Week 1: One night in Nairobi...

After a long flight and a bumpy car ride, we arrived in the village of Mang’u in a cloud of dust. Wambui and her family have been so welcoming and we are all so grateful to have been invited into the Muiru home.


The first day was spent renovating the little stone building since dubbed ‘the Hilton’ that would be our home for the next four weeks. Shelves have been built, backpacks stacked and posters of Johnny Depp stuck to the wall and we are settling into village life with relish.

We’re never short of a cute companion with dogs, cats, five puppies, a kitten, ducks, chickens, the occasional goat, a bunny, and our favourite, the early rising roosters, we share a wall with. The bucket shower block complete with towel racks and shower curtains and our homemade rock stretchers have shown us that the innovation you can achieve with a piece of wire, a scrap of ply or a good-sized stick is pretty impressive.

the 'Hilton'

It’s been a long week and we’re all kicking back enjoying a Tusker and giving our aching muscles a bit of respite. Lugging 50kg stones under the baking African sun is hard work but watching the building come together, getting big guns and having rock-offs with the boys makes it all worthwhile.

The building foundations are almost complete and the floor will be laid this week then we’ll start building the walls, which thankfully, are made from lighter stone. This will make it easier for us to perch three of them on our head as we skip, twirl and prance to offload them.

Jess (our dashing project manager) and Tim

Hannah & Bec cartin' stones

It hasn’t all been hard work. We’ve squeezed in plenty of fun times. Meeting the kids who welcomed us singing a beautiful song was definitely the highlight. It’s tough trying to remember 31 names but all of the kids have distinct personalities and I think most of us are 90% there. They are an incredible bunch and we were all overwhelmed by their spirit and generosity.

We tried our best to help them with their homework but it’s safe to say, if all of us volunteers were to take a math exam again, they would kick our butts! Long division and fractions anyone?? Those kids are smart! 

On Friday night we headed in to Nairobi on a couple of bumpy Mutatu rides to find a bustling, hearty city, full of life. Saturday night spelt Johnny’s birthday and dinner at Karnivore, a renowned Kenyan restaurant, specializing in game meat where every turn of the head was met with a spit of crocodile or a plate of ostrich balls staring you in the face. I have to say, I’m not that keen on ox testicles but ostrich balls get a thumbs up from me. 

Gettin into the spirit of Carnivore

Jonny's birthday presents...

After dinner we danced the night away at Black Diamond, where Lucy and I learnt a few new moves from some local girls who can booty shake like I ain’t never seen before. Although pulling some stellar moves was awesome fun, the highlight of the night would have to be Tim receiving a nipple bite from a Kenyan vixen on his way to the bathroom where a fellow clubber promptly vomited on him. Ah…fun times.

So, after a whirlwind week of bumpy mutatu rides, hard labour, dancing, singing and lots of eating, I think we’re all glad to be back in Mang’u, where things move a little more slowly. And what a better way to end the weekend than with the kids for dinner, a dance-off and the Lion King.