The New Hekima Place

I ventured over to the other side of Nairobi to visit the beautiful Hekima Place girls that I have spent the last 3 summers with. When I was there in November they were getting ready to move into their new home(s) which is where I happily found them. It is absolutely wonderful- but way out into the country, with nothing westernized around! Their old home, for the 60 orphan girls, was beautiful with plants and flowers, but it was rented land so now they own their land and homes and that makes up for the lack of trees and greenery.

I had a free ride with Megan over to see them, which would usually take over 2 hours on public transportation, so I was happy to accept the free ride! But I didn’t have time to tell them I was coming, which tuned out to be a fun surprise- considering nobody even knew I was in Kenya! When I got there the girls were all still at school but the moms saw me walking down the road, I could see them walking outside and pointing at me, saying is that her, what is she doing? As I got closer they all ran out to greet me and welcome me to their new home. I felt a little like the prodigal daughter, abandoning them for a new orphanage and then returning! They were so excited to show me around- now they live in 5 cluster homes, with 1 mom in charge of 12 girls in a house.

I barely had time to drop my bag as one by one they took me to their respective houses. They houses are color coded, and have beautiful paintings inside the houses (all your Pittsburgh fans, notice the picture, that is the guest house— a woman from Upper St. Clair donated that house so they decorated it in honor of her ). I was blown away by how beautiful the houses were, and what a cozy home they have become for the girls. It is such a brilliant alternative to the institutionalized living that my kids at Mogra are living in. I love the idea that there is a mom that can give more 1 on 1 attention and the girls live in a family setting to better aid in their development. It is so wonderful! The moms that work in the kitchen have had a burden taken off their plate too—they now have machines that cut the vegetables. This is revolutionary, they used to spend all day cutting the onions, tomatoes, potatoes etc for lunch and dinner, but now it takes 10 minutes. Americans come in and all the sudden tasks are completed efficiently, what do you know!

I was only there for a short 36 hours, but it was so lovely. The guesthouse was packed with volunteers, luckily there was a bed for me. It was seriously paradise, the house has a huge kitchen and living room, hot shower, and in the morning it was quiet- the first time I wasn’t waken up by 50 screaming kids in 1 month! It was refreshing to interact with other American volunteers and share with them about my time at Mogra- which is the opposite of Hekima! Maybe one day Mogra will be like Hekima, we can hope! The volunteers were a little older than me with their moms, so it was great to hear about their experiences in Kenya and their reactions to life here. It always puts life into perspective for me since so many things (like not having a shower!) have become normal for me but are so foreign to the average person.

To my delight, the girls didn’t have school the following day so I actually got to see them and hang out. We went hiking in the nearby Ngong Hills (if you have ever read or see the movie Out of Africa- it takes place there!) and they gave me a private tour of their new school. The school is attached to another children’s home funded by Norwegians, and boy do they have money. The school and orphanage are state of the art, beautiful building structures, desks and classrooms. I loved it- but the girls are still adjusting to the new school, they are starting their 3rd month, but not loving it yet.

We had a really fun day together, lots of singing and dancing and relaxing. As much as I love Mogra and will serve them as long as I can, the Hekima girls were my first Kenyan love, and I feel very much at home when I am with them. They are incredibly joyful girls and have a bright future by living at Hekima. It has been a pleasure for them to invite me into their lives and see them grow up so much in the past 3 years. I am thankful for all that the mums do to love and serve those girls, it is a huge witness to me as I continue to try and help the children here at Mogra. I would love nothing more than to share these children with all of you, so please save your pennies and make a trip out here, it is beautiful!