Kenya Travel Blog by Jette, Helen and Theo

ENCOUNTERS FULL OF WARMTH:
OUR TIME AT THE MARY FAITH CHILDRENS CENTER

September 2025

We are Jette, Helen, and Theo, three 20-year-old medical students from Germany who had the opportunity to visit the Mary Faith Children Center for a month and a half. At the same time, we completed an internship at Mbagathi Hospital, a public hospital. During this period, we were able to stay with Mary and the students Achola and Esther, who themselves grew up in the Mary Faith Children Center. This gave us the chance to experience Mary’s daily work and gain insight into Kenyan life.

When Mary first took us to the Center, we were immediately impressed by the children’s openness. They proudly showed us their home, and we instantly felt the strong sense of community among them – how they play together and support each other, like one big family.

Many of the children are passionate about football and invited us to the nearby field on the very first Saturday. There, they guided Theo, who also plays football in Germany, through their training session and completed an exciting final match with him under the blazing sun. The following days at the Center were filled with jump rope, clapping games, tag, hide-and-seek, and of course, football.

We quickly noticed how much Mary values education. The primary school children are taught directly at the Center in their own classrooms, while middle school students attend external schools in the morning and return in the afternoon. The high school teenagers live in boarding schools and come to the Center during holidays and vacations. Fortunately, they were also present during our stay, so we could get to know them. It was fascinating to talk with the children about their goals and dream careers. Many also showed us their talents, from drawing and storytelling to singing and dancing.

In the first few days, we had the opportunity to experience the diversity of Kenyan cuisine – something that immediately delighted us. The children quickly noticed our curiosity and showed us with great joy how to prepare traditional dishes like chapati or mandazi. Even though it’s a real challenge to cook for so many children on just two wood stoves, preparing meals together was always a special experience. In the end, we all enjoyed the food so much that we immediately recreated the recipes in Germany for family and friends.

The drinking water is currently delivered once a week by trucks and can therefore only be used for the most essential purposes. Every day before dinner, the children fetch additional water from a nearby pond, which is used exclusively as flush water for the toilets. Although the buckets were heavy, the children managed this task through their teamwork and various carrying techniques. (After our visit, a well was built at Mary’s Center, which is now operational.)

One morning, we deliberately took time to discuss hygiene and basic medical topics with the children. It became clear that the children’s knowledge in this area varies greatly. It was wonderful to see how interested they were in additional learning and how they helped each other by explaining the topics.

Healthcare in Kenya is generally very limited and not comparable to European standards. While public health facilities have significant deficiencies, private hospitals have equipment and standards similar to those in Europe. Overall, however, the Kenyan healthcare system is in an extremely critical state.

Public hospitals lack both necessary medications and medical equipment, making adequate treatment of patients often impossible. Additionally, doctors sometimes go unpaid for months. During our internship at Mbagathi County Hospital, this led to a doctors’ strike affecting all public hospitals in Nairobi. The precarious situation became particularly evident when one of the girls from the Center needed a cesarean section to deliver her baby during the strike. Since all public hospitals were closed, Tuma Kimbi covered the costs as part of their healthcare support, enabling the necessary treatment in a private hospital.

Throughout the week, many children’s anticipation builds for the Sunday church visit. Unlike the rather quiet services in Germany, here they are lively and warm: there is dancing, singing, and much laughter. We were warmly welcomed here too and introduced to the congregation members over tea and mandazi, while the children participated in Sunday School.

We experienced a very special ritual daily before dinner: The children gather in the courtyard and begin singing together, which brings everyone together. This is followed by a verse from the Bible, always read by different children. It was beautiful to experience this warm, loud, positive atmosphere before dinner.

Our farewell was very emotional. The children sang and prayed for us – a moment that deeply moved us. With many impressions and great gratitude, we look back on our time together and very much hope to see the Mary Faith Children Center and the children again soon.