A few days ago we met Jacqueline, a Canadian girl who at the age of 17 came to Kenya as a volunteer. Coincidentally she ended up in the same organization that I worked with in 2009, and we both unfortunately left it, knowing that the donations given weren’t in good hands. The kids had everything they needed to live; a bed, food, education…but everything left over was going to the director’s pockets.
The director left his comfort zone once a month and travelled from his ‘’chalet’’ in Westlands, one of the best neighborhoods in Nairobi to the orphanage. He made sure everything was going well and he took some of the clothes donated by the volunteers. We weren’t surprised when we saw his daughters appear with something we had brought for the orphans, or that we had to pay for the paints. We weren’t even surprised when there wasn’t enough money for one of the kids to get an infection in his foot treated. The sponsors donations weren’t used correctly either. With the 25 Euros that were given each month by each sponsor, the kids collected once a month a bag of rice. However, they had to pay for the pens and books donated.
After some time living there, you realized that the incomes and expenses didn’t add up. However, it was when you stopped to talk to one of the workers when you realized what was the real problem of many of these organizations.
In my case, when this happened, many volunteers demanded explanations and instead of receiving a reply, we were kicked out of the orphanage or we ended up leaving ourselves. There was a time in which no volunteers were accepted so that the word wouldn’t spread. But not long after, Jacky had to leave the orphanage for the same reason.
Jacky didn’t finish school. She came here when she was 17 and two years after living that experience she decided to create a way to help other kids in the manner she considered the right one. It’s especially when you know her age when you realize and appreciate this gesture. When I was 17 I could only think about the weekend, going out with my friends, my summer trip or how much fun I was going to have in Christmas. She, meanwhile, was thinking of the best way possible to help as much kids as she could in some of the most affected slums of Kenya. Isn’t it incredible?
Jacky has just opened an orphanage in Donholm, a calm neighborhood near a slum, where she intends to focus most of her project. Eric had told me a bit of how she was organizing her idea. I had imagined a small apartment with a few rooms, but to my surprise, when we arrived, I found myself looking at a two story house. A security guard opened the door, we crossed a small patio and we arrived at the living room where we saw 11 little ones, eating rice and chickpeas at the table whilst a Disney movie (the Aristocats) played on the tv. Three volunteers, each from a different country, showed us the house and told us of the work they were doing. Whilst we played cards and football with the kids, Jacky told us of her idea to buy a plot of land, she explained to us how she received financing and showed us her webpage.
It was very motivating to spend the day with Jacky, getting to know an NGO so similar in so many ways to Más Por Ellos. We only spent a few hours with her, and judging by her smile and her way of telling us her story, she is submerged in a dream that has just begun, a dream similar to ours. We hope we can work with her in the future, learn from her experience and help her in any way possible.
Thank you Jacky for an amazing day and an inspiring example!
No hay comentarios :