Spurgeons – An Oasis of Hope

Head of Operations, Steve Wicking, reflects on his recent visit to Spurgeons Academy, in Kibera, Kenya:

“They say that if you find a job you love, you’ll never work a day in your life and I love my job, I really do. I am consciously grateful to God for the privilege that has been afforded me as the Head of Operations at Global Care. But that’s not to say it isn’t difficult sometimes.

This summer I travelled to visit our partners at Spurgeons Academy in Nairobi.  Staying in a cosmopolitan city like Nairobi means that some aspects of the trip are a lot easier than most of the places we visit.  There is no long bumpy drive into the countryside, the accommodation and facilities are more comfortable and you don’t have to go far to find a few home comforts, like a freshly brewed latte.

But then, a few miles from the city centre, there is Kibera. Reportedly it is the largest slum in Africa with an estimated population of anywhere between 250,000 and one million people packed into 1.5 square miles of informal housing. It’s a dense rabbit warren of narrow alleys, lined with poorly constructed shacks, mostly formed of mud bricks, plastic sheets and corrugated iron.

The pockmarks of poverty can be seen all around. Hunger, desperation, crime and substance abuse.  And then there’s the smell of a community largely forgotten by the authorities, subjected to poor sanitation and surviving amongst huge piles of rotting rubbish.

In the middle of these challenges sits Spurgeons Academy (no, there is no apostrophe!), a school serving 345 of Kibera’s most vulnerable children.  For over two and a half decades it’s been an oasis of hope, singing and laughter.

Challenges and Achievements

As I got into the car to head over to the school on my first morning, I wasn’t sure what to expect.  As it celebrates its 26th anniversary, Spurgeons Academy is facing the double-edged challenge of reduced income and increasing costs.  It’s not unique – many community-based charities in less affluent countries are experiencing exactly the same problem.

In a small cul-du-sac, behind a bustling street, we pulled up to the freshly painted gates of Spurgeons Academy.  As I entered, I was immediately welcomed with handshakes, hi-fives and warm smiles.  The Head Teacher, Hilary and a line of children with badges denoting various levels of responsibility, such as prefects, class captains and the Head Scout, formally welcomed me to the school.

Giving older children more responsibility for the school environment and involving in them in supporting younger students is a new initiative but one that is paying off.  And it wasn’t just the physical environment that had improved.

Teaching in the classes has become much more interactive and child-centred.  One class was experimenting with balance scales, another was excitedly doing maths with real money and in the science lab they were learning how to use the microscopes.

There is a new medical bay too, well stocked with first aid items and donated medicines. Back outside in the playground, there was a coop housing chickens that provide the children with eggs.  It’s easy to underestimate what has been achieveved. But, as I spoke with staff, members of the parents’ committee and the students themselves, it was clear that there was a renewed sense of collective ownership and positivity for the future and that slowly and surely, their hard work is making a difference.

Home Visits and Hope

Sydney, the school’s resident Social Worker and Kenyatta, the Project Co-ordinator, took me out into the local neighbourhood to visit some of the families of the children sponsored through Global Care.  Navigating the tight corners and uneven ground, whilst simultaneously ducking spikes of torn metal roofing and side-stepping the open sewers, we arrived at the home of *Jerop.

As we reached the door, five or six intoxicated men filed out, followed by a cloud of cigarette smoke. I entered and my hand was immediately grasped by a very merry older woman. It was dark, but I could make out several more men sitting on a couch to my left and on the far side of the room, a grandma, the obvious matriarch, overseeing proceedings.  Someone switched on a solar lamp and the faces of those present emerged.  On a coffee table in front of us were plastic cups of an illicit local alcoholic drink called Chang’aa.  Behind a net curtain were stacks of yellow barrels containing the most recent batch of the potent brew.  It was evident that those assembled had been drinking for some time. Jerop’s grandmother runs an informal pub in her one room home.

We exchanged greetings and I obediently shuffled around the table to take the comfortable seat offered to me as an honoured guest.  The grandmother explained that Jerop and his two brothers had been abandoned by their parents and that she was now their sole carer.  We spent some time making polite small talk and I asked Jerop about school and his hopes for the future.  He said he enjoys maths and wants to be a pilot one day, to the delight of all present.

Going to Spurgeons Academy certainly improves his chances of doing well at school and escaping the generational blackhole that sucks so many young people back into a life of hardship and crime.  As I looked around the room, I wondered how Jerop manages to do his homework or get enough sleep at night with his home filled with drunken strangers. How does his grandmother keep him safe?

I thank God for Sydney, who works tirelessly to help protect Spurgeons’ children from harm and for the teachers who keep the school open in the evenings and at weekends so children like Jerop have a safe place to play and study.  Thanks to the vision of Spurgeons Academy and the support of sponsors and donors, the school continues to offer a tangible, practical, life transforming hope to the children and families it serves in Kibera.

This was my seventh visit to Kibera and to Spurgeons Academy, but it never gets any easier. The juxtaposition of the hardships endured by the children in their community and their joy and enthusiasm for learning in the classroom is a stark reminder of just what an important job this school is doing.  As I packed my case and prepared to start my journey home, I resolved to join with the staff team, parents and guardians and our many donors and sponsors in doing my part to help Spurgeons Academy succeed, for the sake of Jerop and the other 344 students like him.”

*child’s name changed to protect identity