the land. Something which the Maasai people had little call for.

girls helping to prepare lunch

girls braiding their hair

pit stop along the way

bumpy ride

suswa

One of the highlights of our time with the Kenya Children's Home was a visit to one of the projects they run, the Soila Maasai Girls Rescue Centre in Suswa. The day started with an almost two hour drive out to the area of Suswa which is in the heart of the Rift Valley. The drive was the bumpiest we've ever had, riding in the back of a 4WD truck with most of the time spent airborne rather than on the seat. We drove through some spectacular scenery, which unfortunately we weren't able to capture as we were driving at speed but we soaked it all in!

In cooperation with the local families, the Girls Rescue Centre rescues girls from Female Genital Mutilation and inevitable early marriage (sometimes as young as 10 years old). The girls are given a place to stay while they're educated - a luxury they would not be given had they remained living in their villages.

The school was incredible, with some of the best facilities we'd seen and the girls so lovely. They were of course besotted with Nate as was everyone we met on our trip. After lunch with the girls and a performance of some of their songs we headed out on another bumpy ride to a Massai Village where we met Massai elders and were able to visit a home. The home belonged to one of the security guards at the Girls Home. We were shown where he, his two wives, children and his mother and aunties lived.

The huts themselves were rendered with a mixture of cow manure, ash and water and were pitch black inside with the only light coming from two ventilation points smaller than a human hand. Inside the space was divided up a little and there were beds and a space to cook. It was hard to imagine how they could live in a such a dark space, with so little room to move.

the last bit

Which brings us to the last part of our trip which was spent volunteering with the Kenya Children's Home in Nairobi. Rather than do a day by day account of our time in the Children's Home we thought we'd give an overview of our time there and our impressions.

The Kenya Children's Home is an orphanage which houses 175 children who have been orphaned, abandoned or left destitute. The Home has recently had an influx of new children who have been displaced due to the post election violence in Nairobi. The children are housed in 9 family units, with each house providing shelter for up to 12-16 children. These children are cared for by a dedicated house mother and an auntie in each unit. The children are of mixed ages and sexes, with all siblings living together, recreating a family-oriented environment. Up until the age of two the babies live in a nursery where they are cared for by a team of women.

We were fortunate enough to be able to stay in a friend's flat which was walking distance from the Home. From there we would walk up each morning to help out with running kid's clubs which were activity sessions for the children while they were on school holidays. The kids were aged from 2 - 15 years and we would visit all the individual homes to round up the children to come out and play. While we were there we also helped out with homework clubs, maintenance on the property and looking after the children in the nursery.

Woz helped out quite a bit with maintenance while he was there. A lot of the signage for the home was faded and so Woz revamped them all by hand. One sign proved to be a little difficult though as it was very high up and Woz really needed scaffolding to do it. In Africa though, anything goes, so Woz drove one of the school buses up to the wall and painted from there. There's really no need to explain why he's known as MacGyver.

compassion

So, this is where we do our plug for Compassion. We started sponsoring our first five children about five years ago while living in Australia, and since moving to London we have taken on two more. When we decided we wanted to sponsor a child we weren't in a position to, really, as we were on one income and didn't have a surplus of money each month. At the time it was $50 per month (from memory) which isn't a lot of money, but as we were stretched already it was a bit much for us. So Woz and I looked at our budget and our lifestyle and worked out that if we didn't buy our lunch at work and college each day we could save enough to sponsor a child, well actually more than just one child but five. Woz and I would pack up our lunches, snacks and drinks each evening, with our catch phrase 'we're doin' it for the kids'.

Anyway, the point is that when we decided to sponsor a child our sacrifice was small, and once we were used to paying the amount each month it barely crossed our mind but for the regular letters we would receive from our sponsored children. We would think of them but to us it wasn't life changing. Until we met them in person. It is incredible but the small amount of money that they receive each month makes such a difference to their lives and we've seen how with Compassion's help they are able to break the cycle of poverty. With the money we send, the children receive entrance into a program each Saturday where they are given a uniform, receive extra studies, learn about hygiene, are taught specialist skills such as embroidery which will later enable them to generate an income for themselves and they're given a staple meal which for some is the only one that week.

Compassion employ a nurse and social workers as well as their administration staff, and there are small 'projects' scattered throughout the country which serve all the families within a 5km radius. When a child is sponsored it opens up to the family a vital connection to Compassion who become a one stop shop for them, helping them out with their every need. Compassion also have programs where they work with the parents to empower them to break the cycle of poverty for themselves, teaching them skills such as beekeeping, trout fishing, farming, tie dying and many more which allows them to start up a business and generate a small income for their family. The staff at the office know each child by name and often know the names of their siblings as well as their parents.

We were absolutely blown away by the work that was done by Compassion and more so by the care that they give each child and each family they work with. I know there are loads of organisations who work with children but we honestly believe that the money we send each month could not be spent in a better way. We could buy a couple of extra coffees each week or we could change a child's life. Not really something we had to think long and hard about.

Deborah's family

One of the neediest families we visited, Deborah's parents struggle to feed their family on a daily basis. Deborah is on the far left.

hannah's family

As we've mentioned before, Compassion allow their sponsors to send birthday gifts in the form of a cash amount. The gift money is sent to the relevant project where the staff liase with the parents of the child and the child themselves to determine how they would like to spend the money. A typical item that is purchased for the child's birthday might be a mattress, some maize or rice, and a pair of shoes. Hannah's family had decided to buy a goat on two different occasions and we were able to see them on their property. This is something that Compassion encourage with the parents as it allows them to build up a sustainable income for themselves.

day twelve

Our third day with Compassion took us to another project, 20 km the other side of Nairobi, to a more rural setting where we met Hannah and Deborah. The project itself was situated on a school campus and so we arrived to the warmest (and most frenzied) reception yet.

Probably one hundred children greeted us, so much that we could barely get out of the car.

on the road

the market at ya ya

sunday school

day eleven

Nate joins in on a Sunday School class at a local Gospel church.

wangari and tabitha

wilfred

tabitha

child's play

a quick kick

After visiting the homes of Wangari, Tabitha and Wilfred we returned to the project to have lunch and then a game of football. We were joined by lots of local kids and all the Compassion staff joined in. It was such a great day and the staff made us feel so much at home and welcome there. It was very difficult to leave them.

nate and his girls

local kids

wilfred

Wilfred also lived in rented house but on a hilltop so his home was less muddy than the rest. Each home was set out in a similar way inside, one or two rooms (one in this case) and curtained to divide the spaces. The living rooms were always jammed with furniture, only seating and in most cases the seating was just boxes or stools covered in a cloth. The rooms were all very dark with very small windows which were an open section of the wall rather than a glassed view. However in each home we were welcomed warmly, given the most comfortable seat in the room and encouraged to feel at home. We were very aware of how privileged we were to be allowed into their home.

tabitha's family

Wherever we were, crowds gathered and so when we visited Tabitha and she, her mother and brother sang for us, by the time they had finished we turned around to see the whole village gathered at their tiny door. We later discovered it was Nate they'd been watching, not the singing.

star attraction

wangari

Wangari took great pleasure in showing us where she lived, and as we all piled into the back of the 4WD to make our way there she and Tabitha sang exuberantly all the way. Once the car had gone as far as it could we again faced the mud on foot, Wangari holding my hand to lead the way. Her home was much larger than those we'd seen the day before, however she came from a larger family. After the formal welcoming and thank you from her parents she said 'I am happy to see you with my own eyes'.

My own eyes started to well up at that point.