I loved everything about my time in Mumias. It's a beautiful rural town full of wonderful people. It may be a lot quieter than places like Kisumu and Nairobi, but that's all part of Mumias' charm - quiet but not uneventful! I didn't bring enough books - but was able to buy some from the local bookshop (ones that were on the secondary school curriculum!) or swap with others. There are plenty of places to visit at the weekend, like Kakamega and Kisimu.
The Mumias EARC is the embodiment of a community. The EARC welcomes everyone - children, parents, families, volunteers, and other professionals. Working with the team at the EARC was inspiring. The staff really work tirelessly to provide a good service to the region. Martin Nafukho, in particular, is such a wonderful OT and amazing person. People like Martin are rare, and I feel very lucky to know him and to have had the opportunity to work with him.
My days involved seeing children at the clinic, visiting schools in the region (Mumias/Butere) and providing training for teachers/parents. Trainings included language stimulation, using visuals in the classroom, supporting children with ASD (including PECS). I also provided some training to the staff at the EARC in basic assessment and therapy for children in a variety of areas. The caseload was varied - you never knew who was going to come in the door in the morning, which meant that working at the EARC was never boring. The children I saw had CP, language delays, ASD, learning disabilities, language difficulties post malaria/meningitis, and hearing impairment. I also spent some time at the Butere EARC with John, the Co-ordinator there. I ran a training afternoon for staff at the Butere hospital near the end of my time there, and I wish I had made the contacts with the staff there sooner; it would have been great to do some more work in the hospital. There are so many areas of need that it was hard to narrow my focus down, but I think working with schools and children and their families was the best use of my skill and current knowledge/experience.
I stayed at St. Angela's Secondary School. My house was in the middle of the compound, and being surrounded by students all the time made sure I didn't feel too lonely! Because I was a heavy sleeper their 5am rising time didn't bother me. It's something a light sleeper would have to consider!! I loved having my own space, particularly to cook my own meals (especially since I'm a veggie), which was something that isn't really available at St. Mary's Guest House. Halfway through my stay the running water stopped, which I didn't mind. There's something satisfying in using water that's taken some effort to get - and it was a good daily workout. Aiyuma at St. Angela's was so lovely and really helped me with getting settled there. It was unbeliavably reasonably priced too - 4000KSh a month.
Of course it wasn't all a walk in the park. It was tough, especially at the beginning. Some of of the difficulties children and their families have are heartbreaking. But, they face these challenges so admirably. I knew there were things that I could help them with that would make their lives a little easier, and that's what I tried to focus on.
When I look back at my time in Mumias, I realize it was much too short. If I could, I would have liked to stay for much longer. It wasn't an option for me at the time but it is something I would like to do in the future. I hope that my time there made a bit of a difference.
I would recommend that future volunteers allow a little extra time to travel around the country a bit. Kenya is so diverse.
