Author: Ana Cantreras (Tumaini Volunteer)
Habari ya asubui!
A new day in Mombasa is starting, full of new opportunities.
I enjoy a lot the breakfast time with my rafiki, Barbra.
I love this moment, talking to her while we are preparing our “rainbow breakfasts”, with fruits and Kenyan tea, that makes my mornings start with a lot of love and colour, even if outside is a grey rainy day.
Then I close my bag with my raincoat and a bottle of water because, in this city, you never know if it is going to rain or if it is going to be sunny and very hot. Probably both.
During the short walk distance from home to Wema, I say Mambo! to my neighbours and to the same pikipiki guys who are every morning at the corner in the Old Malindi Road.
Today two girls come to greet me, that´s why I am the only Mzungu around here. They just want to tell me how beautiful is my hair.
And then, I arrive at Wema Centre, a place with three colours:
– The brown one, like the people´s skin who live there.
– The red one, from all of their hearts beating at the same time.
– And the green one, from the nature that is part of this place with the trees, the grass and their orchard.
So, I start to see the children, the best present for me and my reason to be here.
Altough I tried, I couldn´t learn all their names. Sorry. These are only some of them:
Riziki, Pamela, Juma, David, Bakari, Linda, Hadija, Bahati, Regina, María, Mwangolo, Anita…
However, there are many, many, many more.
Each day brings me a new experience, such us becoming a teacher, making creative activities or giving some talks about talents or even sexual prevention.
Thanks to all the Wema´s team; with their support everything is much easier.
I keep in my heart all their upendo, their glances, their laughters, the swahili cooking, the dancings and the best thing:
The trust and tranquility that they are happier here than when they lived in the streets or even in their own families.
The day in Wema is ending and I start to tell them kwaheri.
Oh! But… What´s that? Are they thunders? Oh, noooo. They are only some monkeys playing on the roof!
Now, after having a walk along the Pirates Beach and the last laughs during the yummy supper with Barbra, (napenda chakula), it is time to say Lala salama.