Family Mathys/Hürzeler

After a few intensive days of sorting and packing, 600 kilograms of collected clothes, shoes and toys made their way to Nairobi. As far as our own journey was concerned, we trembled until the very end about whether everything would work out due to coronavirus and the associated measures and restrictions. It still cost us a lot of time and money to fulfil all the administrative requirements and formalities...
But then the time had come: on 1 October, we set off on our adventure with eight suitcases and four bags of hand luggage! We were excited, but also nervous and unsure of what to expect over the next four weeks. Relieved that all our travel documents passed the checks, we survived the flights almost sleeplessly, but otherwise without incident. We also got our luggage, which was packed with many other donated items, through customs safely.

At the airport in Mombasa, we looked out for someone to pick us up - and found a whole reception committee. Even Harrison, the headmaster, had come especially to greet us. We were moved to tears by all the warmth and joy that flowed towards us.

As the school still had a week's holiday, we first went on safari as a family: the 5 days in Amboseli Park and Tsavo East were like a dream! Being able to experience nature and animals up close was an unrivalled experience.

At the beginning of our second week, we drove to Mshomoroni for the first time, a very poor area about 45 minutes by car from our hotel. The journey was always quite adventurous, as there are no tarmac roads away from the town and we were really shaken up in the car. When it rained, it wasn't even possible to drive to school, so we had to take a long diversions, park the car and walk the last few hundred metres. This resulted in very muddy feet, for which everyone at the school apologised to us (‘Sorry for the rain!’). At the school, we met the headmaster Harrison, his wife Grace and the teaching staff, and we were shown round the various old and new school buildings. There were no children yet because the government had spontaneously decided to make up for the Sunday holiday on Monday. We visited the entire area and in particular the newest building, on which an extra stable roof was built. The plan was to install the solar system, for which we had been collecting donations for months, on this roof while we were there. However, it was already clear that we could not start the next day because the solar panels had not been delivered at the agreed time. At some point we had to go to the toilet and we took a look at the tin hut toilets. Behind the door we found a hole on the floor and water to pour in next to it. It certainly took some getting used to, but our children accepted this situation in an exemplary manner. Late in the afternoon - after many long meetings - we were invited to Harrison's home. We felt very honored and were able to enjoy a traditional African meal on his “terrace” (preparations for an addition to the house for a guest room). We were very touched by the hospitality and warmth of the whole family.

A few days later, we were introduced to each class. The children welcomed us with singing and clapping. We distributed a box of colored pencils and a piece of the Swiss chocolate we brought to all 190 students. They examined it with wide eyes until we informed them that this treat was meant to be eaten."
"To keep ourselves useful until the delivery of the solar panels, we decided to plaster the walls of the newly built classrooms. Sascha and Sebastian assisted the workers. Vivienne and I went from class to class and peeked into the lessons. However, we could never stay too long because the children were very distracted by us. During the breaks, the first interactions among the children took place, and many wanted to touch the white skin of Sebastian and Vivienne or feel their hair. When we took photos, there was always a big scramble because everyone wanted to pose next to our children."

Of course, we also had gifts with us. Once during the break, we unpacked a rope that we had brought along, which was immediately used for jumping rope. Everyone was really excited about it – even some teachers joined in. We taught Harrison and one class how to play Kubb right in the classroom. And the Froebel tower created great concentration, amazement, and cheers under the tree in the shade. The younger ones tried their hand at memory games and stacking figures, all things they had never seen before.
The impressions of that week were so overwhelming that we had to take a rest day for the children (and for us) on the Friday of the first school week. However, we also spent a lot of time on our "free" days distributing clothes to the beach vendors and hotel staff. This always caused a lot of excitement, as some feared they wouldn't get anything. But we were always able to reassure and comfort them by telling them that we would still be there for the rest of the month and had plenty more to distribute.

For Saturday, we had planned a celebration: all the school children and their parents were invited. However, there were hardly any men to be seen. In Kenya, the women predominantly take on the responsibility for the children. We were assigned seats at the front. Each class prepared a presentation: the children sang, danced, or recited poems. We guests were also repeatedly invited to dance along. It was a great pleasure for us. The subsequent speeches from the official guests lasted a long time, and we became quite hungry. Fortunately, cooking was already in full swing in the background. Because it was important to us that everyone had a meal that day, we arranged for the purchase of two goats as well as rice, vegetables, fruits, and water.
And then came the day everyone at the school had been looking forward to: We laid out the donated shoes—there were about 230 pairs—on the floor, and one class at a time was brought in to us. We tried on shoes for each individual child, and we managed to find a suitable pair for almost all of them. In the afternoon, we repeated the same process with the clothes: we dressed each child in 2 to 3 pieces of clothing in the right size. The beaming faces of the children when they received, for example, a used T-shirt were our reward for all the work of collecting and sorting beforehand.

A week late, the solar system was delivered. The new roof had been specially built to Swiss standards to withstand the additional weight. First, a basic structure was created, which was then welded onto the roof. After that, all six solar panels were installed, with Sascha actively helping out. The next day, everything was electrically connected, and all the teachers, school children, and we gathered in a classroom. LED lights were installed on the ceiling, and we watched eagerly. The moment the light switch was pressed and the school had light for the first time was unique and gave everyone goosebumps.
The electricity now also makes it possible to operate a water pump, so water no longer has to be drawn from the tank by hand. Additionally, the donated laptops can be charged. In each class, I introduced a few age-appropriate learning programs. The curiosity was very high. Now, the teachers are called upon to make use of this new opportunity for teaching.
Another project is the renovation of the kitchen. At the moment, cooking is still done over a fire on the ground. The hygienic conditions are quite poor, which is why we actually didn't want to eat at the school. However, when full plates were brought to us, we tried it out of courtesy, and because it was so delicious, we mostly ended up having lunch at the school.

Finally, we couldn't visit the school for a whole week because Sebastian was feeling quite unwell with a bit of fever and a cough. We all tried to recover a bit from the abundance of events. And suddenly (almost too quickly), the day of farewell arrived. We distributed the last of the gifts we had brought along. For example, the girls were all allowed to take a Polaroid photo with Vivienne and keep it as a memento. This surprise was a great success, and the joy was immense!

After many hugs and emotional moments, we left the school. We take away an incredible amount from this time. The people we got to know during our project have all grown dear to us. In Mshomoroni, we no longer see just "the project," but we think of all these lovely people who made our stay special and unique. From their side, they all pray that God will arrange for us to return next year... On our side, we say THANK YOU for the treasure of experience and the warmth we get to take home.