Experience East Africa, Embrace Transformation

Before I left for Kenya, I knew very little about the project. I would work with street boys who have been taken care of to ensure a better future.
Now that I have seen Daniel and everything he has created here, I respect what he has done and is doing.
This project is called Wana wa Mola, which means children of God. About 20 boys from 12 years old to somewhere in their 20s live here. Most go to school. Some are waiting to move on to the next school.
I see that they arrange everything around the house themselves. Every boy can cook, do laundry, make a broom, crack coconuts, clean and make beds. They are divided into groups and have varying tasks.

I see older boys walking around there, called mentors, who raised Daniel and want to follow in his footsteps. They have adopted his vision on life, because Daniel works hard to get the boys to adopt the right attitude to life. When some of the older boys start talking, I hear Daniel’s words in their voices. They adopt his way of thinking. Two boys I spoke to indicated that Daniel was a father to them. That’s what I find very special, that they all try to adopt that vision.
In addition, I see that they are raised with a Christian background. They learn who God is and that God is love and loves them. They pray with and for each other. Their own families are not forgotten either. I think it’s wonderful that they are growing up with God.

The mentors are about 23 or a bit older. They have their own talent with which they can do something for Daniel and the project. One manages social media and records everything with the camera. Two others are training to become social workers. There is also a mentor who runs the guesthouse (the Agoko house). Daniel tries to teach them how to support themselves in life.

I see how the boys interact with each other. They are very good to each other. I haven’t seen a fight yet. Occasionally a disagreement, because they have different ideas. But ultimately the way it works here is that you listen to the person above you.
They are also very friendly, caring and respectful to Erika and me. They walk with you when you have to go out on the street and ensure that you are safe. They are also very enthusiastic to teach us things like how to make chapati. They are also curious about what my life is like in the Netherlands. They ask a lot.
There is such a big difference between the behavior of children on the street and these boys. It’s a huge change they’ve gone through.

I did this project together with my friend Erika. It’s so cool to experience this together. Below is what we did during the project:
The first few weeks the boys were on holiday, so there was a lot to do during the day. Daniel wanted to show in the guesthouse at the entrance that the guesthouse is part of the Wana wa Mola (the boys’ residence). That’s why we made a mural in the hallway with two other boys. On the other side we put up a lot of photos with information, such as the vision and mission of the project. The painting turned out so well that we also painted it on the wall in the Wana wa mola.
On April 27 we celebrated King’s Day. This was such a fun day. We played Dutch games. Everyone was enjoying the fun and cheerfulness that this day brought.
When we were there they had a two week holiday. So we could go to the beach with them. Enjoy swimming and having fun.
I also talk to different guys a lot. It’s interesting to hear how life works here. In the first weeks I did not immediately see the poverty. At that time I mainly saw people who were doing quite well, but if you look around more closely, visit other areas of the city and hear stories from the boys, you notice that there is real poverty.

The following two weeks we first helped renovate the restaurant. They want to start this to get jobs for the boys and more income. We repainted. When guests walk in, they immediately see typical Kenyan food on the wall. We also spent more time in the afternoon and evening. First administrative things to create a little more order and then we often went to the boys’ accommodation and were just there to watch them work or chat or help them with something.

I really enjoyed all the varied tasks we did. Sometimes you weren’t doing much and were just relaxing with the boys, other days the day lasted longer. For example, we went to a chicken farm that they have to create extra income. This is a little further outside the city and the nature and way of life there are different than in the city.
What I like and what I really experienced during the project is that there is time for the meeting. There is time to talk about someone’s experiences. We had a number of things we wanted to do every day and I kept thinking: how are we going to do that if we always stop here and chill there for a while. But looking back at the end of a day, we had done more than I thought we could do at the leisurely pace. I’ve learned that faster isn’t always better. I realize that there are people here who really have to work hard and are still barely making ends meet.
It was an educational process to live and work in a different culture!