As she reaches the midpoint of her AV Kenya placement, Daisy shares reflections from her first month volunteering at Kingwede Primary School in rural coastal Kenya:
Jambo!
Sitting here in the 30-degree-plus coastal heat of Kenya, I’m thinking back to my school days (less than a year ago!). Such fun days, great friends, a lot of giggling, some hard work (!) and many wonderful memories. I am one month into teaching in a very small, remote school in Msambweni, Kenya. It’s absolutely terrifying and from now on I will always have huge respect for all teachers, wherever they are!
Teaching here is amazingly rewarding but so challenging. The children’s English is really limited so communicating with them is often difficult, but their determination to learn is extraordinary. For many of them education feels like the only way out of poverty and some days the reality is very harsh. During my first couple of weeks, I couldn’t understand why some children seemed exhausted by mid-afternoon. I later learned that many of them arrive at school without enough food to sustain them through the long day. The school does what it can, but resources are limited, and for some families providing lunch simply isn’t possible.
I’ve found teaching is hard, but I am slowly getting there and building more self confidence. Teaching methods here are different to what I’m used to, and I am learning to adapt to a new system and way of working. One of my biggest thrills was having to teach my Grade 6 class their one-times tables. Something I never imagined I would be doing.
I’m amazed every day how excited the children can be by the smallest things. Replacing a football that’s made from plastic bags that’s lasted twenty years, with a proper football! A sticker that I might have placed on a piece of work can be the highlight of the week for someone. They then run around the school proudly showing their friends.
A favourite time of day is watching the girls turn their hijabs into bandanas and then get pumped up to try to beat the boys at football. Which rarely happens! And one of the most challenging experiences I’ve had was walking into my Grade 6 classroom to find only four students sitting there instead of the usual thirty. I had no idea what was going on and where they were. I went to ask the head teacher and she told me that the rest of the class had been sent home because their parents couldn’t afford to pay for their exams. This happens often. I felt so sad.
It is brutal to recognise that if a child can’t afford exercise books or pens, then they simply cannot write, they cannot do any school work. The school doesn’t have the resources to provide anything for them. For most children their school uniform is their most expensive possession. Despite tears in the fabric and red sand staining every seam, they wear their uniform with pride and they manage to look impeccably smart. So many children have never left their village and for many, opportunities to travel beyond it are limited. Yet they are the smiliest people I have ever met. Despite the challenges many face, the joy and pride they bring to school each day is remarkable. It is quite a thing to experience. It really makes you think!
I am one of five British girls who are out here living and working together. We are part of the AV gap year programme. We live together in a small basic house not far from the schools we are teaching in. The house is connected to our neighbours, a family of ten and we get taken to school every day on the back of a motorbike! The children from next door are now like family, they come over all the time to spend time with us. One of the girls told me she wakes up at 3:30 a.m. to get to school for a 6 a.m. start. Tough.
Our little house has everything we need, and it has made me realise just how little we need to live well. We have been made to feel so welcome and we’re now part of village life.
After long, hot days at school, a dip in the sea is the best feeling imaginable. On weekends we have free time to visit nearby towns, and we have attended a local wedding. Life here is simple, a bit strange, joyful, and unforgettable and everything happens ‘pole pole’ ‘slowly slowly’ in classic Kenyan style.
DAISY, AV KENYA