| By Antony Wanderi |
On Saturday the 25th of May, I was part of the COP volunteers that visited Thika School for the Blind. I didn’t know what to anticipate because this was uncharted waters for most of us, with each of us not wanting to come off as insensitive or pitiful but still meet the goal of COP – to make hearts smile.
We were welcomed by the teacher on duty who is an alumnus of the institution and after being briefed on the history of the institution, we got down to work. This turned for the better with the COP family taking up roles wherever called upon, from sweeping the compound, assisting in the kitchen, helping with food preparation, cleaning the hall among other duties.
What would you do if a young boy walked over some trash you’d gathered together after sweeping? Most of us had to get a hold of ourselves before we got used to the surrounding. I was particularly stun by how some of the visually impaired kids could walk without any assistance and hardly trip over anything, it’s like they knew where everything was. They lived to totality without what some of us would consider very crucial. What was meant to be a mentorship session actually turned to us being educated by primary school students about life, more than we had bargained for to start with.
In true COP fashion the day came to a crescendo with a football friendly game and the COP family lost to the pupils courtesy of the referee, our very own Tamika. COP is definitely a family and more so a way of life, you learn more than you teach.
