Porridge Clubs: Brenda's Story

Hi, my name is Brenda and I wish to tell you a short story.

Many years ago, I was a student at the St Patrick's Primary School in Thika, Kenya. Like other children my age, I would wake up daily and go to school to, as my mother would put it, search for a better future. My young brain could not at the time, fully comprehend what that really meant, but I knew it was something good, if nothing else it meant getting something better than what my mother had or could offer me.

I was not the only one, my classmates and by extension schoolmates were in the same journey. Every morning, we would wake up early, brave the cold weather around June and July to ensure we get an education. Slogans like education is the backbone of the society or education is the key to a better tomorrow were repeated over and over again.

We all had a thirst and a desire to learn, to grow, to be something, to have better. All of us from diverse backgrounds bound together by the dream of a better life.

What most of us did not realise was that this was a very important part of our lives. This is where we were getting a foundation meant to guide us for the rest of our lives. Like most foundations, it is imperative that it is strong so as to support all that will be placed above it. As such, this is where most of the work and resources go into.

My school drew most of its student population from the neighbouring slums and low income housing projects popularly known in Kiswahili as majengo. In such places, poverty is a plague that knows no end and it is not uncommon for people to lack basic needs and even go without food for a couple of days each week. This fate befell my classmates and school mates as well. I also remember that children from a nearby children home were enrolled at the school as students.

Most of my schoolmates would come to school hungry and when it got too much, they would stop coming to school and disappear into the streets to beg for food.

When asking did not get them anywhere, they would then turn to violence and crime. Unfortunately, I lost too many classmates to the streets as with this life comes drugs, violence and consequences for breaking the law. The ones who are still alive today have never recovered.

I remember that in a bid to mitigate against this and ensure that my schoolmates stayed in school, a project to provide Porridge to the underprivileged students during the 10:00am break came to life.

This was a game changer as it meant that those who had gone to bed hungry the previous night or had nothing to eat for breakfast now had a cup of sweet porridge to look forward to.

Everyday, when the bell rang for the 10:00am break, hundreds of kids would line up with cups ready to get their cup of the delicious and nutritious porridge. The smiles on their faces told it all. The students stayed in school and gave education a chance.

“The rate of school drop-outs fell significantly but most important of all, children who had a hard start at life felt like somebody cared and supported them in the quest to make the dream come true.”

In my final year, I was the headgirl and I was in-charge of the project. This project changed my life and by extension that of my school mates. Years later, I still remember the anticipation for the cup of porridge, the joy of drinking, hot and steamy from the pot, the stories we told and fun games we played while enjoying the porridge and how it played a part in helping us forget our worries, focus on school and get an education.

I went on to study law and I am now an Advocate of the High Court of Kenya. When I look back, I realise that this project impacted my life and choices in profound ways. As the student in-charge of the project, I learnt skills that have helped me throughout my life like how to organise people, how to handle people with care and dignity, how to come up with practical solutions to problems. I feel good when I meet with my schoolmates being useful members of society and engaging in gainful employment.

“I learnt through this project that a little support goes a long way. Supporting people gives them hope, where there is hope, people can dream, and when people freely dream, they get vision and purpose which gives them a chance to be something.”