Ruiru | Kenya

January, 2009, Ruiru Rehabilitation Centre, a registered NGO 20 kilometres north of Nairobi. This was a compound for orphans and kids without support. Traditional lessons were being taught but pride of place was the emphasis on sustainability, growing veg and the building of eco toilets all in line with an environmentally friendly lifestyle. The compound was large, set in a rural landscape. There was a dorm for boys, one for girls, a kitchen, dining area, study room and hall. Everything was built with corrugated iron which for a P4F painting event, meant using high gloss enamel car paint in order to paint wildlife! Patrick oversaw a shopping trip at the local hardware store. We boarded a prison-college matatu with a roof so low that everyone sat doubled over, vibrating and reverberating to Bob Marley bass! I bought litres and litres of paint; red, green, yellow, blue, brown, black and white always keeping a lookout for discarded water bottles and old tin cans to be used for decanting and handing out paint and for washing brushes. There were 60 children at the orphanage, ranging in age from 5 to 18yrs old. The kids were brilliant and over the next 3 days, suddenly appeared giant, mud coloured elephants and crazy monkeys parading in amongst butterflies and Jesus Loves You signs. 
Thanks to Dilip Dodhia, founder of the centre and to Laetitia, Maru, Christine, Patrick and Jane.