Report from Benno Grünberg

November 2016

Dear Uzimatele-Friends,

After two months in warm, summerly Kenya, I would like to give you my first preliminary report of my Internship at Uzimatele.

After a long flight with stopovers in Frankfurt Oder and Addis Ababa, I arrived safely on the 20th of September in Nairobi and was warmly received by my guest family and warmly welcomed in Karen (a suburb of Nairobi). Since my first day in Kenya, I am deeply impressed by the prevalent hospitality!

Besides the visitation of the typical tourist attractions, I often have the opportunity, owing to the residence in a Kenyan Family, to take part in the daily life of a Kenyan and really enjoy being taken to family celebrations and Church.

Within the scope of my internship I am currently active in the Uzimatele Educational Centre, a primary school with up to 250 children. Here I frequently assist the teachers in the Nursery Class (Children between the ages 3-5), where, as a result of the high student numbers, several challenges need to be overcome. I was accepted with overwhelming enthusiasm by the children. With even greater enthusiasm I got to the class in the mornings, delighted to learn the children a little better every day.

Moreover, I have prepared and conducted lessons on my own. In Class 4 und Class 5, I have taught Social Studies, and consequently got the opportunity to have an intense exchange with the children about the differences and similarities of the way of living in Germany and Kenya.

In addition to the classes, a couple of weeks ago I begun to offer Art and Crafts for the children in the 4th and 5th Class, of which I would like to extend to the other classes in the near future. During the Art and Crafts lessons, we use Materials from Germany, in order to be creatively active, but also at the same time, master the handling of scissors, glue etc. I really enjoy this activity, and have the impression that children do too.

Thanks to the poor transport infrastructure in Nairobi, I spend up to 7 hours in traffic. Because I spend majority of this time in the Matatu (so are the public Buses in Kenya called), I often have the chance, to experience new and exciting things and to learn the city, as an observer, in peace and without hustle and bustle.

In Conclusion, I have settled in well in Kenya and I am very at ease. I am already very sure, in the course of my internship I will be able to learn a lot.

To all those who are actively supporting me during this time, I would like to say a big thank you.

Best Regards, Benno