Interact: OVC Party

I devoted this Saturday to the OVC Christmas party hosted at school by Interact for the nearby school for Orphans and Vulnerable Children. From 10am to 12pm, children ranging from toddlers to teenagers came to ISK to receive a full breakfast and to participate in the activities we supervised. Because I signed up for helping paint the mural, I wasn't able to directly interact with the kids, but when I passed by the pool area or the playground I could see the light in their eyes and the smiles that shined bright on their faces.

I spent the majority of my time working on painting the Interact mural with Moira, Cindy, Wulan, Mamadou, and a guest artist who helped supervise and add suggestions. We had previously met a couple weeks before to outline our design on the panel in chalk, and we were worried the Kenyan rains would wash away our progress before we could get around to painting. We followed Cindy's plan that she sketched on a sheet of paper; however, we encountered several challenges because of the scale of our new canvas. The panel's size forced us to reposition several elements and cut out others completely. The sun beat down on us, which was both a blessing and a curse. It was a blessing because that meant it wasn't raining and it was also perfect weather to swim in, but it was a curse because it was hot. Very hot. There was barely any protection from the scorching rays, and I forgot to wear sunscreen. I love painting, so I ignored the heat, and I really enjoyed helping with the mural. I do realize I am a slight perfectionist, so I did spend a lot of time on just one area of the panel, which is not very efficient considering the scale of our project. The time flew by, and before I knew it, it was already one o'clock and time to meet up for the Interact social.

A challenge we had to overcome as a group was that there was a miscommunication in the reservation of the pool area, so we had to share the pool with the community of swimmers who frequent the area over the weekend. This didn't cause a major problem and was easily dealt with; however, we had to move the Interact social to a different area. I admire how swiftly and effectively the club dealt with the situation and adapted to what was available.

Another source of improvement for the next event would be to meet as a whole group in one area and finalize the plan for the day. By the time I arrived at 9:30, Interact members had already split into several groups and communication was fractured, so several people were confused as to what they were supposed to be doing. For example, I heard the mural painting would be rescheduled for another day when I arrived, but when I talked to Moira who had to talk to Tamara, it turns out the mural activity would still be taking place. It is important to keep active links of communication so nobody is misinformed and we are still able to retain a high level of organization.

I also heard from Ms. Bock that the school sent 20 extra kids over the expected amount, so the kitchen staff had to scramble to provide food to make up for the unexpected shortage they had. Even though we'd love to have all the kids attend the party, there are limits to the amount we can cater for and supervise. Next time it would be important to get an accurate estimate of the number of kids attending as well as set strict limits to the number we can receive.

Because of my interaction with these kids from OVC, I am extremely grateful for the opportunities I have at my fingertips. I have a healthy, loving family to support me, food on my table that provides me with a balanced diet, a wardrobe of clothes, my own roof over my head and room to myself, and I have the opportunity to attend a rigorous school with a beautiful campus. Many of these kids lack these opportunities, and it made me realize how fortunate I am when I saw the kids ecstatic over being served breakfast by others at proper tables, as well as seeing the joy in their eyes when they picked out a new pair of clothes to take back with them.