It’s Wednesday night and we are back in Nairobi after two nights at Sweetwaters. We remained captivated by the ever-changing animals at the water hole in front of the Sweetwaters tents– but also went on three journeys out into the preserve itself. Pictures are the only way to show you what we’ve seen (hopefully Frank will have those posted on Facebook by tomorrow!)… but here is a short recap:
· Incredible birds – from tiny yellow weaverbirds, to the iridescent blue “superb starlings”, to the black and white tail-wagger bird (that Meg called the zebra bird), to a completely homely (even ugly) stork that stood 3 feet high and repeatedly visited our dining table (sooo glad for the glass that separated us from him!)… tawny eagles – and more!
· Many, many giraffes (my favorite!)
· Gazelles (small - Thomson’s and large - Grant’s)
· Impalas, Elands, Bushboks… & other deer-like creatures whose names I don’t remember
· Cape Buffalo (very ugly and very aggressive)
· Rhinos (white & black varieties... almost prehistoric looking)
· Zebras, zebras, zebras
· Chimps & baboons! And so many with babies riding on their backs… we all wanted to take one home!
· Warthogs – my second favorite… and we saw dozens and dozens of them! Such a unattractive animal – sparse hair, legs too small for their bodies (reminds me of a bobble-doll the way the thick body rests atop the stick-like legs)…. And that is to say nothing of their faces. But the way they travel in lines, with their tails upright as they trot off in a cloud of dust is just hilarious. I love watching them!
· No lions…
· Our final sighting came as we rounded a sharp turn to head back to the tents – and found ourselves face-to-face with a huge, old elephant. Elephants are known to charge cars… so Julius calmly put the van in reverse and slowly backed away as the elephant continued to lumber forward. What a spectacular end to our Sweetwater journey!
We have all vowed to watch the Lion King movie when we get home…we have lived it these past two days!
Thursday, July 2, 2009
Sweetwaters
We were up early today (Monday) for the start of our journey home. After a nine hour drive – on every kind of road surface from lined highways to rocky & dusty dirt roads, we arrived at Sweetwaters, a camp at the foot of Mount Kenya… I am writing tonight from a tent less than 100 feet from a watering hole inside a game preserve. All that separates us from the open preserve is a small trench with a wire fence down inside the gulley, to give us a completely unrestricted view of everything in front of us…. And the sights have been breathtaking! We entered the area about five this evening and were still in sight of the main gate when we spotted our first giraffes! They are probably my favorite of all the wild animals – so stately, so silent. Julius, our driver, circled the van around after one giraffe crossed the road, so we had a perfect view of the giraffe silhouetted against Mount Kenya – what a picture, perfect for a postcard! We saw a number of other giraffes as we drove in, plus gazelles, wart hogs and countless beautiful birds (including Meg’s favorite, the superb starling – shaped like our black starling, but colored a bright, iridescent teal blue with an orange & white underbelly).
We quickly settled into our green canvas tents situated under the acacia trees – the tents have thatched roofs, comfortable furniture and HOT WATER (so we are only marginally “roughing it”). We then went to the lodge for a cup of tea before dinner. While we were having tea by a real fireplace (with the higher altitude, it’s quite chilly here), a staff member suggested we step outside to the watering hole – to see giraffes. And the sight was unbelievable – it was dark, but with the spotlight, it was easy to see twelve giraffes drinking from the watering hole less than 50 feet away. We watched in awe as they bent their long necks to drink. Back inside the lodge (only footsteps from the watering hole) we had a fabulous dinner – Frank even dared the fresh salads.
As the evening has progressed, a steady stream of animals has come to the water hole and then moved on – giraffes, zebras, wart hogs, gazelles… and about 11:30 two rhinos came by…twice one began to charge the other with bellows and pawing front feet. One rhino finally ran off into the dark and shortly thereafter the second walked the length of the tents facing the water hole and then faded into the blackness of night. We are in awe of the beauty and majesty what we have witnessed tonight.
We quickly settled into our green canvas tents situated under the acacia trees – the tents have thatched roofs, comfortable furniture and HOT WATER (so we are only marginally “roughing it”). We then went to the lodge for a cup of tea before dinner. While we were having tea by a real fireplace (with the higher altitude, it’s quite chilly here), a staff member suggested we step outside to the watering hole – to see giraffes. And the sight was unbelievable – it was dark, but with the spotlight, it was easy to see twelve giraffes drinking from the watering hole less than 50 feet away. We watched in awe as they bent their long necks to drink. Back inside the lodge (only footsteps from the watering hole) we had a fabulous dinner – Frank even dared the fresh salads.
As the evening has progressed, a steady stream of animals has come to the water hole and then moved on – giraffes, zebras, wart hogs, gazelles… and about 11:30 two rhinos came by…twice one began to charge the other with bellows and pawing front feet. One rhino finally ran off into the dark and shortly thereafter the second walked the length of the tents facing the water hole and then faded into the blackness of night. We are in awe of the beauty and majesty what we have witnessed tonight.
Flip Flops galore
Today was our last day at Reach-Out – but I must first update you on the Orange Palace (aka the Impala Resort) that has been our home while in Kisumu. Jeanne & Meg are sharing a bedroom that opens directly onto a community living room and Frank & I are in a room that opens directly from the other side. We’ve realized that the “living room” is not only used by hotel guests, but that it also serves as a hang-out for “locals”. Groups of men have gathered with beers to watch soccer matches on the TV in the room…. sometimes until late into the night. This morning we woke up to find a woman sleeping on the sofa there… and shortly afterward, a man joined her – and they had breakfast together, she had eggs; he had a Tusker beer (this was all before 8 am). Dogs in the next compound bark viciously and loudly at night. Meghan killed a two pound roach yesterday in her room – we were all in awe of her bravery. We have been approached by everyone on the staff for money (including the manager!). And as I write tonight, there are about 6 men in the room just outside our door drinking and watching TV. I can’t believe we have been in this place for five days.
So back to our day… we found the Kisumu church this morning – about 30 people who worship in a school building inside one of the slum areas on the south side of the city. As we have become so accustomed to, the people were wonderfully kind and welcoming. They sang some songs familiar to us, but also sang traditional songs, complete with drums, whistles and shouts – really wonderful to listen to, even though we could understand nothing.
In the travels to & from church, we passed through downtown Kisumu and saw a number of buildings that had been destroyed or damaged by the post-election violence last year. This was an area that had been particularly hard hit by the unrest and it sounds like the area is still ethnically unsettled in many ways.
Then to Reach-Out… the families had been told to come to the center on Sunday afternoon – and by the time we arrived shortly after noon, the compound was teeming with children. No school uniforms today – many were in “Sunday clothes”, some native dresses, other in dirty play clothes. We blew up four of our eight beach balls and Frank (ever the camp counselor), quickly had two large circles of children playing keep-away with double balls. I just loved the sounds of laughter and fun!
While the balls were in motion, Jeanne, Meg & I set out the flip flops in one of the classrooms – and generally grouped them by sizes. We had about 200 pairs to give away, plus just a dozen or so sneakers. We also bought “biscuits” (cookies) and soda for all the children. I’m not sure that was the best choice, nutritionally, but today was meant to be a day of fun & celebration and Hezekiah suggested it. When it became too hot to continue the ball games, we got out bottles and bottles of bubbles – again, so much fun! Once the flip flops, biscuits and sodas were in place, Isaac (who is among the first three Reach-Out orphans who graduated from Form 4 and will begin at the university in the fall) called out the households by name/number. In a somewhat orderly fashion, Meghan, Frank, Maureen (the social worker), and later Rachel (another Reach-Out orphan & graduate who will begin at a technical school this fall) helped each child find appropriate shoes… then Jeanne & Peggy took photos to update all our US records… and I passed out the biscuits, cut the tags off the shoes and sent the children back out the door.
The flip flop distribution took about three hours… after all the children in the Reach-Out community had been served, we still had a few pairs of shoes & lots of biscuits left, so we let some other children from outside the community into the room to select shoes. One little boy of about 7 or 8 came in with such a sad face…barefoot, so dusty and dirty, and with an odd outfit of threadbare and torn clothing. I found shoes for him, and then remembered we had a small amount of clothing we had planned to give Hezekiah for distribution at his discretion (since there was not enough for a general distribution). I found the little boy two shirts (including a red Georgia Bulldog shirt) and a pair of shorts, then gave him a double portion of biscuits. So sadly, he never smiled, never responded to a touch… and I was unable to get his name. I can only hope that he remembers Reach-Out as a place that welcomed & helped him and that he comes back again. He was such a lost little soul.
It was early evening when we made our last trip to Mama Grace’s house… this time to redeliver shoes (in correct sizes) and to give Mama Grace her new dress… and say our goodbyes. Lots of hugs and smiles as the girls put on their shoes, Mama Grace put on her new green dress (which she put on right over top of her current clothing). She mentioned something the day before about how old she was getting (finally learned yesterday that she is 75… ancient for this part of Africa). I was so glad that Frank reassured her that we would continue to look out after the girls – I know that eased her fears for their well-being after she was gone.
We said many, many goodbyes as evening approached… to Mama Grace and the girls, to all the secondary school girls (in their dorm), to the kitchen staff, to the headmaster of the primary school and to the principal of the secondary school, to Maureen & Isaac… and to Hezekiah. Four days – completely packed with children, visits, and planning for the future. A deeply rewarding and wonderfully satisfying time… we could have stayed so much longer – but what we had and did seemed just right.
From Reach-Out, we went for a quick view of Lake Victoria (at Kiboko Bay - the same place we went on our first trip, for those who were with us…) – a beautiful view of the lake and the big islands in the center… Uganda lay just beyond. We didn’t stay for dinner, but had drinks on an outside table and celebrated a great time at Reach-Out.
We should have ended the evening on that very positive note, but instead returned to the Impala Resort for dinner, which we had ordered that morning. Very marginal dinner on a number of fronts… and by the end we were in tears laughing at our stay here. In general, we decided that Africa isn’t for sissies… and for a final time, went to bed in our orange rooms with our orange bathing buckets – with all the men just outside our doors, watching TV.
So back to our day… we found the Kisumu church this morning – about 30 people who worship in a school building inside one of the slum areas on the south side of the city. As we have become so accustomed to, the people were wonderfully kind and welcoming. They sang some songs familiar to us, but also sang traditional songs, complete with drums, whistles and shouts – really wonderful to listen to, even though we could understand nothing.
In the travels to & from church, we passed through downtown Kisumu and saw a number of buildings that had been destroyed or damaged by the post-election violence last year. This was an area that had been particularly hard hit by the unrest and it sounds like the area is still ethnically unsettled in many ways.
Then to Reach-Out… the families had been told to come to the center on Sunday afternoon – and by the time we arrived shortly after noon, the compound was teeming with children. No school uniforms today – many were in “Sunday clothes”, some native dresses, other in dirty play clothes. We blew up four of our eight beach balls and Frank (ever the camp counselor), quickly had two large circles of children playing keep-away with double balls. I just loved the sounds of laughter and fun!
While the balls were in motion, Jeanne, Meg & I set out the flip flops in one of the classrooms – and generally grouped them by sizes. We had about 200 pairs to give away, plus just a dozen or so sneakers. We also bought “biscuits” (cookies) and soda for all the children. I’m not sure that was the best choice, nutritionally, but today was meant to be a day of fun & celebration and Hezekiah suggested it. When it became too hot to continue the ball games, we got out bottles and bottles of bubbles – again, so much fun! Once the flip flops, biscuits and sodas were in place, Isaac (who is among the first three Reach-Out orphans who graduated from Form 4 and will begin at the university in the fall) called out the households by name/number. In a somewhat orderly fashion, Meghan, Frank, Maureen (the social worker), and later Rachel (another Reach-Out orphan & graduate who will begin at a technical school this fall) helped each child find appropriate shoes… then Jeanne & Peggy took photos to update all our US records… and I passed out the biscuits, cut the tags off the shoes and sent the children back out the door.
The flip flop distribution took about three hours… after all the children in the Reach-Out community had been served, we still had a few pairs of shoes & lots of biscuits left, so we let some other children from outside the community into the room to select shoes. One little boy of about 7 or 8 came in with such a sad face…barefoot, so dusty and dirty, and with an odd outfit of threadbare and torn clothing. I found shoes for him, and then remembered we had a small amount of clothing we had planned to give Hezekiah for distribution at his discretion (since there was not enough for a general distribution). I found the little boy two shirts (including a red Georgia Bulldog shirt) and a pair of shorts, then gave him a double portion of biscuits. So sadly, he never smiled, never responded to a touch… and I was unable to get his name. I can only hope that he remembers Reach-Out as a place that welcomed & helped him and that he comes back again. He was such a lost little soul.
It was early evening when we made our last trip to Mama Grace’s house… this time to redeliver shoes (in correct sizes) and to give Mama Grace her new dress… and say our goodbyes. Lots of hugs and smiles as the girls put on their shoes, Mama Grace put on her new green dress (which she put on right over top of her current clothing). She mentioned something the day before about how old she was getting (finally learned yesterday that she is 75… ancient for this part of Africa). I was so glad that Frank reassured her that we would continue to look out after the girls – I know that eased her fears for their well-being after she was gone.
We said many, many goodbyes as evening approached… to Mama Grace and the girls, to all the secondary school girls (in their dorm), to the kitchen staff, to the headmaster of the primary school and to the principal of the secondary school, to Maureen & Isaac… and to Hezekiah. Four days – completely packed with children, visits, and planning for the future. A deeply rewarding and wonderfully satisfying time… we could have stayed so much longer – but what we had and did seemed just right.
From Reach-Out, we went for a quick view of Lake Victoria (at Kiboko Bay - the same place we went on our first trip, for those who were with us…) – a beautiful view of the lake and the big islands in the center… Uganda lay just beyond. We didn’t stay for dinner, but had drinks on an outside table and celebrated a great time at Reach-Out.
We should have ended the evening on that very positive note, but instead returned to the Impala Resort for dinner, which we had ordered that morning. Very marginal dinner on a number of fronts… and by the end we were in tears laughing at our stay here. In general, we decided that Africa isn’t for sissies… and for a final time, went to bed in our orange rooms with our orange bathing buckets – with all the men just outside our doors, watching TV.
A lottery winner in Kisumu
Our third day at Reach-Out – Saturday. Pam McQuide flew in from Nairobi this morning (where she is still unpacking boxes from her recent move there). The plan was to have a joint meeting of the US Advisory Board and the Kenyan Board of Directors for Reach-Out. The meeting involved Frank, Jeanne, Peggy, Pam and me plus the Kenyan board… Meghan had other plans for the day!
The advisory board meeting was long (about 4 hours), but such a valuable time. Hezekiah presented his strategic plan for 2010 – 2015… and he is indeed a visionary thinker. Overall, he dreams of a comprehensive program that supports not only the orphans of the Reach-Out community by meeting their short-term needs of food, school & safety… but he also envisions programs that continue to build the capacity of the community (for example, vocational training, an expanded farming program, making the school a true community center – and generating income by renting out the facilities to other community members).
I learned some things that made me so proud of the work that is going on… One of the board members is a teacher in a nearby primary school and said that the Reach-Out EDC (day care) children are often the highest area scorers on the admission test that every child must take prior to beginning primary school. Hezekiah explained that Reach-Out was one of the few day care centers that provided food for the children during their time in school. This not only helps the children stay alert and able to learn… it also is a motivation for attendance (they know they will have at least one meal for the day if they go to school). Hezekiah also described several families (including that of the director of national library sciences for Nyanza Province) who have asked to enroll their children at the Dr. El-Hefni School because of the low teacher-student ratio that Reach-Out maintains and because of the positive attitude of the students.
As a final decision for the day, the board made plans to use funding provided by our largest contributor to fully support the 6 Reach-Out students who are the first to finish high school at the Dr. El-Hefni School and be admitted into a university or to a technical school (3 will go to Moi University in Eldoret & 3 will go to a local polytechnic institute in Kisumu). We also discussed the establishment of a scholarship fund to begin planning for future graduates. Overall, a great meeting.
In follow-up to our meeting, Jeanne let Hezekiah know that she had found someone from the states to sponsor Yvonne (the butterfly), which will help pay for her secondary school fees. Yvonne’s reaction was poignant, heartfelt – and one of complete and unrestrained exuberance – you would have thought that she won the lottery… which in many ways, she had. Who would have thought a young, total orphan in rural Kenya could have been connected with a school administrator in Connecticut? ….her future changed in that moment. Yvonne literally jumped into Hezekiah’s arms, and then hugged everyone near her… and finally Jeanne, who had helped make the connection – with screams of thanks and tears of joy. It was a priceless moment for us all.
Meg’s Day (from Meghan herself):
While the adults were in their advisory meeting I spent the day in the “computer lab” (the lab is an empty room because they are waiting for electricity) with about eight or so of the high school girls. We started the time by teaching each other church songs. One song they tried to teach me was a song in Swahili that talked about building your foundation on Jesus and then I tried to teach them “This Little Light of Mine.” After church songs we got a little off track and started singing Celine Dion songs (they loved her) and “We Belong Together” by Mariah Carey. I couldn’t believe how many American songs they knew, but then they told me that they are able to watch MTV sometimes. Hopefully that show isn’t the only view they see of America. After a couple hours of singing songs they tried to get me to teach them salsa, but I had no idea what I was doing. Instead, I taught them all the Macarena. It was definitely fun to see about eight girls from Africa doing the Macarena with me.
After a couple hours of entertaining ourselves I had them sit down for a little counseling time. On top of a piece of paper I had them write a dream or goal they had for themselves or what career they would want for themselves. Most of the girls wrote “Journalism”, “Accounting” or “Lawyer.” On the next line I had each girl write how they were going to attain that goal like working hard in school and getting extra help on classes that were hard for them. Then we talked about some things that may hinder us from that goal. Most girls wrote about getting in the wrong crowd, they’re hard family pasts and things like drugs, alcohol and pregnancy. I talked to them about using a counselor and for using their pasts as stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks to their future. I then talked about ways to say “no” to peer pressure and about having different groups of friends so if you’re friends decide to do something that you don’t want to do you can always have another group of friends to be with. The biggest thing I talked to them about was using their dream or goal as I driving force, “I will study hard because I want to be an accountant” or “no, I will not do drugs because I want to be a lawyer.” It was amazing to see how the girls responded to the activity and I really think it at least made them think about their actions and their dreams.
Back to Mom:
The final stop of the day was back to Mama Grace’s home – to deliver the shoes. The stick-method of shopping did not serve us well. Only one of the four pairs of shoes we bought actually fit (and only because we gave Marguerite’s smaller sized shoes to Emily). Irene’s shoes were obviously too big, but she initially insisted they fit. Once we realized that she was fearful that if she gave the shoes up, she might not get anything back, we worked to ease her fears with a promise to return tomorrow with shoes that fit.
So we ended the day again at the Nakumatt… exchanging the shoes (how do you explain to someone who speaks only broken English that the shoes were dusty because they were tried on in a mud hut with a dirt floor… I still think he thought I was returning used shoes). A repeat dinner at the same “American style” restaurant we had eaten in the night before… and again, home to our orange beds and orange buckets of warm water…I am into double digits counting my days without a hot shower.
The advisory board meeting was long (about 4 hours), but such a valuable time. Hezekiah presented his strategic plan for 2010 – 2015… and he is indeed a visionary thinker. Overall, he dreams of a comprehensive program that supports not only the orphans of the Reach-Out community by meeting their short-term needs of food, school & safety… but he also envisions programs that continue to build the capacity of the community (for example, vocational training, an expanded farming program, making the school a true community center – and generating income by renting out the facilities to other community members).
I learned some things that made me so proud of the work that is going on… One of the board members is a teacher in a nearby primary school and said that the Reach-Out EDC (day care) children are often the highest area scorers on the admission test that every child must take prior to beginning primary school. Hezekiah explained that Reach-Out was one of the few day care centers that provided food for the children during their time in school. This not only helps the children stay alert and able to learn… it also is a motivation for attendance (they know they will have at least one meal for the day if they go to school). Hezekiah also described several families (including that of the director of national library sciences for Nyanza Province) who have asked to enroll their children at the Dr. El-Hefni School because of the low teacher-student ratio that Reach-Out maintains and because of the positive attitude of the students.
As a final decision for the day, the board made plans to use funding provided by our largest contributor to fully support the 6 Reach-Out students who are the first to finish high school at the Dr. El-Hefni School and be admitted into a university or to a technical school (3 will go to Moi University in Eldoret & 3 will go to a local polytechnic institute in Kisumu). We also discussed the establishment of a scholarship fund to begin planning for future graduates. Overall, a great meeting.
In follow-up to our meeting, Jeanne let Hezekiah know that she had found someone from the states to sponsor Yvonne (the butterfly), which will help pay for her secondary school fees. Yvonne’s reaction was poignant, heartfelt – and one of complete and unrestrained exuberance – you would have thought that she won the lottery… which in many ways, she had. Who would have thought a young, total orphan in rural Kenya could have been connected with a school administrator in Connecticut? ….her future changed in that moment. Yvonne literally jumped into Hezekiah’s arms, and then hugged everyone near her… and finally Jeanne, who had helped make the connection – with screams of thanks and tears of joy. It was a priceless moment for us all.
Meg’s Day (from Meghan herself):
While the adults were in their advisory meeting I spent the day in the “computer lab” (the lab is an empty room because they are waiting for electricity) with about eight or so of the high school girls. We started the time by teaching each other church songs. One song they tried to teach me was a song in Swahili that talked about building your foundation on Jesus and then I tried to teach them “This Little Light of Mine.” After church songs we got a little off track and started singing Celine Dion songs (they loved her) and “We Belong Together” by Mariah Carey. I couldn’t believe how many American songs they knew, but then they told me that they are able to watch MTV sometimes. Hopefully that show isn’t the only view they see of America. After a couple hours of singing songs they tried to get me to teach them salsa, but I had no idea what I was doing. Instead, I taught them all the Macarena. It was definitely fun to see about eight girls from Africa doing the Macarena with me.
After a couple hours of entertaining ourselves I had them sit down for a little counseling time. On top of a piece of paper I had them write a dream or goal they had for themselves or what career they would want for themselves. Most of the girls wrote “Journalism”, “Accounting” or “Lawyer.” On the next line I had each girl write how they were going to attain that goal like working hard in school and getting extra help on classes that were hard for them. Then we talked about some things that may hinder us from that goal. Most girls wrote about getting in the wrong crowd, they’re hard family pasts and things like drugs, alcohol and pregnancy. I talked to them about using a counselor and for using their pasts as stepping stones rather than stumbling blocks to their future. I then talked about ways to say “no” to peer pressure and about having different groups of friends so if you’re friends decide to do something that you don’t want to do you can always have another group of friends to be with. The biggest thing I talked to them about was using their dream or goal as I driving force, “I will study hard because I want to be an accountant” or “no, I will not do drugs because I want to be a lawyer.” It was amazing to see how the girls responded to the activity and I really think it at least made them think about their actions and their dreams.
Back to Mom:
The final stop of the day was back to Mama Grace’s home – to deliver the shoes. The stick-method of shopping did not serve us well. Only one of the four pairs of shoes we bought actually fit (and only because we gave Marguerite’s smaller sized shoes to Emily). Irene’s shoes were obviously too big, but she initially insisted they fit. Once we realized that she was fearful that if she gave the shoes up, she might not get anything back, we worked to ease her fears with a promise to return tomorrow with shoes that fit.
So we ended the day again at the Nakumatt… exchanging the shoes (how do you explain to someone who speaks only broken English that the shoes were dusty because they were tried on in a mud hut with a dirt floor… I still think he thought I was returning used shoes). A repeat dinner at the same “American style” restaurant we had eaten in the night before… and again, home to our orange beds and orange buckets of warm water…I am into double digits counting my days without a hot shower.
Wednesday, July 1, 2009
Mama Grace and damask sheets?
Our second full day at Reach-Out! Meg & I did two more sessions of the “Great Child” program –another one with a second group of secondary students and one with a group of the primary students (all girls) – again, the responses were so positive and the “deputy head teacher” of the primary school joined us for the final session. She will begin pursuit of her masters in psych & early childhood development in the fall and was very interested in the program. She will take it to the other teachers and hopefully will continue to promote the development of a positive self-esteem among all the students.
Frank, Jeanne & Peggy spent the early part of the day planning their strategy for taking updated photos of all the Reach-Out children and documenting some more personal information – all to improve communication with their sponsors (or potential sponsors). Late in the afternoon (once primary children had completed school for the day), they went on a number of home visits with the help of Isaac & Maureen (who served as guides and translators).
Frank, Meg & I visited Mama Grace for the first time on Friday… she is such a beautiful, but weathered soul. Her skin is very dark and looks like shiny worn leather; her eyes are dimmed with age, but her smile and warm greeting is priceless. As on previous visits, she called me her daughter… the “last born in her home”. She is a tiny woman who has borne many burdens in her life, including the loss of her husband and children. But I’m sure she considers raising her two granddaughters and a third unrelated orphan girl, a joy and not a burden. Their home is a short walk outside the Reach-Out compound… by goats and a maize field… and past lots of curious barefooted children, some who look as young as six or seven carrying a still younger, often close-to-naked, sibling on their hips. Mama Grace’s home is only a mud and stick hut with a thatched roof and dirt floor, but it is filled with love – and inside there were beautiful new white chalk floral designs that covered the dark brown mud walls… we later learned they were Irene’s work. Really very beautiful! Emily and Marguerite were as transformed as Irene – both are in primary school now. I last remembered Marguerite (in 2006) as just bigger than a toddler wearing a dirty lace party dress (someone’s hand-me-down outfit, I’m sure)… she was sick, but let Kate hold her for the better part of a day. We finally got her to the clinic and with medicine she was much better by the second day – and quietly loyal to Kate for the rest of our visit. Today she was a healthy-looking, giggly little girl. Emily too was bright, expressive and looked so healthy! Mama Grace asked for glasses (which Meg had already purchased back in the US for her) and shoes… and it was readily apparent that the girls were sorely in need of shoes as well. We took sticks & broke them into lengths that matched their feet – and later that evening we went into the local Nakumatt with our sticks to buy shoes for everyone in the family. The man at the Nakumatt who helped us select the shoes didn’t seem surprised at all by the stick-shopping technique… maybe it’s a routine way to shop?
It was quite late when we finished shopping - nearly 9 – and we hadn’t had dinner yet… so found a small restaurant near the Nakumatt and what a surprise – it was almost “American” … we had pizza (not Brixx, but better than anything we’ve had thus far in Kisumu) – and the service was quick! We were so happy that we celebrated with ice cream for dessert!
Then back to our Orange Palace for a bath (in a bucket) and bed… oh, did I tell you? Last night our bottom sheet had a damask pattern on it… the top sheet & pillows didn’t match, which made me think we were likely sleeping on tablecloths….
Frank, Jeanne & Peggy spent the early part of the day planning their strategy for taking updated photos of all the Reach-Out children and documenting some more personal information – all to improve communication with their sponsors (or potential sponsors). Late in the afternoon (once primary children had completed school for the day), they went on a number of home visits with the help of Isaac & Maureen (who served as guides and translators).
Frank, Meg & I visited Mama Grace for the first time on Friday… she is such a beautiful, but weathered soul. Her skin is very dark and looks like shiny worn leather; her eyes are dimmed with age, but her smile and warm greeting is priceless. As on previous visits, she called me her daughter… the “last born in her home”. She is a tiny woman who has borne many burdens in her life, including the loss of her husband and children. But I’m sure she considers raising her two granddaughters and a third unrelated orphan girl, a joy and not a burden. Their home is a short walk outside the Reach-Out compound… by goats and a maize field… and past lots of curious barefooted children, some who look as young as six or seven carrying a still younger, often close-to-naked, sibling on their hips. Mama Grace’s home is only a mud and stick hut with a thatched roof and dirt floor, but it is filled with love – and inside there were beautiful new white chalk floral designs that covered the dark brown mud walls… we later learned they were Irene’s work. Really very beautiful! Emily and Marguerite were as transformed as Irene – both are in primary school now. I last remembered Marguerite (in 2006) as just bigger than a toddler wearing a dirty lace party dress (someone’s hand-me-down outfit, I’m sure)… she was sick, but let Kate hold her for the better part of a day. We finally got her to the clinic and with medicine she was much better by the second day – and quietly loyal to Kate for the rest of our visit. Today she was a healthy-looking, giggly little girl. Emily too was bright, expressive and looked so healthy! Mama Grace asked for glasses (which Meg had already purchased back in the US for her) and shoes… and it was readily apparent that the girls were sorely in need of shoes as well. We took sticks & broke them into lengths that matched their feet – and later that evening we went into the local Nakumatt with our sticks to buy shoes for everyone in the family. The man at the Nakumatt who helped us select the shoes didn’t seem surprised at all by the stick-shopping technique… maybe it’s a routine way to shop?
It was quite late when we finished shopping - nearly 9 – and we hadn’t had dinner yet… so found a small restaurant near the Nakumatt and what a surprise – it was almost “American” … we had pizza (not Brixx, but better than anything we’ve had thus far in Kisumu) – and the service was quick! We were so happy that we celebrated with ice cream for dessert!
Then back to our Orange Palace for a bath (in a bucket) and bed… oh, did I tell you? Last night our bottom sheet had a damask pattern on it… the top sheet & pillows didn’t match, which made me think we were likely sleeping on tablecloths….
Yvonne the butterfly
First day at Reach-Out!
We had an early breakfast at the Impala Resort – with a few glitches… Frank found bugs crawling out of his cereal (I was so glad I had opted out of cereal this morning!) and I was happy to have freshly-made mango juice, until I discovered there were ice slivers throughout the juice… frozen or liquid, you just can’t have water here… even more so than in Nairobi.
We arrived at Reach-Out by mid-morning. The drive once we turned off the main road was familiar, but the area had a cleaner, more vibrant feel to it! Many of the thatched roof homes now had roofs made of corrugated tin; lots of underbrush has been cleared out; and several of the block homes and the two schools along the way had a fresh coat of paint.
We arrived at Reach-Out and turned into the newly gated Dr El-Hefni Secondary (high) School – and were amazed by what we saw! The buildings were all painted green and blue. The administration building had a pretty entrance with flowers and papaya trees on either side of the doorway. There were two classroom wings and another wing with a library and computer room; a full science lab was in one of the classroom settings. Under construction were the dining hall (complete with a kitchen that had three huge built-in cooking pots) and a two-story dorm for the girls who will live on the school grounds. We got a tour of the campus and met the principal, many of the teachers and the new headmaster for the two primary classes that that been started at the school. While many of the orphans in primary school performed well and were able to continue into secondary school (9-12th grade), there were a number of others who did not score well enough to move into secondary school. Hezekiah feels very strongly that children (& girls in particular) must successfully complete at least primary school and he also feels that the failure of the orphans is a reflection of the multiple challenges they are experiencing in their lives and not the result of lack of effort or intelligence. Therefore, Reach-Out (Dr. El-Hefni Secondary School) is now offering classes 7 & 8 in an attempt to give these children a second chance to learn what they need to in order to pass the class 8 exam. I love Hezekiah’s philosophy of second chances!
On a side note, we were sure the new headmaster of the secondary school knew we were coming today – he had on a white suit and a tie with silver & black glitter threads, plus white shoes and a matching white derby hat – quite dapper!
After a complete school tour that took several hours, we had lunch in the library – various meat stews, rice, ugali, and cooked cabbage. The best part was that the principal invited several students to eat with us – the top students in each form. The students were bright, expressive, and articulate and each had such an inspiring story. I sat next to Yvonne who is in Form 3 (probably 17 years old)… she lost her father 4 years ago and her mother two years ago… then lost her brother. She is a total orphan who lives on the Reach-Out grounds. She is the top student in her Form – loves singing, dancing, math and wants to be an accountant. What animal would she like to be? a butterfly… because butterflies are beautiful and she wants to be able to fly – in life. This young woman has suffered so many losses in her young life, but was as bright and positive as a child could be. Over and over, she expressed her love for school and her appreciation for the Reach-Out program. Without it, she would be out of school and on the streets.
We spotted Irene today – one of the three girls we have supported since 2005. She was in a classroom that was on our “tour” – and smiled from ear to ear when we entered the room. She has gotten so tall and, speaking to her afterward, we could see that her personality has just blossomed! The sad-eyed, timid girl we had known on previous trips was bright and talkative… and couldn’t stop smiling! We planned with Irene to visit her at home tomorrow – to see her granny Mama Grace and her sisters Emily and Marguerite.
Meg and I did our first “You’re a Great Child…” session with 12 girls from the secondary school (3 girls from each of the 4 forms…the group included Yvonne) and were so excited by the enthusiastic participation. The program is designed to help children identify their inner strengths and what makes them unique and valuable as people, and to develop self-esteem and self-confidence. The theory behind it is that a child with a healthy self-esteem will be able to make better life choices, especially through the vulnerable teen years. The girls were so supportive of each other as we completed the various activities. In the animal game, one girl wanted to be a frog because “frogs are peacemakers and have no enemies” – the group said she was the next Kofi Annin! Another girl wanted to be a giraffe, so she could reach down and help others up and herself reach farther than she ever could imagine….a third girl wanted to be a strong and brave elephant, so no man could ever hurt or abuse her (I am guessing there was some painful history to that comment). At the end, one girl said her mother was her hero, but that she had never heard these kinds of encouraging words and had never been as happy as she was today. The day ended with lots of clapping, cheers and hugs.
Dinner was another new experience – the Whirlspring Inn… somehow we thought it was a place recommended by Pam… but later learned she had never heard of it. Food was ok… but it was another 2-3 hour dinner. We just can’t get used to Kenya timing. It’s a slower pace of life than anything we are used to…
We had an early breakfast at the Impala Resort – with a few glitches… Frank found bugs crawling out of his cereal (I was so glad I had opted out of cereal this morning!) and I was happy to have freshly-made mango juice, until I discovered there were ice slivers throughout the juice… frozen or liquid, you just can’t have water here… even more so than in Nairobi.
We arrived at Reach-Out by mid-morning. The drive once we turned off the main road was familiar, but the area had a cleaner, more vibrant feel to it! Many of the thatched roof homes now had roofs made of corrugated tin; lots of underbrush has been cleared out; and several of the block homes and the two schools along the way had a fresh coat of paint.
We arrived at Reach-Out and turned into the newly gated Dr El-Hefni Secondary (high) School – and were amazed by what we saw! The buildings were all painted green and blue. The administration building had a pretty entrance with flowers and papaya trees on either side of the doorway. There were two classroom wings and another wing with a library and computer room; a full science lab was in one of the classroom settings. Under construction were the dining hall (complete with a kitchen that had three huge built-in cooking pots) and a two-story dorm for the girls who will live on the school grounds. We got a tour of the campus and met the principal, many of the teachers and the new headmaster for the two primary classes that that been started at the school. While many of the orphans in primary school performed well and were able to continue into secondary school (9-12th grade), there were a number of others who did not score well enough to move into secondary school. Hezekiah feels very strongly that children (& girls in particular) must successfully complete at least primary school and he also feels that the failure of the orphans is a reflection of the multiple challenges they are experiencing in their lives and not the result of lack of effort or intelligence. Therefore, Reach-Out (Dr. El-Hefni Secondary School) is now offering classes 7 & 8 in an attempt to give these children a second chance to learn what they need to in order to pass the class 8 exam. I love Hezekiah’s philosophy of second chances!
On a side note, we were sure the new headmaster of the secondary school knew we were coming today – he had on a white suit and a tie with silver & black glitter threads, plus white shoes and a matching white derby hat – quite dapper!
After a complete school tour that took several hours, we had lunch in the library – various meat stews, rice, ugali, and cooked cabbage. The best part was that the principal invited several students to eat with us – the top students in each form. The students were bright, expressive, and articulate and each had such an inspiring story. I sat next to Yvonne who is in Form 3 (probably 17 years old)… she lost her father 4 years ago and her mother two years ago… then lost her brother. She is a total orphan who lives on the Reach-Out grounds. She is the top student in her Form – loves singing, dancing, math and wants to be an accountant. What animal would she like to be? a butterfly… because butterflies are beautiful and she wants to be able to fly – in life. This young woman has suffered so many losses in her young life, but was as bright and positive as a child could be. Over and over, she expressed her love for school and her appreciation for the Reach-Out program. Without it, she would be out of school and on the streets.
We spotted Irene today – one of the three girls we have supported since 2005. She was in a classroom that was on our “tour” – and smiled from ear to ear when we entered the room. She has gotten so tall and, speaking to her afterward, we could see that her personality has just blossomed! The sad-eyed, timid girl we had known on previous trips was bright and talkative… and couldn’t stop smiling! We planned with Irene to visit her at home tomorrow – to see her granny Mama Grace and her sisters Emily and Marguerite.
Meg and I did our first “You’re a Great Child…” session with 12 girls from the secondary school (3 girls from each of the 4 forms…the group included Yvonne) and were so excited by the enthusiastic participation. The program is designed to help children identify their inner strengths and what makes them unique and valuable as people, and to develop self-esteem and self-confidence. The theory behind it is that a child with a healthy self-esteem will be able to make better life choices, especially through the vulnerable teen years. The girls were so supportive of each other as we completed the various activities. In the animal game, one girl wanted to be a frog because “frogs are peacemakers and have no enemies” – the group said she was the next Kofi Annin! Another girl wanted to be a giraffe, so she could reach down and help others up and herself reach farther than she ever could imagine….a third girl wanted to be a strong and brave elephant, so no man could ever hurt or abuse her (I am guessing there was some painful history to that comment). At the end, one girl said her mother was her hero, but that she had never heard these kinds of encouraging words and had never been as happy as she was today. The day ended with lots of clapping, cheers and hugs.
Dinner was another new experience – the Whirlspring Inn… somehow we thought it was a place recommended by Pam… but later learned she had never heard of it. Food was ok… but it was another 2-3 hour dinner. We just can’t get used to Kenya timing. It’s a slower pace of life than anything we are used to…
To Kisumu!
Day one in Kisumu… the drive over was relatively easy. The roads are hundredfold improved from previous experiences – no more “Kenyan massage” over bumpy, bumpy roads… for the most part, the road was smooth. It is still remarkable to me however that the main road from Nairobi to Kisumu (the third largest city in Kenya) is a relatively narrow two lane road without any line markings for most of the trip. The drive took about seven hours, including an hour break for lunch. We took a northwest route out of Nairobi and passed many of the embassies who had chosen to locate outside the main downtown after the terrorist bombing that destroyed the US embassy in the late 1990’s. Lots of lush, beautiful scenery as we traveled west… and then we arrived at the Rift Valley – the huge meeting point for two tectonic plates that runs from central Russia all the way to Mozambique. We traveled on a narrow mountain road that looked down over a wide valley as far as the eye could see…it once was the sight of some highly active volcanoes, but all that remain now are silent volcanic craters the rise up from the valley floor. The last time we crossed the Rift Valley, it was green and grassy… the effects of the current drought were evident as much of the valley looked brown and dusty. In fact, we saw a number of whirlwinds of dust as we traveled through this area– narrow shafts of spinning dust that rose high into the air.
On the other side of the Rift Valley, we passed through dry, dry countryside with hardly a house or shop or person in sight. As we continued west, the grasses got greener; there were fields of maize and sugarcane, and beautiful bougainvillea in pinks, oranges and the deepest red you can imagine. We passed countless small villages and towns, each with colorful outdoor markets that lined the road, the standard “hotel & butchery” that Meghan spotted each time; tall, straight women with massive loads of sticks or produce or water balanced on their heads… and children everywhere, who seemed to love waving as the mzungu’s (white men) drove by.
We stopped around 2 for lunch at the Tea House in Kericho (those of you who remember last time… trouble with the bill… Frank broke his tooth on the lamb… he wanted to create a better memory, so we went back). I don’t think we have a better memory after this time either (very marginal food & sanitation) – but outside, the gardens were beautiful – so many flowers I didn’t recognize … and pink and red poinsettias 15 feet high! It was here that we again spotted the first monkeys of the trip – so playful as they scampered across the lawn of the Tea House and over the wall.
We arrived in Kisumu around five (recognized the turn-off to Reach-Out as we drove into town, but won’t go there until tomorrow) and met Hezekiah at the Nakumatt parking lot so he could direct us the Impala Resort, where we learned last night that we would be staying… St Anna’s had evidently double-booked three of our five nights, so Hezekiah made the decision to move us to a nearby place that wouldn’t require us to move after two days. I am not sure how I can tell you about this place. A walled stucco building with a white iron gate… and from there, think “orange”. The bedding, curtains, furniture, lights both in the rooms and community areas and employee uniforms (and probably more things I haven’t spotted yet) are all orange, shiny bright polyester orange. The rooms are quite large compared to St Anna’s, but from there, I am not sure this is the better choice. No hot water (ever)… I will receive a bucket (orange in color) of hot water in the morning at 7 for bathing. One huge roach…. lots of mosquitoes…possible signs of mice.
We placed our dinner order from the menu, but lots of confusion and challenges followed - not enough onions for onion soup, so Frank & I opted for tomato instead… Jeanne & Meg ordered kebabs… but they had no kebabs, so Jeanne ordered 2 sausages and chips masala (French fries with masala sauce)… Peggy and Meg asked what they did have to serve – and the answer was lots of fish and chicken. We were sitting on an outdoor swing on the back patio at this point, between the kitchen and laundry hanging on a line… there were four live chickens tied together, squawking on the concrete behind us. We figured that was the “lots of chicken”. Peggy opted for fish; my brave Meg asked for chicken. Peggy indeed got fish – head to tail, guts and all… and Meg had the best meal of the evening (chicken masala)… we later decided it was the black feathered chicken that became her dinner (and laughed, probably very inappropriately, as we took the “after” pictures at the dinner table to go with our “before” shots taken outside earlier). It was almost 3 hours between the time we placed our orders and actually ate.
Frank then asked for his hot water for bathing and left the rest of us to look at photographs from the day… shortly afterward, the electricity went out. Lois, who had served dinner, kindly brought a candle… which I quickly took to Frank. I was remembering the night in the Kenya Comfort when the lights went off while I was showering – it’s a particularly vulnerable feeling!
Meghan reminded all of us that Africa always means adventures – and then we all said goodnight and went to sleep in our orange beds.
On the other side of the Rift Valley, we passed through dry, dry countryside with hardly a house or shop or person in sight. As we continued west, the grasses got greener; there were fields of maize and sugarcane, and beautiful bougainvillea in pinks, oranges and the deepest red you can imagine. We passed countless small villages and towns, each with colorful outdoor markets that lined the road, the standard “hotel & butchery” that Meghan spotted each time; tall, straight women with massive loads of sticks or produce or water balanced on their heads… and children everywhere, who seemed to love waving as the mzungu’s (white men) drove by.
We stopped around 2 for lunch at the Tea House in Kericho (those of you who remember last time… trouble with the bill… Frank broke his tooth on the lamb… he wanted to create a better memory, so we went back). I don’t think we have a better memory after this time either (very marginal food & sanitation) – but outside, the gardens were beautiful – so many flowers I didn’t recognize … and pink and red poinsettias 15 feet high! It was here that we again spotted the first monkeys of the trip – so playful as they scampered across the lawn of the Tea House and over the wall.
We arrived in Kisumu around five (recognized the turn-off to Reach-Out as we drove into town, but won’t go there until tomorrow) and met Hezekiah at the Nakumatt parking lot so he could direct us the Impala Resort, where we learned last night that we would be staying… St Anna’s had evidently double-booked three of our five nights, so Hezekiah made the decision to move us to a nearby place that wouldn’t require us to move after two days. I am not sure how I can tell you about this place. A walled stucco building with a white iron gate… and from there, think “orange”. The bedding, curtains, furniture, lights both in the rooms and community areas and employee uniforms (and probably more things I haven’t spotted yet) are all orange, shiny bright polyester orange. The rooms are quite large compared to St Anna’s, but from there, I am not sure this is the better choice. No hot water (ever)… I will receive a bucket (orange in color) of hot water in the morning at 7 for bathing. One huge roach…. lots of mosquitoes…possible signs of mice.
We placed our dinner order from the menu, but lots of confusion and challenges followed - not enough onions for onion soup, so Frank & I opted for tomato instead… Jeanne & Meg ordered kebabs… but they had no kebabs, so Jeanne ordered 2 sausages and chips masala (French fries with masala sauce)… Peggy and Meg asked what they did have to serve – and the answer was lots of fish and chicken. We were sitting on an outdoor swing on the back patio at this point, between the kitchen and laundry hanging on a line… there were four live chickens tied together, squawking on the concrete behind us. We figured that was the “lots of chicken”. Peggy opted for fish; my brave Meg asked for chicken. Peggy indeed got fish – head to tail, guts and all… and Meg had the best meal of the evening (chicken masala)… we later decided it was the black feathered chicken that became her dinner (and laughed, probably very inappropriately, as we took the “after” pictures at the dinner table to go with our “before” shots taken outside earlier). It was almost 3 hours between the time we placed our orders and actually ate.
Frank then asked for his hot water for bathing and left the rest of us to look at photographs from the day… shortly afterward, the electricity went out. Lois, who had served dinner, kindly brought a candle… which I quickly took to Frank. I was remembering the night in the Kenya Comfort when the lights went off while I was showering – it’s a particularly vulnerable feeling!
Meghan reminded all of us that Africa always means adventures – and then we all said goodnight and went to sleep in our orange beds.
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