Ubuntu for Life

I had spent a week at LangaLanga primary school, teaching English with nine of my college friends. Michael, a 16 year old orphan, was one of the many students in class 8P and we had all been drawn to his friendly nature and bright smile.

“My brothers and I would love to welcome you into our home before you leave Kenya” he had told us, and happily, we had obliged.

Michael lived at Ubuntu Orphanage and invited us for Chai the next morning. As we arrived there was a communal intake of breath; before us stood a building made of sticks and mud, windowless with a corrugated iron roof. The yard was filled with boys of all ages and a beautiful lady in a vibrant dress with a smile that made us feel instantly at home.

“Let our visitors through” The woman had said and the crowd melted away. She introduced herself as Monicah and offered us a tour. We were led down the corridor of the orphanage and shown the five rooms; each was filled with lines of bunk beds with no mattresses, one with a small wooden table but no chairs. We were told that this was where the boys knelt to do their homework.

The boys told us of their amazing football team but how they were ridiculed for their ripped shorts and bare feet. After a few wonderful hours we left with the promise of returning later on and headed straight to Nairobi in search of football kits. Eventually we found a shop that would sell us matching kits and boots and paid the fee before heading back to the orphanage. As we presented our gift, we were all taken aback by their incredible gratitude. Since arriving home, we have continued to fund-raise and recently received word that our money had funded many of the boys secondary education. Shortly after we arrived home, we received a letter from Michael describing us as “the angels who answered his prayer”, he says he will be eternally grateful to us, but I believe that it is we who should be grateful for the life changing experience that he offered to us on that sunny Kenyan morning.