Sex-ed, 20 questions, and giraffe kisses - just another day in Nairobi!
Hello from the Wildebeest Guesthouse in Nairobi, Kenya, where we're waiting to head to the airport. We're off to Paris to participate in the EU's emergency meeting on Libya...or to finish our honeymoon adventure before I head home to finish school (Holly will stay in Paris to write a masterpiece novel, hopefully). But first, Nairobi.
We spent our first few days volunteering at a wonderful organization: Hamomi Children's Centre (thanks to our friend Susie Marks for connecting us). We've seen a lot of development projects throughout our travels, but Hamomi stood out for its enormous impact with so few resources. You can (and should) read Hamomi's story, but here's the cliff notes: Recognizing that most can't afford "free" public schools, and motivated by a belief that education is a human right, an incredible person named Raphael started a school in the Kangemi slum in Nairobi. In just 12 years, Hamomi has evolved into a 120 student primary school that provides schooling (and meals) to kids without other options. If a student graduates from Hamomi and passes the entrance exams, Hamomi also pays the relatively hefty secondary school and boarding fees so that students can continue their education (an extraordinary 15 of 18 graduates are now at secondary school). Hamomi has driven students, passionate teachers and staff (all working for a fraction of what they could earn elsewhere), and a steady stream of mzungu volunteers.
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| Kids with our camera = some crazy shots |
We spent our first few days volunteering at a wonderful organization: Hamomi Children's Centre (thanks to our friend Susie Marks for connecting us). We've seen a lot of development projects throughout our travels, but Hamomi stood out for its enormous impact with so few resources. You can (and should) read Hamomi's story, but here's the cliff notes: Recognizing that most can't afford "free" public schools, and motivated by a belief that education is a human right, an incredible person named Raphael started a school in the Kangemi slum in Nairobi. In just 12 years, Hamomi has evolved into a 120 student primary school that provides schooling (and meals) to kids without other options. If a student graduates from Hamomi and passes the entrance exams, Hamomi also pays the relatively hefty secondary school and boarding fees so that students can continue their education (an extraordinary 15 of 18 graduates are now at secondary school). Hamomi has driven students, passionate teachers and staff (all working for a fraction of what they could earn elsewhere), and a steady stream of mzungu volunteers.
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| "Let me see your mzungu dance!" |
We briefly joined the cadre of volunteers, and we certainly got more from the experience than we could offer. Some highlights of our time at Hamomi:
Our plans to meet up for St Paddy's day drinks with a friend working in mobile banking and micro-finance fell through, so we spent the day chilling in Wildebeest Guesthouse's garden. Another great day, full of of reading, writing, a dog named 'Fatty,' lots of wine, and chatting with a Maasai named Justus ("Justice").
We asked Joseph, our new Kenyan best friend and driver extraordinaire, to take us to the most touristy sites in Nairobi on our last day, and we were treated to an elephant orphanage (baby elephants slipping and sliding in muddy ponds - adorable!), a giraffe sanctuary (where we fed giraffes - mouth-to-mouth - from an elevated platform - adorable?), a women's bead-making co-op called Kazuri (cooler than it sounds), and a delicious meal at an Ethiopian restaurant.
- Holly was asked to give an impromptu lesson on sex ed/HIV to the older girls. Meanwhile, I (along with a visiting Pastor) was asked to talk to the older boys about 'how to have good moral character.'
- Exploring Kangemi, including stops at a few of the teacher's homes.
- Lots of soccer, singing, and dancing.
- Our visit coincided with the Pastor's family visit, a wholesome and kind family from Boston.
- Ben was asked to play games in English, resulting in an epic 20 questions tournament. Meanwhile, Holly was asked to teach about apostrophes.
- Learning that the students shorten "teacher" by saying "cha" (i.e. "Cha, is the round orange fruit you're thinking of a papaw?").
- Letting the students borrow our digital camera during recess.
- Discovering that one of our favorite UW Professors (Joel Ngugi) brought study abroad students to Hamomi (a tiny school in the middle of one of many slums in a huge city - what are the odds?).
Many thanks to those who donated on our wedding registry. Your donations funded Hamomi's most urgent school supply needs. We were also lucky to meet a pair of rock climbing teachers from the Yukon because a) they were hilarious, and b) they brought a huge bag full of donations for a school but didn't know what to do with it; Hamomi now has new soccer balls and crazy pens thanks to Andy and Dave of Whitehorse.
Our plans to meet up for St Paddy's day drinks with a friend working in mobile banking and micro-finance fell through, so we spent the day chilling in Wildebeest Guesthouse's garden. Another great day, full of of reading, writing, a dog named 'Fatty,' lots of wine, and chatting with a Maasai named Justus ("Justice").
We asked Joseph, our new Kenyan best friend and driver extraordinaire, to take us to the most touristy sites in Nairobi on our last day, and we were treated to an elephant orphanage (baby elephants slipping and sliding in muddy ponds - adorable!), a giraffe sanctuary (where we fed giraffes - mouth-to-mouth - from an elevated platform - adorable?), a women's bead-making co-op called Kazuri (cooler than it sounds), and a delicious meal at an Ethiopian restaurant.
-Ben and Holly
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