When Trisha and I arrived at the School on Wednesday the 1st of October, we were met by Pamela the Head Teacher who introduced us to Merci who teaches the nursery children. We were really looking forward to meeting the children who were fantastic and so friendly and welcoming and very eager to chat to us. 

As part of the introductions the children put on a great show for us reciting poems, teaching us some traditional songs and dances and telling us about their culture. We really enjoyed it. 

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Those of you that have children may not believe me but these children were unsupervised whilst working, not one of them moved from their desks, they continued reading. I don’t think they believed us when we told them that in Ireland if the teacher left the room no one would stay at their desk!!

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The school currently has 5 teachers and 95 pupils, two of whom are orphans and live at the school. There are five classrooms a kitchen area, toilets and a library. Unfortunately many of the children can not afford the twenty Kenyan shillings for lunch; this is equal to 20 cent. We were shocked by this, but after visiting other Schools and an orphanage, the children in Bombolulu are quite lucky in comparison as each child is given a free snack during the day paid for by donations and clean drinking water is readily available. 

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During our stay we went to Jumangji book shop in Mombassa and bought all the books needed for the school, which means that each child has their own books and no longer has to share. We were delighted to be able to make this small change for the children because they have made such a big change in our hearts. 

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It was a fantastic experience to visit the school and meet the teachers and pupils. These children are so happy, very eager to learn and so grateful for everything they have. It’s quite hard to explain but seeing people who live with such poverty, so happy and thankful for all the things we take for granted such as food, shoes and toiletries seems to put life in perspective and you can’t help but come away with a different outlook and a grateful appreciation for all you have and how lucky you really are!! 

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We will definitely be going back !

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Trisha & Chris

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