My Experiences with Out Of Afrika in Ruiru, Kenya
By Edward Davie

I arrived in Nairobi early on the 20th April 2006, where I met Grace and Sylvester for the first time of my seven week stay in Kenya. I had organised my trip through Julie, the founder of Out of Afrika (OOA) many months previously. Having completed my studies I was recommended working with the charity by two friends who had helped out last summer. Although I had read the information on the website and spoken to Julie and my friends I really didn’t know quite how things would be in Ruiru or how I could be of help to the organisation. Immediately Grace and Sylvester made me feel very welcome and at home and we talked a little about what the charity does.

There are many projects that OOA are involved with including a large sponsorship program for disadvantaged children who need financial assistance to complete their education. They also have volunteers who assist in teaching at the local Githunguri Primary School, working with special needs children, and the Ruiru Rehabilitation Centre, as well as helping maintain schools such as Kigaa primary School. OOA are even building their own school on some recently purchased land, a project that Sylvester and a local teacher, Charles, are heavily involved with. My first impressions on hearing about and visiting these projects was amazement at the amount of work that is being undertaken since the charity is only twelve years old.

There is one other project which I was most involved with that concerned training some of the older sponsored children to use Microsoft Office applications. The project is directed at the children who have sponsors and who have completed secondary education. The computer skills that are taught are necessary for the young adults to increase employability and continue their education. Each Wednesday and Saturday I taught the students for four hours. In that time we covered a lot and the students were very eager to learn and develop their skills. In my time here the sponsored class completed PowerPoint and Excel courses, which they did to a high standard. Their maturity towards learning and education is something I have been impressed with and applies to all the projects I have worked with. It really differentiates the children here to some of those in the UK.

Ruiru itself is a satellite town of Nairobi and is almost equidistant from Nairobi and Thika. The town is large, but spread over a considerable area. There is a difference between the busier town, where OOA’s apartment is based, and the more rural areas beyond Githunguri School. The sight of mzungus (white people) is rare and when walking there we got used to having a stream of children following and offering their hands to shake. The first time I went I was quite taken aback, then later laughed at the absurdity of it.

My other main function with OOA was to help teach at Githunguri. I took some PE classes as well as assisting another volunteer in taking a class for mentally disabled children who were unfortunately not getting the attention required. The classes in Free Primary Education (FPE) in Kenya are large and these children were simply left a the back not able the grasp the concepts that the other children could. It was arranged by an OOA volunteer that the

children be taught in their own makeshift classroom and working with them was both a test of our patience and also very rewarding. I shall have fond memories of the children. Other pleasant memories include an enjoyable day trip with the children of the Ruiru Rehabilitation Centre to the Blue Post hotel to see the waterfalls and animals.

During my stay I was lucky enough to see not only the OOA projects but also visited a special needs school in Nairobi called Jacaranda with the head teacher of Githunguri, Mr Karanja. Jacaranda is a fascinating institution that helps severely mentally disabled children to work with their hands and gives them full time work following completion of their education. This work is crucial in a country where physical and mental disability has been considered as a source of shame and largely ignored by both communities and the government. Part of what OOA does is help such children to organise and pay the fees for specialist schools, whether that is in Nairobi, Thika or elsewhere. They work very closely with the existing school in order to find the best solution for the child.

My time in Kenya has been an enjoyable one, although there are many sad stories about the situation and circumstances of many of the children. The work I have helped with has been greatly rewarding and I feel that OOA fills a very important role in the community. The charity is expanding and as long as that happens things in Ruiru will improve pole pole (slowly slowly) . The country as a whole has been very welcoming and the people have received us all with great generosity. I wish OOA all the best for the future, particularly with the opening of the new school in September and I hope to return at the next possible opportunity.