We got an early start to our all day travel to the Mara. We visited an orphanage stopped for a surprise lunch at an exclusive lodge and used the pool to cool off. We ended the day with a Masai village visit. Tomorrow we will begin our Masai school projects.
The past two days provided very immersive experiences into the local cultures and day-to-day lives of Kenyan families, teachers and students. These experiences have left an indelible mark on us.
Our visit to an orphanage supported by ABW gave us a very honest view of the difficulties faced by children who need homes and families, and medical care to alleviate physical disabilities, which made their formidable joy all the more inexplicable.
This was a good precursor to our visit to Naikarra Primary & Secondary School where we saw how the support of A Better World has made it possible for students with disabilities to get an education alongside their peers. Being the only school in the county to offer education for the differently abled, Naikarra is home and school to 24 students with disabilities. The students and staff, numbering approximately 1800, welcomed us with award winning dance groups and singers. Our PAA students thought lessons in Math, English, Music and Physical Education, then played a volleyball tournament against students of teachers of the hosting school.
We also had the privilege of visiting a Maasai village where we met and were welcomed by the Chief. We made fire using only sticks and dried elephant dung, spent time inside a manyatta (Maasai home made of soil and cow dung), and learned about how the Maasai live and preserve their culture in such quickly changing world around them.
