Seven ex-street boys sat for their KCPE [kenya certificate primary education] last year, they past and they have been called to go to different secondary schools.
With the help of two volunteers, one of the boys has already reported to a secondary school. The volunteers will pay for the school fees of these boys but the other three boys who are to report to secondary schools next week, we lack school fees for one of them who is very much willing to go to school.
Any body who might be willing to pay for them is welcome to do so. Thank you for those two volunteers who are still with us, one of the is back to USA now. We are very happy for the four boys who will be sitting for their KCPE this year. Two have been promised sponsorship and two not yet. It is only through education that we can give this children better lives and future. I hope you will agree with me.
Thank you
Sister Annet
Well I’ve been here a while now and so much has changed at the centre. There has been so much progress with the organisation of the way the centre is run and the benefits are being seen everyday. The centre has been redecorated, and a library has been built, there are now football nets, swings and a basketball net, all donated by volunteers. Standard 8 have just finished their exams and are feeling confident, so fingers crossed for them
This week the boys have been on holidays so there has been lots of activities, including bead work, sports day and football tournements. The kids are having a great time and plans are all set for the leaving party for standard 8 tomorrow. We had a great time yesterday,we had a big water fight and the volunteers definitely lost that fight.
There are now shifts at the centre consisting of a morning, afternoon and bed time shift. Bed time is my favourite, its lovely putting the little ones to bed and reading stories, down side, the bugs are out with a vengence.
We are now preparing for christmas and Fiona and sisters are teaching the boys charols, I’m staying out of it, my voice would just ruin it, but its great fun to watch, hoping to be able to do choir services in the hotels nearer to christmas. We have also started the christmas fund to buy all the boys pressies, which can be found on the Africa Watoto website, so get on and donate, it will be money very well spent.
I should have started this blog by telling my volunteering experience in Africa but I am doing it the other way around. So at the moment I am just going to talk about today.
Today is one of these days that I have to follow my routine, wake up and go to work…. During work of course i work and, twitt, facebook, websites, news… design banners, listen to music everything and anything i can possible do online.
But today was different. 
The reason is because I spoke with the kids from the rescue center. I called one of the volunteers that has a Kenya mobile phone and luckily she was at the center. Straight away she gave the phone to the boys and I spoke with Samuel, Oscar and other boys.. We were so happy to speak and just listen to our voices. I kind of felt that I was there with them, like I pictured myself to the center. They told me they were still playing the flute recorder, which is amazing!! Samuel asked if I was going back and I said maybe in a couple of months, maybe christmas. I really want to go back although I know it’s up to my finance but saying it over and over again to myself I think I might as well magage to do it. That’s getting too personal now. The point is that after that call I felt so happy and alive, it really gave meaning to my today life and encouraged me to do more so I can achieve my little goals in life.
Love
Stella
It’s almost a month now sice I came back from Africa and I have to say my life can’t go back to normal (meaning as it was before I went to Africa).
Volunteering in Africa changed my life. Before I went to Kenya I would go every day at work, make a plan for the week, stress about everything the tube, weather, friends, family, food, clothes, money… Things that you think are important in your every day life -which they are- but not to stress about them.
Now I am back and every day I will wake up the same time, get ready, go to work, stay there until 5:30, come back home with a peaceful mind not to stress about all the above. After work, back at home and I will go straight to my laptop to watch my photos and videos from Kenya, Tanzania, Zanzibar.. . It does sound pathetic but I really enjoying doing that, it keeps reminding me how different every day was there as oppose to what it is now.
Last year I went to Costa Rica to volunteer and when I came back I had exactly the same feelings but they didn’t last as long. I went back quickly to the London life rythm. There, it was the first time I was volunteerting and it was only for a week so I didn’t realise as much the importance of what I was doing.
Nowdays I have heard from many people wanting to become volunteers. Some say it is partly because of the recession some others say that people have become more aware about the climate change, humanitarian issues and finally some others think is because of the globalisation.
In my opinion no matter what the reason is it’s great that this is happening. The sure thing is that volunteering always has good results and benefits from both sides. When a human beign decides independently to make a difference to the world, help to make it better, it also means that cares about the others and has decided to leave behind the classic pattern (job-career-money-house -family) that most people from big cities live in.
Here are some photos from my volunteering in Africa
http://www.flickr.com/groups/volunteeringkenya/
Love
Stella
Seven ex-street boys sat for their KCPE [kenya certificate primary education] last year, they past and they have been called to go to different secondary schools.