WHERE WILL I LIVE? WHAT WILL I DO IN KAMULU?
Kamulu is the small village east of Nairobi where MITS’ school campus is located. This is where street kids come to live, learn and grow after making the life-changing decision to leave street life behind. Kamulu is where you will spend the majority of your time with MITS, with small day trips into Eastleigh or elsewhere in Nairobi as scheduled. Read on for a picture of what your time in Kamulu will look like.
- Visitors’ Quarters. All our visitors' quarters have access to bathroom and kitchen facilities.
- The M House at Mitsville (where our staff live). 16 beds, mixed gender. Full kitchen with refrigerator, sink, microwave, gas range and electric oven, living room, bathroom.
- Intern House between Girls' Compound and Mbuvi's house. 6 beds, women only. Full kitchen with refrigerator, sink, microwave, gas range and electric oven, living room, bathroom.
- The Tower at the Boys' Compound (couples or single men only)
- Second floor sleeps 2 in a queen bed. Private shower, toilet, sink & electric burner for cooking.
- Third floor sleeps 2 in a queen bed. Private shower, toilet, sink, electric burner for cooking, microwave & refrigerator.
- About Your Visitor Quarters
- No boys allowed in the girls’ compound. Anyone can visit the boys’ compound.
- All our visitors' quarters are private (no MITS students or staff sharing the space) and secured with a lock and key. You will be given a key to your living area when you arrive in Kamulu. It is safe to leave valuables in your living space, provided you lock it when you leave.
- Life in the village will involve lots of walking. Be prepared to spend time walking between your living quarters, chapel, the Learning Centre and the Skills Centre. You will be walking on dirt roads and if you’re here during the rainy season, that means mud!
- You will have running water in your room that is safe to drink. Your shower will have a water heater attached to the shower head that will provide you with a warm shower. Think of the water heater like a disposal—only turn it on when the water is running.
- Privacy levels vary depending on your specific living assignment and the number of people in your group but try to imagine a minimalist hotel experience. Your room will be clean and dry but not luxurious. All of the beds (except for the couples-only rooms in the Green Tower) are twin bunk beds, with sheets, a blanket, a pillow and a mosquito net.
- Helping out at the Children’s Centre
- The Children’s Centre is a replica of any preschool facility you would find in the states. Complete with brightly painted murals on the walls, tiny tot-sized chairs, and a small mountain of stuffed animals, this is heaven for the children and babies of the teen mothers who come to MITS from the streets.
- When you visit the Children’s Centre, your job is to play with the kids, have fun and assist our staff with any projects they need completed.
- Helping out at the Learning Centre
- The Learning Centre is where the literacy classes are held. Complete with a cafeteria, library, courtyard, media room, 2 computer labs, and 4 classrooms, the Learning Centre is where we cram up to 8 years of missed schooling into 2 (WOW!) and have a great time while we’re at it.
- Once a student is finished at the Learning Centre, they are eligible to take the KCPE (an 8th grade exit exam) to prove their scholastic aptitude.
- Subjects taught at the Learning Centre include English, Swahili, science, math, Bible, social studies and computer. There are also afternoon enrichment courses held at the Learning Centre after chai (tea time, a holdover from the days of British colonialism) at 4 pm.
- We love help with our classes but please don’t take over a core class unless that is your specific area of expertise and you are asked to do so by Phillip, the head teacher.
- Think about planning after-school teaching development courses for the staff.
- Enrichment class ideas, which you are encouraged to teach, will be held after regular school hours (4:00 to 6)
- Public speaking
- Interview, interpersonal skills
- Conversational English
- Health and Sex-Ed
- Financial planning
- Facebook/social media skills
- Customer service
- Basic economics concepts
- Helping out at the Skills Centre
- Located a half-hour walk from the Learning Centre, the Skills Centre houses most of the skills training programs. This is where students spend their last two years (16-18 years old) with MITS.
- Feel free to observe, participate, or teach a class in one of the following areas, if it is your field of expertise.
- Catering/Hospitality
- Hair dressing/Cosmetology
- Industrial Arts: Auto Mechanics, Woodworking, Welding
- Computers
- Need more ideas? Plan a ministry/special event
- Talent show
- Party (such as a formal “Homecoming” banquet)
- Vacation Bible School for street kids in Eastleigh or students at Kamulu
- Soccer (or other sport) camp
- Bonfire/Goat Roast
- English conversational skills training
- Men’s and Women’s Bible studies with students or staff
- Teaching hobbies and extra-curricular activities
- Team building activities for staff or small groups of students
- Acting/Drama/Singing camp
- Fine Arts camp
- Etiquette classes
- Hygiene/personal care/styling day
- You get the picture…
- We love it when visitors help out with Kamulu Upkeep/Beautification
- Interior/exterior painting
- Murals, decorations on the walls in the living areas
- Landscaping
- Light construction work