Our team set out for our third and last tribe last week. After a 12 hour travel day, we arrived at the Pokot tribe. Pastor Musa greated us in the wee hours of the night. He informed us that we would be doing some door to door ministry, but mostly we would be working in the schools. This made me really excited! I volunteered to teach the pre-school class, along with my team mate Breanne. We arrived and were instantly surrounded with about 40 kids, ranging from ages 2-6 years old. Most wearing rags as they walked to school bare-footed, many carrying their siblings on their back. The volunteer teacher explained to us that most of the kids in the Pokot tribe cannot afford schooling, so she has been volunteering for the past three years so the kids can get an education.
Since there is no funds coming in, there is no school. Pastor Musa volunteers the back of his church building as a class room. The walls remain blank, except for a few chalk marks on the wall from the children drawing on the cemet walls since they can't afford paper or pencils. It was so heartbreaking to feel so helpless, and to see just how little the kids have.
We worked on teaching the kids A,B,C's and counting, and Pastor Simon provided us with some posters to bring the next day. We brought them into the class the next morning and the kids faces lit up. They had never seen so many colors, shapes and animals at once! We were able to go over numbers, and shapes and colors, things they have never heard of. The kids are provided a meal after class, that is cooked by a volunteer. The food is from the U.N. , who delievers food once a month for the village. It may be the only meal the kids eat all day.
Its moments like this that make me realize the bubbles we live in as Americans, myself included. Not only are we consumed with ensuring everything in our bubble is labeled with a name brand, we are sure that our bubble never pops, because then we would have to make more of an effort in life. This sad state of reality that was set before me will forever change me. The kids in our pre-school class will never go without a prayer of hope for an education they can afford, or even a new outfit. I loved my time at the Pokot tribe, but I look forward to what else God has in store for us here in Kenya!
