It is so nice being back in Kenya. Last year I spent a lot of time with the school here called the Alamono School. I’ve never seen such motivation to learn. Last year my wife Cheryll and I were teaching 3rd grade when lunchtime was announced. Lunch is usually the only meal that these kids get in a day. The whole class refused to go to lunch because they wanted to learn more. We had to walk out of the class to get them to go to lunch after several extensions of the lesson. You can imagine how endearing these students are to us.
We stopped over during their lunch on Monday. We were mobbed. I felt like a rock star with everyone calling our names and wanting to shake our hand. One student wanted to show me a kit that he made. (Insert photo of a student with a kite). Before long we had 7 students flying home made kites.
Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert talk in their book When Helping Hurts that the Western notions of poverty is that it’s about lack of money or possessions. I know I frequently describe the people here to others back home by what they don’t have (lack of toilets, running water, and electricity). Corbett and Fikkert say that poverty is really about not having choices to affect one’s life. I worry about the future of these kids. Will they have choices to realize their potential or will they be stuck in a poverty cycle like their parents with having to work in the tea fields for $1.25 a day.
These kids have two things that can equip them to break this poverty cycle here in Kenya… education and their faith. I think I'll go back tomorrow and do my own kite design with them. I saw some bubble wrap laying around that could make a great kite.
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Hey Don! Please follow up and let us know how your kite comes out. I know the kids will get a huge kick out of it! I hope that you are having a great trip.
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