Letters from Volunteers
 

Nicholas Lebo

This last November, Ty Harden and I traveled to volunteer at Hamomi both acting on our desires to work towards something meaningful and see the other side of the world.  Neither of us really had much of an idea of what to expect having had, up to that point, our most significant experience with the African continent limited to perhaps a college development class.

Back in Seattle, my work life was consumed by the enduring financial crises, but the scope and depth of these sorts of concerns were quickly re-evaluated after just my first day at the school.  When we left, the Hamomi board had given us an open mandate to volunteer in any capacity we wanted.  Upon arriving, it was abundantly clear that the school held incredible promise, but much like Kenya as a whole, more immediate concerns and conditions dictated any future progress.  We were immediately deputized as math, science and social studies teachers to classes of 3rd-8th graders.  After getting over the initial fear of being responsible for passing on important knowledge, not to mention a panicked review of how to do long division, we realized this was one of the best ways we could help Hamomi as it freed up Raphael and Musumba to attend to the actual operation of the school.  We were surprised to find that not only were the kids at or ahead of their developed-world peers in education level, but all were bi or tri-lingual and easily compensated for our lack of Swahili.  Eventually, we worked our way into larger projects on the school's behalf such as negotiating for essential medical services from government and local private clinics or working towards developing a food program partnership. 

Despite the often staggering levels of poverty, many surviving on less than a dollar a day, we were amazed at what everyone was able to accomplish with only a marginal addition of volunteer help and resources.  With a motivated student body and dedicated staff, Hamomi is truly a store of vast potential just waiting for the opportunity to grow and expand.

Sincerely,

Nick Lebo

Rebecca Thompson

I came to Hamomi in November, 2008 through a study abroad program in Kenya. I was a little hesitant when I began at Hamomi because in my past work with NGOs I found that my presence there was more of a burden than a help.

After my first day at Hamomi I knew that my past would not repeat itself. I met the whole staff and one of the other volunteers from America. The board back in Seattle, Raphael, and Musumba really gave me the freedom to do whatever I thought would be good for Hamomi. This was already unlike other volunteer experiences!

I didn’t know what to do first as I didn’t want to help in the wrong way. I observed for the first few days and a few things quickly stood out to me that would help Hamomi run smoother and make life easier for Raphael and Musumba. With the information I collected from doing home visits I complied a folder containing every child in Hamomi and a little information about them. After continued home visits I realized that along with an unbalanced diet most/all the kids had worms and had not been given Vitamin A.

With the help from my host mom, and the local hospital in Kangemi we managed to organize for the nurses to come out to Hamomi every three months and give all the kids a de-worming tablet and Vitamin A…FOR FREE! This felt good knowing that even though I, along with the other two volunteers, would be heading back to America in a couple weeks, it was possible to leave a lasting change for the kids and staff of Hamomi.