The van was loaded up with three suitcases full of donations, (mostly shoes that had been generously given by friends and family), and we set back off to The Walk Centre.
As we expected, the school was much busier and a few of the children clocked some of the less subtle items – a couple of footballs – as we arrived and you could tell they would go down well when the time arose.
The group was taken around to each of the classrooms and Gladys introduced us to each group of children and their respective teachers before splitting up to assist with teaching. The girls paired up and the two teachers went to separate rooms and enjoyed a variety of tasks from assisting with English and maths lessons, to marking work.
Two of the group helped serve porridge to the children and once that had been consumed, it was time to dish out the shoes. Everyone was taken aback at how unselfish the children were; there was no free-for-all, or any pushing and shoving. There was an unspoken rule that it was your turn if you hadn’t been given shoes last time so only those in real need entered the classroom where the shoes were all laid out.
Half an hour of amateur shoe fitting later and all that remained were some baby shoes and adult shoes, which would be distributed separately where they were needed most.
The reaction was slightly different when the new footballs came out – it was a wild, excited frenzy of balls being chased and then thumped in whichever direction the kicker was facing. As well as footballs, the girls had purchased a pack of tennis balls and some skipping ropes which also went down very well with the children.
The next treat was a parachute that the group had brought with them – cue another excited frenzy as the children swarmed in to grab a section of the large sheet and wave it around wildly. The tennis balls were thrown in and tossed around on the colourful waves and loads of children sat underneath.
The team helped distribute lunches again, although on a much larger scale to the previous day, and then had their own lunch. After a bit more playing, it was time to head out again.
The group leader, Kelly, had found out, during their fundraising efforts, that another teacher she trained with was now working out here in Nakuru. He had invited them to come and visit the school where he worked, so the group requested that they stop by for a short while. In huge contrast to where they had spent the morning, Fred drove the group out to Greensted – a private international boarding school, just outside of the town. The teacher showed them around the large campus, with its well-maintained gardens, vast sports fields and open-air pool. They were invited to take advantage of the latter and they enjoyed a well-earned break from volunteering under the hot sun.
