Mother Teresa

I have written about Teresa Wati, one of the directors of Wema, before, but I want to reiterate what an exceptional woman she is. Teresa wakes before sunrise to prepare for the day, preparing her four sons that are still in primary and secondary school at Highway Academy for the day. Altogether, Teresa has nine children, many of whom are in university. She also cooks breakfast for the family and us, the volunteers. We look upon Teresa as Superwoman. With just a flick of her knife, she was able to open a can of jelly that we had been struggling with for days.

Teresa then goes off to the public primary school to teach for the morning and early afternoon. This year, she teaches students that are 6 and 7 years old, along with some as old as 9 years old if they have been held back. Right now, her class is 105 students, but it can go as high as 150 students. The majority of the class sits on a dusty floor as Teresa goes around to check their work. It takes about half an hour to get the students to write the first five letters of the English alphabet. The students become restless and begin to shift around, but Teresa somehow manages to keep the class in check.

Teresa's Class at the Public School

Classroom at Highway Academy:
All the students compete to answer a question
and each have a seat at a desk.

Teresa at the Public School

Walking back from the public school, Lydia, Teresa's niece who has worked at Wema for two years helping out with administrative work, praises her aunt. She says how Teresa's class in the public school always does the best because of her hard work and resilience. She also mentions how Teresa works from sunrise to sunset without resting, sometimes forgetting to eat until she realizes she is getting a headache.

Teresa then returns to Highway Academy around 1 or 2 pm and goes to work at Wema, doing administrative and organizational work and making sure everything is running smoothly. Around 5 pm, when day students at Highway Academy leave for the day, she will then start preparations for dinner. While we watch Teresa heat up chapati for our dinner, she explains the educational system of Kenya. She quickly lists off students at Highway Academy, making it obvious she knows the approximately 450 students that make up the Lower, Primary, and Secondary Schools. After dinner, she will sit with us to go over questions we have about projects at Wema and general questions about Kenya. This can go until midnight. I have no idea where she finds the energy, but she is truly Mother Teresa of Wema.

Teresa in the Kitchen

Jump roping

Pure joy after a soccer goal