i spoke of poverty a few months ago but ill admit i spoke too soon.
i arrive in nairobi and am ready to start my volunteer work in the so called 'orphanage here in nairobi called 'faith christian'. i show up two days early to check the place out and i cant believe what im seeing. over 450 kids at a school which is actually a vacant cement building where each room is approx 10ft by 12ft wide and over 50 kids (one with 65) in each room. no desks just rugged bench like things that hold about 8 kids each. some kids even just stand in the back. many rooms dont have doors but the ones that do force the children to stand up and move to open as i try to enter. one room even has the kids sitting on the cement dirty floor. no paper, no pencils, chalk only for scribling on the uneven wall. the teachers are the only ones who possess books which there are about 2 books for each grade, basically a social science book and a math book. i want to pretend im not shocked at this pt. what they call a kitchen is a 2 ft by 10 ft hallway with a jiko and a pot in it where they give the kids teach for breakfast and rice for lunch every day. this is only for the kids who are absolutely without...like the 60+ congo refugee children.
so then i ask about where im going to stay...here goes another adventure. i find out they have booked me in a guest room nearly 10 minutes drive away...which is a long way to travel in this dangerous slum area all alone. the guest room is right near the rd where rowdy crowds of youthful men gather each night drunk high and who knows what else. this was a bad idea....i felt doubt fill my body as my heart pounded and i wasnt sure what to do....however...(of course there is a however)
out of all of this huge area of nairobi, my friend jojo who has been showing me around for the past 3days just happens to live 10mins walk away from faith christian. in nairobi there are probably over 500 schools and somehow ive managed to without knowing it, contact and connect with one that is so close to my friends home i can almost hear the children laughing. this is fate. the other amazing part of this is that jojo is living with 1 cousin in a 4 bedroom house meaning there are 2 extra rooms available. so father sun up above has blessed me with 2 kind young men who are allowing me to stay in their home free of charge. jo jo warms bath water for me when i want it, makes me porridge for breakfast and walks me to and from the school each day. not just this but they are some of the funnest people ive met. always down to go out and dance til all hours of the night after a long day of volunteer work. i cant explain how things like this work out, i just know they do for reasons of bliss.
i am finding this sacred path even more each day as i realized i can take my passions with me and do good with them wherever i go. so at the school ive begun making teaching aids which we are pasting to the walls. things like charts with animals, numbers, science figures, weather charts...basically things the kids never see since the only pictures are in the teachers books. the kids are now showing up at school early and voluntarily a child leads the others in lessons with the aids that are on the wall. and the kids school usually starts by 630, so imagine what showing up early is like for them....this is pure passion for knowledge. i am so blessed that i can do art and make a difference with it.
recently while walking home another school asked me to join them in the same project after i finish at faith christian. they are basically in the same situation so i will keep on arting it up in the area til all the school are bright and colorful.
ive also taken on teaching and leading art iat jojos home on sundays for the neighborhood kids. they sit outside for hours each morning just waiting to see signs of movement from my room and when they see me they say teach us teach us. its so hard to refuse even if i have plans i have to search for paper for them because its a new experience for them...most have never even seen a marker or colored pencil and their addiction to this new past time is a great addiction i can help feed.
so anyway i am working hard to get these school stocked up with artistic aids but its been a challenge for me to get the supplies i need as art is not common here. so here i am asking for any assistance again...
id like to mention the situation in faith christian. over 60 of the kids who are in the school are refugees from the congo. they have 1 set of clothes to wear and they stay in a room with over 20 of them where there is nothing but bodies. no blanket pillow or warmth. nothing. they came with nothing and they have nothing. if i could possibly get a few big blankets for them to use or pairs of underwear, toothbrush and paste or even a bag of rice....or more art supplies like markers and paper, their lives and the other students lives would be drastically enhanced. its amazing small things like this can help so much.
anyway i am asking for funds or supplies which can be sent electronically over the net on my site...or if you'd like to send supplies send them to jojos mailbox
joseph arthur ogonda
po box 75715-00200
nairobi kenya
call me or email before sending supplies please 011 254 0732573149
http://africa.thetclub.com
thanks to all who are helping in the world and please keep africa in your heart this holiday season. ive heard people who keep track of holiday spending and at the end they donate the same amount theyve spend...a very kool concept. just consider what we all could do if we are willing to give as much as we recieve.
amani and aheri msuri sanas
(peace and love beautifuls)
kena achieng
nairobi
