I’ve now been at RVCV for ten days and feel like I’m beginning to understand what these kids have been through. There is so much energy, fun and love here that it’s easy to forget why these kids are here in the first place. Despite their young ages, many of these kids have experienced things that most of us would find unimaginable. I recently learned than when two of the kids arrived at RVCV – just six years old – as the sun set they started to walk out of the village gate in search of food for dinner, not realizing that they no longer needed to fend for themselves as they’d done before.
First and foremost, my job as a volunteer is to have fun and give love; and it’s great that that’s what I spend most of my day doing!! But one of my goals is also to understand these kids and the causes of abandonment more generally. It isn’t that the family love isn’t there. Either parent have too many children (the causes for that are cultural, economic, and education related) and cannot adequately care for them all, or the parents have died and the children have been left to family members, who likely have many children of their own already. Each Rift Valley child’s path here is different; I am slowly learning more and more of them.
What impresses me most of all is how well the Rift Valley Children’s Village handles these kids, provides a safe, loving and relatively permanent place for them to call home. They are happy and well-fed, go to school and have fun. In short, they live the life that all kids deserve!
Here are some teasers for each kid in Serengeti House so you can start to get to know my 12 new friends!
Isaka is the oldest boy in the house and is by far the most truthful. I’m consistently impressed with what a role model he is for the rest of the boys. He never fails to help me out when I need to know who should be doing chores, or what time everyone needs to be at school. Evalina is Isakka’s sister and is equally conscientious. She is so well-mannered and respectful, she’s an absolute delight to be around. She can be so adult-like that sometimes I forget she’s only 9 years old! Janey is often thought of as the Serengeti troublemaker, though I think most of her troublesome acts are done for want of attention. And when you give her a hug, she really leans into you and you can feel how much she appreciates it.
On my first night in Serengeti, I went into the boys’ room to give them hugs and kisses goodnight. Nine-year-old Christopher, who is on the top bunk, was my last stop. I climbed up to give him a hug, and when I turned to kiss his cheek he took me by surprise and planted a kiss right on my lips! All of the boys cracked up as surprise and embarrassment showed on my face! Needless to say I haven’t been tricked since! Christopher’s sister, Cristina loves to read. Last weekend, she snuggled under my arm and read me Horton Hears a Hoo, sounding out Dr. Seuss’ crazy words with impressive persistence. Joshua is the youngest member of Serengeti House. He’s just 6 years old and still likes to hold hands even though he’s trying to be one of the big guys. Simon loves to play soccer and will always give a smile.
Happy is a chubby 9-year-old, who is (as her name suggests) usually happy! She’s spent the last week in Mama India’s house so I haven’t seen her much, but she always finds me on the morning walk to school to hold my hand. Thus far, Paulo and Vicent have remained relatively under the radar. No ridiculous dancing or crazy tag games at 8 am in the morning, but this past week I’ve gotten glimpses of their personalities. Paulo is relatively independent and competitive but if you catch him at the right moment, he’ll wiggle around and sneak you a smile. Vicent is pretty independent too, though when it comes time for tuck-ins at night, he’s always the one who gives me the tightest hug.
Last weekend while I was sitting in the volunteer house (an adult-only zone) a ‘pssst-pssst’ made me turn around to look at the door. There was Mole peering inside, waving at me to come out. Nine-year old Mole is one of the funniest kids in Serengeti; when I got outside, he made some small talk and then cut right to the chase. A question accompanied by one of his goofy smiles. Will I sneak him peanut butter cookie? We spent the rest of the afternoon snacking and coloring pictures together.
Mole’s half brother, Boaz, was my first friend in Serengeti. I tutor him every day before school, and usually we begin the day with a game of ‘chase me’ (usually just after 8 am!). He’s younger than the other boys, but is constantly trying to keep up with them, which often causes some frustration that comes out when we’re in a tutoring session. Despite the frustrations, I am always happy when we’re finished – Boaz’s goofy/loving/tough nature makes it exciting and interesting on a daily basis. And after all, he was my first friend.
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