In 2006 I was volunteering in a school in Kibera slum one of the largest slum in world and I started seeing how youths waste a lot of time idle, gossiping and waiting for a miracle to happen which will never happen. It was more likely that they got to stealing for just a meal, got killed or end up in jail for the rest of their life.
Kibera slum
Some of the project I have done attendance or facilitated (my voluntary life and how my life changed to be a community servant).
My first work camp community development project back was in the place I was working in my first job which was organized by group of community people and group of volunteer from US I remember very well when we were in this work camp it was the time American embassy in Nairobi was bombed, and this had to distract a lot of work-camp activities,
My second work camp I had to attend was three days work-camp of prayers and tree planting in Tharaka Nithi Bridge which the community claimed to have evil spirit, the road which is used by Nairobi Meru travellers; we started the mach as it was planned from Chuka town which was organized by lobby group and kind of politic way.
After walking for a distance of about ten kilometres the procession was stopped by police who claimed to be illegal organized and distracting the peace for the road user. As normal the process could not end just like that, it was my second day to meet face to face with teargas and ugly police men with big Rugu which was used to bit people merciless. I had to run for my life and from that moment I couldn’t tell what happen just what I knew some of my friend got arrested because we were main organizer so I had to hide my self for while. But the tree were planted we did it on the next day without group we went back and plant those tree, under the bridge.
From there in Nairobi I joined this organization for the first international real huge one in 2002 in a school called Kilodi primary school in Kilifi coast province, the work camp was organized to collect class room building materials, sand, stones and others, I have not had an opportunity to share my time before with so many Muzungu(white people) like this the work camp was one of the largest camps the organization had in the year, we were about 45 volunteers all together I remember because it was my first work-camp I stayed for two weeks without even knowing the names of all the participant. Sometime if I had to talk with some but I could remember they name I pretend to have forgotten the name so the person can tell me again.
This work-camp was an eye opener for me it made me realize a lot and from interacting with other volunteers and community I learnt a lot and it really motivated in doing community work or volunteering my self serving the needy in society, I looked my self from where I was coming from how I looked life and how I was thinking of my self it changed me and made me look things more positive and from that time I realized am not just Ben who can’t do anything because I could not be able to finish up my education but I have more than I knew!
Kilifi kilodi community, as many people all over the Kenya think, if somebody come and ask you from this two community or district (Muranga and Kilifi). which one you think it has most poorest people, most people will defiantly say Muranga because in many people mind if you talk of the coast Mombasa area people there are not poor because the area is full of tourist from all over the world! The truth is me too I was thinking like this before and my surprise was when I got down there the people live yes some time happy but mostly the men’s who think always of their biggest wealth of coconut tree so they spend so much drinking the coconut wine and talking of dirty politic (this is my point of view) and how they want the so and so to be so on.
The women the poor ones the culture do not favour this women here most of mama in this community live working day and night for the family food looking for fresh water taking care of every house chaos. Sometime you meet with them carrying a big langue of food firewood, or water on their back or head and the baby on the front.
My second work camp I participated with this organization was in Vigenze primary school in western Kenya from the coast to the western Kenya was a real different, the work-camp was to help community in making the bricks for building the class room.
Do you know every where there is problem and its own kinds of challenges in western Kenya the soil is much fertile than in Kilifi but the rain is sometime too much for normal crop to grow strong, the culture is different but their have their own type of culture too.
From this work-camp I took a break and went back to my job searching and I was lucky to get a job in petrol station in Westland, first I worked like normal little service boy in cleaning and sometime I helped in washing the cars for customers. After while the owner could take me to his house (home) which is Kilirichwa one of the most richest people place I started thinking a lot why God can be able to give people such kind of good life and others very different one, after for while I was invited by the some organization to go participate in another work-camp and because of any easy way of the work I was doing and the area I was not comfortable with life I decided to quit the work and go to do that voluntary work instead.
KEEP ON TO LEARN MORE OF MY VOLUNTARY WORK IN NEXT POST!!!
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