In May I led a small team of professionals (plus 2 associated young people) out to Kenya for a week, to deliver various pieces of training to the staff of Spurgeons Academy. It was a wonderful week, and the first time out there for everyone (except me!).
Spurgeons Academy is a charitable primary school situated in the heart of Kibera slum, which is the largest slum in east and central Africa, consisting about 1million people in 1 square mile. Approximately 50% of the residents in Kibera are children and young people, many of whom live in child-headed households, and are partial or total orphans. These children can't afford to even attend the state primary schools (which is allegedly 'free'), as they can't afford to buy the required uniform, books and writing materials. Many survive on just one meal a day at best, and have to walk through unsanitary conditions from their squalid 'home' to get to the community water tap. There is no mains electricity and toilets average 1 per 50 households, and a household is on average 8 people - do the maths on that one! As a result, flying toilets are a regular occurrence, and make walking around an interesting, and smelly, affair.
Despite all that, Kibera is a vibrant, friendly and diverse place, and our teams always have a wonderful time when they visit Spurgeons.
The children that attend Spurgeons are some of those who cannot afford the state system - 80% are orphans, some are HIV+ve, some live with grandparents or extended family, some care for younger siblings, some are cared for by older siblings. All of them love to go to school, and cherish their chance of an education, which Spurgeons staff provide with enthusiasm. The staff go well beyond the call of duty, and the school day is a special time for these children.
One of the extra aspects that is provided by the school is a drink of 'porridge' at breaktime and a filling plate of 'githeri' at lunchtime. Githeri, a Kenyan dish, is a nutritious meal comprising maize, beans and a few veg, all cooked together, and the children love it. Each day they line up to receive their meal, knowing that it will keep them going until the next morning if needed, and for many it is indeed the only meal they get that day.
Spurgeons is an infectiously positive place that encourages all the children to have an enthusiasm for life, hope for the future, and to aspire to realise their dreams, and our teams are always touched by this.
One thing that Spurgeons does lack however, is regular and reliable funds to cover all its costs. Some of the children are sponsored, so they get some income from that, and other individuals and organisations will make one-off or regular donations, which provides more income. But there is still a short-fall, and this tends to be covered from month to month by a wing and a prayer. Some months it is a struggle, and then the lunches, or the porridge might not happen - not a good thing if there is also no food at home.
So it was with great delight that I heard today that, as a result of team members from May telling their stories, and inspiring others to dig into their pockets, we have raised approx £2,500 for the feeding programme at Spurgeons. That is brilliant news and equates to ensuring provision meals for all 420 children at the school for the next month and more!
Wonderful news, and so lovely to hear of such a positive extra outcome from the team trip. I've always known that team trips are so much more than just people going out to a project for a week or so, and this just confirms it even more.
By the way, if anyone would like to donate to the feeding programme, and help ensure even more meals get provided, you can do so at https://www.justgiving.com/kiberafeeding
and if any of you would like to come on a team trip, just drop me a line: helen.harrison@cred.org.uk.
Spurgeons Academy is a charitable primary school situated in the heart of Kibera slum, which is the largest slum in east and central Africa, consisting about 1million people in 1 square mile. Approximately 50% of the residents in Kibera are children and young people, many of whom live in child-headed households, and are partial or total orphans. These children can't afford to even attend the state primary schools (which is allegedly 'free'), as they can't afford to buy the required uniform, books and writing materials. Many survive on just one meal a day at best, and have to walk through unsanitary conditions from their squalid 'home' to get to the community water tap. There is no mains electricity and toilets average 1 per 50 households, and a household is on average 8 people - do the maths on that one! As a result, flying toilets are a regular occurrence, and make walking around an interesting, and smelly, affair.
Despite all that, Kibera is a vibrant, friendly and diverse place, and our teams always have a wonderful time when they visit Spurgeons.
The children that attend Spurgeons are some of those who cannot afford the state system - 80% are orphans, some are HIV+ve, some live with grandparents or extended family, some care for younger siblings, some are cared for by older siblings. All of them love to go to school, and cherish their chance of an education, which Spurgeons staff provide with enthusiasm. The staff go well beyond the call of duty, and the school day is a special time for these children.
One of the extra aspects that is provided by the school is a drink of 'porridge' at breaktime and a filling plate of 'githeri' at lunchtime. Githeri, a Kenyan dish, is a nutritious meal comprising maize, beans and a few veg, all cooked together, and the children love it. Each day they line up to receive their meal, knowing that it will keep them going until the next morning if needed, and for many it is indeed the only meal they get that day.
Spurgeons is an infectiously positive place that encourages all the children to have an enthusiasm for life, hope for the future, and to aspire to realise their dreams, and our teams are always touched by this.
One thing that Spurgeons does lack however, is regular and reliable funds to cover all its costs. Some of the children are sponsored, so they get some income from that, and other individuals and organisations will make one-off or regular donations, which provides more income. But there is still a short-fall, and this tends to be covered from month to month by a wing and a prayer. Some months it is a struggle, and then the lunches, or the porridge might not happen - not a good thing if there is also no food at home.
So it was with great delight that I heard today that, as a result of team members from May telling their stories, and inspiring others to dig into their pockets, we have raised approx £2,500 for the feeding programme at Spurgeons. That is brilliant news and equates to ensuring provision meals for all 420 children at the school for the next month and more!
Wonderful news, and so lovely to hear of such a positive extra outcome from the team trip. I've always known that team trips are so much more than just people going out to a project for a week or so, and this just confirms it even more.
By the way, if anyone would like to donate to the feeding programme, and help ensure even more meals get provided, you can do so at https://www.justgiving.com/kiberafeeding
and if any of you would like to come on a team trip, just drop me a line: helen.harrison@cred.org.uk.
No comments:
Post a Comment