On October 19th, after a tiring journey, we finally arrived at the MCC and were immediately warmly welcomed. First, we were given a tour of the grounds and got to meet some of the staff members of the Maisha Mazuri Children Centre and the Secondary School. When the children returned from school in the afternoon, we immediately forgot our tiredness and interacted directly with them. In the following days, we got a feel for daily life at the MCC, made chapati for the first time, and visited the farm. Although it was very exciting and new, we really enjoyed our time with the children and were grateful that we could slowly get to know life here.
On October 25th, the last day of this school year here in Kenya, we accompanied the children to their “Graduation Day” at the Primary School. After many different performances by the children, especially dances and songs, we watched as they received their report cards and certificates. With that, the children were released for their two-month holiday. On the same day, two members of our German organization, Barbara and Julia, arrived. They visited the MCC for a week to get an overview of the current situation.
In the following days, we worked with Mercy to create our schedule for the coming weeks. We were given the opportunity to incorporate all our project ideas, which we will now implement in the near future.
Additionally, we participated in a “Child Protection” workshop together with staff from the Primary and Secondary Schools, as well as the Skill Centre. Topics such as “Personal Space” and the correct way to interact with children were covered. We also conducted a workshop with the children on proper tooth brushing. Both the children and we had a lot of fun. It was also pleasing that the kids participated very well.
As a highlight of our first two weeks at the MCC, we cooked spaghetti with tomato sauce together with the children. The children loved the pasta and really dug in.
We are really looking forward to the coming weeks with the children!
Asante sana!
Paula, Deana and Klara