“Nyota” for Peace “The universe is bigger than all of us”

The road to Mathare slum is not bumpy and the potholes are not as many as other parts of Nairobi. Yet to get to there is a hustle anyway. First you have to take the correct matatu then once you get there jump though various open sewers through a crowded market to get to the chief’s camp our destination sometime in March 2008.

Early 2008 was a bloody period in Kenyan history. Basically, our beloved country was on headline news in major news channels world over because of the post election violence. If you are a scientist or maybe an enthusiast in science, what role do you play in restoration of sanity? Do you just sit back and wait for history to write itself because this is not your mandate?

We knew what our obligation was as HOU/UNAWE members. We knew that we had to leave the comforts of our homes venture into internally displaced people’s camps (IDP) and reach out to children there. Albeit, distract their minds a little bit from their disrupted lives, with fun games on science.

We contacted Isaac Musyoka a Cosmos Education official to help us organise our trip to the IDP. Cosmos Education had visited Mathare IDP camp and Mr. Musyoka informed us that he could easily arrange a visit there.

On the planned day five HOU/UNAWE volunteers together with two university students literally jumped onto a fast moving matatu headed to Mathare IDP camp. 

The IDP camp was a culture shock to most of us who have never been in IDP camps. To see hundreds of Kenyans living in tents cooking outside the tents and the kids having no playground was an eye opener on how in a few months our island of peace was rivalling several war torn African nations.

Upon arrival at the IDP camp, we had no clear idea on how we were to conduct activities. Spontaneity was called for as this was not an institution where there were properly laid channels of communication.

By use of song and dance, we managed to gain the attention of the children at the IDP camps. They came gathered around us and immediately joined in. It occurred to me that what this kids craved for above all else was play. 

We conferred amongst ourselves on the task ahead; first of all here are children who main concern for all we know could be food, shelter and clothing. If it extended to secondary needs then medical care would come first and education a near second. How then, could we introduce astronomy to such a group?

It was agreed to maximise use of play. We divided the kids up. Gave each one of them a drawing paper and crayons and played a game of – heavenly bodies. The children were excited and drew variety of heavenly bodies. As they were drawing from imagination we could not make out most of the drawing. One heavenly body though was a constant- the sun. The kids longed for the sun, real sunshine in their life.

After the kids finished their drawings, we introduced sense of scale and did our standard earth, moon and sun dance. The kids found this amusing and laughed their heads off. 

We then did a physics experiment on laws of motion that included tug of war, this exercise brought most of the kids to their knees and there was little competition on which group was stronger.

One kid was dared to defy gravity, by remaining on air while skipping a rope. After several tries he conceded to the laws of gravity.

At some point I left our group to talk to the mothers and fathers at the IDP camp. The mothers shared with me their experience after the elections and how they managed to escape. They told me of a child who witnessed his father being hacked to death. The child was playing with our group and you would not know what he had gone through. One mother had to commute daily to a friends house in another slum to sleep their as she had a new born baby and could not sleep with the baby in an open tent in cold Nairobi weather.

After three hours it was time to say goodbye and indeed it was a tearful one. Most of the kids followed us to a matatu stage and we had to take them back to the IDP. They followed us again and the mothers had to threaten to beat them for them to give up.

Several thoughts rushed through my mind as we left the IDP. They all started with one though: If I were president…