I arrived in Nairobi at 1:20 in the afternoon on January 17, 2020. Hot air, bright skies and bright smiles welcomed me. Deanne (CEO) and Johnson (Vice Chair) were waiting for me in the sunshine. I spotted Deanne’s smile in the distance and the crowd. It had been 2 years since I saw her, so understandably I felt pretty excited. Johnson shook my hand and his warm welcome made me feel at home, they both did.
We then drove through part of Kibera, the largest slum in Africa, and second in the world! The sheer contrast blindsided me. I was straight away taken into a parallel reality (even from behind the car window and door). My eyes were wide open but I started to feel confined. In my mind, it could not compare to how the people living there felt, and I felt guilty. I think a lot of westerner’s who come to third world countries experience this kind of guilt, but I have some advice for those who do. I do think it can be a waste of energy and it dehumanizes the people who are just living their lives, getting by in their worlds. For me, it is better to think of something you COULD offer individuals, whether it be a smile, a helping hand or simply trying to understand situations more, the communities, the people.
I started to dwell on this and the dusty littered streets became lit with colour as the sun sparkled on them. You will learn when coming to Kenya how colourful everything is! I looked more closely at people, individuals (as they are). I saw so many smiles, adults and children laughing, making the most of their day,their lives. If anything, I thought, WOW, I am grateful, honoured, to be a part of an organization that works so intimately with people, that doesn’t try to shy away from all the different kinds of lives that people live. I began to look forward to the work Because ALL Children Matter would be doing and the difference it would make in children’s and their families lives.
As a board member, I imagine my experience differs significantly to those travelling or volunteering. I have seen how the organization operates and how much work Deanne and Johnson put into it every day. There are so many details I could not have imagined when I was back home in England. for example, there are more and more people wanting to sponsor children through Because ALL Children Matter every day, which is amazing! But, every time we find a sponsor, so much has to be done.
The child’s situation needs to be vetted, the right school needs to be found, the uniform and essentials need to be bought, and of course before any of this can happen the fees need to be deposited, which isn’t easy because it has to be done manually through multiple bank accounts (which means a lot of driving). It is of course all worth it! So far, because of this I have gotten to be a part of the process of finding the right school for one of the children. We drove to a lovely boarding school in the countryside and received a beautiful welcome from the children and teachers.
One of my best experiences so far however has been spending time with the children in the special needs unit in Kimuchu School, Thika. The children are just wonderful. They ran to us screaming because they were excited to see Deanne! They welcomed me too with open arms and delight. I just loved talking to them and getting to know them. I am really looking forward to taking them ice skating next week!
Other highlights of my trip so far cannot go unmentioned! The first weekend I arrived, I went to the wild Maasai Mara with 2 volunteers (Diana and Julian), Johnson and Deanne. We ventured on a safari there which words fail to describe. The land is so open and green, so mountainous and lush. It reminded me of back home in the Lake District but with an untamed edge that cannot compare. I did not expect to see all the wildlife that we did. We saw lions (a lone male and a pride of lions with little tiny cubs!), zebras, eagles, pelicans, hippo’s, kingfishers, giraffes, elephants, crocodiles (and a dead hippo being eaten by one), monkeys, antelope, buffalo, plenty of gazelle, wildebeest, hyena’s, ostrich, warthogs (pumba!), vultures, a silverback jackal and all kinds of butterflies/birds. The most amazing moments however was the cheetahs and the leopard. We were so lucky, the leopard came very close to the car, he was walking so slowly and pridefully. He was stunning! It was incredible I felt I could almost touch the animals!
Soon Because ALL Children Matter will be going to help the children that live on the streets of Nairobi and we will be reaching out to girls in rural areas, giving them essential feminine hygiene products. I look forward to doing my best to help these causes. But most of all I look forward to meeting the children, hearing their stories and looking how to make their worlds a little easier.
