Early in the morning, a woman carries groceries and passes through one of the many makeshift gates that separate neighborhoods.
The slums of Nairobi are akin any metropolis' suburb: children go to schools and mothers run errands, but the lack of basic infrastructure confine its inhabitants to their neighborhoods.
A concrete apartment complex is being erected behind one of the schools by a Chinese developer. Teachers see it everyday as a constant reminder that their school, which is on rented land, might get evicted at any moment.
A Porridge and Rice volunteer hands over boxes full of books to the pupils. The books, which were donated by British citizens, will give birth to a library in each of the six schools being supported by PaR.
A young student happily carrying one of the boxes while he waits for his schoolmates to receive one as well. The head teacher of their school (top right) couldn’t wait to see how many boxes his school would receive.
The young boys head back to their school smiling and laughing, happy to have received books. They came in force, ready to help each other, passing the boxes if they became too heavy.
Teacher Andrew teases one of his colleagues as they browse through books they can use for their classes. These books, evenly divided between the six schools, will help the pupils practice English while reading fiction and non-fiction books; teachers received textbooks and encyclopedias.
Children pose for a group photo, holding up high in the air their new books, all very excited and one girl who couldn’t wait to read. This photo was sent to thank British citizens who donated the books.
The first group of students settled in outside the classroom, a few books arranged on the table. They were kind to pose for this photo; they were anxious to start reading.
The first outdoor reading session was a success. More pupils wanted to join so the teachers kept on bringing out more books and chairs. After a few minutes, the students started chatting; they wanted to know what the others were reading.
Books for all ages were shipped to the schools. This girl joined the reading session after being given an illustration book and sat quietly on the edge of a table. She diligently read each word and made sure to not miss any details on each page.
For his very first time, this young boy is reading English in something that is not a textbook.
Classrooms are made of tin foil supported by wooden beams and most of the light inside is natural. Lizpal is the only one of the six schools to have electricity in each classroom — but they only turn it on before sunrise and after sunset.
Teacher Risper speaks Kiswahili to an attentive audience; it is her favorite class to teach and her enthusiasm and happiness are contagious.
During Kiswahili class, a pupil reaches for his pencil to take notes. Behind him, two boys share a textbook: not all students can pay for the school uniform.
A young girl listens to the teacher with great attention. Note the absence of textbooks on her desk; there aren’t enough for every student at this moment.
This pupil is in his senior year. He’s very studious and wants to pass his exams with the highest scores to have a better chance at a bright future.
Group photo inside a classroom. Teacher Risper stands proudly amidst her students, of the many groups she teaches to each day.
These two students were taking a short break in-between two classes. In general, two or three of them have to share a desk that would accommodate one person in the United States.
I made a presentation about my birth country, Mexico, and taught pupils a few words of Spanish. They had troubles pronouncing them right but overcame the challenge with braveness and laughter.
Teacher Grace is the Assistant to the Headteacher at Lizpal. She dedicates an average of 14 hours a day to her pupils and has become a second mother to many of them.
Nairobi’s summer is very hot and humid for most Muzungus (travelers); not for this little girl.
Inside the Headteacher’s office, handwritten inspiring quotes and weekly schedules surrounded by group photos of the past few years.
A teacher and some of her youngest pupils happily getting their picture taken. This was an excuse to take a short break. Their endless energy and generosity transpires through in this shot.
Thirty pupils came out of their crowded classroom to pose for a group photo. Their classroom measures about 100 square feet (30 square meter) and has one door and one window.
Parents volunteer at the schools when they can’t pay tuition for their children. Many work in the kitchen, like these two mothers sorting through beans before cooking them.
The second favorite time of the day for many children is lunch time, provided by Porridge and Rice; the first one is breakfast. Many children still don’t eat dinner at home.
Porridge and Rice volunteer taught kids to wash their hands after using the communal bathroom and before and after meals. This new habit dramatically decreased the number of health problems that used to plague the school.
A camera is always an object of great curiosity for the children who live in the slums. They like getting their photo taken so that they can see how they look like.
From left to right: Teacher Titus, Excel Emmanuel’s Headteacher; Ken Surridge, PaR’s founder ; Emma Ballinger, volunteer and health consultant; reading thank you cards drawn by the pupils the organization supports.
A mother picks-up her two children at the end of the day. Her serene look contrasts with the threat the apartment building in the background poses. Let’s hope she’s right.
A teacher, the schools’ overseer, and a Porridge and Rice volunteer discuss important matters at the end of a long day. All three of them wish they could have such conversations every day; the volunteer had to fly back to England two days later.
A 2016 collaboration with the British nonprofit Porridge and Rice led to a two-part series documenting the positive impact of the organization on hundreds of families and teachers in Nairobi, Kenya. Their work encompasses health and access to education.
Deborah is 12 years old and has been at Lizpal since she could walk. This energetic girl likes learning Kiswahili more than any other subject, especially traditional poems through which she learns important lessons. She writes poems herself. She admires many actresses because they make her laugh and show what a strong woman looks like. She would like to become an actress herself to inspire children to be confident and make something good of their life. If she can’t be an actress, she would like to become a journalist, another way for people to know who she is and have a positive influence.
She believes that education is necessary in order to become successful in life. Before PaR started supporting Lizpal, Deborah would get to school feeling hungry as her breakfast consisted of only a cup of tea. She would struggle to focus and wouldn’t score well at tests, which made her think she wasn’t smart at all. Now, PaR gives her access to good food and to books. She can now study better and her grades improved drastically. Her teachers at Lizpal showed what leadership is and she knows she would make a great president.
“What is your favorite time of the day?” We asked.
“To see people do good things to each other, to be kind and responsible” she said.
Deborah is an energetic and aspiring 12-years old girl who believes education is necessary to become a successful adult. In the past, she would be hungry at school (her only meal consisted of a cup of tea), and because she couldn’t focus, didn’t think she was smart and would not amount to anything.
Now she gets breakfast and lunch, her grades improved, and she resumed her goal of becoming an actress. This way she could make people laugh and smile and show young girls what a strong woman looks like. If acting doesn’t work out, she would like to become a journalist so that people would know about her.
She finds wisdom in reading traditional poems in Kiswahili and learned leadership by observing her teachers. She knows she would make for a good president.
“What is your favorite time of the day?” We asked.
“To see people do good things to each other, to be kind and responsible” she told us.
Aidah is compassionate and very curious about people and the world (she wanted to know about the political parties of the United-States.) She would like to become an accountant and learn to work with numbers, or become a journalist so that she can expand and share her knowledge about others.
PaR was a God sent to her. She wakes up happy knowing that she’ll get breakfast and lunch. Getting regular and healthier meals means she became a better student, and she’s thrilled when all her schoolmates perform well during exams.
If she could change two things at hers school that would be to have electricity in all classrooms — so that she doesn’t have to change classrooms throughout the day — and more playground space to stretch her legs.
