Volunteering in Masaailand

When planning where we wanted to go on this “trip of a lifetime,” I figured we couldn’t see the world without seeing Africa. Once I convinced Aaron of that, which wasn’t too hard, I realized I knew basically nothing of this continent. What I did know was 1) I had to go on at least 1 safari and 2) I wanted to volunteer around kids, to step into a needy community and TRY to help.
I am not alone, as there are many options in volunteering available in Africa. Our program had a number of ways that you could volunteer including: Teaching, Orphanage work (the most popular), Medical work, including working with HIV/AIDS,, Women Empowerment, even Music and Sports education programs. Our program also allowed you to select a general location you would like to be placed. Most people chose places around Nairobi, however there were other options of much less developed areas, such as Masaailand, for the more adventurous.
When we arrived at our first day of orientation along with 75 other volunteers. The room was composed mostly of college kids taking time from their summer vacation with an altruistic mindset and seeking a new and rewarding experience. Some were planning on volunteering for a few weeks, while others had a few months in mind. The volunteers came from all around the world: Canada (mostly), China, Italy, Brazil, UK, Ireland, Spain and a handful from the USA – with the majority from California (you know cause we are great people)

Here we go! Headed to orientation with other volunteers and lots of luggage

After some time of speakers walking us through a projected power point presentation and some lunch we were ready to go. A a big theme to the day was a request from the staff to “just go with it” – Hakuna Matata. Because T.I.A. – This Is Africa. They needed to bring home the point that there aren’t the easy comforts of home here and you will often be challenged with how things somehow “go” in Africa. Having been in Africa for about a week, we weren’t as green as some of these young things, and I still wonder how they fared.
All of us had no knowledge of our exact placement but I knew that we had signed up for the path not often traveled, Masaailand. Remote lands indigenous with a traditional (old-aged customs) tribe culture of color and people who are, quiet sheppards and herdsmen. With a sticker on our orientation folder that sealed our fate in where we would be headed for the duration we signed up for.

Aaron and I,  signed up for only a week. A decision at first I felt bad about,  but confidently relieved on our seventh day out in Masaailand.

We got in our vans, and after a few hours and some confusion amongst the drivers (Africa is always on Africa time) we set off for our 2.5 hour ride from Nairobi to Olmararoi, which would be our home for the next week.
After a very bumpy ride in a 4W drive van, with outbursts of “woah” and “how are we going to cross that?,” our van would cascade across rocks and huge gaps in the dirt roads until we arrived at our host location.
We stayed with a Masaai family on their compound, with their animals, in which would be a short walk to school. When the van arrived, we were surrounded by kids ages 2 – 20 and I think we were a little in shock. The kids were dirty, as you would expect living on dirt, and the older kids acknowledged us, but I suddenly felt awkward and alone. As the van took off, I took a moment to breathe. The house had no electricity, no running water and there was really no one to guide us or welcome us.

Our Welcome Committee

Our compound, nothing else for miles…

The road in front of us; don’t let those poles fool you, no electricity here

Our beautiful backyard

The sun was going down and there would be no electricity, we would be settling in the dark. Aaron and I put our stuff in our room. It had a mud floor, and ply wood for doors. There was a small bed with a dirty mattress and a couple blankets. There was also a bench with most of its bottom fallen out that I quickly took up to keep my luggage always being in the dirt (sorry Aaron). There was a cut out window on the wall. Along the thin plywood walls there were also what we hoped to be abandoned wasp nests.

Our home for 7 days

We left the room quickly and went back out to do what we could to bond with our host family.  Our host mom, a traditional Masaai woman, wasn’t actually there and was one of three wives on the compound. Between the wives they shared 19 kids. The kids seemed to come in and out. I still am not sure who was who and we met new kids every day. The compound also hosted 80 cows and 250+ goats and sheep. There were about 9 sheppard dogs which were dirty and never fed, which was sad.

Just a handful of the animals

Before it got too dark, Aaron played soccer with some of the older kids and I hung out with one of the toddlers who was fascinated by my red umbrella. There was really no common area outside. Nowhere to sit but the dirt. As it got dark, we headed to the main room, the fly room, as it would later be named, and had dinner. African cuisine is fine by me, usually – I don’t like red beans and ugali. I think that night we had rice and potatoes, maybe some spinach. After that, Aaron and I went to our room in the pitch black and went to bed at probably 8pm for our first day at school the next day, to which we had no idea what to expect.

The red umbrella

Aaron playing soccer with the older kids

We woke up in the morning around 6am to the sounds of cows and goats and roosters, a dark sky and did what would be our routine “getting ready” for school. By that I mean, rub some wet wipes on my face, add some moisturizer/SPF and go outside the room to the yard with a bottle of water and toothbrush with a dab of toothpaste. We also used the outhouse because a) you never wanted to use the ones at the school b) you never wanted to go at night, for fear of the dogs and hyenas and the distance from the room walking in the dark alone. We would eat our buttered bread that was covered by a tray set out for us in the fly room, already covered with flies that would surround us as we ate quickly and chugged our chai tea as fast as we could in order to get out of there.
When we arrived for our first day at school and had to search for the adults. There were only about 3 or 4 adults, yet there was probably a hundred kids. The adults were not anticipating our arrival, but welcomed us. We felt a little uncomfortable and uneasy as we were unsure of what we were to do. Also because it was Friday, the kids spend the first two hours of the day, in a single classroom, singing Christian songs. We have come to learn that the Masaais are very Christian. The kids, especially the girls, had amazing voices. The whole classroom was kids, not a single adult. We were told to go inside and observe, but that felt even more awkward. The kids were staring at us as if we were from another world. I guess we were in a way.

The school

Before class assembly

After singing there was a break for tea, we instead headed for the field and Aaron played soccer with the kids. Their soccer ball was made of plastic bags and rubber bands. After break we taught 4th grade math – area of a triangle.
We found that grade level did not define age but where the student was in school. It was often that fourth grade could have an array of 10-15 year olds. The boys were often older, as they we would be pulled out of school from time to time to help with the family’s animals.
Classes were only 45 mins long and we had to spend the first 10-15 mins, finding a teachers book,, settling the kids down, asking them were we should begin,, then orienting ourselves with the lesson. I had to remember math problems??? But usually after that it went smoothly. Well sometimes. Kids would walk in and out of class and we had no idea why. Often there were translation problems. One thing we found fascinating was that the Masaai kids learned both English and Swahili in school, however were never taught in Masaai, their own language. In fact they simply called it “mother tongue.”
The kids were fisty. A typical introduction would be a series of questions that went like this: “What’s your name? How old are you? Are you a Christian? Do you believe in God?” And those questions didn’t just come from the kids, but the adults as well.
By the end of the day we had taught English, math, science and social studies. The subjects we would have to avoid were Swahili and CRE: Christian Religious Education, though one day we taught that as well – HA.
Throughout the next week we went through this. While there were frustrating moments for sure, I came to realize I really loved teaching. I liked the freedom and creativity I could use to go over a lesson. Whether it be student participation or breaking students into groups and asking them questions or me just writing on the board and watching them take notes. I took a nack to it. Aaron, well, he didn’t like it as much.
We were also able to teach night class at the school. I liked this even more. I also loved the mission of the night school. It was set up by a prior volunteer who had seen boys left out of the school system due to their obligation to help the family with their animals. The night school was set up during the hours of 7-10pm, when the animals were already put away. It was voluntary and the kids, and men for that matter, would often walk an hour or two in the dark, just to come and learn on their own. Therefore, most were quite eager. However, because they didn’t have proper education, it was also much more difficult to communicate with them. That said, math was our favorite subject to teach, since numbers and formulas are universal.
Teaching at the school was also a bit disenchanting. The kids wore uniforms which were mostly ripped rags. Their book bags were plastic bags that they used very gingerly, as if it tore, they would not have a way to bring their stuff. Often times they didn’t have books, or paper. They also were without even a single pencil or pen. The desks, were broken and rotten. Often 3 or 4 kids would share a desk, and so there would be exchanges of pencils, pens, paper and of course answers to tests. The lessons would run slow, as some kids would have to wait for a pencil to be free in order for them to take notes. Aaron and I had brought a bag of pencils, pens and erasers from Nairobi but it still was not enough. It was heartbreaking and a call of reality of education in other countries.

A classroom

We also managed to have some fun volunteering by using our hands on the weekend and enjoying our environment.

Aaron making a school floor

Hammering away

Motor biking

Aaron playing with teachers kids, who thought he was a jungle gym

Washing my hair

Hanging with cows

…and with goats

Our time in Olmararoi was certainly an experience. The host house: aka the fly and chai house, the family and the animals we lived among. The school: the teaching and the kids. We left a little discouraged, wishing we could have done more in our 7 days there, but we hope to help more in the future from abroad. We will look back on the education it gave us. We will also never take for granted a shower.