Mukuru Kwa Njenga slum, Nairobi

It's hard to know where to begin with this blog, I have only been here for one day and yet I find it hard to put it all into words and explain everything I have seen and experienced.

It took us about 5 minutes to reach the slum from our hotel. As we drove through you could see rows upon rows of small, hand-constructed shops and houses, crowded with people and surrounded by rubbish, sewage and mud. It was strangely full of life (I had expected something different I think), and to my relief, although we clearly looked completely out of place, most people warmly welcomed us and waved as we passed.

The school was situated in the heart of the slum. On arrival we were taken straight in to meet the Headteacher. She was an incredible woman, who, in her own words, described the job as not for the money but for the children, she believed that her main reward for this work would be in heaven. Many of the children who come have nothing, and so as their teacher you are everything. In the school there were approximately 2200 children and 33 teachers so class sizes ranged from 70-100+ children of similar ability - but mixed age. For most the feeding programme provides the only meal they will have and this is what brings so many to school everyday.

Meeting the children for the first time is an experience I will never forget. They quickly crowded round, all desperate to shake hands, climbing over one another to touch my white skin or my hair! They quickly took me to see their classrooms and meet their teachers. The first thing that struck me was the lack of space and resources, and this was also the main complaint of the teachers. When I have so much, and regularly waste so much, it makes me feel guilty about the little teaching bubble I have lived in for so long, without giving a second thought to those struggling elsewhere. I often complain about things that, in all honesty, are trivial and pointless. I have so much and yet they have so little.

From an Elephant Juice point of view, the feeding programme is essential to these children, a vital source of food and a reason to come and be educated. Although Elephant Juice is small, there is no doubt in my mind of it's importance - genuinely these kids need all they can get.

But I am a teacher, passionate about education.

So it leaves me with one question,

'What can I do?'

Mrs Elephant x