With many thanks to a visiting group from King's Ely School, Matumaini Rehabilitation Centre's (MRC) facelift has continued!

The visiting group got involved in many different tasks during their stay, this included:

• creative painting in the centre's washrooms and the boy's dormitories
• raising funds to help get a kitchen renovation project off the ground. This included purchasing some stainless steel food-prep benches which will be much easier to keep clean and hygienic than the chipped tiling benches that were previously there
• helping with the children's physiotherapy
• helping with tasks such as washing clothes, preparing and making lunch, and bagging up the maize which had been dried post harvest
• spending time connecting with the Matumaini children...this was perhaps the most special part of the trip!

At MRC, the team has been receiving training (from One Collective strategists), about childhood trauma and ACEs  (Adverse Childhood Experiences). They have been taught how these experiences can impact a child's health (physical and mental) and their development. They have also learnt about strategies which can aid healing, and the importance of connection and creating a sense of belonging. The time that the King's Ely group gave to the children at MRC was precious...and the delight on the children's faces said it all! Some of these children have come from backgrounds where positive physical touch was non-existent...having someone spend time with them, read to them and play with them helps them to feel valued, and amazingly it can also affect brain neuroplasticity. How awesome is that! Time spent connecting with the children and creating belonging is one of the ways we can help to bring about healing from previous traumas. 

You cannot control a child's past, but you can nurture them to a healthier future.