March-April 2004

I have to admit, as I was arriving into Nairobi I had a mixture of emotions - apprehension, excitement, and really not knowing what to expect. The nerves died down a little when I was met at the airport by Steve (an owner of another local children's home near Nairobi) who was very friendly and welcoming, and told me how grateful everyone will be for the time I will be spending with them. He drove me to Ruiru, where it immediately became obvious that poverty must be high, as idle men walked the streets and the many street sellers seemed almost half asleep due to a lack of business. I met Joe in the flat owned by OOA, another volunteer from the UK, who had already been there for 6 weeks.

In the mornings he was teaching at a primary school at a local refugee centre (mainly for Sudanese) and in the afternoons he was volunteering at the rehabilitation centre. Joe told me that although there are only 4 classes at the primary school, some classes often do not have teachers and so the children have to play outside until a teacher is free to give them a lesson. With the idea in mind of visiting the refugee centre, and maybe helping with his class, the next day I went with Joe to the primary school. I was shocked when Joe told me we were there as the school resembled four very small wooden huts joined together in a row. The area outside, which was the children's play area, was a very small cemented area, no bigger than 8ft x 12ft. I met the head teacher, Kevin, who was again very welcoming and pleased to see me, and immediately asked if I would teach a class. He took me into one of the wooden huts and seven, 8/9 year olds greeted me.

This was to be my class and classroom for the next seven weeks. I was given the textbooks for mathematics, science and English to teach out of. In theory these books are designed for each student to have but since they cannot afford them, the lessons took the format of me writing information and questions on the board and the children copying into their exercise books. The children were always so keen to learn and answer questions - whenever I asked a question their hands would shoot up and I would be greeted with a chorus of "me teacher". I tried to make the lessons a bit different and more interesting but it proved difficult due to the lack of resources. I soon learnt to take an extra pen with me everyday as inevitably one of the students would not have one, or their pencil was now so small it could not be sharpened any further.

I made Easter cards with my class, which was a new idea to them and they had great fun drawing pictures of how they celebrated Easter - no chocolate eggs in sight! At the end of the term, which also coincided with the end of my seven week stay in Ruiru, I had to set my class exams. It was very pleasing to see them all doing well in the subjects I had taught, and the other local teachers remarked on what an impression both Joe and myself had made on the children over the term.

Everyday after teaching we had lunch at a local caf?. After walking over an open drain to get inside, the owner was always pleased to see us and always remembered what food we wanted without us having to order. We feasted on a standard Kenyan meal - a stew of beans, lentils, cabbage and potato, with a chapatti and a cup of very sweet tea - all for approximately 20p
I then spent the afternoons at the rehabilitation centre. Despite the hardships these children have had to endure (many have been found living on the streets) they always seemed so happy and content.

The teacher, Dorcas, worked extremely hard at trying to get the children to their correct standard at school, and in their exams many of the children were coming high positions in their classes. Many afternoons we spent helping the children washing up the plates and dishes from lunch - a job they did with no complaints - and playing different ball games. I also took in a pack of SNAP cards which were a great hit, and I ended up spending a fair bit of time making two other packs of cards so that there were enough for everyone to play at the same time!

The facilities and resources at the rehab centre are very basic, with many of the children having to share beds for example, but the staff are hoping to have better buildings if the proposed move of the centre actually goes ahead. At the moment however, lack of funds are preventing any building and relocation work to begin. In order to raise awareness of the centre, an Open Day was arranged. For this the children learnt poems, and dances, and immensely enjoyed playing simple games such as sack races and egg and spoon races. From a personal point of view it was remarkable to see how joyful children could actually be, in a world away from computer games, televisions and videos.

During my stay in Ruiru I was fortunate enough to meet many local people, and from them could learn more about Kenya and their culture, and gain a real insight into their lifestyles. I was always so warmly welcomed into people's homes and despite their very low, or even lack of, incomes they would insist on buying me a soda or making tea and chapattis. I was very sad to leave Ruiru as I had made a number of friends, and had grown attached to quite a few of the adorable children. On my last day at the school the
Local teachers expressed their gratitude to me, and it was hard to leave knowing that my class may not, once again, have a regular teacher. The staff and children at the rehab centre wanted to know when I would be back to see them, and are hoping I can persuade other people from the UK to volunteer - they would be very pleased to see you there!

After my stay in Ruiru I embarked on a 5 week overland trip of Africa, starting from Nairobi and travelling through Tanzania, Zanzibar, Malawi, Mozambique, Zimbabwe, Botswana and eventually finishing up in South Africa. I had an amazing time and managed to fit in visiting the Serengeti National Park, the Ngorongoro Crater, Lake Malawi, Victoria Falls and the Okavango Delta.

I had a wonderful time and thanks to everyone.

Elena.