Camp Wema

Camp spurred on my interest in Africa. Phil Lilienthal visited my camp in Maine when I was 12 years old and told us about his organization Global Camps. Phil, who ran a traditional all boys camp for many years in Maine, saw the power camp has for encouraging childrens’ confidence and decided that he would start a camp in South Africa. Global Camps allows kids affected by HIV/AIDS (either because they have the disease themselves or a close family member has it), ages 11 to 16, to go to camp for ten days. The camp not only provides an environment for the kids to play sports and have fun, but also the camp teaches the kids through life skills classes about HIV/AIDS and how to prevent getting it. When I met Phil, I knew right away I wanted to get involved. Many kids at the camp do not have sneakers and are unable to participate in the sports activities. Sneaker collection drives became my passion for years following.

Wema is not a camp. However, it has many camp-like qualities. Teresa and Stephen are the directors. They play the role of mom and dad to the 110 orphans along with the 250 total students at Highway Academy. They are the students’ gateway to emotional support, medical care, and, most importantly, education. The teachers are the best camp counselors ever. They stretch the students’ minds. Getting paid only between $3 and $4 a day (less than public school teachers who get paid around $20 a day) they wake up at 5 am with some of the students and put them to bed around 10 pm. On our last night, the teachers led the children in song and dance in the classrooms after the children were done with their homework. The teachers ensure the students’ protection, make sure they are well fed, and keep them academically and physically fit. The students are intense campers. Working hard learning Swahili, chemistry, biology, English, math, and many other subjects, including computer now. The students have huge goals they hope to finish by the end of their time at Highway Academy. Rather than seeking to achieve a perfect tennis serve (or similar camp goal), their goals are to become the new leaders of Kenya. The students are eager in the classroom while building lifelong friendships on the football field and at recess. They love to play around (even doing my hair again today—I think I will keep this hairstyle as my new daily hairdo). At my camp, Fernwood, we say that, “Once you pass the Fernwood gate, you make a little date with fate and your heart is at Fernwood to stay.” I think this phrase fits Wema and Highway Academy perfectly. Every day I puffed my way into the Highway Academy gate after a morning run, I saw a well oiled machine. I watched the children starting their morning classes, the teachers preparing their lessons, and Stephen and Teresa either rushing to their jobs to pay for Wema, doing chores around the house, or in Highway Academy’s office.

In the computer lab

On my last night at Wema, I am amazed by the operation that Stephen and Teresa have created. They believe in their students and, thus, the students believe in themselves. I am so excited to see Wema continue to grow, especially with the computer lab. Like any good camp setting, we ended our last night having a dance party with the girls outside their dorm under the stars.

My new hairdo

Last run

Mariam, Face Painting, and the Power of Wema

Yesterday, I got to interview the amazing Standard 8 student Mariam. Mariam wants to be a Supreme Court Judge in Kenya. She is eloquent and works extremely hard. When I first met her, I told her I wanted to talk to her more because Alex had told me a lot about her. She looked at her watch nervously and told me she could fit me into her break time at 4 pm because her schedule was otherwise packed. Standard 8 is a crucial year for students because the exams they take at the end of the year determine the secondary school they go to. Mariam told me her father is an engineer and her mother is a self-taught hair stylist. Her parents pay for her education, but, as she says, it is hard enough for them to get a meal on the table. When I asked her about her motivation to become a judge, she said it was because her aunt was one. Her aunt died very young though, so, when Mariam’s father asked her to take the place of her aunt, she said she would. Listening to Mariam’s story, I could see her motiavtion and I truly believe with the help of Highway Academy, the sky's the limit for her.

Mariam working in the computer lab

We went to a church service yesterday. I am not a very religious person, but I love gospel singing. It was beautiful watching the students lead one another in song with intense faces. However, after the over two and a half hour service, I remembered why I am not too religious. Today, we visited the primary school again to finish updating our photos and to drop off donations for the library. We walked into their library and found stacks upon stacks of tattered textbooks. It was exciting to fill the library with story books. It was the last time I will be at the primary school on this visit. I am really going to miss the little ones. In the afternoon after school, we painted secondary students’ faces with face paint brought by volunteer Taylor Weary. They loved it! I have never painted so many butterflies and flowers.

Dropping off books at the primary school's library

At the primary school

Painting students' faces

Painting students' faces

An extremely saddening moment occurred tonight. We found out that the mother of one of the students, who boards at Wema, died. The mother had a drug problem and got hit by a motorcycle in Bukembe at 5 pm. We had been in Bukembe only half an hour earlier at the primary school. After Stephen and Teresa told us about this horrible event, we went to the little boy’s class to read storybooks. He has the best smile and wanted me to read a lot of Arthur and Curious George books. It once again reminded me of the importance of Wema and the support and protection it gives to children. 

Students and Stories

We continue to teach the children in the computer lab. It is so exciting that we have had all the 5^th to 12^th graders for a lesson at least once. Some classes have come in as many as three times and many students try to come in during their breaks. We have started to teach the students about the Internet and have even set up email accounts for some of them. The computers are truly opening up their worlds. I googled “snow” today for the 5^th grade class because they had never seen it before. They love google images.

Students working in the computer lab

I have been working with The School Fund students, who get their $500 school fees through sponsors donating to the non-profit organization. I helped the students post journal entries on the website.

One of my favorite journal entries was JackPeter’s. My family is supporting his education this year through The School Fund. Here is what he wrote:

“My name is JackPeter Wanyama. I am a 17yrs old boy. I am in form 3 class and a hardworking boy. I would like to appreciate the efforts that my sponsers are doing.

For sure they have really helped me to pay school fees since my parents were unable. At my home we are ten children and I am the eldest. I have passed many hardships in life. Getting even 50 shilings a day to my father is a problem since he is disabled. He got an accident and broke his leg.

I am working very hard in school so that in future I can be great man. I believe in God that I shall change the life style of my family.

Oh! I thank the almighty God for bringing sponsors to me since I would have dropped out of school due to lack of school fees.

I am proud and glad to have you in my life and I believe that my dream of becoming a doctor shall come to be true one day one time.”

50 shillings is less than 70 cents in the U.S. As JackPeter wrote, without the support of The School Fund and sponsors, he would not be in school and at Highway Academy. I constantly find JackPeter practicing typing in the computer lab. I know he is going to succeed at Highway.

JackPeter writing his School Fund journal

I have had so much fun getting to know the students and play with them during their breaks. We have been playing a lot of “red light, green light,” singing camp songs, and having dance parties. We even taught them the macarena. They had a lot of fun doing my hair today!

At the Wema salon

                                

Playing with students

The River Between

I just had the coolest teaching experience I have ever had. We were asked to teach Form 4 Ngugi wa Thiong’o’s The River Between during their night class from 8 to 9:30 pm. I had read this book last spring in Caroline Elkins’s course Africa and Africans. It was basically an “Introduction to African Studies” course, but it was so much more than that to me. It spurred my interest to study African history in college and resulted in my doing research for Professor Elkins this semester for her upcoming book.

The River Between deals with male and female circumcision in traditional African religion as well as the coming of colonialism and Christianity to central Kenya. I was worried about discussing some of the highly charged topics. Once the students got over how loud (and sometimes fast I speak), and I adjusted my ears to many of the students’ soft-spoken nature, we had deep talks about circumcision, the idea of purity, and colonialism. It was fascinating hearing the Form 4 males (ages 14 to 18), speaking about female genital mutliation and even a bit about the spread of HIV/AIDS. They spoke intelligently and asked deep questions back. Never have I been able to apply my studies so well in such an appropriate setting. I could not believe how late their lessons go until. I then found out that they wake up every morning at 4:30 am for their lesson starting at 5 am. They only have an hour break from 6 to 7 am to do their chores, a lunch break, and a dinner break. Other than that, the students in Form 4 and Standard 8, in which they are trying to get into university and secondary school respectively, work all day. I am truly inspired by their hard work.

Highway Academy Secondary School Photo

Computers, Cyber Cafe, and Donations

Yesterday, we taught Form 1 computers in the morning. We are still teaching Microsoft Word, as not all the students have had a lesson yet. It is crucial the students understand Microsoft Word because that will help them with a lot of other computer lessons, especially email. I am setting up another pen pal program with my former high school English teacher Mrs. Ordway. As a senior in high school, I remember my brother setting up the program for us and how exciting it was to get an email from my pen pal, especially during the sometimes overwhelming college process. It put things in prospective.

In the afternoon, we dropped off four of the donated laptops to a cyber café in the local town Bukembe. We hope that these laptops will help Wema get some more money as well as benefit the community. There were only two working desktops in the café, which shares its space with a tailor. All the other computers in the café were at least from the 1990s and were not functioning.

Cyber Cafe

Woman who works at the cyber cafe with a laptop

We started today with a group shot of the entire secondary school. Never have I seen that many students in a group shot being so well behaved. It was exciting to see them altogether. (Was not able to post picture today but hopefully will soon!)

We taught Form 3 this morning in the computer lab. Unfortunately, the electricity has been out all day, which is the longest it has been out for. We had around 25 students and only five working laptops. By the end of the lesson, the students were all crowded around three computers, as the other two had died. When we are not in the computer lab, we have been filling our time updating all the Wema students’ photos for the website, including facts about each student. We also have given out all our donated clothing. Some of the students even modeled their new clothes with us. They are so thankful for any article of clothing, as many only have one outfit. We hope the electricity comes back soon so we can teach in the computer lab more!

At Highway Academy's Primary School

Modeling with the students and their new clothes

Support for the Yankees in Kenya