Karibu — Welcome to Our School
Women in rurual Kenya share a common prayer of mothers around the world — May my children be successful and healthy. This week’s story is about a mobile Montessori school I visited last fall in the drought stricken Sarara Valley of Northern Kenya.
The Samburu who live in this arid region of Kenya are pastoralists. They move their manyattas (homesteads) according to the grazing needs of their cattle, sheep, and goats. Thanks to the vision and funding of the Sarara Foundation, the Samburu nomadic lifestyle is now accommodated by 3 mobile schools that welcomes over 200 children ages 3–5 to their mobile classrooms.
Teachers Terri and Dennis invited me inside where a dozen children worked quietly on their mats. They created pictures with geometric shapes and practiced daily life skills like doing up buttons on a shirt. The children stared at me wide-eyed. A white woman visitor, I was more unusual looking than meeting a wild animal on their way to school.
The students put away their activities and welcomed me with circle songs and dance. Listen to their “Welcome, welcome our visitor”.
The warmth and connection between the teachers and the children was heart warming.
Some of the youngest children in the classroom are in school because of lack of food at home. Dennis served a nutritious porridge supplemented with protein and healthy carbs to the smallest children at the morning break. The older children helped themselves when they finished their activities. Independence is promoted in the Montessori curriculum.
At recess the children played soccer outside. My guide, Peter, played with a young girl who showed remarkable skill and determination to stop and pass the ball. She was tireless. She had a sparkle in her eye and a desire to engage. Education will provide opportunities to her that were not available to her parents’ generation.
In rural Kenya, often the poorest people live next to the most visited wildlife areas. Collaboration with those who coexist with wildlife must be part of the conservation solution. The drought in Northern Kenya is impacting both the people and the wildlife. Education plays a key role in The Sarara Foundation’s conservation model. These preschoolers are the hope for the future of a sustainable relationship between communities and wildlife.
Our vision is for indigenous communities in Northern Kenya to continue to live alongside wildlife, retain and celebrate their unique cultural heritage and live sustainably and prosperously in a modern world for many generations to come. The Sarara Foundation is a first-of-its-kind collaboration between indigenous communities, environmentalists, philanthropists and entrepreneurs who share the vision of creating and supporting a genuinely healthy and sustainable community.
A little goes a long way, even a $5 donation makes a difference, $15 provides meals for a week, $55 supports a child’s education for a month. Want to help? Please donate here. Get my Heartfelt Stories free in your inbox www.kathykarn.com.
