We are grateful for … We are hopeful about …

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Today we returned to Red Rose School and all of us had a more active role in the teaching of the classes. We spent most of last week observing the methods and styles of the Red Rose teachers. It was very exciting to share the lessons we had prepared and try to incorporate our ideas into the normal routine of the school and add a few enrichment activities to the ideas the children have been learning in their regular Kenyan curriculum. In the afternoon, we got a chance to visit St. Aloysius Gonzaga High School at their new campus.  It is a Catholic day school that serves orphans and other young people from AIDS-affected families primarily from Kibera. They have a lovely facility and the students there seem very dedicated.

A few days ago, we shared reflections about what we are grateful for in our lives and what we are hopeful about for the future. Being in Kenya and seeing the conditions in which many children and families live has helped us gain a good perspective on our own lives. Through visits to classes at Red Rose, the markets in Nairobi, secondary schools, and the homes of the children that are sponsored by Children of Kibera Foundation, we have seen firsthand the struggles and challenges they have to overcome in order to live a life with dignity and joy.

Here are some of the thoughts that members of our group shared.

I AM GRATEFUL FOR …

• the love of the Red Rose children.
• my education. I used to think of education as a right, not a privilege. Now I realize how privileged I am to get the education and opportunities I get at my school.
• my stable home environment.
• the Red Rose School allowing us to be part of their community for three weeks.
• the chance to see and experience Kibera in a real and raw and deeper way.
• my family that is close and together. Some of the Red Rose children have lost siblings or have to live far away from their family members, seeing them very rarely.
• the opportunity to participate in a trip like this.
• good food, clean water, safe shelter and other basic necessities.
• my health and my access to quality healthcare whenever I need it.
• higher education opportunities in the USA.

I AM HOPEFUL THAT/FOR …

• I will give something back to the Children of Kibera organization because I feel that I always gain more than I give when I participate in service projects.
• I will come back to Kenya and Kibera with my parents.
• the Red Rose children and who/what they can become in life.
• the Red Rose children will beat the odds and make it to secondary school and beyond.
• I will share my emotions and experiences with my family.
• people in the United States will realize that a small contribution makes a huge difference in Kibera.
• the youth of Kenya will improve their country.
• women in Kenya will fully realize their rights as written in the new Kenyan constitution

Tomorrow we will continue teaching at the Red Rose School in the morning and then visit the Giraffe Center and the Karen Blixen Museum in the afternoon.