Monday in Mathare Valley
Today was our second full day in Nairobi, Kenya and it was an emotional one to say the least. During our stay in Nairobi, we will be teaching Vacation Bible School at the Pangani school associated with Missions of Hope International in Nairobi. Before getting a full tour of the school, an inspirational woman named Mary told us about the history of the school. She shared a very touching story of how the school has developed over the years thanks to the support of a handful of churches including Mountain Christian Church and her hard work. When the school first opened it consisted of about 50 children. Today, there are over one thousand children that attend the school.
Once the orientation was finished we headed down to the Mathare Valley slums. Mathare Valley is the second largest slum in Africa, consisting of about 800,000 people in a square mile radius. Most of the students that attend Pangani live in Mathare Valley. I had seen pictures of the slum before, but actually being there in person was overwhelming. The dirt roads were strewn with trash. The people live in shantys which were built closely side by side. There were many adults outside trying to make a living by selling produce, sewing, etc. It was during the school day so many of the children were at school. There were quite a few children that are too young to attend school or simply can’t afford to attend school that were in Mathare Valley. The second they saw us the children would come running to hug us and take pictures. They were so happy to see us and were glued to nearly every member on the team. After the team had a general walk through the slums we split up and visited a shanty. My group visited a middle-aged woman who has 4 children that all attend Pangani. There were 7 of us on the team that came to visit her. We could barely fit into the shanty. I can’t imagine having to raise 4 children in those living conditions. The team encountered a few families with inspirational stories. One being a 98 year old woman who has lost all of her children and now lives with her grandson. The average life expectancy in Mathare Valley is 40 years old.
After the Mathare Valley walk we headed back to the Pangani school where we received a complete tour of the facility. There were many classrooms and great opportunities for students to learn skills such as sewing, jewelry making, cosmotology and computer skills. The school also has a full dental and doctors office. Seeing the school made the team very excited to start VBS tomorrow!
Everyone on the team sponsors at least one child in Nairobi, and many of the children go to Pangani. Today we were scheduled to meet our sponsored child. Unfortunately, the tour of the school ran over so the majority of the team wasn’t able to meet their sponsored child today. Lucky for me and a few others on the Kenya team, our sponsored child attends a different school. These children got to leave school early and traveled to the Pangani school to meet us. After years of writing letters back and forth, I finally got to meet my child in person and was so excited! Not only did I enjoy myself, the other team members were playing soccer, reading stories and simply talking with their child.
Experiencing the slums and school today was very emotional for everyone. The experience impacted us in different ways. While I was walking through the slums and visited the school I couldn’t help but compare it to our lives back in Maryland. The children in today’s society are spoiled with the latest toy or most popular video game. Many are guilty of sitting at home on a comfy couch, with a TV in front of them, and a number of toys and games in their bedroom and say, “I’m bored. There’s nothing to do.” In Nairobi, the children that I saw today and yesterday at the Joska boarding school have barely anything. The boys are playing soccer with a ball they made out of paper and there’s children in Mathare Valley that are playing on a turned over end table and chasing a metal ring on the streets and the joy on their faces are priceless. Not once did I hear a child complain or even look upset. They make the best out of every situation whether they are 3 years old or 17 years old.
God is constantly at work. According to the team members that have traveled to Mathare Valley before it has changed for the better. There are less children on the streets during the day which means more children are attending school to get an education. Mary noted that the crime grate in the slum has drastically gone down within the past few years. God has put it on all of our hearts to travel to Kenya and make a difference in a child’s life. Whether it be teaching them or visiting their home in the slums, in the end this trip will not only impact a child’s life but ours as well.
- Becca Skrocki for the Kenya team
Today was our second full day in Nairobi, Kenya and it was an emotional one to say the least. During our stay in Nairobi, we will be teaching Vacation Bible School at the Pangani school associated with Missions of Hope International in Nairobi. Before getting a full tour of the school, an inspirational woman named Mary told us about the history of the school. She shared a very touching story of how the school has developed over the years thanks to the support of a handful of churches including Mountain Christian Church and her hard work. When the school first opened it consisted of about 50 children. Today, there are over one thousand children that attend the school.
Once the orientation was finished we headed down to the Mathare Valley slums. Mathare Valley is the second largest slum in Africa, consisting of about 800,000 people in a square mile radius. Most of the students that attend Pangani live in Mathare Valley. I had seen pictures of the slum before, but actually being there in person was overwhelming. The dirt roads were strewn with trash. The people live in shantys which were built closely side by side. There were many adults outside trying to make a living by selling produce, sewing, etc. It was during the school day so many of the children were at school. There were quite a few children that are too young to attend school or simply can’t afford to attend school that were in Mathare Valley. The second they saw us the children would come running to hug us and take pictures. They were so happy to see us and were glued to nearly every member on the team. After the team had a general walk through the slums we split up and visited a shanty. My group visited a middle-aged woman who has 4 children that all attend Pangani. There were 7 of us on the team that came to visit her. We could barely fit into the shanty. I can’t imagine having to raise 4 children in those living conditions. The team encountered a few families with inspirational stories. One being a 98 year old woman who has lost all of her children and now lives with her grandson. The average life expectancy in Mathare Valley is 40 years old.
After the Mathare Valley walk we headed back to the Pangani school where we received a complete tour of the facility. There were many classrooms and great opportunities for students to learn skills such as sewing, jewelry making, cosmotology and computer skills. The school also has a full dental and doctors office. Seeing the school made the team very excited to start VBS tomorrow!
Everyone on the team sponsors at least one child in Nairobi, and many of the children go to Pangani. Today we were scheduled to meet our sponsored child. Unfortunately, the tour of the school ran over so the majority of the team wasn’t able to meet their sponsored child today. Lucky for me and a few others on the Kenya team, our sponsored child attends a different school. These children got to leave school early and traveled to the Pangani school to meet us. After years of writing letters back and forth, I finally got to meet my child in person and was so excited! Not only did I enjoy myself, the other team members were playing soccer, reading stories and simply talking with their child.
Experiencing the slums and school today was very emotional for everyone. The experience impacted us in different ways. While I was walking through the slums and visited the school I couldn’t help but compare it to our lives back in Maryland. The children in today’s society are spoiled with the latest toy or most popular video game. Many are guilty of sitting at home on a comfy couch, with a TV in front of them, and a number of toys and games in their bedroom and say, “I’m bored. There’s nothing to do.” In Nairobi, the children that I saw today and yesterday at the Joska boarding school have barely anything. The boys are playing soccer with a ball they made out of paper and there’s children in Mathare Valley that are playing on a turned over end table and chasing a metal ring on the streets and the joy on their faces are priceless. Not once did I hear a child complain or even look upset. They make the best out of every situation whether they are 3 years old or 17 years old.
God is constantly at work. According to the team members that have traveled to Mathare Valley before it has changed for the better. There are less children on the streets during the day which means more children are attending school to get an education. Mary noted that the crime grate in the slum has drastically gone down within the past few years. God has put it on all of our hearts to travel to Kenya and make a difference in a child’s life. Whether it be teaching them or visiting their home in the slums, in the end this trip will not only impact a child’s life but ours as well.
- Becca Skrocki for the Kenya team
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