“We only realize what it is and what it was when we have to say goodbye.”
Our three-month stay here at the MCC is coming to an end. It’s crazy… how quickly time flies.
September started with a two-day workshop at the Secondary School, which we were also able to attend. The classes ‘Form 1’ to ‘Form 4′ gathered to listen to presentations by students and teachers. Not only Nicholas, the principal of the Secondary School, was present, but also Jimmy Kilonzi and his wife gave speeches. The first day covered topics such as adolescence, teenage pregnancy and contraception. With the help of PowerPoint presentations and short plays, this important topic was conveyed in a realistic and vivid way. We also did a presentation about teenage pregnancy and how to prevent it – in English, of course. On the second day, we looked at the various options open to us after secondary school, as careers play a crucial role here. It was very interesting for us to experience how such important topics are taught in Kenya. By spending time together, we were able to build even closer relationships with students of the same age, which is why fun and learning together was the main focus. To lighten things up a little, we sang and danced from time to time. At the end, there was a “dance battle” between girls and boys. Jimmy Kilonzi also brought lemonade and cake for everyone on the second day, as he was so proud of the success of the workshop and the students’ performances.
In the first week of September, we went on safari for two weeks. The different landscapes and wildlife in Kenya are incredibly impressive. We went from the hot north via Masai Mara and Amboseli to Mombasa on the coast. A trip to Kenya is definitely worth it!
As a souvenir from our safari, we brought each child a pearl bracelet, which now adorns their wrists. The kids also received four new balls, because the wear and tear on the balls on the stony soccer field and with so many children and young people is simply enormous. Three footballs and a volleyball. So that the Secondary School students don’t have to continue scoring goals with their old, broken basketball, they were also given a new ball. Now the field is used every day and tournaments are organized. For example, last Sunday afternoon there was a big soccer tournament between the girls from the Secondary School and the MCC girls. The MCC were delighted with their 3:1 victory.
Just like every Saturday, we were busy making chapati again this month. With music and singing, the dough is kneaded, rolled out and then fried in oil on the typical African charcoal stoves until golden brown. On our last weekend, we had 1.6 kg of peanut butter for our chapati breakfast on Sunday. The mouths were still being licked for an hour afterwards.
Farmer Boniface is doing an excellent job on the farm. In the last few days, he has been able to harvest three large buckets of tomatoes, with around 150 tomatoes per bucket, which are needed for the dish “Ugali”, for example. If you are interested in how this African food is cooked and tastes, then watch the cooking video we made with Julius. This will appear on the HandinHand Instagram account in the near future and can already be found here on the homepage in the gallery under short films. As a final gift, Boniface received two pairs of rubber boots and eight pairs of gloves to make his work easier.
Thanks to our numerous donations and in coordination with the team, we were able to get a total of 47 revision books for all secondary students in the program. From chemistry, biology, physics and math to Kiswahili, geography and history, everything is included. As a result, the pupils benefit twice over, as everyone has been given a different book and can therefore swap them with each other as required.
In addition, our donations were even enough to enable us to support 76 families with chickens and rabbits. Domestic animals play a significant role in Kenya, as they provide eggs, milk and meat and are therefore important for everyday life. The families living in the slums in Nairobi do not have the space or the means to keep animals, which is why they were supported with the same amount elsewhere. Unfortunately, the organization and procurement of so many animals was not so easy, which is why we could not be there for the handover to the families, as our departure was just around the corner…
THANK YOU to all those who took part in our fundraising campaigns in Germany in such large numbers so that we could help the children, families and the project.
24.09.24 was a very special day for us that we will never forget. We set off early in the morning with social worker Mercy to visit four families in the two largest slums in Nairobi – Kibera and Mathari. We were joined by the open-hearted Linniet, the local social worker in charge. It was impressive and terrifying at the same time to see how the families there survive. Not only do they have to struggle with poverty every day, but the heavy flooding in the last rain season also washed away some of the houses near the river. As a result, many families had to build a new home. After that it was even more wonderful to see the happy faces when we visited the households and handed over our gifts. This consisted of curd soap, ugali flour and sugar, which we bought directly from local stores to support the people there.
On our way home, we stopped at the Mobility Center in Malaa. This is also part of the project, where the apprentices from the Skills Center complete their internships, for example as cooks or car mechanics. Surprisingly, we met the director Jimmy Kilonzi and his wife Cynthia there, with whom we had lunch. Cynthia’s great passion is baking. We were in the kitchen with her faster than we could look, whipping up a chocolate and a vanilla cake. Back at the MCC, everybody was overjoyed when we returned with two boxes full of cakes. After all, nobody had expected that.
We look back on our last evening with a smile and a tear in our eye. On the one hand, we had the honor of having dinner together with the children, the staff and Jimmy and his wife and having some final conversations. Afterwards, the children were each given an individual photo as a memory and it was time to say goodbye! This was anything but easy for us! Long hugs, tears and sad faces made saying goodbye even harder than it already was.
Finally, we would like to say a few words to the project:
It is indescribable what work is done here day after day in every department. EVERYONE involved does their best to give the children a carefree life with good perspectives for their future. So much love, trust and passion goes into it! We are both incredibly grateful that we were able to be a part of this during our three-month stay. Our experiences, impressions and adventures were indescribable. Even though our stay is now over, we will never forget it all and the children and people have taken a very special place in our hearts. This place has become a second home for us, which is why it is already clear to us: We’ll be back one day, because:
“Only mountains never meet again”.
(Quote from a secondary school student who spent his childhood at the Children Center)
Antonia Burghardt and Rebekka Blank
