Tuesday 24 May 2022

Hot, hot and hot. Well that’s what us English people feel here right now. However, for the Kenyans, this is their winter and at 28 degrees, this is cold to them. Men and women wearing warm coats, hats and scarfs, where we are in our shorts and t-shirts, burning at a simple glimmer of sunshine. 

It was very hot today and with the altitude being around 1,850 metres, working really is hard work. Short bursts of energy is needed at all times. 

The measurements for the kitchen has been slightly changed by Valentine, the headmistress of West End Academy, which meant that we had to re-mark where the posts will go. But digging the the holes was harder that anticipated, the ground was hard, with using only a pick and shovel. But by the end of the day, it had be completed.

We had a surprise regarding the classroom that the other volunteers are helping to construct. The footings need to be four foot deep to support a now ‘two-storey’ building, instead of the intended one floor. Hard work by both the volunteers and Kenyan workmen.

Chippy, with the help of his guitar, and others performed some children songs to entertain the youngsters, ‘Old MacDonald Had a Farm’ and ‘Heads, Shoulders, Knees and Toes’ have now sounded so good.

Most of the day I have been followed by Scarlet, who must only be four. Need the end of the day, she looked for me a cuddle, so I placed her on my lap. She looked like she needed it. It was pretty obvious that she had wet herself, because she was damp. But at that moment, I didn’t care, she needed me. That’s what this trip is all about. 

The day was rounded off by giving the children afternoon snacks in the form of bananas. For some, this is the last piece of food that they will eat until lunch at school the following day.