29 October 2010
When one first comes into contact with Dennis and Kenneth it’s easy to feel like you just got caught up in a whirlwind. Their vivacious energy, unmistakable youth and zest for life is contagious. Speaking a thousand words per minute Dennis, 14 and Kenneth, 12 have been the very best of friends for over 4 years.
An average day for this two-some begins at 6 am. Heading straight for a refreshingly cool shower ‘this keeps them tough they say’, they then make their breakfast which usually consists of bread, hot milk, black tea and occasionally eggs. By 7.15 am, they’re both walking up to school, dressed in their crisply clean uniforms and revising the previous day’s lessons before devotions officially begin.
Devotions begin at 8am with the sound of their classmates acapella voices leading the praise and worship. School begins sharply after devotions and the day usually brings a mixture of Mathematics, English, Science and Social studies. Of course Dennis and Kenneth sit together. How else would they keep up their reputation for being two of the more entertaining members of the class?
Break times at school are looked forward to immensely by this duo and their favourite thing to do is play sports like soccer outside with their friends. Both boys are extremely fit and healthy and an average day would see them burning of their energy on the field before arriving back in class covered in mud and little sweat droplets. Due to the nature of their outdoor pursuits their respective mothers assign them the task each day of washing their own uniforms (by hand) after school. The pair both have a strong talent for break dancing and usually have an after school practice with other like minded individuals. Their aerobic style workouts and gravity defying stunts often draw quite the crowd. When they are not teaching each other new moves, they’re either hanging out with their pet dog, Max, watching a movie together or pestering the pigs on site.
When Dennis grows up he would like to be involved in the music industry as a rap artist and hip hop dancer. His potential in such a role looks promising with his personable attitude, raw talent and determination. On the other hand, Kenneth would like to be an accountant. His natural bent for numbers and mathematical equations will see him go far in this profession.
Dinner is served by their mothers in House 29 and House 77 at around 7.30pm each night. Rice, beans, posho, potatoes and cassava are typically on the menu and quickly devoured by the boys. After dinner each household assigns jobs for every member like sweeping the compound or mopping the floors. Evening prayer happens in both family circles before bedtime at around 10pm each night.
When asked how they both like living at Watoto’s Bbira Village, one had to smile at their simple but heartwarming response – “This is the life,” they remarked.
