We have a driver who drops off/picks up the kids to/from school daily. Salary? About $5 per week. This morning, I asked Benson to drop off the van to WT so that I could run errands without bothering Tony. "GAI. It's running on fumes...How do you expect me to get to the petrol station?" Never mind, I thought. Kenyans commonly do this. They have this uncanny ability to know EXACTLY how much petrol to put in their cars to get from point A to point B. Yet, each stop they make? Even if it is for 20 seconds? They turn off the engine. I have given up trying to convince them that leaving the engine on actually burns up less fuel. Anyway, as I pulled into a station about 10 km away, the car shut off on it's own. Empty. While I counted my blessings, I was not happy at the prospects of being stuck on the side of road. Trust me when I say this will not happen again, not while I am here anyway..
On the way back, I decided to stop at Ereteti School to see the children's teachers.. I have discovered that one needn't make appointments for this kind of thing. The teachers I met with were genuinely happy to sit with me. They offered me tea and were so complimentary about the success of WWC that I was, well, floored. Word has spread throughout the community that WWC is progressing and making wonderful headway for the children. There has been a major shift in the winds.
Teacher Grace deserves more than a pat on the back. Grace is the teacher who offered to stay late with our little ones (past 1:00pm dismissal) once they transitioned over to the school. Grace could be going home at 1:00pm every day, yet... she stays until 4:00pm to bring the children up to speed. She receives no compensation. I sat for nearly an hour with her, reviewing every detail of the children's work. She teaches Baby Class, Pre-Unit and Nursery. (36 children). She has 7 of our children. As I looked at her log, all of our children are in the top 8 now. All of them. Quite bluntly, these children have accomplished more in 2 months than they did in one year at the other school. All of them are progressing to the next level in January! Bravo!
After I dropped Grace home, she walked down to deliver fresh popo (papaya) from her shamba.
I have NEVER seen such big papaya. Are they ever SWEET!!
The request for space at WWC really has me contemplating the situation at our home. While I want to remain with 20 children for the foreseeable future, I have come to understand why the (new) law which requires a maximum 3 year stay, exists. Obviously, there is enormous need for rescue centers. That said, I have come to learn that close to 25% of rescue centers have children with one parent alive. Factor out the abuse that occurs in these homes, and it is hard to ignore that many centers have children with a living parent, and could actually go BACK to their mother/father before their three years are up. We have three such children. Tony and I studied our files yesterday, after I requested that we review these specific children with a social worker. The fact of the matter is, the mothers of these three children (one single child and two siblings) need to be called in to discuss why these children are still with us. I have been around long enough to witness first hand that once a child is safely enveloped in a rescue center, the parent begins to take advantage of the rescue center, and moves on. In our two cases, both mothers have since given birth to another child. As I said to Tony, this does not sit well with me. These two mothers need to start coming to the home on a weekly basis (Saturday) and start working at the home. They can clean, work the shamba, cook and/or do laundry. This is now going to be a condition. I want them to reconnect with their child, and to understand that this is not a permanent solution for their inability or disinterest in caring for their children. I have met both of these mothers. In my heart, I believe this is exactly what is happening. We are meeting with the social worker on Monday.
Josie
Rita
Bernard and Joshua, cooking Charlie's dinner
Pauline, bringing my late afternoon tea
Tabitha
Rita
Martin and Joseph
The overall shift I have felt over the past two weeks is nothing short of a miracle. We really are making a difference. In the past it has, at times, been difficult to see the progress that results in hard work. Today, I am inundated with positive feedback and encouragement, here in our community. There is a new level of trust, a new bond that has formed. Interestingly, many people have approached me about Njenga, all of them feeling his loss as acutely as I did. I do not bring this up, rather it is brought up to me. Neglect. This is all I hear. This is the word that resonates, and it has hit home with everyone. I do not agree or disagree, I just listen.
Another wonderful day in East Africa has ended. The children are happy, enjoying their own accomplishments and continue to be shining examples of what love and a good home can produce. As always, I am honored to be a part of this wonderful project. It's getting better and better.
Lots of love from Kenya,
Simmie, Catherine and Tiff
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