During my last five weeks, I witnessed two more slaughterings. At the MCC, goats, chickens, and rabbits are kept, partly to support the “household economic strengthening program”—households in the assistance program with animals bred at the MCC. On the other hand, they are also intended for their own consumption. To reduce the number of rabbits and goats living on the MCC premises, slaughtering took place. To my surprise, the kids happily helped out and then described the process to me in detail. For me, it was a somber feeling, as it was my first time being present for the slaughter of animals.
During my last five weeks, I was without other volunteers and experienced the time with the kids much more intensely. We often used our free time to play soccer or volleyball together, which the children are passionate about.
I also continued my joy of baking with them. Many different desserts were created, such as carrot and banana cakes, as well as cinnamon rolls. I received active support, and the kids are now implementing almost all the steps themselves.
The children still wanted “Pomcons,” so there was a huge portion—two buckets full—of popcorn for the movie.
Since the kids are not aware of their children’s rights, I introduced these to them in a course. We started with the rights they already knew and collected them on the board. After two short explanatory videos, we gathered more children’s rights together. To summarize and document everything, we created a poster with small pictures. The poster now hangs on the wall as a daily reminder.
Furthermore, I also wanted to draw their attention to the topic of self-love and self-confidence. I chose a video that showed how self-love can be practiced. Afterward, the kids individually wrote down on a piece of paper what they liked about themselves. Finally, they stood one after another in front of a mirror, looked at themselves, and gave themselves a compliment. It made me proud that everyone could find something they liked about themselves.
For a few months now, there has been a playground on the Maisha Mazuri Children’s Home premises. It was important to me to expand it. My idea was to reuse the old car tires. Buried in a row, the kids can balance on them. The children impatiently waited for the project to start. They quickly cleaned the tires of coarse dirt, and the painting could begin. We painted the tires in rainbow colors. Everyone wanted to paint at the same time, which wasn’t possible as we mixed the colors gradually. After the tires were dry, half-buried, and decorated with handprints, the kids could hardly wait for the concrete to harden. After a few days of waiting, the kids happily hopped over the tires.
Saying goodbye was hard for me.
I got used to the simplicity of the food, and Chapati became my favorite dish.
I enjoyed the sunsets across from the Children’s Center.
I loved listening to music with the kids and watching them dance passionately.
I learned to bargain at the market and what it’s like to be treated differently.
I enjoyed riding Boda Bodas and Matatus.
I experienced that corruption is present in all social strata and many situations.
But the most beautiful thing is the warm, open-armed, and contented nature of the people and the laughter on their faces.
I am incredibly grateful for my last five months at the Maisha Mazuri Children’s Center. A time with many ups and downs. The children and staff have truly grown dear to my heart.
I am grateful that I could have this experience and am even more consciously appreciative of the family and social circumstances in which I was allowed to grow up and now live.
Hope to see you soon! Tutaonana!
Britta