Saving Grace

I met Grace about two weeks ago. If life were a game of poker, Grace would've most likely been dealt the worse possible hand. At the age of six, she ended up at the doorstep of the Madison Orphanage. Her grandmother had passed away, and and her mother had been declared mentally insane. The orphanage took in a girl that was in a horrific condition for someone so young. Starving nearly most of her life, she was suffering from malnutrition. Her body was lacking the necessary nutrients to survive, and she was void of many basic life skills. Grace was afraid to interact with anyone; she was painfully shy and shut herself off from the rest of the orphanage completely.

I visited the Madison home after our program director Joe had told me he started an orphanage years back in a rural area outside the city. He seemed really passionate when describing all the things they had done with the place, so I felt like it'd be cool to see. Joe picked me up on a Saturday morning and we ventured out of the city into beautiful landscape filled with hills and trees that towered over ten stories high. Nestled among those trees and hills was the Madison Orphanage. I understood now why Joe was so zealous when describing what he had built. The place housed over forty orphans, but these weren't the oppressed, helpless orphans that one may envision. They were a community, all reliant upon one another. Not only were there children staying in this orphanage, but also chicken and cows called this place home! The entire place was self-sustaining, they rarely had to ever pay for food.

I was thoroughly impressed, though the kids did make sure to keep their distance from me. It was obvious they weren't used to white people being around, and they weren't quite sure why I was there. I introduced myself to them anyways, and that was when I was introduced to Grace. I asked Grace her age, and she told me that she was only six years old. Someone behind me corrected her and shouted that she wasn't being truthful with me. When I turned back to Grace to ask for her real age, she looked at me with a smirk and refused to speak further (She is now actually eight years old). Her smile could light up the entire place, and even though she was much smaller then everyone else, it seemed as if all the other children followed her lead. I was shocked when I heard the conditions she arrived in two years ago, this couldn't possibly be the same child.

I had wanted to sponsor a child while I was out here, but all the organizations had histories of being corrupt so you could never quite be sure where your money was going. I realized if I were going to sponsor a kid I would have to do all of the work. Children can go to public school in Kenya, but they won't receive anything resembling an actual education. For a child to have any shot at living a comfortable life when they're older, it is apparent that they attend a private boarding school. However, none of these kids could afford such a necessity.

I told Joe that I wanted to look into maybe sponsoring her and getting her into a good boarding school. He was excited to hear that I wanted to help, but I feared that I may be getting his hopes up as it was a big commitment that I wasn't sure I was ready to make. A few days later I went with a few other volunteers to visit one of the suggested boarding schools. The receptionist talked to us about the school and it seemed like a sanctuary for these children. They all ran around with smiles that stretched from ear to ear, and the school had a great academic reputation. We were told that children can be brought in to be interviewed and tested on to see how well they're doing to the schools standards. I thought back to Grace, and was curious on how she would do in that situation. We arranged for Grace to be picked up and brought for an interview the next day.

When we arrived at the Orphanage to pick her up, it was obvious she was confused. I'm sure she was wondering why this white man was back here, and what could they possibly want from me. Once we arrived at the school she was reunited with a girl who used to live at the orphanage with her and she became more comfortable. After her exams, the head teacher relayed her scores to me. My intuitive belief that she was very intelligent wasn't unfounded. She scored very well on her math portion for a girl who up to this point had not been taught much. I looked over her exams as the teachers explained to me that she was very bright, and obviously at the top of her class for a child coming from the public education system in Kenya. We all know that she needs a proper education, English is only taught at private institutions even though its extremely hard to get a job here if you have no comprehension of the language.

I feel compelled to help out, and want to sponsor her. However, finances have become a bit tight for my family and I, so there's a chance it may not be possible. I know there are future volunteers that have been reading this blog, so if you want to sponsor Grace and any of the other children from Madison please contact me or talk to Joe once you arrive in Kenya!