Personal experiences
Making A Difference in Kenya
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Stepping off the plane at Mombasa airport was one of the most wonderful moments I have experienced, I was about to embark in the most life changing two months of my life. Being a lone 18 year old female traveller, the few days before I left I had a few anxieties...However, these evaporated as I was hit with the flavours, smells, music, kindness and the life and soul of the African people. Women were walking around with baskets on their heads, chickens were running riot and matatus were zooming past.. I was in Africa!
My first day at the centre was so exciting - I was immediately overwhelmed with how amazing all the boys were. As soon as I arrived they all came to greet me with a big smile on each of their faces. They are just normal teenage boys; they like football, play fighting and pranks (not great for me when Felix, one of the boys, tried to scare me with spiders!). But there was one main difference between the boys at the centre and the ones I knew back in the UK; the older boys had a passion to learn. It was wonderful to see that as the boys progress, their desire to do well increases and they work very hard.
Having only left school one year prior to this trip I wondered how easy it would be to work at a school and take on the role of a teacher. After my first lesson, teaching science to boys around 15 years old, my confidence was sky high and teaching became very enjoyable (and tiring). I taught three lessons a day, maths and English to standard 3 (range of ages 8-13) and English to standard 6 (ages 14-16).
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When going into central Mombasa you can’t help but see street kids everywhere. The first time I went to the streets ( I went to Boxing the main area where the street children sleep). I was deeply moved by what I saw. What is most shocking is that children are solvent sniffing and they have no intention of hiding it. Therefore it is very common to just see a child standing there sniffing glue right in front of you.
Grandsons of Abraham is a pivotal organisation in Mombasa as it is well known by many boys who live on the street and gives them hope for a better life. Once the boys have come to the centre and have readjusted back into education, they get the opportunity to learn in a proper school and have the chance of a bright future. Sponsoring a boy means giving one of them a place in a school. One of the boys, Julius from Grandsons is lucky enough to already be sponsored. He is a hardworking boy and attends a boarding school. He came back from school to stay with grandsons while it was his school holidays for Easter. Although Julius does not live on the street anymore, his 9 year old brother still does, so Claire, another volunteer, and I went to boxing to try and find his brother. That day was a real testament to what a loyal and sweet boy Julius was. Although Claire and I were chaperoning him, it soon felt like he was looking after us as he knew a lot of the boys still on the street and he wanted to make sure Claire and I were safe. Unfortunately, his brother was nowhere to be found - most likely moved to a different town or city. But while we were there we were bombarded with stories from the street boys, men and women about their lives. It seems that for many people they have just had unfortunate events which has lead to them living on the street; tragic events such as a death of a parent/parents or an abusive or poor family.
Another example of how this organization has transformed the lives of these boys is the story of a 17 year old. At a young age, due to an abusive parent he was forced to live on the streets in Nairobi. He lived on the streets for 4 years before he hid in the toilets of a train to Mombasa (a 16 hour journey). In Mombasa, Grandsons of Abraham found him. Soon he was at the rescue centre and working hard. When I was volunteering, he was back for the Easter holidays and he attends boarding school now. I was pleasantly surprised by how unbelievably hard working he was and how well he was doing in his studies. His aim for the future is to be a human rights lawyer for children and help those who are his old situation. This 17 year old was a remarkable, humbling and inspirational person.
It is so easy to forget what the boys have been through when you spend a day with them because they do not focus on what bad things they have witnessed or done, they all concentrate on the future. With the right help all these boys could go far. The organisation is vital, not only for the boys who are already part of it, but for all the boys on the streets all around Kenya, to know that there is somewhere for them to go and provide hope. This project gives you the chance to see the real Kenya, become a local and do things tourists would never dream of. From living in a house of amazing volunteers, spending time with amazing kids and doing crazy things like getting a motorbike to work...this was the best experience I could have asked for. It changed my life forever; I am now planning my next trip back there.
Jennifer Thorby
Email Jenny at jenny_thorby@hotmail.co.uk
October 2009
Buy one extra gift this Christmas
Grandsons of Abraham currently cares for approximately 105 children and this year endeavours to make sure every child in the rescue centre has a happy Christmas. We appeal to you to help make this Christmas special for all the children.
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10K RUN in Richmond London
On 17th October 2009 Katie and Nicky ran a 10K in Richmond London, to raise money for the Street Children in Kenya.
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You can now follow us on twitter @AfricaWatoto to get the latest updates for the projects taking place at the center, personal experiences from the volunteers and many more.
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Forum
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