Day 2 and 3: Kimuka School and Maasai Wedding

On my second day in Kenya I got to go to the Kimuka Primary School Jambo has built.  The school currently has 35 needy Maasai boys and girls between the ages of 3-5.  The students then go to the public schools a little ways down the road. Many of the students are sponsored by a partner NGO, AIF.

The school is a 1-room school house, with a separate office, kitchen and eco toilet.  They feed the children twice a day.  I got to meet the two teachers there- Isaiah and Danny.  They explained to me that many of the parents bring the children there to attend school because of the meals provided and other health and social services available to them through the school.  Then, as they see how much their children are learning, they begin to place a higher value on education and emphasize their children continuing to go to school.  In Kenya, public education is provided for children ages 6-14, but many do not attend in rural areas due to lack of transportation, food, or needing to help on family farms and with herding. Danny and Isaiah are doing wonderful things with the children and they are all working on learning all of their letters, numbers, counting and playing many songs and games.  I was able to bring about half of the school supplies and clothes I brought to Kenya.  See below if you donated items to me if you can see the children enjoying them! We distributed 1 clothing item to each child, all of whom were very excited. I also brought many hardcover children’s books and got to read them one of my favorites. I am excited to get to work with them more in the weeks to come. They are currently adding 2 more classrooms- the foundation was finished the day before, so that they can continue admitting students because more parents are coming everyday asking if they have space available for their children.

That afternoon, we drove south to Narok along the Great Rift Valley.  It was an absolutely breathtaking drive. Luis had agreed to help a neighbor who was getting married transport some Maasai family members to a pre-wedding feast there at the home of the bride.  The next morning, we were to bring back the guests for the actual wedding at the church and home of the groom.  It was an interesting experience- my first Maasai cultural immersion and my first taste of goat.  The party was very segregated- women in the bedrooms and men in the living room.  Since we were bringing many Maasai women back the next day, we “camped” out in Luis’ van for the night and left early the next morning. The next day the wedding feast was incredible, with a beautiful mix of traditional Maasai clothing and jewelry and western suits and dresses.  The bride wore a white wedding dress with Maasai jewelry. The reception was held on the groom’s family property under several huge tents.  There were about 300 people.  

Everyone can’t believe I haven’t seen any giraffes yet! They were telling me they spotted a few lions last week less than a mile from the house, so maybe I’ll run into one of those!