In recent months, Seed of Hope Nairobi has enjoyed a blossoming relationship with neighbouring church Nairobi Chapel. On the 9th of April, two small groups from the congregation went a step further and visited the homes of some students, a small business run by two graduates and the current students at the centre located at Dagoretti Corner.
After meeting at a local shopping centre, we divided into two groups with Vincent Kegode and Teacher Gitau as the guides. We then took a short ride on a matatu as far as the market at Makina in Kibera. At this point, we split up and headed in different directions to meet some of the Seed of Hope girls. The group that I was with first visited Rosabella at the shop she runs with fellow graduate Naomi. Rosabella shared her testimony with the group telling them about her time at Seed of Hope and the challenges and successes of running her own business. After chatting for some time, Rosabella showed the visitors some of the garments she has made and photograph albums of some of her work. The visitors were so impressed with the quality of the work and the unique designs that they asked for business cards so they could get in touch when they need new outfits!
The group visited students' homes in Kibera
Next it was time to move on to Toma’s home. This was just a short walk away but for many it was the first time they had been to the “interior” of Kibera. Once we were all seated inside the room, we were served with chapattis and tea – this is typical in Kibera where you witness the kindness and generosity of people who have very little but are willing to share what they do have. Toma then shared with the group how she had been in secondary school but that had led nowhere and she had nothing to do. A friend of her mother told her about Seed of Hope and she joined in 2008 so will graduate later this year. There was no doubt in her mind that this had been a good move and that she can use it to her advantage to shape her future. One touching moment came when one of the visitors asked who Toma’s role models are. Without hesitation, she replied “My mum because she has brought up me and my brothers and sisters on her own! And my teachers, and people like you”.
After some words of encouragement, we made a move to leave and were met at the door by Winnie who was to take us to her home. We knew that this home was a bit further than we had already walked but no-one, including Teacher Gitau, was prepared for the trek that we had to make. We crossed through several villages following the railway line, then moved deeper inside Kibera as we continued on our journey. After thirty minutes we started to talk about how far Winnie walks every day. After forty five minutes we started to realise we were almost on the opposite side of Kibera than we had started out. After one hour, we finally arrived….hot, tired and in total respect for Winnie. As well as walking that one hour to the other side of Kibera, Winnie then has to walk another hour to get to Seed of Hope. Teacher Gitau told us that she is always one of the first to arrive and has one of the best attendance records. Everyone in the room congratulated her for making such a huge effort and asked what motivated her. Her reply was simple “I want to have a wonderful future”.
Headteacher Florence talks about Seed of Hope
Already behind schedule, we didn’t stay long at the home Winnie shares with her sister who has children of her own. We decided it would be quicker to walk out the nearest exit from Kibera and take two matatus back than it would be to walk. It was then time to head to Seed of Hope and meet up with the other group and all the current students who were waiting to show their guests around the training centre. Once everyone was together, Headteacher Florence spoke about Seed of Hope and the course the girls work through. Teacher Maureen then explained the re:future recycling project and Maureen Mwende told the visitors about the enterprise known as Crafted. There was then time for the girls to ask questions as they took lunch which had been provided by the “Chapelites”. They were also told of a donation made by the visitors which would allow Florence to buy some of the much needed resources required for the training course.
As the girls demonstrated how they sort plastic bottles for re:future, some of the visitors unloaded bottles and newspapers they had collected for recycling. By weighing the newspapers we were able to tell them how much each bag would raise for the centre – everyone was shocked how simple it was to make money from rubbish.
As the afternoon drew to a close, it seemed that everyone had appreciated the visit. The girls were happy to have new friends and some of the group from Nairobi Chapel told us that their visit to Kibera had changed their perspective about their own lives and given them a lot to think about. We would like to thank them for taking the time to learn more about our work and look forward to welcoming them back to Seed of Hope.
If you would like to support the work of Seed of Hope or have any questions about this project, please use our contact form to get in touch.