大象传媒

Jenny volunteered to help in a school in Mombasa, but said she was soon called on to be much more than a classroom assistant.

The Grandsons of Abraham Rescue Centre (the school whose motto is 'I was a stranger and you took me in') was run by three nuns and it taught up to 50 boys all of whom lived on the streets. Jenny, who's a detention officer with the Suffolk police, volunteered to help out at the school for five weeks and said her experiences opened her eyes.听

"A new building was in the process of being built but the school itself was quite basic and there were a number of mud hut-style classrooms."

New building work at the school

The school was desperate for all the help it could get.听 When Jenny arrived she was expecting to be helping out in a classroom or at meal times, but she was asked which subjects she'd like to teach!

"It was a bit of a surprise!听As it turned out, I really enjoyed the teaching and got an immense amount of satisfaction knowing that I had helped in their education. The boys were always very attentive in lessons."

Sniffin' glue

Mombasa is the second largest city in Kenya after the capital Nairobi and it has a major port and international airport.听These, along with a thriving tourism industry, mean the area has some wealth, but many children slip through the net.

The school is full, teaching boys aged between 4 and 20 - all of whom lived on the streets.听While living rough many of the boys had become addicted to glue.

The school also offered to help them beat their addictions, but only if they made the approach themselves and asked for help.听Jenny said one of the most shocking experiences she faced was seeing a nine year old boy who was high.

"We'd gone out in Mombasa to talk to the boys and build relationships with them.听It brought home some of the realities of the lives the boys we were teaching had had.

"But seeing a nine year old boy high on glue was probably my lowest point out there.听 They do it so secretively.听They get glue from a shoemakers, put it in water bottles and hid it under their jackets.听 It was shocking."

Football shirts from Ipswich

But the experience wasn't just a depressing one. Jenny also took donated football shirts and balls out with her and says the simple act of giving went a long way to highlight the importance of the simple things in life.

Shirts had been donated by teams from Ipswich and Brandon. Other schools in Mombasa received new kits including Junju and Kishanzu schools.

"They had a tired old football which I managed to swop with one which had been donated.听When the new sparkly ball appeared I will never forget the smiles on their faces.

"It was like all their Christmases had come at once."

Jenny Treacher appeared on Luke Deal's show on 大象传媒 Radio Suffolk on Sundays 0600-0900.