In 2009, Anna and I attended the World Forum on Early Years in Belfast. The World Forum Foundation is a global charitable organisation committed to advocacy for children’s rights and the support and development of early years care and education.  When our visit to Kenya was confirmed, I made contact with the World Forum global leader for Kenya to ask if it was possible to meet up and learn about their activities. When we arrived in Nairobi, Janet and her colleague Anne met us at our hotel and shared about the projects they were involved with, working in the slums. They had both been working for middle class families before applying for their current roles, working for the International Child Research Institute (ICRI) Africa, a non-profit making organisation. Their responsibilities now are to support the set up and maintenance of preschool and primary education facilities in deprived communities. Projects include the establishment of food programs, hand washing and learning through play.

I asked Janet what had prompted her to leave her cosy job and go into the slums. She shared that she had lost her son, had had to give up work and stayed home, getting depressed. Eventually she saw an advert for this job and decided to apply. On her first visit to a nursery in a slum area, the first child she was introduced to had the same name as the son she had lost – Samuel. This happened at the next 4 settings she visited. She believed that  her Samuel had been taken from her but that she was being given many other Samuels to care for. When it came time for us to tell Janet about our visit and background, I told her that my first son had died, that his name was also Samuel and that this also had something to do with my working with young children. There was clearly a significance to our meeting.

Janet asked whether we wanted to visit one of their projects. It was arranged for a vehicle to pick us up on Monday, tomorrow being Sunday and our safari trip.

After we had chatted, Janet and Anne offered to accompany us to the Masai market in the city centre to buy a few more souvenirs. We walked across the park and up the road to the market square where we were accosted by “agents” who told us they would look after us. I hate shopping anyway but this was something else. It was not possible to look at anything, to consider any of the goods on offer or to think straight. There was a constant barrage of unwanted advice and exhortation to buy. In the end I told my minder to shut up but it had little effect. And why did he think I was a pastor? Our agents collected potential purchases for us as we went, with a view to negotiating a price at the end.  Janet told us not to pay for anything without her assistance. It was quite an experience – shopping aversion therapy, I think Carolyn called it! We all eventually escaped with some over-priced goods – probably 3 times what we paid in Kisumu. We lost Anne in the melee but thanked Janet, said goodbye and headed back to the safety of the hotel.