Author: Rachel McGahey
Placement: 2 months at placement 0205
Period: Agust to September
2007
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I had no idea how rewarding teaching could be until I started teaching here. I have never met children who are so eager to learn. This eagerness really motivates you to try your hardest to find sponsors and donors to help the children's families pay for them to come to school and for the school to carry on educating them. You know that you are living and working in a poor area but until you actually visit some of the families you have no idea how difficult it is for them. Many families live in just one room often with four or five sharing one bed. Many are struggling with diseases such as malaria and HIV. Despite their situations the children always have smiles for you. Visiting the families of the children really brings it home as to how most of the families struggle to have a decent meal a day let alone pay school fees. A typical day in the life of a volunteer here in Mtongwe starts with the walk along the main road to the school. This walk should only take about 20mins but can often take a lot longer as people are so friendly and always want to stop and talk. We constantly hear shouts of 'JAMBO!' and 'how are you?' from the little kids. The morning at school can involve teaching subtraction to a class full of 8 year olds or playing eye-spy with the 10 year olds! The teachers are always really appreciative of any help you can give.The majority of our afternoons are taken up either working in the office, typing up additions to the website, stories about the lives of the students, working out how to contact donors or how to fundraise, or catching a 'matatu' and the ferry into town to use the internet to get in touch with potential volunteers or donors, and of course email family and friends back home. There is quite a lot of freedom with this project which I like as you are able to take your own initiative and work on ideas which are always appreciated. There is also so much to see in Kenya and you are given time to go off travelling. I'm glad that I am staying for a significant amount of time so that I can properly contribute something to the project and see Kenya!