Overwhelming hospitality

Nick and I have just returned home after an amazing couple of months volunteering in Kenya. We were teaching at a slum school in Kajaido, about 2 hours south of Nairobi, in the heart of Masaai land.

We were welcomed with open arms by the Fadhili community (IVHQ's program parnter on the ground in Kenya), our host family and a horde of happy kids every morning. Their smiles were infectious and their zeal to learn was inspiring. We taught years two to six every subject from english to creative arts, and singing and baking.

Simply spending time with the kids was our biggest highlight. During our month-long stay they never asked for anything - only that we stay longer, continue to share our stories of home and play more games!

There was no running water and limited electricity where we lived. Breakfast and lunch consisted of plain white bread and chai, milked straight from the cows, and dinner was usually white rice and potatoes with goat, beans or cabbage. Ugali was also on offer, but we never took to this like Kenyans!

Every weekend Nick and I travelled including trips with IVHQ to other programs offered across Kenya and road trips with Fadhili staff and other volunteers to Mombasa. So many good memories!

It's true that relationships run deep in Africa and we look back so fondly of our time there. I can't recommend IVHQ & Fadhili highly enough - they were supportive, prompt and genuinely amazing people!