RAY OF HOPE 2014: Upcountry!

Karen:

Today, we arrived at the Learning Center to pick up Alfred. Even though we had a long day's drive ahead of us, tea and mandazi (doesn't every culture eat some version of fried dough?) were waiting for us when we arrived. So we sat with our Ray of Hope friends while children arrived to the Little Ray of Hope. Once we finished, we were on the road!

The students posing for Classy Martin, who taught them
how to hula on our last trip!

We stopped at two public schools in the local area first, seeing Ray of Hope students in their new schools. I really enjoyed seeing the variation in all the schools we visited. Unlike in the US, the public schools are very good quality. While they are still simple in comparison to US standards, they strive to give a well-rounded education, even with their limited supplies.

After visiting the local schools, we headed up county to check on one more student--Sharon--who is at a (public) girls boarding school. It was a two hour drive, and as we left the city behind, the scenery grew more green and lush. The air smelled clean and fresh (except when a diesel-fueled vehicle passed us).

We turned into the school and waited to meet with Sharon. The school is in the shadow of Mt. Kenya, which was covered by clouds. It was lunch time and we saw students smiling, laughing, running. Cows and chickens roamed amongst the students on the playground. A shipment of food supplies arrived and several of the girls ran to help unload the food. There was a sense of safety here that most girls never can feel when they are in Kwangware.



Karen with a student at the Girl's boarding school

We spoke with the headmistress, and I was struck by how disciplined life is at the school: rise early, do chores, lessons, more chores, more lessons, homework time, dinner, more homework time. Sunday is the only day this schedule eases a bit: church in the morning, homework, and then "entertainment". The headmistress said that for the last two weeks the girls have been watching the film "The 10 Commandments".  Entertainment has a very different meaning in Kenya!


Alfred with his grandmother

Alfred mentioned that his family was lived nearby. We asked if he could take us there. It was so much fun watching him get more and more excited the closer we came to his family home. Back into the country we went, the dirt road barely wide enough for our vehicle. Four generations live on this coffee farm, their tiny cement homes clustered together. As we arrived, they began to gather to greet us, with smiles and hugs. It is so amazing that when there is love, language barriers disappear--love has its own language that goes directly to the heart.

Kirsti:

Once again, I am struck by what Community really means.

 

Alfred's family

One of my favorite things about singing with the Glide Ensemble, are the times when we are working on a song, and everyone is sitting on the risers, as close as we can because there are so many of us. We come in every color, shape and size. And yet we sit, close enough that you can’t help but touch someone on either side, and more if you are lucky.  It’s those few moments when I look around, and am so grateful for the community that I am a part of. A community of people who love and support each other, and who are not afraid to be physically close together.
 
In Kenya, I am so conscientious of how many people there are here, and how closely they live together. Children at the Ray of Hope school sit so close that there is no open space on the tables they learn at. On the busses and public taxi’s, people are nearly sitting on each other’s laps. It can be uncomfortable ~ we Westerner’s are used to “having our space”.  And yet, I think we miss out on something.
 

Alfred, Kirsti and Grandma

Today we had the pleasure of visiting our friend Alfred Gatimu’s family in a small farming town called Karatina. Alfred’s family has a large piece of land that they farm on. There are 8 small buildings on the land, where the family all lives together. We were lucky enough to meet many of his family members, who welcomed us with open arms, and asked that we come back and stay with them the next time we are here.

 The gift that I received today was unconditional love from people I just met. And while we are not a culture of living closely together, there is a lot I can do just to continue to give that love. So, my friend Dominique, be prepared for a big hug when I get home!

RAY OF HOPE 2014: School Days

Kirsti:

The first time I traveled to Kenya, I was taught (in an oh-so-loving way) that it was important to not force my Western standards on a country whose culture is quite different than mine. The lesson has been a difficult one to learn, and today I found myself really questioning my own assumptions of how “things should be.”
 


Josh, Teacher Alfred, Kirsti with three students

We visited five schools today, where children that formerly went to the Ray of Hope Learning Center, now attend. We saw a public school that looked and felt like it could be the twin to Ray of Hope. The classrooms were made of tin, and the rooms were filled with children as young as 2. The facilities themselves were minimal, but the children were working hard. We could hear the teachers with their styles that are still the model brought by the British. Lots of repetition and very strong, stern voices.
 
We visited the Kawangware Primary School, which is a public school, in the heart of Kawangware. The school is run by Milliam Kelonye, who proved to be not only a strong advocate for education, but also a strategist, financial officer, counselor and chief advocate for 1500 students, 23 teachers, and many, many families. The first thing I noticed when we walked into her office is that there is a large poster with the schools core values on it, a very specific “report card” to measure the success of the school, and a large SWOT analysis that had been done for the school. I was in heaven! A school with a plan! And a headmistress who clearly cared about her students and could speak of our 9 children from Ray of Hope by name. We also had a chance to visit with the Ray of Hope kids, all of whom seemed happy and thriving in the environment. It was an amazing testimony, again, to the vision and persistence of a woman who is determined to make the best of a hard situation, and bring the highest standard of education to the lives of the children in her school.

Today's lunch at the Little Ray of Hope was a Glide team favorite: Green Grams

Karen:


Today, Kirsti, Josh and I travelled throughout

Karen, Teacher Alfred, Teacher Evelyn, and Josh

Kwangware to visit Ray of Hope students in their new schools. These students' academic journey began at Ray of Hope--a place where orphans and other vulnerable children found safety, love and family. It was where they learned how to sit at a desk, hold a pencil, and begin to discover the world beyond the slum. Once a child had a financial sponsor, the student moved to a formal school.

It was very moving to see these students: we at Glide first met them five years ago--now many are young men and women! They were proud to be met at their school and tell us what they liked (or didn't like!) about their school.

Children at the Little Ray of Hope

The Ray of Hope staff worked hard to place the students in schools near their homes.  Still, every morning at 6am, the students come to Ray of Hope for breakfast (most would not have had anything to eat since lunch the previous day). Once they downed their porridge, off the students go, walking to their schools. Many return to Ray of Hope after school for tutoring and other guidance.

Evelyn, Alfred, Hendrika, and Agneta have created a family for children. This family helps children who would otherwise be without the emotional and physical support to continue going to school. One of the schools we visited had 1500 students. The headmistress shared with us the struggles of providing education for children in the slums. Malnourishment, abandonment, HIV/AIDS, abuse and a lack of funds to adequately staff a school are all issues that impact a child's education. She told us that more than half of the children who live in the slum are not in any school--with no family support or financial resources, the children are left alone in the streets. Many turn to drugs.

Sure enough, as we left the school, we passed literally dozens of young boys with bottles and bags to their faces, sniffing glue. Stumbling, faces contorted, they called out to us, some banging on the car as we drove by. This is my fourth trip to Kenya, and I have seen so many heart-wrenching things, but seeing all these young boys high in the street right outside the school yard was devastating.

Defying the Odds

Katie:

I saw their "homes" - well, not theirs in particular, but those of a few classmates at Ray of Hope, their unaccredited school. All the dwellings I saw in Kawangware look the same to me - corrugated tin, dark inside, highly unstable, and not at all insulated.

Without electricity, food, or water at home, I wonder how the children I met this summer subsist. Thankfully, Ray of Hope feeds them lunch every day, but nights and weekends must stretch on endlessly and painfully. Survival aside, I cannot fathom how the children sing and dance and smile with so much spirit. In many ways, they are the lucky ones, their joy so full, and their gratitude so effortless, despite their dismal circumstances.

I have signed up to sponsor two of these angels: a seven-year-old girl, Celestine, and an eight-year-old boy, Lawrence. It will be, by far, the most meaningful commitment I have ever undertaken.

The agreement is that I will financially support both of them through eighth grade, but I'm not stopping there. I have wanted to sponsor African children since I was a child myself, and being privileged to personally know the ones I will support, I won't feel fulfilled just writing a check for the next six or so years. I will visit them every year, actively exchange letters in the interim, and financially support them through high school at least.

Two weeks ago, one of the two Ray of Hope teachers, Evelyn, emailed to tell me that Celestine and Lawrence both aced their national exams! Thanks to their brilliant work, the tireless efforts of their teachers Evelyn and Alfred, and my financial assistance, they will both attend an accredited school next year.

I am very excited for these little ones, and I can't wait to write them and tell them so.