Travelogue from Kenya 2019, Mia McCain
Every year school groups from Germany visit their partner schools in Nairobi. In 2019 the visit took place during the Easter holidays and, as in previous years, generated great enthusiasm on both sides!
The program was tight, but there was enough time to get to know the people better and to spend relaxed afternoons. Every day in the slums of Kangemi and Kawangware the students visited at least 3 to 4 schools. A common language worldwide is always music, so songs could never be missed during the visits. “We got to know very different schools, partly quite established and structured, with our own school garden and office, partly consisting of some benches and partition walls in a corrugated iron crate”, Mia describes her impressions. “The commuting between the schools was also exciting: on foot in the burning midday sun, by car over bumpy “streets” or my personal favourite, the Pikipiki. The light motorcycles are a common means of transport in the slum and a ride on them has always been a highlight for us”.
During their time in Nairobi, the students always stay with host families who cook with great enthusiasm for them, make music with them and introduce them to various aspects of Kenyan culture.
This time the group spent a week at the Kangemi Youth Centre (KYC). The time passed quickly with handicrafts, games, cooking, music and dancing and a final football tournament. The visits to various organisations, such as the Kounkuey Design Initiative (KDI) in Kibera or an artists’ workshop in LungaLunga, were particularly impressive for the young people.
Mia: “The trip has connected us with many wonderful people: our host families, the CIFEFA teachers, various projects, visitors and Nyendo employees who accompanied us. Above all, I have taken our siblings in the slum very seriously. I can only recommend that future Nyendo employees seize this unique opportunity – it offers more than any holiday”.