We eventually decided to stay for three nights, and this really gave us time to do everything we needed to do before heading on to Mombassa., as well as having a little peak at what Nairobi had to offer. The car was running smoothly, as were we, and the plan was to arrive in Mombassa late on Sunday evening, camp, and then meet up with Sonery, our contact at ‘Mustard Seed’ the following morning. For once, everything went to plan.
After arriving in Mombassa, we soon found a campsite, and again the prices were invitingly low at little over $4/night. After a quick bite to eat at one of Mombassa’s less classy establishments, we were well ready for bed, and soon were sound asleep. In the morning we discovered that we had in fact camped a stones throw from the beach, and thus enjoyed a slow breakfast with a nice refreshing sea breeze. After a quick wake up swim in the Indian Ocean, we set off to meet Sonery, who by chance, was situated only a couple of miles away in Mgongeni, a poor ‘village’ suburb of Mombassa, where we would spend the next four days.
A British couple, Geoff and Rita Fowler, had visited Mgongeni whilst on holiday in September 2008, and were shocked at the conditions of the village. They visited a school which was being run by two young men in appalling conditions and knew they had to help the community. They returned 4 months later having registered as a charity with the intent of setting up a school and supporting the community. In September 2009 they set up a school with three teachers in two rooms in another school. Then in January they moved to another rental building with three rooms. All this time they were paying for these unqualified teachers to receive in-service teacher training as well as paying salaries, rent and all other expenses.
Eventually, after spending six months in this building it became obvious that they just would not have room in January 2011 for the new intake so in September 2010 they moved to a bigger building, and that is where we found them; at the ‘Miche Bora’ (Mustard Seed) Primary School. Having begun life with just 26 students, they now boasted 97, with five teachers. The school building was great, with adequate space for all of the children, and very high hygiene levels throughout. They had a donor who supported them with a feeding programme, and thus the children received both a mid morning snack, and lunch, which is vital, as many would receive no food at home until dinner. It was mentioned to us on several occasions that this limited the attention spans of the children, but now they were full of beans, and ready to learn.
Resources were also of a high standard. Geoff and Rita had written a successful bid to a charitable trust and they had been able to buy plenty of toys, and learning materials. The children all seemed very keen to learn, and the play times were a partially organised chaos, where children would skip or kick footballs, and seemed to be having a great time. There is, however, still further room for development within the school. Sonery told me that the plan is to expand by one class each year to accommodate up to grade 8 (the final year of primary school in Kenya when the children are 14). As well as being a teacher Sonery is the paid coordinator for Mustard Seed Project. Her drive is really inspiring, and she has a belief, which makes myself in turn have faith that one day her vision will become a reality.
As I mentioned earlier, Mgongeni, is a poor suburb of Mombassa, and has been largely neglected for a long period of time. But the school has helped. Micha Bora have a policy of keeping the number down to 25 per class. Costs can sometimes be really high in other schools and they have no resources or furniture. Although the government schools claim to be free for 7 – 14 year olds, things such as uniforms, books, and exams can still make it a huge expense, and thus many parents choose not to send their children to school at all. Micha Bora School helps to attract parents in such a position, with lower fees, which can be paid throughout the month, and not in one lump sum. In addition to this, there are no exam costs, and many resources are provided to the children by the school The feeding programme is another big attraction to both parent and child, and helps to keep the attendance at a high level.
It’s not only education, which is lacking, but also many other such basic necessities. Mustard Seed also have a firm focus on empowerment. They have also built a well and got mosquito nets for the community and the local trustees worked hard to get street lighting installed. Mustard Seed have a computer training centre and have also given 120 women business training skills and started health training. All of the work that we witnessed had made a huge impact on the community, and their was a renewed belief and sense of purpose within many of its residents. One of the village elders said that they were thankful to Rita and Geoff for showing them that they shouldn’t just sit and wait for development, but also stand up and demand for it. This attitude was an extremely positive one, and one, which I believe holds Mgongeni in good stead for the future
Although I felt a huge amount of optimism for the area, there is still an awful lot of work to be done. The football team, who I spent a lot of time with (including playing a game), need more equipment and better facilities though I believe that this is in hand. There is a huge issue with the dumping of waste. Rita and Geoff have been negotiating with the owner of the land used for dumping in order to use it for agriculture but I believe he changed his mind at the last moment. There also needs to be an improved ratio of children going on to secondary education. In the last 2 years Rita and Geoff have spent 6 months in the community to help with developing a sustainable approach to both vocational training and business but there is a long way to go. The foundations are in place, and personally I adored my time in Mgongeni. We stayed in Mustard Seed Trustee, Amir’s family home, and found the experience incredibly humbling. Amir was always so positive and his laugh infectious. The entire family up from the mischievous bebe to the wonderful Mama, were just a pleasure to be around, and I must admit I wanted to stay.
I was inspired here, more so than anywhere else so far to initiate projects myself, and it helped to create a clearer vision for ‘Patchwork World’. I believe that through creating and encouraging more partnerships between ‘Mustard Seed’ and other organisations, so much progress could be made in Mgongeni. It is difficult for grass roots charities to have the time and resources to focus on this, but to have a charity, which purely helped to inspire and initiate cooperative projects between organisations, could truly be a great catalyst for great progression and development. I am still a long way off working out where to begin, but I have a clearer vision for ‘Patchwork World’ now. It will continue with EEF in Ethiopia, and hopefully long into the future with a variety of other organisations. Eventually, I hope that Patchwork Work can have a presence in many countries throughout Africa, and perhaps eventually elsewhere, helping to form such partnerships, and connect small focussed projects together, creating collaborative paths to tangible progression.
After many weeks now spent in Africa, I have developed a vision, and a dream, of one day being able to travel the continent as an equal, and not someone from that ‘other world’ where they have everything they want. To be able to meet people all over the continent with friendship being the only driving force and not development, and with no other expectation than this, would be a wonderful thing, and I truly believe that one day I will realise this dream.
After leaving Mombassa, we headed off towards Tanzania, and Pangani, where I first found Africa seven years ago. This would truly give me a taste of development, not only externally, but also with my own internal journey. I was nervous and excited in equal measure. I had experienced nightmares of finding Pangani a completely altered place, and was desperate to still feel a connection there. As we hit the road, I felt as though I was leaving a place that had formed part of my future, to go to a place that was very much part of my past. There was something about this part of Africa that just felt so welcoming. It felt like home.
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