I had the pleasure of helping a friend distribute toys to the smallest children at the Greenpark community school recently. Every child in the school was given a stuffed animal. It was a beautiful and joyous moment shared between us all and it reminded me that sometimes, a gift from the heart, for the heart, with no practical purpose whatsoever is the most valuable kind.
The children were shy at first but as you can see, they quickly got excited about their new toys. Each was called individually by the teacher and handed a toy by Lel Cartwright, who organised this donation. They shook her hand with wide-eyes and looked SOOO serious - until they turned back to the other students in the classroom, toy in hand, and absolutely BEAMED.
These children live in the Greenpark community. Their parents work for the Great Rift Valley Lodge just down the road from me. These children have their needs met. They have food, clothing, schooling, parents, family and community nearby. When they are older, they will begin walking many miles to go to school and after they turn 14 they may stop going to school altogether as that is when school is no longer free.
We cannot secure the future for these children. We can only do our best to give them a reason to smile in the present. And what smiles we got that day!
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