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Nanyuki

Here you’ll find travel reports about Nanyuki. Discover travel destinations in Kenya of travelers writing a travel blog on FindPenguins.

2 travelers at this place:

  • Jess EllisOE 2017
    Day33

    Nanyuki Donations

    June 8, 2017 in Kenya

    After walking around Hope & Home on my first day, it was evident how little these kids have. Their mattresses are an inch tall with holes in them, blankets are covered in mud and dust, clothes are barely recognizable and their personal possessions fit into a little tin box. I'd been contemplating climbing Mt Kenya while I was in Nanyuki and the three day hike was going to cost $650NZD. As I thought about Hope & Home and why I had come to Kenya, I realised I had missed the point and decided I'd like to buy some things for Hope & Home and save a bit of money for the rest of my trip. I set up a Givealittle page knowing some people from home would be keen to donate and though if I could get $500-$750NZD, we'd be able to buy some new mattresses for the kids. Never ever did I think we'd raise $2000!!! With this money I was able to buy 30 x quality mattresses that will last the kids years, 30 x blankets, boys underwear, sanitary items, school books, pens & pencils, soap, toothpaste & toothbrushes, laundry buckets, flour, rice, beans, oil and fresh veges! We had two truckloads of items and it was so so special delivering them on my last day in Nanyuki. One of the senior students Yvonne made a small speech and then I explained where all the money had come from and how thankful I was that I'd been able to come to Hope & Home and how welcomed they'd made me feel. It was so emotional!! Jacinta, myself and two other volunteers cleaned the rooms and made the beds up for everyone, it looked so awesome once finished and I know they'll all be sleeping well for months to come! I said my goodbyes, some students begging me not to leave, offering their bed to me so I could stay and asking if they could come with me. One memorable moment was when one boy Nahashon (15years, Class 6) came and gave me a hug goodbye. He'd been abandoned by his mother when he was young, having no idea where she went so he turned to the streets before finding Hope & Home. When I first met him, I could see the pain he'd experienced, he was guarded, reserved but very respectful and polite. I never expected him to come and say goodbye but he did and in that moment, I knew I'd given a little love to a kid that needed it. I waved goodbye to everyone, promised them I'd be back to see them when they're in high school and left Hope & Home for the last time, leaving a little bit of my heart there but knowing I've got this huge Kenyan family whenever I return.Read more

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  • Jess EllisOE 2017
    Day20

    Nanyuki Week 2

    May 26, 2017 in Kenya

    My second week in Nanyuki and I've started feeling more and more comfortable in this foreign country where you're referred to as a muzungu (white person). At first I took offense but as it turns out, the word is actually quite respectful and the children love having us here! I spent my days at Vision Star Pre School helping with the class, handing out books, sharpening pencils, teaching new games and ways to learn certain parts of the English language - we did the vowels every day for about three hours a day.... The children are great, full of beans, smiles and although they don't have much, you'd never know that!! I also participated in a medical outreach at a rural dispensary where we did free HIV testing. This was eye opening as I'd never done testing before and with HIV being such a prevalent disease in Africa, it was evident how much the disease was feared here. We had 1 positive result from 50 or so which was good but still heart breaking to tell the man. Friday was a day off so I decided to go to Neema Baby Home to try out a different placement. Here, orphans under 3 years old are placed and cared for until adoption. It was a completely different experience to the other places I'd been as the home receives funding from America and is quite well off in comparison. I ended up leaving quite angry because knowing the funding the home receives from a non-government organization, it was really evident the money was going into the pockets of those at the top and the children were suffering. The staff fed children from the same bowl of food and spoon, hence why every child was sick, they'd change their nappies then feed them without washing hands, outside playtime consisted of putting the babies in bumper seats in the direct sun for 45 mins without toys or shade. And then, to make things even worse, a two week old baby that had been found in a gutter was being fed by one of the staff. She kept falling asleep so the staff would shake her, swing her up and down to try and wake her up!! It made me so so angry seeing how poorly these children were being treated when they deserved so much more, at such a young age. I left Neema and decided I wouldn't be going back there while I was in Nanyuki.Read more

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  • Jess EllisOE 2017
    Day27

    Nanyuki Week 3

    June 2, 2017 in Kenya

    I was introduced to a new placement called Hope & Home last week where the school doubles as Rescue centre for street kids from all over Kenya. The place is owned by Mama Susan who has not very much money but the biggest heart! She has up to 40 children in her care now and she loves each of them equally, no matter where they've come from or what they've been through. I'd been okay working at Vision Star but wasn't feeling fulfilled or like I'd made much of a difference in my two weeks there so this week I decided to do two placements - Vision Star in the morning and Hope & Home in the afternoons. At Hope & Home, I did a lot of teaching classes 5,6,7 & 8 which is equivalent to years 5-8 in NZ curriculum however because the school is for street children, a lot for the kids are 2-4 years behind so there were several 16-17 year olds doing year 7 and 8 work. I introduced Nelson Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom movie to my social studies classes and we had some really great discussions around equality, freedom and human rights. Thursday was a public holiday in Kenya and instead of taking the day off, I decided to organize a cooking social at Hope & Home with the kids as I wanted to spend as much time as possible with them. The other volunteers came along and I also invited Jacinta too. We made chapati, pilau (spiced rice for special occasions), vege stew and the kids taught me how to cut cabbage the Kenyan way! It was so lovely because normally the kids wouldn't have eaten on a day like today and we were able to put on a huge feast for them!! Following lunch we had a dance competition and I sat there taking it all in, appreciating how little these children have and yet seeing how happy they are put everything in to perspective. A group of girls read a poem called "The African Woman" which highlighted the struggles of women in Africa - from child bearing, rape, circumcision to violence - it was very powerful and as a woman, it really affected me as I couldn't imagine ever going through these things a lot of the girls had been through. Then Joseph stood up and presented his poem "My Comfort". He spoke about walking from street to street, shelter to shelter, with nothing but the dirty clothes on his back and cut up feet, no mother, father, brothers or sisters to love him, until he found Hope & Home - his comfort. At the end of this I was so overwhelmed with emotion, the day had been absolutely incredible and I couldn't hold back the tears no longer. I'd been surrounded by kids who had been raped, abused, abandoned, battled addiction, forced into marriage and who were all under the age of 18. Yet none of them looked sad, none of them showed pity, none of them hated their lives but instead, they were all so full of love, joy, happiness, resilience and togetherness. This was the most special and memorable day I've had in Nanyuki and there's nowhere else I'd rather be at this point in time than with these kids.Read more

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  • Jess EllisOE 2017
    Day34

    Nanyuki Week 4

    June 9, 2017 in Kenya

    I can't believe how fast my time in Nanyuki has gone by. I remember when I arrived I wondered how I'd make it through to the end but now I don't want to leave!! I finished at Vision Star last week as I decided my time was better spent at Hope & Home where I could offer more to the kids here. I decided to help a few families at Vision Star by buying them some food supplies (flour, fresh veges, rice, beans, all the necessities) to last them a couple of months, plus some school tracksuits for the children. It was so humbling to meet the single mothers and see their gratitude and hear the pain they've been through. I'm not religious in anyway but they blessed me over and over again, thanking god for sending help in the form of me and blessing me with such a huge heart that's willing and wanting to help others. Knowing it was my last week in Nanyuki, I wanted to spend as much time with the children from Hope & Home so I surprised them in the weekend and we went for a walk to the river. It was super cool to have some one on one time with these kids outside of the classroom and really make a special bond with them. They're truly amazing people and I'm so thankful to have been able to form such strong relationships with them in such a short amount of time.Read more

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You might also know this place by the following names:

Nanyuki, نانیوکی، کنیا, NYK, ნანიუკი, Нанюки, نانیوکی, 納紐基

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