Hello, dear Kenya enthusiasts!
I’m Lisa, 20 years old, and I’m here for a three-month stay at the Maisha Mazuri Children’s Centre. I want to use my free time after graduating high school to make a difference, develop myself, and get to know a completely new world. That’s why I chose the MCC: to share my knowledge with the kids, implement creative and educational projects, and at the same time learn a lot from the people, the culture, and a completely different way of life. I landed in Nairobi in mid-January and was immediately welcomed with open arms by Michael, who brought me to the MCC. On the way to the MCC, I got my first impression of the standard of living, the people, the many small stalls along the roadsides, and, not to forget, Kenya’s bustling and developing roads. The pleasantly warm January weather, with 28 degrees Celsius and sunshine, greatly impressed me, and the African flair immediately captivated me. Upon arriving at the Maisha Mazuri Children’s Centre, all the children warmly welcomed me and tried to carry my luggage, some of which was bigger than the kids themselves, to my room. The staff members also welcomed me with open arms and helped me with everything I needed. The children were very curious because my skin and face are covered in freckles, which was something new and exciting for them.
Unfortunately, I became very sick on the flight to Nairobi and had to take it easy for the first few days. All the staff members were very helpful and took care of me. Even when I was using my inhaler, the children always kept me company and made sure I felt very comfortable and accepted in their small world very quickly. After I had settled in a bit, I worked with the social workers, Marcy and Joseph, to create an initial schedule for the first two weeks, during which the children still had school holidays, and we could use the time productively.
We implemented computer projects by converting existing knowledge about hygiene and first aid into PowerPoint presentations and then presenting them to the other children. This allowed the children to gain initial experience with Microsoft programs and learn presentation techniques.
Additionally, I baked cinnamon rolls with the children. From preparation to baking, they all actively supported me and asked interested questions. We also found a way to measure ingredients and make a homogeneous dough without a kitchen scale or a hand mixer. We then put our new knowledge to the test during another baking session. The problem was the oven, which unfortunately doesn’t work perfectly.
Saturday is an absolute highlight for both the interns and the children. After lunch, everything is prepared for chapati. Chapati is a mix of naan and pancakes. The dough consists only of water, flour, and salt, which is kneaded into a dough with many strong hands and then rolled into small flatbreads. The chapatis are baked on special chapati grills. You can imagine these as a grill with a crepe attachment. The children bake the chapatis in a little fat using their own unique techniques. In the evening, the finished chapatis are eaten together with stew or meat.
After the kids often asked me about my favorite food and I always raved about pasta, we cooked almost 8 kg of pasta with tomato sauce together. It was easier said than done to get the large quantities of ingredients, and especially specific ingredients, let alone cook them. It was a big adjustment for me to cook over an open fire, maintain the temperature, and at the same time make sure nothing burned. Julius, our cook, thankfully stood by us, and so we were able to cook very delicious pasta that the children loved. Some even devoured seven large plates of pasta. Just a few weeks later, we had to cook pasta again.
After school finally started again, our familiar daily routine changed. The children spend the whole day at school and return in the evening, change out of their uniforms into comfortable everyday clothes, and do their homework after showering and dinner. I support the children with any weaknesses or questions they have. After getting to know the school system, I realized how privileged we Europeans are and what a good education we enjoy. Often, children in a class are at different educational levels, leading to significant gaps, such as reading difficulties, and problems with writing or arithmetic.
The children also teach me many tasks in the kitchen: how to prepare certain dishes, how to make dough or similar things without the usual German household utensils, and how to quickly sort good beans and lentils from dirt, bad produce, or other residues. Here, clothes are also washed by hand, and during my first attempts, the children took pity on me and helped me wash. This way, I learned tricks like how to get even the last stain out of a T-shirt, as well as how to protect clothes from sun bleaching. By now, I’m no longer laughed at. Washing my long hair is also a real event here, with all the kids helping out. As the saying goes, many hands make light work, right? Another highlight was the evening when we grilled stick bread and sausages. We made a big fire, toasted the bread, and ate it together with the sausages.
Since the children are back in school, it’s very quiet here, and we’re taking care of things around the MCC that sometimes get neglected. I also get to help in the kitchen, take care of the animals, accompany the social workers on home visits, and even visit the children at school. In addition to the families of the children at the MCC, over 70 families from the community and in the slums are supported. These families are regularly visited to check on their well-being and to provide assistance in emergencies. My first home visit was very impressive and shocking at the same time, as I had never seen anything like it before. Many people lack things we take for granted, such as water or food. Often, grandparents care for orphaned children, but they themselves are sick or unable to work. If the rainy season also fails, people here in Kenya have few options to provide for themselves and their families. For example, chickens are sold to finance a trip to the doctor or to buy food for the children. Nevertheless, people try to stay afloat with various measures, such as breaking stones for new constructions and tying ropes. The MCC and the entire organization support over 100 families and help them in their needs or provide food in emergencies. At the same time, children from very difficult circumstances are offered a place at the MCC, and their education is financed up to a vocational school or even college/university, so that the children can later support and provide for their own families. Another major problem for many people and families here is that there are no social welfare benefits, as we know them from Germany. A certain budget for food or education is available for specific age groups and children, but it requires a lot of paperwork to apply for these funds. Furthermore, there is a lot of corruption in Kenya, so the funds often disappear along the way.
The founder, Jimmy, not only manages the MCC project but also many others, such as the Skills Center, and supports families in the Nairobi slums. Children who are more practically inclined have the opportunity to choose between various practical training programs at the Skills Center and can develop themselves there. The visit to the Nairobi slums was a very memorable and touching experience. As a privileged German, one often gets an impression of the poverty and misery on site through pictures and documentaries. However, these are all just images that are very distant and do not nearly reflect the actual situation and impressions on the ground. In Kenya, it is quite normal for a single mother with 5-10 children to live in a few square meters, so children even have to sleep on the floor or under the bed.
With the help of donations and funds from the association, children from such families are helped to receive an education, to lead a better life later, and to support their own families.
David, the second volunteer, who is currently responsible for the farm, organized a trip for us to the “World Agroforestry Center.” Here, we gained a lot of new knowledge about seeds, trees, and plants that are particularly suitable for cultivation on our farm and also on the MCC premises. We also learned that many of the seeds are archived and preserved long-term, so that in the event of a nuclear war or damage from climate change, a new settlement of the earth with plants will be possible in the future. Together with David, we planted various fruit trees on the farm and on the MCC premises, which should yield many different fruits in a few years. The children, from primary school to senior secondary school, were involved and were able to benefit from David’s knowledge and learn how to properly plant, water, and care for trees.
Another project was repainting the children’s table to preserve it long-term and also to brighten it up visually. In the end, not only was the table colorfully painted, but the kids also had various colors on them, and their clothes became more colorful. Additionally, I made sure that the existing bicycles, which were unfortunately all broken, were repaired. So now the children can ride around the MCC again with seven bikes. I was able to use my donations here – a big thank you to everyone who donated!
I received some pictures from previous interns, which I printed out and brought for the children. With the pictures, we made name tags for the kids’ rooms. It was a great joy when the children held their own pictures, as printed photos are very rare here. For a movie night, popcorn is a must, of course. So, after dinner, we made three buckets full of sweet and salty popcorn, with the children preferring the salty kind.
In March, the new volunteers Britta and Flo arrived, bringing numerous modern school supplies like a document camera and a projector. Together, we installed these in the Secondary School and wrote an instruction manual. This way, teachers and students benefit from state-of-the-art technology and can make their lessons varied and creative. For the past two days, we’ve had occasional power outages during homework time and at night. Homework is then done with flashlights and phone lights, and learned material is playfully reviewed.
Greetings from Kenya
Lisa
P.S.: If you want to know more about the Hand-in-Hand-for-Kenya project or see videos and pictures of my daily life as a volunteer, check out handinhand4kenya on Instagram.