December 28, 2004

Christmas in Mathare

Dear Friends,

Hello again from Nairobi. I've been in Kenya for about a week now, on my sixth trip as part of my ongoing film project to document the lives of children growing up at the Good Samaritan Children's Home in Nairobi's Mathare slum.

I spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning in Machakos with Chalo and his grandmother. Since 1995, when his mother died, Chalo has spent Christmas with his grandmother every year but two. In 1998, his family didn't have the money to pay for the bus fare to and from Machakos, so he stayed at Good Samaritan. And last year he spent Christmas with his uncle Robert.

Chalo decided not to spend Christmas with his uncle again this year because Robert, who has a job, bought presents for his immediate family, but bought nothing for Chalo. He wouldn't even give him money for a soda.

Robert is Chalo's uncle by marriage, and by Akamba tradition, Chalo is not officially part of that family. The manifestation of this at Christmas was too much for Chalo, and he decided this year he would rather be with his grandmother and uncles, where no one gets presents. They eat chicken on Christmas Eve and go to church on Christmas Day.

Chalo told me about how he used to spend Christmas when his mother was alive. She would buy him and his brother new clothes and shoes. They would go to the park. They would eat wonderful food. Christmas is an important day in Kenya, and Chalo hasn't really celebrated it since 1994.

Christmas Day I went back to Good Samaritan. Auntie insisted that the children eat a good meal on Christmas, and she slaughtered a pig, gave the children chapati, cabbage, potatoes, carrots, and beans. It was a feast compared to the usual meals. They watched a movie (the sound worked most of the time), and then that night they were back to work milking the cows. Auntie managed to make it a special day as best as she could.

It's been three months since I've been here, and during that time Auntie stepped on a nail and got tetanus. She was sick for over a month, and life at the Home became very difficult without her driving presence. Her energy continues to amaze me. Without her, I'm afraid many of the children at Good Samaritan would be on the street.

Also, while I've been away, Boss's younger sister Njambi stopped going to school. She is 17-years-old, in her first year of high school, and she is pregnant.

She no longer lives at Good Samaritan -- when Boss moved out of the Home in March she moved with him to a little room nearby. She won't talk to the people at Good Samaritan about being pregnant, and I don't think she has seen a doctor or talked with anyone about it. I haven't seen Boss yet, but when I do this week, I hope to find out more information. She says she intends to go back to school for the second semester, in May, once she has given birth.

The new school year starts at the beginning of January. Chalo and Ochieng will be entering their final year of high school. And many others will be starting their first year. Please help Good Samaritan continue to teach these children by making a donation to the Good Samaritan Education Fund. Visit www.orphansofmathare.com/howtohelp.html to find out how.

If you do make a donation, please do let me know so I can be sure it is tracked properly.

Thank you for your continued interest and support.

And Happy Holidays.

--Randy