So, for those of you who don't know, Grandsons of Abraham is the project that I'm working on here in Kenya. It's a centre for street children, where the children get taken off the streets and given a place to stay where they are safe. Their basic diet is rice and beans, because that's all that they can afford and they cook them on a little stove in the back yard each morning.
The house itself is pretty basic - there are now two classrooms (we cleared out one of the rooms this week to make it into another classroom) on the bottom floor, a kitchen and the toilets. The next floor up is full of bunk beds where the kids sleep, and then there is a sort of rooftop terrace where they can play.
When I first arrived there were about 12 boys there, and their ages range from about 8 to 17. Now there are about 18, although their number seems to change every day I go. The aim of Grandsons is to rehabilitate the children back into society, and give them an education. Simon, the House Father, does counselling sessions with the boys throughout the day, where he tries to find out about their background and why they are on the streets. When he has the relevant information, he arranges home visits and tries to sort out something permanent for them.
There are two sites for Grandsons - the centre where I am working, and a sort of boarding school called Kikambala. If their homes are unsuitable for the children to go back to then they are sent to Kikambala, where they can continue their education and stay off the streets. Grandsons is the closest thing to social services here.
I have to say, I love my project. The boys are absolutely gorgeous, and so eager to learn. In the morning I help out in the lessons, and in the afternoons we can stay and play games with them. They love just having someone who gives them attention, and listens to them - they are constantly hugging you and wanting to play with you. They love playing games on your phone and taking pictures with your camera - we took some bats and balls in the other day and they were unbelievably excited to have them! They are all very clever aswell. Once you have managed to explain a concept to them they grasp it straight away - you only have to explain once!
I sat in on some of the counselling sessions the other day. They are extremely emotional, and it can be quite upsetting to hear the backgrounds of some of the boys. However, they seem happy here at Grandsons, and a lot of work is going into their future. Monk, one of the boys I sat in with, is going to be going home soon. I paid for a school uniform for him, so he could go to school - he's so excited to be going! He will still be closely connected with Grandsons; coming for lunch and counselling most days, so we can be sure that he is settling in okay. But now he gets to spend time with his family and the community, which are extremely important here in Africa.
I will probably be leaving you regular updates about my boys from now on, so watch out for them! xxx
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Hi!
Unfortunately I leave on the seventh so I won't be there! You'll have an amazing time at Grandsons though, I'm jealous that you'll be there when I've left! As for the boys themselves, the people who run Grandsons go on "streetwalks" every tuesday and thursday, to get new boys to come to Grandsons, and you can't guarantee that the new children will stay. However, there are about 15 boys there, who have been there for a long time (some for three years) who live there, and you will know them all really well by the time you leave - I can guarantee that you won't want to leave them! Bonding with them is no problem. They are really friendly and love just having your attention. I have to admit that when I read the information they gave us I was quite nervous, however, I've had no problems with the boys as they are all lovely, and nothing like what I was led to expect!
I have never seen the cane used at Grandsons. I wouldn't want to say you would definitely not see it, because the teachers change every three weeks, but it's never even been mentioned while I've been here.
The children can be quite lively at times, but there haven't been any issues with them being difficult! The only problem we sometimes have is getting them into the classroom! Hope this has cleared everything up for you! If you have any more questions feel free to ask!
Josh, I'm afraid there's no boy at Grandsons at the moment called Sam. But maybe he's gone home or to Kikambala? Sorry I don't have better news, if he does turn up at Grandsons I'll let you know.
Emma.
Hey Emma,
Its great to read your post about Grandsons, because i am travelling to Mombasa in two weeks and was originally placed in the Universal Children's Centre, but i received an email a few weeks ago saying that project is no longer running with i-to-i and i have been changed to the Grandsons of Abraham project.
I dont really know what to expect with this one and was hoping you might be able to set me straight on a few things. One of the things i was looking forward to was setting up some good relationships with the children at the centre and i am worried that with it being a drop-in centre that this wont be possible? Is it the same children that come along or different most days?
Also i am a little concerned by reading in the documentation they still use the cane there? Is that true? Are the children particularly difficult? - Not that i mind challenging children (im a primary school teacher in the UK), i just want to know what to expect.
I must admit, it does sound like a fantastic project, from your blog! How long are you there for? I arrive on the 7th August. You still around then?
Hope you get a chance to reply to this, it would realy help clear things up for me. If not, no problems, i will find out when i get there. Enjoy your time there!
Rik
hi, i have been to grandsons. please can let me know if a boy called sam is still in grandsons? I havnt heard from him for a while. If he is there, please tell him josh says hi and if he can email me that would be great.
enjoy!
x
This is great Emma! We're glad to hear you're enjoying your project and are getting along so well with the children, it's good to know you're making a such a difference!
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