Day 9: Agnes's Schools

Last night Bella gave us MoonCatcher polo shirts as well as tote bags with the MoonCatcher logo on them. She made me a top and a dress too. It felt like Christmas. Bella, Jacky and Agnes have the same polo shirts, so we looked like a MoonCatcher team when we set off for work.

We went to two schools today. Both are just a short stroll from Agnes’s house here in Kisumu, Kenya. These schools were funded by Agnes’s great grandfather and have been open for many years. Of course, Agnes has a special place in her heart for them, and we were delighted to go do some MoonCatcher work in each one.

We started with the junior school in the morning. Some of us taught the girls and some taught the boys. The classes were crowded with over 200 children in each room, and the temperature was hot and steamy. This wasn’t ideal but the students were well behaved and happy to be there. My little namesake, Jacky’s daughter, Ellie (age 6) came to the girls’ class with me and sat with the older girls as we taught. She helped us hand out kits too as she loves to be part of things.

Phoebe was teaching the boys with Jacky and as usual Phoebe had them spell bound. At the end of the class, she and Jacky handed out toothbrushes that had been donated by a local business.

After lunch we returned to teach the upper school students. Zak and I went with Agnes to teach the boys. Again, the room was too crowded and hot but the boys were great. Though shy they did start to warm up and asked and answered questions making for a good interaction. Zak  answered some questions that were directed towards him. The toothbrush distribution was a fiasco but we got through it.

We promised Zak That we’d go to Kit Mikayi at the end of the day. This is a huge rock formation that I’d been to two years ago that is really extraordinary. The name translates to “Stone of the First Wife.” It is often used for prayers and rituals and we found candle wax in various spots while climbing over the rocks and watching the monkeys scamper about. I was a little scared of them until I was assured they didn’t want to hurt me. I loved watching the mama feed her baby.

Once back on flatter ground Bella and Zak danced with the local women. They tied a grass skirt to Bella’s waist. This will give us another bit of dancing for our Shake It So fundraiser.

A  game of Five Crowns and a cold shower were the perfect ending to a busy day. Good night!