We’ve had a really wonderful experience in Kenya as we delivered 7000 bedkits to children.
Jamba, Karibu! Hello, Welcome! We heard these words everywhere we travelled in Kenya, always accompanied by a friendly smile. Travelling the roads to our next distribution we received spontaneous waves and warm smiles from many of the people we passed. If we stopped at a roadside stall or restaurant this kind welcome was always offered. Everywhere, people were so kind and full of grace, we felt we were among friends.
This feeling was very evident at meetings with Rotarians and especially so at the distributions. Teachers warmly welcomed us and the learners waved excitedly or whispered a shy “Hello” or “Good Morning” to the group of strangers they’d been patiently waiting to arrive. It was very humbling and inspiring to be on the receiving end of their acknowledgment of our visit.
The importance to the community of the gift provided by SCAW donors at home was easy to see. Sometimes before the distribution began, and sometimes after it was finished and the children were heading home with their new bedkits, we enjoyed heartfelt speeches of gratitude from the local chief, priest and once the bishop, as well as from the teachers. Their warm welcomes, thanks and prayers clearly showed us just how much the whole community appreciated and acknowledged this gift for their children. We leave behind new friends and acquaintances in Kenya as we head back to Canada, accompanied by a real sense of having been part of something that has truly made a difference for the families and communities who received bedkits. I know the memories of how we were made to feel so welcome and so appreciated in a country far from home will last a lifetime.
Team Kenya, 2025
Rotary Club of Nairobi 🇰🇪 + SCAW 🇨🇦