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Overview:
Overview:
During the summer of 2022, I had the life-changing opportunity to volunteer at an orphanage and community center in the heart of Nairobi, Kenya. The center was located near Kibera, one of the largest slums in the world. Residents live in extreme poverty and many rely on the center for food, education, clothing, community building, business services, and so on. During my time there, I volunteered from 9 am to 4 pm as a teacher for the orphans living at the center. My job also included tasks such as helping serve food, sorting donations, and visiting residents of Kibera for welfare checks. I am truly grateful for this experience and I will always remember the people I met and their inspiring stories that will continue to drive my passion for teaching.
Student's Everyday Journey to School in Kibera
Student's Everyday Journey to School in Kibera
For my first day of volunteering, I was given the chance to follow a High school student on their journey from their house to the school, located in the heart of the slums. This experience gave me a small glimpse into the lives of Kibera children and overall made me eternally grateful for the life I live. During this walk, I traversed creeks filled with sewage and garbage, crossed a highway, climbed up rocks, and traveled for a total of 2 hours to reach the school from the Student's house. Alongside me are a team from the center and my father. I was protected, however girls who walk the slums to reach the school are not. 1 in 3 girls are raped or sexually assaulted in Kibera, which leads to young pregnancies. As a part of this experience I spoke with a student who had to drop out of high school to carry her baby, due to her rapist. This was by far one of the most difficult and uncomfortable challenges I have ever had to do, but I am so thankful. These students face this reality everyday and have a low chance of leaving Kibera
High School Classroom in Kibera (Grades 9-10)
Third Grade Classroom
Kibera High School vs. Middle Class Boarding Schools
Kibera High School vs. Middle Class Boarding Schools
A few days after arriving at the center in Nairobi, I visited 3 of the local schools, including a low-income and high-income boarding school. Children who attend boarding schools are considered lucky in Nairobi, as they are provided with food and shelter daily. If parents/guardians can afford it, students are often sent to a boarding school on the outskirts of Nairobi. On the other hand, students whose families cannot afford boarding school, attend one of the many public schools located in the slums of Kibera. While visiting a local high school in the area, I was able to meet with students and discuss their experiences at the high school and home life. Many often relied on the school to provide them with food and safe shelter for the day. In one Elementary School, there were up to 70 students in one small schoolhouse classroom.
Kindergarten Classroom
Masai Tribe
Masai Tribe
For my last day volunteering at the center, I was given the opportunity to teach phonics to the women of the local Masai tribe. The Masai are nomadic and don't believe in schooling, instead, the Masai train children to tend to farms, cows, and crops. Women for Women hosts an English class once a week for the tribe. For around 1 hour, I taught the alphabet and focused on phonemic awareness with rhyming words. It was challenging communicating with the class because the Masai have their own language separate from Swahili. Additionally, we had limited resources, notebooks, pencils, etc. This experience changed my entire perspective on teaching and has ultimately helped me connect with ELL learners and students who come from low-income, traditional families.
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