Juliet Mia is the project leader of ”The Humane School” in Kenya and she visited Sweden for the Schooltour. This is what she wrote about the visit in Sweden and the partnership with SOFIA
I take this opportunity to thank Foreningen SOFIA for the great work of supporting The Humane School and to all other friends who have sacrificed their time and finances to ensure the children in Kitale have a school where they feel loved and welcomed.
When I got the offer to represent the Humane School from Fabia at Foreningen SOFIA, it did not seem like a big task because I knew my target group would be children and I have been dealing with children fulltime for the last ten years now. But something happened in the last week before we travelled that made me nervous, and scared. It made me think that I would not manage; the schedule looked like it was too full and although I have been dealing with children for ten years, I started questioning my capabilities and how fit I was to address children from a totally different continent from my own.
My first school was Örjanskolan and because of the reception from the teachers and students, and being the first time I was making a public address, it was something I managed fairly well and for that I say thank you Örjanskolan, you gave a boost to the confidence that saw me represent the Humane School to the next ten schools. And it wasn’t as hard as I thought it would be, in fact I couldn´t wait for the next school.
Maybe I would be honest to say that I had purposely come to Sweden to ask for help for the Humane School and I had even promised myself to do that. But I started seeing this mission from a different perspective, the Humane School is what it is because people from Sweden have walked with us through a rough and tough road to give us a hand. So I was not going to just ask for help for the school, I was going to show all our friends how happy and content the children at our school are, and they are content and happy because of you, our friends have made it possible. So the best way to say thank you was to let you in our laughter, our happiness and the love we have received from you and which we are giving back to you.
The trip was well organized by Fabia, everything was done on time and the amazing thing was whether I had one-hour presentation or fifteen minutes in some schools, I always managed to say everything that was to be said. So I feel that I was able to present the joy, warmth and love of the Humane School everywhere I was invited.
From the trips to different schools I was able to get in contact with so many people and I felt that they were inspired by what we are doing because I had people asking how they could be a part of this journey that was started by the late Hans Nystrom ten years ago. So yes we have made more friends, from children to teachers and even parents. along the way I also got to learn new tips that I will share with my fellow teachers and also the pupils at The Humane School. The photos presentation by Fabia was a brilliant, creative idea of passing on a message. The photos inspired so many people, from the comments I know that the children on the photos passed on a message of contentment, humility, joy and love to the various children that had a chance to attend the presentation sessions.
The trip gave the Humane School a chance to be known by much more people than in the past because one of us was able to represent it to a much larger audience. Through the talks with the different Waldorf school teachers I have met in the last month and by watching some of their activities, I feel I have also gained a little bit more than I would have by only attending the end of year presentations that I attend at the schools where my own children are. This was a one on one kind of discussion with fellow teachers and from this I was able to gain more tips that I will use for my own and also the Humane School’s growth and development.
To Foreningen SOFIA and all other parties that organized this trip I am grateful on behalf of the Humane School, and I am hoping for more trips in future, not only for me but also for the other teachers to go out and represent our school.
ASANTE SANA…
Juliet Mia