Kijabe - part 2

Every afternoon from Monday to Thursday last week Becca and I went into the local primary school to read with some children who had been identified as weak readers.  We spent an hour and a half each day reading to them and listening to them read.  The students were four 6th graders (year 7 for you English people), Emanuel, Eliud, Sarah and Salome.  We had great fun reading with them as they were lovely, well behaved kids who were eager to learn and improve.  English is only their 3rd language so the fact that they can read it at all impressed me, even before I listened to them and realising that they really weren't that bad.

Sarah, Salome, Emanuel, Eluid

The last 2 Monday mornings we have gone into AIC CURE to volunteer for a few hours.  CURE is a disabled children's hospital so all the children we came into contact with had either just undergone surgery or were waiting to have it.  The most common problems seemed to be bow legs or frozen knees.  The amazing thing was, inspite of all their problems, inspite of many of them having severe difficulties moving around, these children are happier than most healthy Western children.  They are not afraid of being in hospital, they are ready to play and laugh.  Last week we discovered that the most popular toy is a balloon, unfortunately the one they were playing with was the last one.  So this week when we went in, we took them a whole new packet.  Seeing the joy in these children's eyes has really taught me a lot.  You don't need lots of toys and games and the newest bestest modcons.  We in the West often forget that fact.   All you need is friends and a game will evolve, all on its own.

Sharon plays with the original balloon

The other eternal toy - bubblewrap

The system at CURE is usually that the children all arrive on a Sunday and are operated on and sent home over the course of the week.  Only one child was there both days we went in.  Bryan (in the wheelchair above) had to have his feet amputated and prosthetic feet fitted instead, this meant that his treatment took longer than most children and he was still there when we went in again this morning.  Even confined to a wheelchair he's one you have to watch.  He shoots around all over the place, chasing balloons and balls and knocking people down in the process.  He speaks no English at all which presented a little bit of a challenge for Becca and I, although he does at least speak Swahili, which is more than some of the others do.  My heart went out to such a happy, mischievous little boy, confined to a chair by circumstances beyond anyone's control.