Playaway Centre and Kibera

Didn’t sleep too well last night due to what sounded like a party outside my window!! Alarm went off, I got up and got myself ready for the last ‘work’ style day of the trip. Mike arrived at 9.30am to take me to the Playway Educational Centre. Maria joined me on the trip as Esther and Alvin attend this school and she was organizing the visit. We arrived and again met the head teacher. This seems to be the protocol out here. I met a group of 7 students, including Esther and Alvin that make up the email group. Alan has set up an email group with his school in Cornwall for some of his students. They send various emails throughout the year and keep in touch. A really nice scheme and one I would like to set up with the students at St George’s.
I introduced myself and talked about England, I am getting quite good at this now! We then talked about the email program and decided it would be nice if they wrote one there so I could send them for the children. The computer teacher wasn’t there so this wasn't possible but they wrote a hand written letter instead which I will post to Alan on my return. Their writing and English was very good. They wrote in a very friendly manner, suggesting they felt they had really got to know the students they were writing to over time. Once they were written I gave them out some gifts of stationary and games which they were very pleased with. They scrabbled over the frisbee’s and harmonica’s, unfortunately I didn’t have enough. They all did get a pot of bubbles so think they were satisfied! The meeting then ended and I went back to speak to the headteacher. She said she would be happy to start up another group with my school so if all ok in September I hope to do that.

Outside there was a lot of noise. The school sports day was taking place so I went over excitedly with the email group to watch. There was a big crowd surrounding a small basketball court and field, all of the children were cheering and getting very involved and excited. Races I watched included a sack race, where pupils must jump about 20m and then put on their uniform that is in a pile on the floor as quickly as they can, and then jump another 10m to the end. Very cute to watch. Another was a classic relay race using a stick as the baton, and the pre-school children raced to see who could fill an old tub of butter with sand the quickest! It was incredible to watch, so competitive and everyone getting very involved whether they were a competitor or spectator.

We had to leave for the journey to Kibera, but I could have stayed and watched them all day. We arrived in Kibera slum at about 1pm. I went to the office again to meet the teachers and director of the academy. Again they explained the hardships of the school and academy and how they just try to give the girls some hope and love in their life. The girls were in the classroom having a day of poetry with a traveling American teacher. She led the girls through some drama, poetry and fun small games. It was my first opportunity to see the girls and it struck me how normal they were! It sounds funny that I thought they wouldn’t be, but living in the environment I had seen yesterday it was difficult to imagine they could be. But they were just young girls enjoying each other’s company and having fun. I watched them play a game where they had to express different feelings and emotions, like happiness, loneliness etc. They were so focused and want to please in all that they do.

When Catherine had finished her morning session I got about 20 mins to introduce myself, very briefly talk to the girls and present them with the posters that the girls at Storm’s school had made for their bare classroom walls. They were excited and took time to walk around and look at them all. We took many photos and they started to decorate the walls with them. I also read out a card from Storm which they were pleased to hear. I then gave each of the girls some stationary which I had brought out for them. They were excited about this too, a whole day of gifts, and they used their equipment straight away for the poetry session in the afternoon.

We stopped for lunch. The teachers had cooked lunch for everybody, including myself, Mike and our driver, Mache. We had rice, meat and a cup of squash. I sat next to Vanessa and she told me about herself and her family. She loves school and it is her only hope as she struggles away from a family where she is an orphan living with an aunty in terrible conditions. We finished lunch and the afternoon poetry session began. I was told to observe this which was ok, but had meant I had visited Kibera twice and neither time did I really get an opportunity to interact with the girls. I would love to teach a bit myself and get more involved but I didn’t want to take focus away from the poetry. It was interesting to see the girls create poems based on struggle, their life, and hope. At the end they had a reading session where girls got up and read some poems out. It was quite an emotional experience as the honesty was there. The community of the academy is so close that they feel safe sharing their troubles with each other.

I left at 4pm to walk to the soccer field with the teachers and girls involved. The other girls who do not play soccer stayed to finish the poetry session. We walked through about 2ft of rubbish they whole way to the field. We got to the field and waited for the other girls to arrive as the teachers set up. I asked if I should set something up and they told me to sit and watch. Was a bit gutted as wanted to get more involved, they had told me yesterday I could run some of the session. I did get to lead a stretching session which I enjoyed, I did an SAQ style stretching session. But I’m not sure what they made of it as when I had finished the other coach then led them through another stretching session??! I don’t think they had seen dynamic stretching before. I then joined in the coaches session for about 15mins until I had to leave. The coaches work very differently from that in England. They join in with everything as they say it motivates the girls. Their relationship with the girls is so different that it works, but I don’t think it would in England. We had to leave by 6pm so I didn’t actually get to see them play football which was a real shame. I feel I have missed out a bit on my experience with the girls at Kibera for one reason or another. I definitely have not created the bond that Storm had with the girls.

The trip back to Maria and James’ house took over 2 hours because of the traffic. You cannot explain the traffic out here, it has to be seen to be understood but it literally goes on for miles and you don’t move for up to ½ hour at a time. They could really do with some sort of by-pass!
When I arrived back I got straight into my pyjamas and sat down to chat with the family. We had a nice meal of spaghetti, meat and veg and then watched some television. James said he was really enjoying having me stay and felt I was very easy to get on with. They all said they would be sad to see me go, nice! I went to bed about 10.30 and read some book then fell asleep, long day.