A Letter From Benjamin

I have this week off, because it's my birthday in the middle of the week; and because I can. I don't know quite what I'm going to do, I'm hoping to see several friends, but one of my aims this week is to write to my sponsored child. Here he is, a young chap by the name of Benjamin Mutai.

The last time I heard from him was late November, and I haven't written a letter since, but as you may remember (from this post), his birthday is in December, so he has received a birthday and Christmas card from me in the meantime.

And that letter was a bit different, because it was the first one he actually wrote. Up until now, he has been interviewed on a subject, and the interview translated, but this one he wrote. In English. His first language is Kenyan Swahili (known as kSwahili, often-I don't know the differences between this and other versions); but, people in Kenya feel that in order to have the best chance at a good job/career, they need to speak English. So he's learning it at school. And for anyone who doubted it, the two languages are not at all similar.
When I went out there in 2012, we were taught a few words and phrases by our mission partners, Anna and Keith Traill (whose adventures you can follow through their blog Follow the Traills, if you wish); but the only word I can really remember is 'muzungu'-which basically means 'white person'. And I've just been reminded that 'safari' is the Swahili word for 'journey'-any journey.

So, there we have it. Not only is he seizing the opportunities he's being offered, but he's working hard at making the most of them. As I said in the last post, he has a dream of being a teacher, though he didn't say any more than that before. I hope to hear more about that as he gets older. He's 9 at the moment, and I'm committed to supporting him through his his school years; which is what the basic programme entails. And after that, there is a programme to help with higher education, if it's applicable-so who knows what the future could hold for him? I look forward to finding out. So I guess I'd better get on with that letter, then...

And for anyone who is really wondering about the effectiveness of the Compassion programme, probably the best thing I can say is that the Bishop of Kericho, Jackson Ole Sapit, came through the programme as a child. He comes from a Masaai tribe and now he's a bishop. So, if you want to find out more for yourself, have a look here.