Edward Prescott: Jamming with kids in Kenya
By Sarah Wiecek
Edward Prescott volunteered for two weeks teaching English and maths to disadvantaged children at a centre named The Grandsons of Abraham in Mombasa, Kenya. He and his girlfriend Jaclyn organised the trip with the Australian office of the volunteer travel company i-to-i.
For Edward, volunteering overseas has clear benefits for both sides, especially in terms of the invaluable 'cross-cultural pollination' that would be difficult to achieve from a tour bus window. He says that the time he spent with the children both in and out of the classroom provided quite eye-opening experiences. Although he was their 'teacher', the kids were able to teach him a few things, too.
In particular, he was strongly affected by the stories the children told him about how they came to be at the centre. The stories were translated from Swahili into English by the nuns who worked there. "You could sense a definite 'switch' from these kids, who only minutes ago were playing with a soccer ball outside, to these 'old souls' detailing often quite horrific experiences," he said.
Edward feels that one of the benefits of volunteering overseas is the opportunity to hear people's stories in person in order to directly understand the issues impacting their lives. He says that 'working closely with the people in these disadvantaged countries is a much more effective way of discovering their needs than simply throwing money at a perceived problem'. While living and working alongside locals in Mombasa, he was surprised to find how much happier the average person was when compared with people in Western countries, but he was also disturbed to discover that, in some places, Coca-Cola was more prevalent than clean water …
Apart from teaching English and maths, Edward was able to offer the children some exposure to Western pop songs, which he played on his guitar for an intensely curious and appreciative audience. The radio in Kenya mostly played Reggae and R&B, so pop songs were something new and different for them. One of the boys in the class was eager to mix these musical styles and consequently Edward found himself in the position of being asked to 'jam with an amateur Swahili rapper'. "It was a bizarre and unforgettable moment," he said.
Overall, volunteering in Kenya was a great learning experience for Edward. His advice for people thinking about voluntary work overseas is to thoroughly research the country and to implement a reward system for gifts. "Although it can be tempting to give presents to the poor children, it's important that the kids don't begin to expect presents from 'mzungu' (white people). Instead, a reward system is valuable for 'teaching the benefits of work and focus.' "
He also wanted to reassure would-be volunteers that, at least in places like Mombasa, the people might seem intimidating at first, but they are actually very accommodating. You might even find it difficult to leave …
More information
If you would like to get involved with i-to-i, visit www.i-to-i.com
The Centre for Volunteering [ABN 28 002 416 024]
Level 2, 228 Pitt Street, Sydney NSW 2000
T: 02 9261 3600 | F: 02 9261 4033 | E: info@volunteering.com.au
www.volunteering.com.au