After a month touring Europe there was no better way to experience some extreme contrast than dropping into Kenya for two weeks of staggering discovery on the way home.
Discovery of a nation with geography, population, culture, flora, fauna and climate so different to ours…along with a dose of self-discovery.
With Africa, safaris and a taste of voluntourism high on our bucket lists, we jumped at the opportunity to spend a week working at Umoja Orphanage in rural Kenya.
This was to be followed by a week on safari from East Kenya to the Maasai Mara region in the very capable hands of Surprise Safaris, a company created to provide an income stream for the orphanage.
Umoja Orphanage currently provides a safe haven, loving care and private school education to 16 children aged from four to 18 years, each with their own tragic back story sharing a common theme of abuse and neglect.
In addition to providing a nurturing home, the Project is a working farm employing local personnel including a project manager, farm manager, social worker, house mothers, farm workers and various local contractors.
The first surprising reality check in store for us was arriving to the children singing and the chickens being slaughtered ready for deliveries.
Despite their dark history these wonderful little beings captured our hearts immediately with their gorgeous smiles, their curiosity about us and their eagerness to get to know us and fire off questions about our lives and families back home.
We were expecting the children to be at school during most of our visit but ended up with their company for five days due to some random reasons that often lead to a change of plan on a daily basis.
We soon learnt terms like TIA – ‘This is Africa’ – and we even coined one ourselves ‘African perfect’, where the perfectionists among us learnt to be satisfied with a different kind of perfect.
We learnt that every day things just happen that foil best laid plans, like unseasonal heavy rain, a sudden public holiday declared by the Government or the kids being kept at home so the girls could avoid harsh punishment for wrong hairstyles due to the braider not showing up.
The sheer scale and operation of the Project is larger and more involved than its very humble but resourceful creator would let on.
Cathy Booth, a mother and primary school teacher from regional Queensland, travelled to Kenya 14 years ago and after a few return trips for volunteer work decided she must do something more.
From the purchase of a parcel of land through years of highs and lows, challenges and triumphs, the hosting of many volunteer groups and countless lessons learnt, this resilient woman has built something extraordinary.
Whether it be the charm of the loving children, the hospitality of the sweet house mothers, the desire to help good people tackle adversity or the fascination of the African way, for whatever reason many of our group vowed to return and indeed many volunteers before us have returned multiple times.
At the end of each day we returned to relax for the evening in our resort accommodation at Diani Beach which had a life of its own – cheeky resident monkeys, great facilities and many dining options.
A fine dining group dinner in the underground salt cave restaurant – one of only four in the world – was definitely a highlight.
Being a project under the banner of Rotary International means that the orphanage is backed by a framework that allows Donated Gift Recipient (DGR) status for financial support and a trusted structure for volunteer support.
Those interested in volunteering do not have to be Rotarians and all contact is welcome.
Working and touring with a group of like-minded people with very diverse skill sets and backgrounds brought some apprehension for many.
However, all nervousness quickly gave way to enjoyment and a great sense of achievement as we alternately took the lead to mow through the various tasks required and worked as team to overcome any obstacles.
We left the orphanage proud of the work we’d done and all feeling varied depths of humility and gratitude for the experience.
Safari Time
After bidding farewell to the Umoja family we set off in two safari vehicles for an adventure to remember.
Surprise Tours & Safaris, created to assist with funding the orphanage, certainly lived up to the name. In eight days we experienced seven game drives covering more than 2,000 kms.
Every day differed with a new location, varied landscapes, masses of animals of different species beyond expectation and the experience of roads, villages and towns between national parks.
What surprised us the most was the volume of wildlife and the close proximity we were able to observe them from.
To see the facial expressions on the elephants as they interact within their herds, the antics of juvenile zebras doing ‘zoomies’ and the brutality of the circle of life truly is an experience that has to be felt in person.
We returned from the experience rather spellbound, a little more educated, forever enriched and planning our return to experience more.
Surprise Tours & Safaris – https://www.surprisesafaris.org/
Umoja Orphanage Kenya – https://umojahome.org/
