VOLUNTEERING

Before I left for Kenya, I knew very little about the project. I was going to work with street boys who had been taken in to ensure a better future. Now that I’ve seen Daniel and everything he has established here, I have respect for what he has done and continues to do.
This project is called Wana wa Mola, which means Children of God. There are about 20 boys aged 12 to somewhere in their 20s living here. Most of them go to school. Some are waiting to move on to the next level of schooling.
I see that they manage everything around the house themselves. Each boy can cook, do laundry, make a broom, crack coconuts, clean, and make beds. They are divided into groups and have rotating tasks.
I see older boys walking around, called mentors, who Daniel has raised and who want to follow in his footsteps. They have adopted his vision of life because Daniel is committed to instilling the boys with the right attitude towards life. When a couple of those older boys talk, I hear Daniel’s words in their voices. They adopt his way of thinking. Two boys I spoke to said that Daniel was like a father to them. That is what I find very special, that they all try to adopt that vision.
Additionally, 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 find it wonderful that they are growing up with God.
The mentors are around 23 or older. They have their own talents with which they can contribute to Daniel and the project. One manages social media and documents everything with the camera. Two others are studying to become social workers. There is also a mentor who runs the guesthouse (the Agoko house). Daniel tries to teach them how to sustain themselves in life.
I see how the boys interact with each other. They are very good to each other. I haven’t seen any fights. Occasionally a disagreement, because they have different ideas. But ultimately, it works here that you listen to the person above you.
They are also very friendly, caring, and respectful to Erika and me. They accompany us when we need to go out on the street and make sure we are safe. They are also very enthusiastic about teaching us things, like how to make chapati. They are also curious about what my life is like in the Netherlands. They ask a lot of questions.
There is such a big difference between the behavior of street children and these boys. It’s an enormous change they have gone through.
I did this project together with my girlfriend Erika. It’s so cool to experience this together. Below is what we all did during the project:
In the first few weeks, the boys were on vacation, so there was a lot we could do during the day. Daniel wanted to show in the guesthouse at the entrance that the guesthouse is part of 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 project’s vision and mission. The mural turned out so well that we also made it on the wall in Wana wa mola.
On April 27th, we celebrated King’s Day. This was such a fun day. We played Dutch games. Everyone enjoyed the coziness and cheerfulness that this day brought.
During the time we were there, they had two weeks of vacation. So we could take them to the beach. Swimming and having fun.
I also talk a lot with different boys. It’s interesting to hear how life works here. In the first few weeks, I didn’t immediately see the poverty. I mainly saw people who were doing reasonably well, but if you look around better, go to other neighborhoods of the city, and hear stories from the boys, you notice that there really is poverty.
The next two weeks, we first helped renovate the restaurant. They want to start it to get jobs for the boys and more income. We repainted it. When guests come in, they immediately see typical Kenyan food on the wall. Furthermore, we were a bit busier in the afternoons and evenings. First administrative things to create some more order, and often we would then move on to the boys’ residence and just be there to watch them, chat with them, or help them with something.
I enjoyed all the varied tasks we did so much. Occasionally you didn’t do much and were just relaxing with the boys, other days the day lasted longer. For example, we went to a chicken farm they have to create extra income. This is a bit further outside the city, and there the nature and way of life are different from in the city.
What I find beautiful and what I really experienced during the project is that there is time for encounter. There is time to talk about someone’s experiences. We had a few things we wanted to do every day, and each time I thought: how are we going to do that if we keep stopping here and chilling there. But when I looked back at the end of a day, we had done more than I thought possible at a leisurely pace. I have learned that faster is not always better. I realize that there are people here who really have to work hard and still barely get by.
It was a learning process to live and work in a different culture!