SuPPORTING SACRED HEART SCHOOL, NAIVASHA, KENYA DREAM FOR SOMETHING BETTER
A dream for something better, Wangari Ceclia
Visit to Sacred Heart part two
Our first visit to the school was the day we had arrived at Nairobi airport just after midnight. Our arrival heralded the welcome end of a drought; rain from the UK. It is in a sparsely populated area known as Kinangop, which is about 40 minutes’ drive East and uphill from Naivasha to an altitude around 8,000 feet; the air is quite thin! The last ten minutes are along very rough tracks. The local population is subsistence farmers, many living in timber or mud huts, growing crops for themselves and the market, and keeping a few animals. For most it is grinding poverty.
We were welcomed everywhere we went, but nowhere more so than by the schoolchildren who treated us to a welcome ceremony in the new Dining Room, with singing, dancing, poetry and testimonies which lasted well over an hour and seemed to involve almost all the children. It was an incredibly emotional experience and one we will never forget.
Several of the chldren handed us letters or drawings, of which these transcribed examples perfectly describes what motivates Wangari (known locally as Sister Cecilia) and those who support the school.
Tracy Awuor
“I would like to take this opportunity to express my gratitude to you. Thanks for supporting Sister because through her I got life. I had lost hope but because of her I finally got a family. My mother died when I was just seven. My life changed suddenly. I had to stop schooling and take care of my younger sister who was just a few months old. My father was not able to cater for us. My grandmother who was a greengrocer tried to cater for our needs. We had gone through much difficulties when finally luck came my way. I really don’t know where I could be without Sacred Heart. I was nothing in the community but I am now something. For the seven years in Sacred Heart my life has totally changed. Thank you Sacred Heart, my home, my family.”
Ann Cherop
“I am a kind girl. Also I am an artist. I am an orphan. My parents died when I was just young. I grew up while suffering in the street. I had been collecting food that was having bad smell. No one could help me. Then God sent an angel and spoke to Sister Cecilia and told her to bring me and teach me the way of a good life. I was happy because I could have clothes, water to drink and food to eat. If it is not God who has saved me from dangers I could not be here. “
We found the children to be bright, charming, engaging, eloquent and very happy in the school environment, whether boarding or day pupils. By the end of our stay the children had become very relaxed around us. It was a privilege to represent the Charity and its past and present donors. The children and the staff really do appreciate all the support coming from England.
A group of younger children in class; their school day finishes around 4pm, unlike the older children who go on to 9.50pm. The children are all keen to learn because they realize that progression through the school system is the only way they will be able to change their lives. It is an opportunity denied to many in Kenya, particularly the disadvantaged and the orphans because State education is not free. Children whose parents or families cannot afford to pay their fees are sent home.
The headmaster, Patrick, taking a year 8 class. In a fortnight these students would be sitting the National school exam which determines whether they can proceed to Secondary education and gain sponsorship. We later heard from Wangari that the school’s results were again very good, with several students winning places at the Country’s top Secondary schools.
The school staged a football match on our penultimate visit and several of the teachers enthusiastically took part. Here Chrissie is talking to some of the younger spectators (everyone got a sweet, quite a treat as they don’t have refined sugar in their diet!).
The actual football was threadbare, hence the request from Wangari for a new one. Fortunately we had taken several in our luggage (bought at a discount from John Henry Sports) plus balls for netball and volleyball. If we had known the state of the volleyball net we would have packed one of those as well!
The puddled area in the foreground had recently been planted with fruit bushes by the children. The section at the far end is the new wing under construction to accommodate the additional Year 9 needed by January 2024, together with rooms equipped for teaching science and IT. This is a requirement of the National Government who provide no financial assistance whatsoever to private schools. The construction of the walls and roof last Autumn had been paid for by the sale of two cows and twenty sheep. One-off donations since November have paid for plastering the walls, installation of electrics and the fabrication on-site of windows and doors. The remaining fundraising challenge is to purchase and lay floor tiles and build an external walkway, after which the rooms will need to be equipped.
