We can hardly believe that this is our last report and that our stay at MCC is now coming to an end. Time went by so fast!! We had a wonderful time with many new experiences and beautiful moments together. Now that we know everyone and everything and feel comfortable with the daily routine, it’s time to say goodbye. We’ve made many new friends and learned a lot – about life in Kenya and about ourselves. We’d love to share some of the best moments with you.
On the first weekend in February, we had chocolate toast for breakfast. The kids – and the staff too – loved it!
Then we started making “Asante Sana” cards together with the sponsored children. First, we had a crafting session with the MCC kids. After we finished the cards for the sponsors, we also made Valentine’s cards.
Later in February, we invited the sponsored high school students to design cards as well. During the midterm break, some of the community children were also able to make cards. Crafting with the kids was always a lot of fun and a great opportunity to get to know the sponsored children outside of the MCC better. Some of the kids are really talented!
In between our volunteer work, we took three days off to see a bit of Kenya. We visited Lake Nakuru, Lake Naivasha, and Hell’s Gate National Park. It was an incredible experience – we saw many wild animals and explored impressive places. Still, we were happy to return to the children.
Also, Matron Mirriam was on vacation for two weeks. That felt unusual since we’ve built a close relationship with her and she always supports us. But everything continued to run well, and it showed that the children also feel comfortable with the new patron, Patrick.
We also have a new school bus driver, Peter. He fits perfectly into the MCC family, and everyone likes him. Besides driving, he also helps with the maintenance of the MCC grounds. This week, he planted new strawberry trees.
Since the kindergarten was converted into a library quite a while ago, it was time to change the lettering on the wall. The children helped out diligently and once again showed off their artistic talent.
We also had the opportunity to visit the Skills Centre and the Mobility Centre together with Mercy. It was exciting to finally see these places since we talk about them often. The center does an excellent job of preparing students for their future careers. There are many different areas like electrical engineering, welding, hairdressing and beauty, as well as auto mechanics.
One Saturday, we took a walk with some of the older children to a nearby borehole and lake. Of course, the kids wanted to jump straight into the water… They had a lot of fun, and for us, it was interesting to see how the community gets its drinking water.
On one of our days off, we took a trip to Nairobi to visit the elephant orphanage, the giraffe center, and Kazuri Beads. It was a great experience to get so close to the animals, and we really enjoyed designing our own bracelets at Kazuri Beads. Aside from the activities, it’s always a bit of an adventure to leave the MCC.
The following day, it was finally time for our second picnic. We took a long walk to a river, a lake, and another river. It was a big adventure walking through the river and the bushes. For a boost of energy, we had bananas, cookies, and some sweets along the way.
In our last week at the MCC, the children had their midterm break from Wednesday to Friday. We are very grateful that we could spend even more time with them during our final days. There was plenty of room for conversations and playing together, and we were able to do many more nice activities with them.
To kick off the break, we baked a cake together. Some children and Philip from the bakery helped us. The cake was delicious and everyone enjoyed it!
One evening, we had a campfire after dinner. The kids got smokies and chips. We listened to music, danced, and had a wonderful time together.
On Friday evening, it was finally time for pasta! Many children helped us prepare dinner, and Julius also gave us a lot of support. It’s not that easy to cook spaghetti for 50 people – but we did it! The kids were thrilled with the result.
Now it’s time to say goodbye – and that’s not easy for us. The children are incredibly lovable, the staff is great, and the atmosphere at the MCC is simply special. We are very grateful that we were allowed to be part of this family for the last two months, and they will always stay in our memories. We had a perfect time and wish the upcoming volunteers an equally wonderful experience. Asante Sana!
Emma and Lea
