Kenya Day 2

23rd

Today we got to go to our site and meet the teachers we will be working with. Mathare Valley is one of the worst and largest slums in Africa. Of all the children we are working with, 30-40% are sexually abused, 70-80% have witnessed violence that led to death, 75-80% have HIV, 25% are children of prostitutes, 90-100% are beaten by their parents as a means for correction, and many are victims of incest. Common in their life are gang fights, fires, Marijuana, alcohol abuse, and sniffing. Most of these children are living in homes with one parent and often have to do the cooking and care for their younger siblings.

These facts were overwhelming to me. It is sad enough just to see how they are living, but to think about the trauma they have experienced in their lives at such a young age, it is easy to understand why it may be hard for them to grasp the concept of hope. How can I, an American who has grown up with three meals a day, two parents, a large clean house, good education, and clean clothes, ask them to have hope? My initial response is to just scoop them all up and take them home with me. But how can I assume that they would want that? Mathare is all they have ever known and I could not remove their past just from removing them from Mathare. If there is a way I could give just one of these beautiful children hope and the motivation to be better than what the world is telling them they are, then this whole trip is worth it.

My day closed with Vicki, Dr. Corbitt, Dorette, and I going to the Fairview Hotel for drinks to celebrate my birthday. After that, Carl, Celmali, Dorette, Liberty, and I prepared our lessons for the huge task we have ahead of us.