ACTIVITY REPORT
On 12th April 2023, Nzumari Africa took the Samosa Festival to Mathare North Primary Adventist School where they engage approximately 70 pupils and 4 teachers in a puppetry performance and discussion on Education, Safety and Mental Health.
Synopsis of the performance
Yobra and Biggy are harassing Ngwace, a fellow street child. They steal from him the money he has gotten from selling scrap metal and waste plastics. Ngwace ran away from home because his mother was always punishing him. He also stopped going to school.
Slippers who is a bright student meets Ngwace who is her former classmate. He seems to be doing very well. She asks him why he stopped going to school and he tells her that he saw no need to go to school when he can live in the streets and earn money. He advices slippers to run away from home, stop going to school and join him in the streets.
Question to pupils
Should slippers follow Ngwace’s advice?
Answers from Pupils
- Slippers should stay in school because education is the key to success.
- If slippers runs away from home and starts living in the streets, she would expose herself to sexual abuse from the bigger street kids
- Slippers should continue with her education because no matter the challenges, home is better than the streets.
- Slippers would be exposing herself to physical and mental health problems like stress if she starts living in the streets. Sleeping in the vibandas is not comfortable, neither is it safe. She would always be afraid for her safety which would not be the case if she is sleeping at home
Teacher’s input
The message that has been shared with the children is timely because even during the Easter Holidays, there were kids who started engaging is the business of selling scrap metal and waste plastics. There were also others engaged in stealing and selling dogs. It is important to engage children especially those from slums on the dangers of engaging in such businesses. Some quit school because the school interferes with their ‘job’.
Is it possible for Nzumari Africa to be coming to our school at least three times a month and engage our pupils in such entertaining and educative sessions?
