A day in the life of Double Joy

This daily routine of the staff and children was written by Glyn Roseden for the June 2001 newsletter.

First impressions of daily life

We quickly slipped into the daily routine of Double Joy. It runs like a clock, pleasantly switching between meal times, children's chores, morning parade, classes, workshops and activities, lunch, games at 4pm, supper and evening prep. The sound of laughing children fills the air. Chatter, cheerful greetings, play, classroom instruction, prayers, drama, morning and evening songs accompanied by the rhythm of African drums. And with the darkness come the sounds of the African night, the calls, the buzzing of insects, and the chorus of nocturnal whistling. Occasionally the watchman's dogs are heard barking, but all is natural and in harmony. It is a real tonic from what we are used to and it feels perfectly natural to rise at dawn (6am) and to retire no later than 9:30pm.

5am

At 5am the cockerel starts crowing, and joins the chorus of insect sounds that started at dusk the evening before.

6am

At 6am are the first stirrings of life. The houseparent staff arrive, to supervise the children before handing over to the school teachers at the 8am parade. Margaret, the manager of the houseparents, lives in a house alongside the children, and is the first to arise.

A few older girls start lighting the firewood stoves, to boil water for breakfast tea, porridge or rice pudding.

Large basins of water are filled from a tank next to the kitchen, and taken to the two bathroom blocks so the children can wash. 

Housekeeping jobs are started as breakfast preparations are underway, and when the food is ready, the children eat. Later, the stoves are put out and kitchen floors are mopped clean. All plates, dishes and cups are brought to the large tank and about a dozen girls cheerfully wash them up, laughing and joking as they work. All are plastic and kept in large wicker baskets ready for the next meal time. This is all supervised by Margaret, with an instruction or direction issued where needed. The affection that the girls have for Margaret can be seen by the warmth of feelings shown, and it is clear that Margaret has a caring heart for them.

The housekeeping jobs are supervised and done in a harmonious way, with children doing jobs according to what is expected for their age. There are also fairly clearly defined roles for boys and girls, according to their Luo customs. Because they live in family units with their siblings, the older ones take a lot of responsibility for their younger brothers and sisters.

The children clean their houses every day under supervision. This work is extremely important for hygiene and to combat insect infestation:

• The reed mattresses and blankets are all taken out, shaken and left to air
• The floors are swept and mopped clean, clothes are washed and hung to dry
• The floors of the toilet blocks are mopped out

All this is naturally interspersed with brief periods of play - a game of marbles by the younger boys, or hop skip and jump, which is a favourite of the girls.

7am

Daily clinic is undertaken by the nurse. Cuts, sores and bruises are attended to, and children who are unwell are admitted to the ward. Plans are made to take them to the hospital in Kisumu, if their situation deteriorates.

Some of the children are supervised in cleaning up any litter and rubbish around the compound. With the houses now cleared and aired, the bedding is put back and the area in front of the houses in tidied up.

8am

Morning parade is sounded with a bell and all of the children gather in front of the school block next to the flag pole for role call. They line up in their houses, so that the houseparent staff can quickly see those that are missing, and gather up any stragglers, before handing over to the head teacher Festo Olang.

The teachers and other daytime staff have arrived. Morning prayers are said and notices given out before the teachers take over.

Lunchtime is 12 to 2pm. The lunch cook spends the morning preparing a very large pot of rice or maizemeal (ugali) for all of the children, over an open fire in one of the kitchens. The older girls in each family will cook a small pot of vegetables or fish to go with this.

4pm

Afternoon roll call is held at 4pm, and is followed by games time. Every afternoon, as the day is cooling, games are held on the field opposite the front gates of Double Joy. 

Boys love playing football and girls netball, while volleyball is played by both. We really enjoyed participating in the daily games and the children soon realise that a forty-something adult like me can easily be outrun. All play bare footed and even the young boys could skillfully pass me with the ball, while several older boys were able to dominate the game and score often. Many of the staff joined in, while others enjoyed sitting and watching.

5pm

As the older girls get meal preparations underway, many of the younger children find time to play. A popular and creative hobby of the boys is to make cars out of wire, with round plastic discs for wheels. The cars have a long cane steering column which enables them to be pushed along and steered. All boys love playing marbles, which can be bought in Kisumu and are a popular gift. The young girls enjoy a game of hop, skip and jump, or simple games with a tennis ball. Some simple jigsaw puzzles that we had brought were popular, as was the game of draughts played with bottle tops on a home-made board.

7pm

Evening roll call is sounded by a bell, and the children gather by the flag pole in front of the school. Two priests, one Catholic and one Anglican, come daily to help with preps. They lead daily prayers and worship before the children split into various classes, either in the classrooms, or in Masterman Hall, which has solar lighting. Time in the evenings is often spent singing accompanied by instruments - mainly drums.

The children do drama well considering there are few props. Masterman Hall is also the home of the library, and is where many children come to be helped with their reading skills.

9pm

The evening is drawing to a close and the children go back to their houses. By 9:30pm they are quiet, the lights are out and the houseparent staff have retired. The watchman makes the rounds with his dogs, the night sky may be lit up by the moon and a million stars, or there may be the comforting sound of rain drops on the galvanised tin roofs.