The 3 little pigs - Kamilla 1

The 3 little pigs

2016/06/21

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,…

Tovább
Veronika Kővágó’s account 1

Veronika Kővágó’s account

2016/04/08

The orphanage is located in a Paradise-like village, on Mountain Taita. Children everywhere. Tiny and big, everybody crying and saying what they have on their minds. Life is running its course. There is no order; rather, chaos reigns. And yet, some kind of sweet irregularity exists in all of this. Nothing is constant, who knows what tomorrow will bring? Volunteers and visitors ready to donate are coming, then going. The kids have no parents, but after all, everybody is everybody’s sibling here. Sometimes they seize upon each other, but they also watch out for each other. They know each other very well. I’m playfully trying to introduce some order, to play with them – with more or less success. I realize that by performing my evening children’s tales, I sweep them off their feet. From…

Tovább
Eszter Sebők - Life with them...

Life with them... (S. E.)

2015/11/13

I decided to write a letter home every week…

The school closing ceremony has come (13th November) and it lasted for six hours... I was already on the verge of giving up but instead, I chose to occupy myself, taking pictures of the children with their certificates and awards for their study accomplishments. All kinds of high-ranking representatives came from the region to hand over the awards. During the event, donations were collected for the scouts, to cover their trip to the next competition, to which they would leave for at the weekend. The money collection progressed as follows: one of the representatives was urging the children – in Swahili – pointing out whom they should address, from whom they can get money … When the representative began talking in my direction, and…

Tovább
The little hopper (Theresie)

The little hopper (Panka M.)

2014/02/17

The otherwise high-spirited Theresie limped increasingly every day, and her pains grew all the time. In the nearest hospital, the treatment for the four-year-old girl consisted merely of lying in bed all day while a big weight was pulling down her leg. So, it was no wonder that one month later, she came back from the hospital feeling very down. Finally, we sent her x-rays to one of our doctor friends in Hungary, who diagnosed her illness. As it turned out, her hips had to be completely relieved of any pressure, which could only be done with crutches or a walker. Although we managed to purchase crutches for her, and Sister Willy taught her how to walk with them, getting around still remained a problem for her, preventing her from participating in the games with the other children. After…

Tovább
I will be white (Zsuzsi M.) - Fausta

I will be white (Zsuzsi M.)

2012/12/03

One day, I was walking home with Fausta, when suddenly she told me: "One day, I’ll go away from here, I’ll be white and I ’ll do nothing else but eat chapati (a Kenyan food) every day, for every lunch, every dinner."

I just stood there, not knowing what to say... I was shocked to hear with what a childlike honesty she could express how she saw white people, and there was nothing offensive about it. I thought the best thing to say to her would probably be this: "Fausta, you don’t have to become a white person to be able to always eat chapati, your skin color is beautiful. You have to study so that you can go to university, and then you can get a good job as a well-trained person. That way, there will be nothing to keep you back from having chapati on your table every day."…

Tovább