Day 2

This morning we has the opportunity to go to the Good Hope School.  The school goes from ages 4-5 in baby and nursery classes to 8th grade.  The student body is made up of the elementary-aged students from Hekima Place, children from the Good Hope Orphanage and local children.  The school is just 2 kilometers away but the road is quite hilly and in very bad shape.  The girls go by bus every morning and afternoon.  

The school system in Kenya works on a trimester schedule with one month long breaks in April, August and December.  Since it is the end of their second term the students were talking their exams.  We started our morning in the teacher's lounge with morning prayer and a ministry on forgiveness provided by the head teacher.  Next we were off to help out in the classroom.  Joe proctored the 6th grade social studies test and I gave some of the nursery students their exam.  

The nursery students were quite intrigued by Joe and I.  Kyla, a young girl was fascinated with my blue eyes and pointy nose.  My hair, earrings and bangle also got a lot of attention!

After exams, we broke for tea at the Orphanage.  We had an amazing chai tea while the little ones had porridge.  After tea, the children had time to play outside while we got to take a look at the "conservation classroom" and their pet tortoises.  Beginning in first grade, all students at Good Hope learn about conservation as part of their curriculum.  Partly in an effort to preserve the 91% of Kenya that has game roaming on its land a d partly to teach the students from more rural areas how to be more effective in cultivating sanitary and prosperous lives.  As an aside, did you know the ivory trade is still a huge problem in Kenya?  Every day, 5 elephants are slaughtered for their ivory.

After learning about Good Hope's green education, we got to enjoy a special school assembly that was prepared for some special visitors.  As special as we were (I am sure), these guests were BIG TIME: visitors from the World Bank.  The show was amazing with singing, dancing, percussion, poetry and dramatic performances.

As we headed back to Hekima, the children went out to play a little football while the staff and teachers looked on.  These kids all seem happy and well adjusted!  It's amazing to know that half the student body comes from either the Good Hope Orphanage or Hekima Place.  The other half live with their biological family - some in places where there is no running water.  If you didn't know it, you wouldn't realize it because when you look around you just see a bunch of well-mannered kids enjoying their time at school, albeit some with tattered and torn uniforms, mismatched socks and tights, shoes that are flopping off their feet or clothes that are two sizes too small.