I am Kamilla Könczöl, social pedagogue. It was an old dream of mine to do volunteering in an African orphanage after graduating from college. After spending a long time exploring my options, I finally hit on the Taita Foundation, by the help of which, in May 2016, I set out for Kenya, into the beautiful, mountain-embraced village of Bura Mission.

Before my journey, I volunteered for a year at home, and after returning home, I continued to help with various tasks. Already upon my first encounter with the foundation, I knew that the Taita Foundation was the best possible choice for me; up to this very day, I consider myself lucky to have had the chance to travel with them.

The orphanage is located in beautiful surroundings, the locals are nice, the children are clever, obedient, helpful, sweet and full of love (and a yearning to be loved).

When I arrived, all the children jumped onto my neck, they already knew my name and were waiting for me; they behaved as if we had known one another for a long time. The abundance of love and hugs that I got remained just as common later; every day, after their kindergarten or school: they were very happy to see me, they always spent a long time around me.

It was a joy for me to see their sparkling eyes, as they were genuinely happy about everything, appreciating little and simple things, as well. This was true for the letters and the little gifts they received from their Hungarian patrons, the vitamins collected as donations, any kind of community programs, even working together, but of course they were even happier about their leisure time spent together, playing games (whether it be drawing or skill-enhancing games, handicrafts, sports, excursions or watching children’s tales, anything that gives them the chance to wind down, especially if they can pursue them together with the volunteer). Of course, their favorites were the special programs like cooking, when we made Kenyan or Hungarian food together, as well as visiting the beaches, when even getting ready and riding the bus was a special experience in themselves.

The gray weekdays usually had two highlights: the animal farm and the evening children’s tale. After their kindergarten and school ended, they immediately asked us to visit the animals. The farm is directly behind the orphanage; the children loved visiting it. The domestic animals were augmented by a mother dog and three puppies. I also tried teaching them how to deal with animals, not causing them pain, how to pet them, pay attention to whether they have enough water and food. We took the big dog for a walk, and on weekends, we cleaned their house and blankets together. Unfortunately, in Africa, people do not treat animals well, they consider dogs service animals, not viewing them with affection. That is one of the reasons why I was so happy to see the children’s interest in the animals, which grew by the minute after they learned how to turn towards them.

Their favorite fairytale was the Three Little Pigs, which they would listen to at any time, and knew by heart. After the children’s tale, I sang them Hungarian songs, one for each child; they knew most of them by heart and hummed them with me. I also learned a beautiful phrase from them: Lala salama!

I think the most important thing the volunteers can give is their personal attention, love and hugs, the time spent together and the encouragement.

The positivism and joy in life, love and desire to learn and their curiosity are all wonderful things that volunteers can learn from the children.

It was one of the best and most momentous periods of my life: I gathered plenty of experience, developed a lot and had a great time. I am thankful to have gotten to know these children, the locals, their culture, a completely different world which I will always recall with affection.

My mother also followed me for a week; she has always worked among children, so couldn’t wait to get to know the little residents of the Kenyan orphanage, and she was enchanted by this encounter: she will never forget the experience. We hope we will have some more chances to travel to the children, gathering more wonderful experiences.