Street kids and orphaned elephants

I’ve decided orphaned baby elephants and street kids are very similar. They eat tones (literally in the elephants’ case), like to play soccer, and get very dirty very fast! On May 22^nd we went to one of my favorite places in Nairobi. The David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust rescues orphaned baby elephants and reintegrates them into the wild, just like Emmanuel Rescue Center helps street kids and reintegrates them into the community.

Most of the baby elephants’ moms have been killed by poachers. Some of the babies had to watch their mothers die and so have post traumatic stress syndrome (I’m not kidding). Their handlers have to sleep next to them each night to ensure they stay calm and healthy. Visitors can watch these babies play every day between 11 am and 12 pm, and as I watched them climb all over each other, wallow in the mud, splash in the water and kick soccer balls around I was reminded exactly of the Emmanuel boys!

Since May 22^nd is my mom’s birthday, and because she has started to complain about not having grandchildren, I decided to get her grand-baby elephant! I fostered, in her name, Makena the orphaned elephant. Makena means ‘happy girl’ and Makena is very happy when she gets to play in the mud and with the soccer ball.

Ok now on to the street kids…. On Saturday we had a very special picnic to celebrate my Babu’s (Grandpa’s) visit. At Shalome Hills, a picnic site near the center, the Emmanuel boys piled on to the play ground equipment – something they don’t have in their schools - and quickly began games of volleyball and soccer. From the look out point we could see out over the planes the Masi tribe heard their livestock on, towards Mountain Kenya and the Aberdane Forest, and spot the skyline of Nairobi. Daniel, with help from the boys, barbequed nyama choma (roasted meat) and hot dogs for the 40 Emmanuel boys and 20 children from a partner center.

Most of the children from the partner center are victims of the violence that followed the December 27^th elections in Kenya. For example three brothers, the youngest just five years old, witnessed their mother being burnt alive by their neighbors. The brothers are quieter than most of the other children and cautious of strangers, but their eyes lit up like any child when they saw the swing set and slide. It was a sweet gift to see them laughing and playing.

A picnic is a rare treat even for the Emmanuel boys. Unfortunately our budget doesn’t allow for many recreational activities and their schools don’t offer sports teams and field trips like North American schools do. So we made the most of it, playing soccer until nearly dark. I think we were all exhausted by the end of the day, but the children trekked across the hills back to the center with big smiles on their faces. It was one of those rare and precious perfect days in Kenya.