Finding Hope in Kipsongo All photography graciously provided by Jenni & Steve Vorderman.
BackgroundHistory of KipsongoHistory of the school and orphanageBackground of the trip
Journal ExcerptsDriving to KitaleWelcomed at the Seeds AcademyLynnThe day I met EzekielWorking on The orphanage foundationMzunguthe Bus to the OrphanageBlood in my bedDay at the boarding schoollast full day at the schoolOur visit to Kipsongo / Last night at the orphanageSaying goodbyeOn being home
Day at the Boarding School
Day at the Boarding School
As kids graduate from the Seeds Academy, they have an opportunity to continue their education at any number of boarding schools around Kitale. There were a handful of kids from the Seeds Academy that the team from the November trip were connected to and now attend one of these boarding schools. We visited two schools in hopes of seeing some of them. At our second stop, a young girl came up to me and asked me my name. She was so sweet. Her name is Alice and she wants to be a doctor when she finishes school. We wandered through the school for the next hour or so and I got to see some of her textbooks, two classrooms, the building where she lives and a large, open plot of dirt where they practice football. I sat at a desk next to Alice and she walked through some of the English she was learning. It was some sort of creative writing course. She was so excited to show me the exercises in her book and kept thanking me for listening to all her stories. Of all the kids I met in Kenya, my visit with Alice was certainly the shortest. But she was so inspiring. She was so thankful to be in school and could not wait for what was next in her life. I never got a chance to ask her about her life before boarding school. I can only imagine her story. I hope I get to see Alice again.