A World at their Feet

The small Toyota climbed the steep hill out of Kisumu in first gear, straining under the heat of the afternoon sun.

It’s hot in Kisumu at this time of year, the rains have all but finished and the long dry season has begun. Rains wont return in any quantity until March or April and the air is growing dusty with expectation.

We turn off the tarmac onto a bumpy, stony track, winding around the hillside to the left. We pass small homesteads, perched precariously on narrow strips of land, where chickens run around excitedly and dogs bark at the car.

Then we pull in, in front of a mud and thatch hut, adorned with an iron sheet roof.

Mary comes out to greet us, closely followed by Atenas.

I get out of the car to warm greetings and smiling faces. I wanted to visit some of the children that we support whilst they are at their homes. School finished last week and the children are visiting relatives and making the most of their time.

Mary and Atenas are brother and sister. Mary has just completed Form 2 (her second year of secondary school), whilst Atenas has just graduated Form 4 (the final year) and has taken his KCSE (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education). For Atenas, his marks will be everything. Anything above a B- and university will beckon. He is happy and confident – he has been an excellent pupil throughout his education and a real blessing to the Trust.

We first came across Mary and Atenas at St Pauls Primary, near to Mamboleo. Our social worker, John, was asked if there was anything that could be done for them by the headteacher. She said they were bright and gifted children in school, but she was worried.

Their mother and their father both passed away whilst they were in primary school and they were left in the care of their elderly maternal grandmother. She struggled to cope and their school performance suffered as they tried to find food for the family.

The Trust stepped in and began supporting them and their home. They have never come into our rehabilitation centres, but have managed to stay at home because of the support they have received.

And that support has been hugely rewarded.

As we sat in the small, dimly lit hut, I talked with Mary about her school. Her report card is excellent and she has just finished Form 2 ranked second in the whole year for performance. She loves science and would like to be an accountant. Or a Neuro Surgeon. Or something like that. I am sure that university beckons for her. She is a bright and articulate young woman and it is wonderful to see her progress from the shy and sad girl we first met. She tells me that she loves to swim and I ask her about her friends. “I have some”, she says, “but I am serious about my studies and they can be distracting”.

Life for a young woman in Kenya is not easy. Prejudices can limit opportunities and girls aspirations are often tempered accordingly. But in Mary I met someone that I believe will make of life all that she can.

As we left the hut I noticed for the first time the amazing view.

The hut overlooked Kisumu and the vast expanse of Lake Victoria, shimmered in the afternoon sun.

Mary explained that each morning they have to walk down to Mamboleo hundreds of metres below to fetch drinking water and then walk back. I asked how she carried the big jerricans. “On my head” she replied, as if it were the most natural thing in the world.

During the rainy season they collect the water and have plenty to drink, but when it is dry it’s a daily walk down the steep slopes of the Mamboleo hills and back before you can quench your thirst. At the moment, and for the next three months, it is dry season.

It seems such a contrast, that poverty and lack of opportunity could co-exist with such breathtaking beauty. Standing here is like seeing the world at your feet.

And that is my prayer for Mary and Atenas.