Acrobatics training
It is a month now that Africa Watoto started the Acrobatics programme and we can already see a difference in the boys’ fitness, behavior and well-being.
The boys who live at the centre, have previously lived in the streets of Mombasa and have experienced the life of the streets and how it is to be hungry, have nowhere to sleep and beg for survival. They were exposed to abuse, exploitation and they lived a life that no child should live so when they come to the center it takes time for them to settle in their new environment. The center is a starting point for them to change their lives and offers them the opportunity to be educated at primary level and participate in various activities. We want to advance the education of the children and teach them skills which will enable them to use in the future and give them access to activities like all the other children in the world.
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First day delivery of the fish in Mikindani
Currently at both centers in Kikambala and Mikindani it has been implemented a nutritious feeding programme that includes vegetables, maize, beans, porridge, bread, biscuits and sometimes meat. However we still want to improve their diet and include fish and milk that has many vitamins and can help in the children’s’ educational performance and physical development.
At Kikambala centre there is a cow shed which has been built and funded by ex volunteers Ann and Angela. I decided that it would be a good idea to bring a dairy cow that will provide milk for the boys every day. I found a dairy cow that can produce 14 liters milk per day and it will be soon at the centre.
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The boys at Kikambala
This week I went to the centre to introduce to the boys the Young Leaders project. A friend of mine in London, Francesca, who works at Eastside Young Leaders Academy, she kindly introduced me to it so as to use it with the boys at the centre in Kikambala.
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Kilifi Plantations
It’s been a week now and I am still looking for a dairy cow that will provide milk for the boys at the centre. I have been asking local people and friends to direct me to farmers around Kikambala, Mtwapa and Vipingo area. Unfortunately most of the farmers this period don’t sell their cows. I went to the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI) and I thought that would be the best place but the officer told me that they weren’t selling either. He directed me to Kilifi Plantations which it is almost an hour from Kikambala.
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Art Competition at Mikindani
At the centre in Kikambala every Friday they boys have a talent course. Some are taking drama classes or singing, and some others arts. One day the teacher showed me some of the boys’ drawings and I was amazed to see how good they were. So I came up with the idea of organizing an Art Competition to give the boys the opportunity to use their creative skills, take the responsibility of a task and share their creations with their teachers and schoolmates.
First I had to find a theme. Having in my mind that the young pupils would participate in the competition I wanted to use a theme that is broad so they can use their own imagination and critical thinking to draw something that is related to the theme. I decided that the title of the theme would be ‘Kenyan colours’.
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Dance contest & Musical chairs
There are so many activities that you can do with African children to educate and entertain them and one of this is dancing. Africans in general are popular for their music and dance. They don’t have to be trained to dance, it is in their blood ,when they listen to music they just know how to move.
Every time I meet a child in the neighborhood, in the streets, on the matatus (buses) anywhere I go if I start dancing and clapping my hands they will start dancing straight away – even the shy ones. The same happens with singing, it just comes naturally to them. Read the rest of this entry »
We arrived at the centre on the morning and all the boys from Mikindani and Kikambala were there waiting for us. They didn’t know if we had any plans for them (as it was a surprise) and their faces looked a bit bored.
We placed the Christmas presents in the dining hall and started blowing some balloons to make the venue more joyful. We invited all the boys in the room and told them whenever they hear their name to come and collect their present. Before I started calling their names the boys started singing ‘We wish you a Merry Christmas’ moving the balloons with their hands up in the air.
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Hello everybody,
Firstly I would like to introduce myself. I am Stella Bili, I was an ex-volunteer at Grandsons of Abraham rescue centre in Mombasa, Kenya and I founded Africa Watoto in July 2009 with the aim to help street children who live at the centre.
I visited Grandsons centre twice and have experienced it at first hand. The impact of not having water and the lack of nutritious food to the children’s health, who live at one of the centres, increased my enthusiasm to help these children. Africa Watoto has been established to help the children in various ways such as providing nutritious food, buying clothes, books, organising events to raise money and raising awareness about street children’s life.
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