Visit to St. Martin Primary School- Kibera

“Teacher, are they Kenyans?” asked Nyaboke, a class five pupil. That question left us in awe. We wondered why the young girl would ask such a question. The school director, Mrs. Cecilia, having evidently noticed the shock on our faces chose to offer us reprieve by explaining to us why the question was asked. “It is rare for these students to see young Kenyans visiting them at the school. They are used to international volunteers to the extent that some of them believe that aid, is only done by foreigners,” stated Mrs. Cecilia.

 

St. Martin Primary School was the first of five visits lined up for the annual community week. Located in Kibera slums, it is a pillar of hope to many youngsters privileged to have parents who value education. Having started off as a day-care center for teenage mothers who needed a place to leave their children as they went to search for casual jobs in the neighboring estates of Ngumo and Highrise; the school is growing in stature and character, radiant with hopeful faces of young boys and girls.

 

We took time to interact with the pupils, sharing insights about the opportunities awaiting them if they worked hard in school, though we had limited time, of the first of many more to come. Mrs. Cecilia explained “It is important to understand that you cannot solve all the problems of Kibera. It is not about the quantity of what you give, but the quality of your visit. What these children need the most, is love”.

 

As we left the school we pondered on Nyaboke’s question and the words of Mrs. Cecilia. In the same fold, we toss the question to you; “Are you Kenyan enough to show and give love to the needy?”