A worthy childhood
24/06/2008
James Wabara grew up in the SOS Children's Village Nairobi. After completing tertiary education in Kenya, James undertook overseas work experience (and more qualifications) in Germany and Britain. In 2006 James returned to Nairobi and is now village director of the very same village that he has always called home. He remembers his childhood growing up as an SOS boy.
My life in SOS Children's Village Nairobi began on the afternoon of Thursday 7 March 1974. It had been preceded by great excitement the day before, after learning we would be traveling to the city; that is my sisters and I. We were accompanied by our grandmother.
We were received by the village director and taken to house number eight. Our first mother did not stay long; in fact we had hardly known her before she left. Our second mother was with us for five years. The memories that come to mind when I remember her were the visits to her rural home, for the setting was a mini orchard and I remember the birds chirping away from early morning.
In 1979, we got a new mother. The very embodiment of a true, loving, caring and committed mother, she stuck with us through 'thick and thin'. She remains the house mother to this day.
Life was a balance between work, play and studies
Life in an SOS Children's Village was enriching. I attended the village nursery school and then local schools, both primary and secondary. Responsibilities came early, starting with house chores. There was, however, a balance between play, work and studies. While still in primary school, my peers and I planted the small forest beyond the family houses and playground. It remains to this day. (Recently we started replacing the old trees with new ones, perhaps a symbolic crossroads and transition from the past to a new generation)
We played too, from football, the greatest preoccupation of our playtime, to rounders, to holding our mini safari rally, and athletics. Then there was the scout troop, the choir and drama. Later on, as a youth, I was a member of the St. John Ambulance Brigade and the President's Award Scheme. We went for expeditions, we served during national celebrations and mostly, we had much fun.
A hotbed of cultures
Invariably, we had to return home. I was always glad to return home, to house number eight to my mother and my brothers and sisters. The village was a hotbed of cultures, and in my family house alone we were from six different cultural backgrounds. I believe this was among the highest in our village.
I was a happy child, with dreams, innocence and curiosity. Was my life going to be as happy ever after? What about Christmas? Would those carols we always sang continue to sooth always? The Christmas lights, would they shine like that always? The decorations, would life be that beautiful always? We were so happy, my village mates and I. There were, however, occasional feelings of anxiety, uncertainty, even fear: fears of failure, of being thrown back into abject poverty and ignorance, of never seeing my siblings again, of old age taking my grandma away, of being nowhere and nobody.
The turmoil back home and the tranquility and opportunity I found in SOS shaped my character. Looking back, I can say with certainty that it was a worthy childhood of no lost opportunities.
Relevant Countries: Kenya.