School Visits

This morning we set out  on a long journey to visit some schools that have children in them that get sponsored by other people around the world.  We were going to go and pay for there school fees and take a couple of pictures to send back to the people who are very generous by giving them the opportunity to learn at school.  We met up with the principal for he was the one we were going to be giving the money to and writing some letters for us.  As the principal was writing away I was sitting there and experienced something I never want to have to experience again.  In the other room I could hear a child crying out for help because they were in pain for the teacher was beating them with a stick.  Each time the teacher would smack the stick across the bottom of the child I could hear the whip of it and it sounded like it was getting harder and harder.  I didn't want to believe what I thought it was so I tried to ask Wilfred what the noise was but the principal just gave Wilfred a weird look and Wilfred just shook his head with no response for that was all I needed to know to realize that what I had thought was happening was.  I was absolutely furious that I wasn't allowed to do anything.  I felt so bad for that child that I just wanted to run right out of my chair and run to comfort him.  I sat there shaking with anger because Wilfred said I wasn't suppose to know what was happening since it wasn't our business.  I don't care what country or culture I'm in beating a child is NEVER ok.  I don't care what the child did that should not be allowed any where!  Later when we got outside Wilfred finally told me that they were beating the child because he made a mistake.  Are you kidding me?!  If we didn't make mistakes in this world we would never be able to learn.  I'm still mad at myself for not getting up and stopping it right when it was happening.  That boys cries for help will always be in my head.  I need to do something to make sure that does not ever happen to another child there.  I don't know what I'm going to do but I need to think of something before I go.  For I know that the children that I play with now at the orphanage will soon be going to that school and if I found out they were beating one of them I would not be a happy camper.  Wilfred later on shared with me that when he went to school he had got beaten with a stick a few times as well. I would think if he had to go through that pain he wouldn't want to let any other child go through it.  We then went to visit some of the children in class who have sponsors to get their pictures taken and check up on them.  I felt like a celebrity walking into every room because the children would all get very excited to see me since I'm white.  They were all very cramped in there classrooms where the students per class is any where from 80 to 115 with only one teacher to teach them all.  This also means not enough space for them to all sit down so a lot of them end up having to stand up in the back for the whole class session.  A lot of the teachers were not present at class because a lot of them are on strike right now until the government increases their pay.  We then were off to another school which ended up being way over on the opposite hill so we had a long walk down one hill and back up the next hill.  Wilfred got to hear a lot of my complaining on this long walk for it was so so hot today haha there was lots of joking go on as well so it made the time go by a bit faster.  I do remember on all the long walks when I was here last time my dad and I would go back and forth the whole way each telling each other about all of the good foods we were craving and about what we would eat when we get home.  I definitely had a lot of time to come up with some good ideas in my head of this walk.  Once we got to the school there was only one child we needed to get a picture of but since here in Kenya they like to do things so slow we ended up sitting there for about 45minutes just to get everything we needed when in reality it should have took less then 10minutes I thought I was going to go crazy.  Thank god we got to take a motorbike home to cut back on the time of walking down which seemed like it would be a mountain.  I just finished my famous peanut butter and jelly sandwich for lunch now I'm back off to see the little children at the orphanage.  I will make sure to give them extra hugs for everything I have experienced today I hope they don't have to go through that.