This past Friday the Bodwell students spent a half day with the Malaika kids and half with the kids at Good Shepherd children's home. It was truly a magical day. At the Malaika kids the students played the various educational games and bonded through play. The Malaika kids love having people around and bond so easily to strangers. Bodwell really adapted well in the situation, making connections so easily. We also had SEP that day working with some of the children, so Bodwell had a chance to watch very experienced special needs teachers work individually with the kids.
The second part of the day was at Good Shepherd. As you have seen in the previous posts, these kids also LOVE having people visit. We spent some time playing soccer of which turned into more of an adult game than for the kids. But they don't care, they just run around following the ball and giggling. Bodwell brought a bunch of kites of which the children absolutely loved. At first there was no wind so the kids would get the kite up by running as fast as they could through an open field. It was hilarious to watch, a group of children sprinting to keep a little kite up. Then the wind picked up and it really became an enjoyment for them. Watching their kites bounce around in the air. We also brought tons of art material and the two groups spent a long hour painting and drawing. Lots of Canadian flags of which I had to bite my tongue being the proud American. But hey who cares right? The kids loved it. They also were given a tour by Jane and the kids of their dormitories. Bodwell is also a live-in school and I think the conditions truly blew them away. So much we take for granted being priviledged and when you see conditions so polar to your experience, well it's heart breaking. But it's good for everyone to see. A great perspective making each of us appreciate what we do have and enabling us to help further.
What a fun day to watch. Most of the day I spent running kids back and forth in the car from the two facilities but that was a small price to pay for each group to have a once in a life time experience. Bodwell surely has made a mark on Maai Mahiu and I am humbled to have been part it.
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