A Digital Zine of the YMCA Exchange Program – Hong Kong & Taiwan with Kenya

They call me Kicheko Fest. I didn’t choose the name. Like rain on tin roofs, nicknames fall on you whether you like them or not — and they stick. C’est la vie. Such is life.

I’m a volunteer at YMCA Central Branch, and this year, I was called to help host visitors from Hong Kong and Taiwan. For a boy whose only images of Hong Kong were Jackie Chan stunts and Donnie Yen kicks on screen, this was something else. Suddenly, the screen became real life — young people stepping off a plane, not in a movie fight scene, but in Nairobi.

The Arrival – Hong Kong Team (24th – 30th July 2025)

Their flight kissed Kenyan soil at 17:15 hours. Out walked faces full of curiosity — young, handsome, beautiful human beings carrying with them a world unknown to me.

The next day, introductions flowed. They spoke; we spoke. Between names and laughter, worlds collided. I gave one of my new friends an African name: Kimani. Now somewhere in the neon-lit streets of Hong Kong, there’s a “Kimani” strolling around. In return, they gave me a Chinese name that twisted my tongue like chapati dough. Hehehe.

We sat in workshops on polygamy, GBV, human rights, and social justice. Heavy topics, yes, but spoken in ways that felt like seeds planted in all of us.

We explored the National Museum of Kenya, wandered the bustling city, and stepped into Kibera. There, at YMCA Kibera Primary School, our visitors played with children, taught them culture, danced, and laughed. The kids beamed — proof that joy is a universal language.

We also visited Muthua Uthiru Women’s Organization, listening to the stories of women in informal settlements — their resilience, their daily battles. At Maasai Mara, we camped, ate together, swapped languages under starlit skies. In those moments, the world felt small, like a circle of friends.

And then, as all good things do, it ended. On 30th July 2025 at 4:35 pm, they boarded their flight back home. Kenya was quieter that night.

 A New Chapter – Taiwan Team (5th – 10th August 2025)

Before the scent of jet fuel had faded, another team was announced: Taiwan.

They came, seventeen strong, stepping into YMCA Central Branch with fresh smiles and open hearts. Our first meeting was in the boardroom. After greetings, breakfast, and laughter, we dove into culture.

We taught them Kiswahili: not just the touristy Jambo, but the poetry of our daily lives. Habari ya asubuhi. Niaje? Poa sanaa. They picked it up fast, rolling words on their tongues like new flavors. They even knew some Sheng thanks to AI — and you know what, they were naturals.

From there, it was games, bonding, and lessons that made strangers into siblings.

 Learning Together

We took them to YMCA Kibera Primary School. Although schools were on break, the children and teachers gathered, their eyes wide with excitement.

We taught geography — continents stretching across the world like patchwork quilts. They taught us about Taiwan, smaller than Nairobi and Kiambu combined, yet pulsing with energy, an Asian economic giant.

Lessons turned into laughter. From menstrual hygiene to yellow fever awareness, from making reusable sanitary towels to dancing with candy rewards — education became play, and play became memory.

 At KYCAT – Farming Lessons

On the last day, we traveled to KYCAT Agricultural College. The cold air greeted us first, then warm smiles. What we thought would be theory turned into muddy, hands-on life.

We visited zero-grazing sheds, cleaned pigsties, and drank milk fresh from cows — milk that tasted like nature’s hug. We learned about smart farming, uprooted weeds by hand, and walked through tea plantations. Work, sweat, laughter — all blended into something unforgettable.

 The Heart of It All

The Taiwan team surprised us with personalized appreciation cards. Small papers, but heavy with love. It felt unfair — how do you give back to people who’ve already given you so much?

By day three, the bond was tight. They treated us like family. We ate, played, and laughed like long-lost cousins. They asked, “Will you join us at the museum? The park? Maasai Mara?” My heart screamed yes, though time and roles whispered no.

 Reflections & Farewell

From Hong Kong to Taiwan, from Kibera to Maasai Mara — these exchanges were more than programs. They were bridges. Bridges of song, of food, of laughter, of learning.

From ignorance to insight, from strangers to siblings — I stand proud to say: we built a family without borders.

謝謝你 (xièxiè nǐ) to our Taiwan family. You didn’t just visit Kenya — you left footprints on our soil, and pieces of your heart with us.

And to our Hong Kong friends — Kimani is waiting when you return.