The following is the second in a series of journals written by members of the SRU Athletes for Forgotten Angels service group chronicling their trip to the Hekima Place orphanage in Kenya. All entries in the journal can be viewed at the Forgotten Angels page.
Day 2 Journal (Written by Kalli Wakefield and Dana O'Neill)
Today is Saturday, which means there is no school for the girls at Hekima Place. Every Saturday morning the girls in the houses get up early and do their chores for the day. Some of the chores involve helping with meal preparation, cleaning the bedrooms and common areas of their house, washing vehicles and washing their shoes. In Kenya, there is a tradition where they do not wear dirty shoes or drive a dirty vehicle, which is why washing shoes and washing vehicles is part of their Saturday chores. Also on Saturday mornings the girls get their hair done. I (Kalli) learned that they do not do their hair every day because it puts too much stress on it so they get it done on Saturdays and wear it for a week.
At 10 a.m. everyday the Moms serve tea. Some of us went and had tea with the girls this morning. Once tea is over, the girls are free to play until lunch at 1 p.m. From about 10:30 a.m. until 1 p.m. we got to play and interact with the girls and the Moms at Hekima Place. This interaction includes mainly playing and/or helping around the compound.
The girls love to play soccer, make bracelets, paint their nails and play on the playground. Shannon and I (Kalli) helped the kitchen Moms with meal preparation. We diced about 75 tomatoes with the help of one other girl. I (Dana) helped wash the vehicles and clean dishes after lunch and then helped feed the rabbits.
Lunch was at 1 p.m. We had rice, beans and potatoes for lunch. After lunch we brought out bracelet making items (like beads and string). The girls absolutely LOVED this! We also played with the soccer balls and the volleyballs with the girls. Nail polish was also a big hit today. We brought this out after we were done making bracelets. The girls went wild with the nail polish! One girl painted each of her toenails a different color and her fingernails were all different colors as well. I (Kalli), along with Bella, Shannon and Brooke got our hair braided by some of the girls. I (Dana) was told my hair was too long and soft and only good for brushing.
Dinner was chicken and mashed potatoes. We celebrated another birthday tonight! It was Lavender's birthday today. I (Kalli) got to speak about Lavender and so did Brooke. After dinner the older girls (6th, 7th and 8th grade) got to watch a movie in the dining hall. Noreen and I (Dana) watched the movie with the girls. It was called "Sarafina." It was a very inspirational movie for the young girls.
It was a long and tiring day but very eventful and enjoyable! We are all looking forward to the rest of our days here in Kenya at Hekima Place.
Shoutout: Thank you to the Slippery Rock University Lions Club and the various local Lions Clubs for their generous donations to support our mission to Kenya and Hekima Place.
- Kalli Wakefield and Dana O'Neill
