Steve's Story

Glorious Kenya

The trip got off to the worst start. At Heathrow, Des wasn?t allowed to fly because of an admin error on BA?s behalf. Luckily he was able to transfer the flight to the next day (Friday). So I flew out alone and in Nairobi, Humphrey (Des?s baby brother) picked me up from the airport. Des arrived on Saturday morning.

the journey from Nairobi to Jacinta?s home just outside Ruiru was quite an experience. The roads are terrible, so bad that?s it?s often better to drive on the land at the side of the road. I am never going to moan about the roads in England again! They are lined with market stalls, small businesses. There are lots of furniture stalls where you can buy beds, chairs and bookcases and from the road they look like very good quality. But there?s rubbish everywhere. Even after 2 weeks I still found it hard to throw rubbish on the floor but you don?t have any choice. Piles of it form along the roads and every now and again they are set on fire.

But there is so much going on (but very slowly). Cyclists, of which there are many, take their life in their own hands every time they venture out as drivers seem to ignore them.

Jacinta?s home is lovely. It?s quite a drive out of Ruiru and here the roads are even worse. They?re not really roads, just dusty tracks with the occasional rock and gullies have formed where rain has washed down them.

Jacinta had put the word out and asked the children to come to her home on the Sunday afternoon. Here we were to speak to as many as we could and take their pictures so that their sponsors would know how they were and what their progress was. Luckily, Jacinta translated for me as my Kiswahili extended to ?hello? and ?thank you? (by the end of the 2 weeks I was almost fluent?well, if counting to ten can be described as fluent). We made pretty good progress that day but we stopped before it got dark, which was around 5.30pm, so that the children could get home.

The next day, Monday, we went to Jacinta?s school, Kigaa Primary School (hopefully some pictures and a video will appear on the web site). The classrooms are very dark and dusty and the blackboards are in a bad way but the staff and children are terrific, so friendly. After the initial shock of seeing a white man the children were a little more relaxed and we got quite a lot of work done that day.

We had to visit several schools during our stay in Kenya and some of the stories of the children?s lives were difficult to comprehend. Many don?t eat breakfast, the lucky ones have left overs from supper the previous night and very few have anything at lunchtime. Supper usually consists of maize and beans and maybe rice. Not what you?d call a balanced diet. The children almost seem embarrassed to say this and yet there is no self-pity.

For me though, I the highlight of the trip was staying at Ruiru Rehab Centre. We paid a short visit there during the first week just to say hello and to let Francisca and the volunteers know what our plans were and when I would be able to help out there. The greeting we received was lovely. All the children came over and shook our hands and said hello.

I spent 4 says there in total although spread over the whole 2 weeks but it doesn?t take long to understand the feeling there. The children are so happy. When you consider what most of them have had to endure throughout their short lives it?s amazing they can raise as much as a smile.

Many are orphans, many have lived on the streets and many have suffered some form of abuse either from family or people they met whilst living rough on the streets. Yet to see them, you?d be shocked to hear their histories. Their clothes may be old and torn but they are clean, happy and very confident. They look after each other, the older ones looking out for the younger ones and they seem just like a big, happy family. They work very hard too, doing chores before school and then helping cook supper and working on the crops and looking after the chickens that they keep.

But they know how to have fun too and spend afternoons playing. On one occasion we went for a swim at the lake just a short walk away. It was a strange feeling as I wasn?t sure what I was swimming in! But I needn?t have worried and the children had an absolute ball. They made floats using reads which they weaved together?. ingenious.

What a great country. I hope some of you decide to visit one day. I know you?ll really enjoy yourselves.

Steve................