In the calming, peaceful atmosphere of the Coast, hard work and determination are bringing the garden of the Port Reitz School to life. With many hours of tilling, planting, weeding, pruning, and waiting patiently, the students of this school have poured their time into the activities of their 4K Club, all to the reward of great tangible and unseen results.
Bahati Atieno is one of the active members of the group. Her eye for detail ensures that the furrows which she digs are arranged neatly into the fertile soil. She takes her time, working beneath the warmth of the morning sun. For her, the toil it requires to make sure everything is in order is completely worth it.
Attending Port Reitz enabled Bahati to develop these abilities and work at her own pace. As an integrated learning school, Port Reitz invites students with and without disabilities to attain their primary education within its walls. The school is the only one of its kind in Mombasa. Fostered within this environment, the children exhibit increased thoughtfulness, coupled with the drive to accomplish their goals with the abilities they possess and the assistance of their classmates.
Across the field from Bahati, Saida Ridhwani joins in the task of preparing a seedbed. While she works quietly, the vision of this season’s yield is painted vividly in her mind. Through her experiences working the garden of the school, she’s discovered how simple it is to achieve a phenomenal harvest from a seemingly small piece of land. Her understanding of agricultural matters, as well as social dynamics, has flourished right alongside the potatoes and kale she’s planted. In step with her, a boy named Redge Munai tells stories that coax a ringing laugh from the industrious Saida. Even focused Bahati cracks a soft, quick smile at his jokes.
For the children attending Port Reitz, empathy plays a great role in their interactions. From the playground to the classroom to the 4K Club, the different abilities and disabilities of every child must be taken into account. Kindness and inclusivity are the basis of these exchanges. Even for the children who cannot physically contribute to the work happening in the garden, there is still space for their presence and diverse contributions, be it simple company or the knowledge behind how agriculture works.
The children of the 4K Club at the Port Reitz School light a path to an ideal world where everyone is integrated without a disparaging thought about their disabilities. The culture of these young ones shows us the reality of compassion and acceptance in a world that equates success with cutthroat tactics. For this, we applaud the children like Bahati, Saida, and Redge, and we wish them the best harvest, both in their school garden and within their lives.
