Little things in life...

The following is a short story of my once-in-a-lifetime experience to Kenya. Despite being the cheapest trip I have ever traveled, it is also the most amazing. I was one of the chosen few under my company’s charity program to promote education. The selection committee was particularly concerned of candidates’ adaptability as it was NOT a normal budget travel. Well, I thought Malaysia shouldn’t be too different than Kenya, so that should be easy... was I wrong!

On the 1st week of travel, we went to Karibu (means “welcome”) Center in Thika, Kenya, a shelter for young mothers and abandoned babies and a learning center for children from the nearby “slums” (how the locals called their villages). The first day, when we passed through the main gate, the children rushed towards us, as if we were some kind of celebrities and began their endless chants of “How are you?” Few of them immediately hugged us around the legs and held our hands. At one point, each of my fingers were held by different children with some hugging me around my legs, both legs!!

The children were all pre-school students. I was half-expecting the children to be all-over the computers but instead, they seemed a little bit scared. The computers were left open in front of them as if they were forbidden. We had to pull their hand to show them how to use the touchpad.

After an eventful first week, we headed to Rusinga Island. Being on the island, you couldn’t help but to be grateful for things taken for granted. People here lived in extreme poverty without electricity and running water. They had to rely on rainwater and water from the lake for daily consumption and kerosene lamps at nights. The toilets were just holes on the floor.

We went from school to school to conduct classes. It was heartbreaking to see most of them didn’t even have shoes and their clothes have been worn way too many time- torn in multiple places, with missing buttons. The classrooms were incomplete buildings, with recycled wood used as chairs and tables. Despite the conditions they were in, the children were well-behaved and asked amazingly intellectual questions.

I left with a heavy heart and those 2 weeks were actually more of a contribution to me than to them. It has been an amazing experience beyond what I can possibly imagine when I signed up for this. All the people I have met were intellectual and talented, with passion to learn and do more but lack the right opportunities or facilities. Asante!! (Thank you!!)