Mukuru Menno Academy - Jan 20

by Doris Nolt

Today dawned bright and as beautiful as the last several days have been. After another delicious breakfast, our group headed out with our very capable van driver Joseph. (How thankful we are for Joseph’s expertise in maneuvering through traffic!) Our destination was a visit to the Mukuru Menno Academy, located in a slum area of Nairobi called Embakasi.

Although nearly all of us had visited needy areas when we attended worship services on Sunday, none of us was prepared for the total impoverishment with which we were confronted. About 60 children, some in school uniforms but all cleanly dressed, cheered and shouted as we arrived. Their little faces beamed, some smiling shyly and others crowding eagerly around us. They were having their morning ugi, a porridge provided by MCC’s World Food Basket program, and each of us was soon served a cup too. The children clamored to have their pictures taken, then smiled from ear to ear when they looked at their digital images.

We then moved into the tin structure which doubles as a school room on weekdays and a church on Sundays, where we were welcomed by the school administrator, 3 teachers, the school board treasurer, and the excited children. The older students (grade 2 & 3) gave a program for us, including singing, poems, and dancing. We had the joy of presenting the pencils, books and 2 soccer balls which had been donated, along with a gift of money to be used to add more desks to one of the classrooms.

The teachers then invited us to walk with them into the housing area where the children live with their families. There are not words to adequately describe what we saw, yet there were smiles of welcome on the faces of the many people we met. This evening, as we processed our day together, we acknowledged that we might never be the same.

Later, as this day held very special meaning for both the U.S. and Kenya, we watched the inauguration of our 44th president on CNN as he was sworn into office. At the end of the ceremony, Nairobi was alive with fireworks and cheers. What a time to be guests in Kenya!