If you were with me last time, I was explaining how my family could not afford to send me to school when I was a young boy. Then I met Maureen while I was walking around the village and she had told me to be at the school the next day at 9.00 am…

At around 5 am I was already awake.  I got up and prepared myself for what I hoped would be the best day of my life.   The school is a distance from where I live in the village, so I was soon on my way. I was barefoot, with tone pants.  When I arrived, I met Maureen and it was obvious she knew what exactly I wanted – an education!  She looked at me straight in the eyes and whispered to me that I would join the rest of the children in the school. I was quickly equipped with school uniforms and new shoes – remember I had walked barefoot that morning so you can imagine how happy I was that day. A few minutes later I was directed to a classroom and that’s when I started my journey with Educate the Kids.

I’m truly convinced each one of us love weekends but trust me, week days are the best when you are in school.  This is where I spent most of my time as a child. We used to start school at 7am and end at 5pm, but still we didn’t want to go home. Jolaurabi was home for me.  We had lessons in the morning and then a break for a cup of porridge (which is provided by the school). This porridge had to keep me going throughout the day because when we broke for lunch I’d sometimes walk home only to find nothing cooked so I’d walk back to school and spend the rest of the afternoon with an empty stomach.  At around 3pm, we would have games, which was an exciting time since we were given balls and we would play football around the school.  Others would have toys to play with and we all felt privileged because most of us did not have toys to play with at home. Pupils in the UK may find this strange, but when I had to leave for home I would be so sad.

In 2006 and 2007, I was privileged enough to be part of the school’s Education Exchange Programme, where I had the chance to visit schools around the UK and learn about your different cultures. It was an eye opener for me since I got to learn a lot of things about the loving people in the UK and their kinds hearts.  I knew the UK was different but I had no idea exactly how different until I landed in your beautiful land. It was the first I had left my country and also the first time I had flown in a plane, both of which were very exciting for me, and since then I have loved travelling. During my stay in the United Kingdom, I was challenged to work very hard and I gained a lot of confidence. I loved my classes in UK; they were so informative and enjoyable and I have great memories that I will always cherish. I hope to be able to return some day.

Totally Mashombo(to be continued).