Welcome Back Party
We arrived back in Africa on Saturday. The flight is scheduled for 13.5 hours from JFK to Nairobi. Thankfully direct. We arrived about 10:30 AM, an hour early. Tired, in need of showers and sleep. The travelers were Claudia and me, with a sponsor flying along with us for the trip. Sean Cooper, who sponsors some of Tuko Pamoja’s porridge programs and is a fellow actuary, came along for the trip.
Our friend and faithful driver Thomas picked us up at the airport and drove us to the rented house we are to share for the duration of the trip.
We’ve been exploring around for a good rental that meets our needs: Lots of bedrooms, easy access, western-style toilets, showers, common space to meet. One nice part is we don’t have to worry too much about affordability, as the prices are very low where we stay. (We pay for our trips out of our pockets, not using donations.) The one we found this time looks like it might be a keeper. Five bedrooms, lots of indoor and outdoor seating areas. Good wifi. And a fantastic deck on the third floor. Below is the view from one side.
On Sunday, we had a very fun day scheduled. Among all our sponsored kids, Tuko Pamoja has 8 sponsored young adults in post-secondary school programs.
The 8 all came over to the house for a day of fun and food. For a while, we were sitting around chatting, but not doing a lot. Virginia suggested a self-defense class. Of course, it doesn’t take much to get me started teaching one. Sean has agreed to help out on the classes, so this was also a good time to train him, as he hadn’t seen any of it before.
Of course, being the “attacker” in the demonstrations comes with a downside.
Afterwards, we migrated throughout the house/yard and many different conversations started. A lot of the students attending knew each other. Only one didn’t know any of the others. So it was a bit of a reunion for them.
Below I’m with Ronald and Avid. Ronald is a university student Ginger and I have sponsored for several years. He is studying automotive engineering in Nairobi. As was the case with several of the kids, this was the most outgoing and relaxed I’ve ever seen Ronald.
Avid is the son of Mama B, who is another long-time friend and our housekeeper/chef while we are in-country. Avid just finished secondary school and wants to further his education in electrical work. We will be working to find him a suitable program.
Avid is one of three of Mama B’s kids in the Tuko Pamoja sponsorship program. Ruth and Moses are sponsored, as well as her grandson, Delvin.
Abigael is a more recently met friend of ours. She is in a cosmetology program. Tuko Pamoja also sponsors two of her younger siblings. Her mother, Agnes, was married at 14 to a 70-year-old man. She had Abigael within a year. Agnes had two more children with him, Stephen and Shaleen, before he passed away.
Abigael graduated from secondary school, with plans but no money to go further in school. In the Maasai culture, as an of-age girl not in school, she was expected to be sold into marriage. When men would come over to arrange the marriage, Agnes and Abigael agreed she would run away and hide, so Agnes could tell the village elders that she didn’t know where Abigael was. Being in school (sponsored by Nicole and Ben) has prevented Abigael from having to be married. And as an educated, skilled woman, she can control her future on that front and eventually be in a single-wife marriage of her choosing.
Below is Sarah. She is in school for a supply chain logistics program in Nairobi. She is one of 6 daughters of a widowed woman (Gladys). We first met Sarah in 2019 when she and two of her sisters were living in an orphanage in Nairobi. Gladys had left the girls there to go “up country” and look for work. She couldn’t afford to take or support the three girls.
We eventually moved all three girls up country as well for school. One sister remains in boarding school there. Gladys and three other sisters are in Ngong, with the girls attending school there.
Sarah is also trained to assist in the self-defense classes.
Below is Alex. He is the oldest of four siblings. Tuko Pamoja also supports his next younger brother, Anthony, and his sister, Monicah. We met Alex when we visited his family after arranging sponsorship for his siblings.
Alex’s mother was in an abusive relationship with the kids’ father. She took the kids and went into hiding. They were living in an attached, single-room home. The husband found them and set fire to the building. It not only burned his family’s home and all their belongings, but also those of another four or five families. They are still in hiding.
Alex was pulled out of school after Form 2 (sophomore year) to help support the family. He explained his desire to go to plumbing school. A sponsor volunteered and we got him enrolled.
Below is Anne. She is a journalism major in school in Nairobi. She is a very bright, personable, young woman, full of life. She recently moved to Tuko Pamoja for sponsorship, although we have known her and her family for multiple years. Joe agreed to sponsor her.
Anne also has a younger sister in our program. We hope to visit her in a few days. More on Anne’s family situation in a later post.
At one point during the day, Anne approached me because she needed editing software for her computer. She sat me down and presented a case that was just short of some I’ve seen for businesses trying to obtain millions in startup funds. She had it researched, well thought out, had answers to all my questions, and very clear arguments why she needed the software now. I was really impressed! All for $70 of software. She is getting the software.
We had bought food for the kids to prepare. We figured they would enjoy doing it. Somewhat to our surprise, several of the young men dove in and started preparing the meal. Here, Ronald, Ian, and Kikey are starting the food prep. This involved plenty of dancing and hilarity. It also got every pan and utensil in the kitchen dirty, but Cedric and Avid did all the dishes too.
Others tried to help with the food prep. This was clearly not allowed. Particularly by any of the women present. Below, Kikey is standing guard at the kitchen to make sure no unauthorized personnel enters the food preparation area.
Kikey is Virginia’s son. He just finished secondary school and is making plans for university. He wants to major in robotics and also continue his German studies. Ginger and I just started sponsoring Kikey. He is an extremely bright, personable young man, who livens up any room he walks into.
Behind Kikey, left to right, Claudia, Wangari, Anne, and Alex.
Below, Abigael, Sarah, Alex, Avid, Sean, Anne, and Kikey.
Cedric is a Director in Tuko Pamoja and is a self-defense instructor. He is also a volunteer with the Kenya Red Cross and Gender-Based Violence Prevention Champion. He is studying to be an EMT.
Below is Wangari, in full African dress. She is also a Director in Tuko Pamoja. She is a self-defense instructor. She assists Virginia with a lot of the child sponsoring activities and is getting into working with other schools and women’s groups.
Wangari works as an electrician and plumber. She has also taken computer courses.
She had asked Claudia and me to bring her some good books to read. We brought probably 17 or so, curated by Ginger, Claudia, and me. During the afternoon of the party she pulled a chair off to the side and started reading A Lesson Before Dying by Ernest Gaines, which I highly recommended to her.
Below is the book club. After looking at the books, Wangari, Sarah and I started discussing most of them. They were both really interested.
Below Ian is giving a lift to Ronald and Anne on his motorbike. The suitcase is one I brought to give to Anne for her needs.
Ian is also a long-time sponsored young man. Claudia is his sponsor. He is also in school, studying computer science.
Ian is also trained as a self-defense instructor.
The group spent the day with us. It was fun, filled with laughter and friendship. The kids felt free and relaxed to be with us, having the run of the house. They really enjoyed themselves.