Slow Burn: Teaching Responsiblity, Self-Respect, and Compassion with Fire

December 12, 2009

Mato and Will at the Lamu Festival in  Kenya.

So the plan was…. To start making the top two performing street living boys some money (so that they could be living off the street and helping other children). We did. And after a month of doing so, I came to realize that not only are they not living in a new home and off the streets as promised – they aren’t even interested in living off the streets and have spent all their money on drugs. I didn’t expect them to be off drugs but it hurts that they had been lying to me for so long.

We had just gotten invited to perform at a hotel – and the boys were nearly an hour late. We were going to miss the show completely. I could not call them because they refuse to spend their earnings on a cell phone. Finally they show up and are visibly intoxicated.

I guess at this point I should have know better and perhaps been keeping a closer track of what they were doing with the money. I would simply ask – have you found a house yet? And they would answer – no but we are still looking. After that day I went and looked for the houses myself – there were many affordable homes given what they were making off MotoMoto. So the next day at practice I talked with them about all this. They got defensive, said I was disrespecting them, trying to change them and they had gotten all they need from MotoMoto and will continue by themselves (which is good!). I explained that I was not a typical employer and was finding them shows and training them in order to help them off the street – which they told me they wanted. So the next day I have them both a set of poi and wished them well. I think it’s actually progress … but we’ll see.

A duet.

In the mean time – without the two boys Martin and I performed at the Malindi Music Festival for Children – it was a great – and the paperwork for the new MotoMoto organization goes through Monday as well as the beginning of a new class focusing on women’s empowerment (given the practice space comes through).

I guess I knew this already: giving money to people living on the street isn’t going to solve their problems. … Which is why I was giving them some skills and employment …. while I think they did get a lot from MotoMoto and I think/hope they will continue on….. all the money that was raised really did nothing to help them off the streets. So – what? For now I am still working with the younger kids, not to find them jobs, just to be with them and have fun. – And I am also excited about this women’s group of fire spinners starting. I think job creation is a great thing – but now I realize how much more important responsibility, self respect and compassion are before heading straight to jobs. All in all I think I was just pushing too fast. I could still see there being an advanced performance group, who have their act together, that people could join – but in order to get in its going to be a much slower process.

Martin’s not clowning around.

In order to keep funding the charity shows and equipment (paraffin and poi). I am starting to sell safari bags on commission to stores that cater to tourists next week – while teaching fire spinning at night. My hope is that the new organization will be able to get some grant money and pay me to teach.

-Will

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