The Salopian Summer 2023

56
SCHOOL NEWS
RESTART AFRICA
Shrewsbury has recently committed to supporting Restart Africa
as our overseas charity for at least five years. Giles Bell explains why.
Over the last few years, I have
found myself a regular visitor to
Kenya in my role as an Admissions
Tutor at Shrewsbury. Two hours north
of Nairobi in a small town called
Gilgil, there is a prep school I go to
visit called Pembroke House, and it
was there that I was first introduced
to the inspirational Mary Coulson. Her
work with the orphans and abandoned
children in Gilgil led to the beginnings
of a beacon of hope for children who,
until they arrive at Restart, have none.
I was lucky enough to stay with Mary
and hear from her at first-hand how she
came to start a charity from scratch that
now feeds, clothes, educates and above
all offers sanctuary and security for over
100 children.
It is hard not to be deeply moved
by the stories Mary told me about
the traumas that children were
experiencing after the horrific postelection
violence in 2008, which had
resulted in over a thousand deaths
and more than 500,000 people being
displaced from their homes and
villages, with a large number ending up
in Gilgil. Many of them were children
who had been orphaned, abandoned,
or driven out of their homes by parents
who could no longer support them.
They suffered starvation, physical and
sexual abuse at the hands of gangs on
the streets, or sometimes their own
families.
Mary was so horrified by the growing
number of street children that she felt
compelled to do something about
it. She found a modest property to
rent and initially gave shelter to just
six boys, providing refuge for those
desperately in need: Restart Africa had
been born.
The original buildings were in a poor
state of repair, with the boys all in one
dormitory room crammed with bunk
beds, often sleeping two to a bunk. The
toilets were primitive and everything
was a challenge, but the children
were fed regular meals, received an
education and were safe from the
horrors they had endured on the
streets. As time went on, Restart also
started to take in girls, many of whom
had suffered horrific sexual abuse. The
number of children eventually swelled
to over 100, ages ranging from just a
few months old to youths in their late
teens. The old Restart building was
bursting at the seams and became unfit
for purpose.
Just before Christmas 2014, the children
moved into a new Centre which was to
be their new home. I first visited Restart
in June 2015 and was bowled over by
the warmth of my reception and by the
smart new buildings, but above all by
the enthusiasm and welcoming smiles
of the inhabitants. I immediately found
myself being taken by the hand and
proudly shown round the premises
by a little girl called Paulina. She was
very keen on my hat and laughed a lot.
She told me that the best thing about
living at Restart is that she feels loved.
Another little boy called William told
me that he loves his life now as he can
play football and he knows that people
care about him. He reiterated those
sentiments in front of a judge who
was trying his father for murdering his
mother. The judge, wiping away his
tears, told the courtroom that Restart
had clearly done a fantastic job looking
after this young boy who had seen so
much violence and experienced so
much suffering so young.
The charity’s motto is ‘Think not what
you are, but what you can become’,
and underlines the belief that, given
the love and opportunity that Restart
provides, the children there will all
have bright futures.
There are strong links between
Shrewsbury School and Restart. Jules
Winkley, Anna Peak and I are all
Trustees of the UK branch, and the
Chair of the Trustees is Chris Conway,
whom many members of the Salopian
community will remember fondly
in his previous guises as a member