Our Two Days in the Mathare Slum

Monday, Marg, Gabi, and Carey experienced for themselves what the rest of us could not adequately express. Mathare Slum - its children, its industry, its poverty, its spirit, its ugliness, its beauty, its smells, its colours, its hopelessness, its optimism - will haunt the hearts and minds of all who enter there.

After a slow progress through narrow, muddy, garbage-lined streets, we reached the Mathare Community Outreach compound where we were greeted by Rodgers, our main contact and Magdalene and Bishop Daniel, the founders and leaders of the Centre. After introductions, Rodgers and Magdalene accompanied us by van to Mathare Orphanage where we toured the dorms and visited the classrooms. We’ll let the photographs speak for themselves.

Our visit continued with more classroom visits at two other schools where we met more teachers and students and were entertained by the school dance group, who have placed first in county competition.

Dance Group

Drummer

Lunch

We set off early the next day with the intent of arriving by 9:30, but the traffic gods were conspiring against us. Between the police stopping us to check our driver’s documents (all in order, of course) and a fallen tree that blocked a major road, we didn’t arrive until almost 10:30. We were greeted and quickly settled into the classrooms we had chosen to teach in for the morning.

Holly and Sheree spent an hour with Form One (gr. 9) doing a Geography lesson comparing Canada and Kenya. Photos of our snow-piled driveways, street hockey, autumn in Hiawatha, and snowblowers were shared, and they had a look at our money. While we compared geographic data, the most interesting discussion arose with regard to roles in marriage. Students and teachers were shocked to learn that a woman could be older than her husband. They were interested to hear that men often take care of their children and that women and men generally share tasks and decision making. Before they left Holly and Sheree handed out the pencil cases sewn and filled by four girls from Korah Collegiate. The kids were so grateful, as were their teachers when we left with them a map of the World and a small Dollarama globe which all the classes will share.

Jeannine and Gabi taught a very large grades 7/8 group a lesson on sexuality. They talked about female and male puberty, taking care of our bodies, respect for ours and others’ bodies, and reproduction. They and the students talked about different kinds of love - family, friends, elders, and spouses. They discussed how we show love to others and what signs of real love might be. The kids related very well to St.Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapter 13 as a guideline reading signs of love going right or wrong. Some dramatization to illustrate how to resist pressure and a few simple self defence moves finished the lesson.

Marg began her presentation to a large grades 4/5 group (40+ children) by sharing her “bucket-filling philosophy”: All of us carries a bucket through our lives. When we hear kind words and encouragement, our bucket fills up; so too does the bucket of the person who delivers the kindness. In the same way, cruelty causes us to spill our buckets, both when we are the deliverers or receivers of the unkind words; in fact, bullies often have empty buckets. So, we must ask ourselves whether today we are filling or dipping into each other’s buckets.

Next, Marg invited the kids to help add to the supports of the pen pal bridge she and Carey are building between Kenyan students and students in Sault Ste. Marie at St. Basil’s Elementary and Northern Heights Public School (over 400 kids will be crossing the bridge). Each student wrote down five things about themselves and five things they want to know about Canada and signed their work and had their picture taken so the Canadian kids can meet them. To wind it all up, Marg taught them a song: “Our Brain is So Very Important.” She was so excited by their response, she couldn’t tear herself away, and we had to send out a search party to drag her back to our meeting point.

Carey was in her own little heaven with the pre-primary (JK) kids. The class of almost forty children learned “Going on a Lion Hunt” and”Itsy Bitsy Spider” then participated in a finger puppet “Three Little Pigs” play. Despite the 35 to one plus assistant ptr, the children were quite well behaved, and Carey was impressed at what the teachers could accomplish with such limited resources.

Following our classroom activities, most of us were able to leave our rubber boots for kids in need. Rodgers made sure that the grade eight boy walking around with one bare foot and one boot received a pair.

We paid a visit to one of three SHFCO (Shining Hope for Communities)sites, having been inspired by the book Find Me Unafraid by Kennedy Odede and Jessica Posner. Their story and achievements on behalf of the people in Mathare and Kibera slums are inspiring. The Mathare site just opened in January and includes a medical clinic which is partially staffed by MSF (Médecins sans frontieres or Doctors Without Borders), a school for children of all religions who have been assessed as high risk, social workers, a Gender Department that focuses on addressing and reducing gender-based violence, a social networking program to empower youth, and food and employment programs. It’s an amazing and well-run organization.

Our day concluded with an epic adventure to downtown Nairobi where we visited the textile district. All of us purchased some fabric, but Gabi lost her mind. A very happy shopkeeper and his assistants helped to pack up metres and metres of fabric for the Compass sewing class, and perhaps a “little” for herself. We took so long that the usually unflappable Faraj came searching for us!

What a wonderful two days. Although our first impressions of Mathare dipped deeply into our buckets, the people we met there filled them to overflowing.

After an emotional couple of days, we welcomed a more relaxing schedule.  We knew we needed it because both Holly and our host, Lois, mistook a cat for a monkey - twice! 

On Friday morning, we visited Mary Thamari at her Life in Abundance offices to discuss the differentiated learning and goat presentations we’ll be making in her home community of Homa Bay. Then it was off to the Masai Market to hone our bargaining skills. Judging from the haul, both sides won. Our visit to Mary Warindi had to be rescheduled, as torrential rains had our driver, Faraj, ferrying our van through rivers. 

Meeting With Mary Thamari

Mary Thamari

Faraj’s titles are growing: so far, he is Driver, Riverboat Captain, Communications Coordinator ( as the only one with a Kenyan phone number, he’s fielding and making all local calls and texts), mPesa Manager, Buyer, and Translator. Oh, and he is actually a licensed mechanic.  He tells us he will add the new titles to his CV.

Sheree & Faraj

We got to sleep in on Saturday and enjoy a leisurely breakfast before meeting with Dr. Elizabeth Ngewa and seven women she invited to learn more about Days for Girls and its operations. Gabi, our DfG team leader presented the concept to us and we shared our experiences with the program and the needs it fulfills. As educators, business students and community leaders, we hope they will be able to partner with current local operations or develop their own enterprise. How exciting it is to see these young, educated Kenyan women taking the initiative to make change in their communities.

After lunch with our guests, we travelled to Embul-bul slum (Informal Settlement) to visit our friend, Mary Warindi, and her children. Some of you have purchased the beautiful beadwork Mary produces. We picked up orders when we visited and were just awestruck by her artistry. Mary and her girls, Daisy and Mercy, received DfG kits, and Gabi gave them instruction on their use while the rest of us enjoyed the delicious chapati made by Mary’s eldest, Elvis. It was great to see how much the kids had grown and to enjoy Kenyan tea in the little home Mary has built and decorated with such care. She really is an inspiration, and we were pleased to be able to give her and the girls a gift of three goats. We, too, received gifts - handmade beaded bracelets bearing the word Tumaini made by and presented to us by Mercy. They are more precious than gold!

Carey and Mary

Holly and Elvis

Jeannine and Mercy

Rhino in Progress

Beadwork

Beadwork

Sunday was a day of rest - sort of. Rain and traffic played havoc with our plans. Our stroll at  Resurrection Gardens was replaced by a visit to the giant Nairobi Chapel. It was particularly encouraging to learn that the church has launched a mental health counselling program, and marriage/divorce, and grief counselling. Then we went to Java House for lunch where we met our Canadian friend, Mary Idehen’s cousin, Cecilia Gatere, who has returned to live in Kenya after twenty years in Toronto. We were thrilled to learn about her enterprise initiative to teach arts and crafts skills to young people with the intent to ready them for independent business development. She was really impressed by Mary Warindi’s beadwork, and we are hopeful that a partnership can be developed. We also introduced her to the role played by Mary Thamari Ogalo at Life in Abundance. Relationships and networking - the way of Kenyan women and the road to economic security.

Cecilia Gatere

We did some more educational supplies shopping (teacher planners and notebooks), then headed out for a visit with Lois’s son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren in their temporary home (their home base is in the Congo), we headed back to AIU where we enjoyed a casual dinner, a little wine, and great fellowship at Lois’s Kenyan home.

Lois and Family

Tomorrow we head to Mathare slum. In anticipation of storms and mud, we all purchased rubber boots today. Think of us as we wade through the streets and meet again the children and students whose circumstances broke our hearts two years ago.

March 1st & 2nd

In just two days, the world has changed. For three of us (Holly, Jeannine, and Sheree) our reunion with  the students and staff of Compass School was a heartwarming homecoming. For our three first timers (Marg, Carey, and Gabi), it was an almost overwhelming deluge of emotion - joy and sorrow, laughter and love.

First thing in the morning, we loaded up the van with school supplies, Days for Girls kits, and toothbrushes we’d brought from home (thank you everyone for your generosity), then headed to the Carrefour Department store to purchase supplies from the list Flora had given us the night before. We bought everything from peanut butter to exercise books, to buckets and mops (so the kids can more efficiently clean their classrooms), to plastic dishes for the lunch program, and even a machete and pitchfork for the caretaker and dog food for the new pups who will guard the four goats our friends gave the school.  

As we entered the gates and bumped along the red, dusty roadway, our kids emerged from their classrooms, greeting us with shouts and smiles. We were welcomed with song, dance, poetry, and drama presented by each class - every child had a part to play. Though their surroundings were dismal, their enthusiasm and talent shone brightly - we couldn’t stop smiling the whole day. 

We visited the Crèche ( a preschool supported by a group from Ireland but administered by the Compass School Board) where the four goats you gave to the school were grazing. We took their photos and met one of the two new pups who have been brought in to guard the goats - we named the guard puppies Tumaini and Hope.

Guard Puppy

Then it was back to Compass where we made peanut butter sandwiches to serve with juice boxes and fresh mangoes. Gabi used this time to deliver Days for Girls kits to a group of older girls who were thrilled to receive the supplies which will allow them to attend school every day, and Jeannine taught the rest of the kids the words and actions to This Little Light of Mine, the piece we had chosen to perform earlier for the students - we were amazing, by the way.

As we left on Wednesday, the kids begged us to return and ran along beside our van, waving and shouting. It was so hard to leave.

After the excitement of the day, we had time to reflect on our experiences. Despite the joy on our children’s faces, we could not ignore the cloud hanging over Compass. So much had changed since our last visit. Due to some political complications, the grades seven and eight students had been shut out, as their space was taken over by the construction company building next to the school. With some of their older siblings literally out on the streets (they cannot afford to attend any other school) many younger ones had also left - some to other schools, but many to the streets and hunger. 

We were truly inspired by the dedication of the teachers who had remained despite the abysmal conditions and continued to teach with love and enthusiasm. So many of the kids told us how much they loved their school and dreaded the holidays without their friends; undoubtedly, they also miss the lunch program that often provides their only meal of the day.  

What are the conditions? Not a single desk unbroken, ceilings falling down, cement floors with holes so deep we worried the performers would twist their ankles, and chalkboards so dull and cracked the lessons could hardly be seen. Our children washed for lunch with rusty, dusty roof runoff water. No drinking water is available (although the children do drink the runoff) because the water pipes were disconnected when construction began a year and a half ago on a medical clinic that is still not completed. A row of classrooms and all of the playing field are fenced off and the yard is filled with heavy construction equipment. Our kids have only a dusty or muddy lane in which to run and play. 

Thursday morning began with a visit to a much different school. Heshima is an oasis for marginalized Kenyan children with physical disabilities and their mothers. In Kenya, these children are outcasts, but not at Heshima. Run by Tracey and Eric Hagman, the program offers therapy for the kids, training for moms to help their children, and work opportunities for mothers. A top notch program, Heshima provides care that opens up opportunities for kids who would simply be swept aside otherwise. You can learn more about them at Heshima.org

After enjoying our morning in the fresh, bright classrooms at Heshima, we returned to Compass where the staff greeted us as old friends and the kids were jumping with excitement. Flora had arranged a meeting with members of the school board and, more importantly, with Henry Kagiri, MCA of Kikuyu Ward Office. 

Before heading out for the meeting, we handed out new pens, pencils, notebooks, and toothbrushes to the kids and they showed us their awesome class notes and artwork. Gabi instructed a few more girls about DfG kits and, under Jeannine’s leadership, they emerged from the classroom shouting, “Girl Power!”

Girl Power

Our meeting with the County Assembly member gave us renewed hope for Compass to grow. Mr. Kagiri will visit the school for the first time on March 16 when he will deliver to us an official letter confirming that all lands will be returned to Compass, cleaned and levelled, our classrooms restored, the outer fence and gate repaired, and the water hooked up. We are hopeful that kids displaced to the streets because their was no room for the senior classes will now be able to return, and that we can plan for Compass School’s next steps with the teachers and board.

Our name, Tumaini, means hope, and it embodies the spirit of Compass, its kids, and its staff. It has been an emotionally exhausting two days, but we are fortified by the promise of a better future for Compass kids.

Arrival in Beautiful Africa

The super six arrived tired and excited in Nairobi at 1:30 Monday. What a beautiful sight it was to see Lois smiling and waving at the arrivals door! 

Applying the handbrakes to our luggage carts, we rolled down to the pickup zone, our precariously balanced bags threatening to take off before we made it to the big red bus Lois had commissioned to haul us and our tired bodies to Kijiji House at African International University. And what a relief it was to be greeted by Faraj’s beautiful smile. He didn’t bat an eye when he saw the mountain of bags to be piled into the bus. Our three newbies, Carey, Gabi, and Marg, could see right away why we had spoken so highly of him.

Then it was off to AIU where we were welcomed with smiles and hugs from Mama Bear (her real name is Magdalene but she wouldn’t likely recognize it if she heard it). Lois had arranged a delicious welcome tea which we enjoyed out on the lawn, then gave us time to settle in for a few minutes before dinner where we introduced the cubs to Stoney Tangawizi - best soda ever. By this time, everyone was struggling to stay awake, so party girls that we are, it was lights out by eight.

Our first full day was busy but not overwhelming. We visited the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust where Holly was able to see her adopted giraffe ( he thinks he’s an elephant), Kiko.

Then we took care of banking before heading out to the giraffe park where Jeannine left her heart the last time we visited. Two days away from their significant others and we have photo evidence of some people’s wandering ways - giraffe lips are soft but their kisses are slobbery!

Back at Kijij House for dinner, we enjoyed a reunion with Annastacia Wanjiru and Flora Ndunge who filled us in on the situation at Compass School, our first and dearest project in Kenya. After several years of upheaval, we have hope that the school might have some stability and growth. Tomorrow, we will visit the students and teachers and will meet the four goats our supporters gave to the school - photo op and naming day!

Our day ended with a sorting party - check out the photos to see how generous you have all been.