Tonight’s note will be a little short, because I need to also begin schoolwork tonight.
Full, full day – began at 7 am at Anyima’s shop and ended at 6 when Mary brought me back to my apartment from her home. I want to drink in the full experience of my time in Nairobi, but I find myself uncomfortable with always being the center of attention – how can I complain, however – for people have been beyond kind, generous & gracious to me.
Anyima’s shop is a clothing shop in a very nice shopping area – she sells clothing that she designs and personally selects fabrics for. .. all using traditional African fabrics, but with some western styling. – really exquisite. It’s all made in Ghana (the best African tailors, she said). Her new goal is to reach Michele Obama with her designs (I love people who dream big!) – and I agreed that some of her skirt, in particular, seemed perfect for Michele. Anyima is the type of person who could well make this happen! She opened her shop early for a group of women to join together for Bible study and prayer (7:30 – noon)… it was a great time to meet new friends and be refreshed.
Mary W picked me up afterward, we picked her daughter up from Saturday school, stopped at a grocer to buy bottled water for me (she was so thoughtful) and then we went to her home for lunch … beef (or perhaps goat… I decided not to ask) pilau and tomatoes with onions & garlic & cilantro – really wonderful. Then we spent the rest of the afternoon on the couch talking & laughing. Women/wives/mothers all over the world really do share so many common struggles & dreams, no matter where they live. She has a beautiful 12 year old daughter Esther, who just captured my heart… I really hope to get to see her more while I am here!
I had a relatively late lunch with Mary, so just had tea and toast for dinner… Used Flora medium fat spread on my toast…which is “crammed full of oils” .... heart healthy, I hope!
Off to do homework!
Saturday, May 30, 2009
Friday, May 29, 2009
From Tabitha Ondeche'
Guess what! I have a new name….Velma, a caregiver volunteer in Dandora, decided I needed an Africa name – so I am now Tabitha Ondeche’. I do not know what it means….
Dandora, day 2 was great. I observed part of a “peer counseling training session” today – the participants were all teachers or ministers who worked with children. They were being trained in life skills, relationship building, HIV prevention, and prevention of drug & alcohol abuse… and in turn were to take it back to teach the children & teens they work with… who in turn, could counsel their peers.
I finally met Kennedy Muriuki, the site director, today – and I finally have a concrete plan for my project (beyond all the wonderful learning & exposure activities). I’ll have 3 objectives: to find OVC’s in the community that are not yet entered into HOPE’s support program, to determine if the OVC’s currently in the program have any needs that could be met by an available program, but are not… and finally, to identify children in the community with special needs (the “hidden children” – handicapped, mentally retarded, deaf or blind, etc). I’ll focus it to just one phase of Dandora (one geographic area), since there are 5 phases and 600,000 people… it’s still probably too big a project – but I at least will get something started that HOPE can continue after I leave.
After meeting with Kennedy, I walked with Makena & Charles to the Ronald Ngara Community School… a “public school” that is the only school in Dandora that has a program for special needs children. A young woman named Elizabeth also joined us. Elizabeth is stunningly beautiful, but has a badly misshapen back and hip and walks with crutches. She was beaten by a teacher when she was 12 years old – a beating which broke her back… and the surgeon fusing her vertebrae after the injury, permanently dislocated her hip. As an adult, she has become an advocate for special needs children - and said she wants children, especially special needs children, to get proper education and health care, unlike her experience. We met the class of 13 special needs students – and all but 2 had their mother there for our visit. I thought we were just going for a quick observation, but it was a really big deal. Makena made it clear that we had no immediate funding… but that if we could document numbers and needs, she could begin the search for support monies.
There was one sweet little boy…. born in a third world country… living in a slum in that country, by the city dump…. an AIDS orphan….and mentally retarded. How can one little guy have so many strikes against him? I imagined him in heaven – happy, healthy, strong, fed, loved (I know those aren’t really heavenly attributes… I was just picturing him with all that he lacks in this life…). Both mothers & teachers seemed very devoted to these children – but there resources were so limited (Priscilla, are you there? Do you have any manipulatives, resources books, etc, you could send with Frank & Meg? Kids are 10-19).
Two final notes on the school visit:
· The teacher referred to the “hidden children” – all the special needs kids that live in Dandora but are never seen – because of shame, ignorance, no knowledge of help available. The govt would supply more teachers & the school has space if these kids could be identified and enrolled. “Hidden children” sounds like such an opportunity for abuse & neglect – especially if these children cannot speak for themselves and the family resources are so limited.
· With one exception, the children all looked normal to me (no Down’s syndrome or other syndromes that have relatively easily identifiable features)… it made me wonder if any of their retardation could have been the result of lead poisoning (the water & soil around the dumpsite already has been proven to have high lead levels). I’ll have to do more research on that…
Dave, Pam’s friend took me to Anyima & Edward’s home tonight…. It is almost surreal moving back & forth between these two worlds. They have a beautiful home… Anyima’s father was the Ghanan ambassador to the US and as a child, she visited the White House on numerous occasions and played with Amy Carter. Edward’s stories of his current life are equally remarkable (I’m just too tired to write about them all). Both have hearts that want to see their country change – both in addressing the needs of the poor and by addressing political policies and corruption that prevents the govt from being responsive and responsible to the people of Kenya. I know that tying these worlds together is part of the answer for both.
A final personal note to those who take the time to read these really long notes… & leave a message afterward … thank you so much!! I am doing fine, but each message from home is a real, real treasure to me – I read them dozens of times over!!
Also... I desperately want to share photos, but can't seem to upload even one on the blog or on Facebook. My internet has been pretty reliable, but I think its a very small band... I'll keep trying...
Dandora, day 2 was great. I observed part of a “peer counseling training session” today – the participants were all teachers or ministers who worked with children. They were being trained in life skills, relationship building, HIV prevention, and prevention of drug & alcohol abuse… and in turn were to take it back to teach the children & teens they work with… who in turn, could counsel their peers.
I finally met Kennedy Muriuki, the site director, today – and I finally have a concrete plan for my project (beyond all the wonderful learning & exposure activities). I’ll have 3 objectives: to find OVC’s in the community that are not yet entered into HOPE’s support program, to determine if the OVC’s currently in the program have any needs that could be met by an available program, but are not… and finally, to identify children in the community with special needs (the “hidden children” – handicapped, mentally retarded, deaf or blind, etc). I’ll focus it to just one phase of Dandora (one geographic area), since there are 5 phases and 600,000 people… it’s still probably too big a project – but I at least will get something started that HOPE can continue after I leave.
After meeting with Kennedy, I walked with Makena & Charles to the Ronald Ngara Community School… a “public school” that is the only school in Dandora that has a program for special needs children. A young woman named Elizabeth also joined us. Elizabeth is stunningly beautiful, but has a badly misshapen back and hip and walks with crutches. She was beaten by a teacher when she was 12 years old – a beating which broke her back… and the surgeon fusing her vertebrae after the injury, permanently dislocated her hip. As an adult, she has become an advocate for special needs children - and said she wants children, especially special needs children, to get proper education and health care, unlike her experience. We met the class of 13 special needs students – and all but 2 had their mother there for our visit. I thought we were just going for a quick observation, but it was a really big deal. Makena made it clear that we had no immediate funding… but that if we could document numbers and needs, she could begin the search for support monies.
There was one sweet little boy…. born in a third world country… living in a slum in that country, by the city dump…. an AIDS orphan….and mentally retarded. How can one little guy have so many strikes against him? I imagined him in heaven – happy, healthy, strong, fed, loved (I know those aren’t really heavenly attributes… I was just picturing him with all that he lacks in this life…). Both mothers & teachers seemed very devoted to these children – but there resources were so limited (Priscilla, are you there? Do you have any manipulatives, resources books, etc, you could send with Frank & Meg? Kids are 10-19).
Two final notes on the school visit:
· The teacher referred to the “hidden children” – all the special needs kids that live in Dandora but are never seen – because of shame, ignorance, no knowledge of help available. The govt would supply more teachers & the school has space if these kids could be identified and enrolled. “Hidden children” sounds like such an opportunity for abuse & neglect – especially if these children cannot speak for themselves and the family resources are so limited.
· With one exception, the children all looked normal to me (no Down’s syndrome or other syndromes that have relatively easily identifiable features)… it made me wonder if any of their retardation could have been the result of lead poisoning (the water & soil around the dumpsite already has been proven to have high lead levels). I’ll have to do more research on that…
Dave, Pam’s friend took me to Anyima & Edward’s home tonight…. It is almost surreal moving back & forth between these two worlds. They have a beautiful home… Anyima’s father was the Ghanan ambassador to the US and as a child, she visited the White House on numerous occasions and played with Amy Carter. Edward’s stories of his current life are equally remarkable (I’m just too tired to write about them all). Both have hearts that want to see their country change – both in addressing the needs of the poor and by addressing political policies and corruption that prevents the govt from being responsive and responsible to the people of Kenya. I know that tying these worlds together is part of the answer for both.
A final personal note to those who take the time to read these really long notes… & leave a message afterward … thank you so much!! I am doing fine, but each message from home is a real, real treasure to me – I read them dozens of times over!!
Also... I desperately want to share photos, but can't seem to upload even one on the blog or on Facebook. My internet has been pretty reliable, but I think its a very small band... I'll keep trying...
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Dandora, Day 1, May 28
Flexibility was the rule again today! I was waiting outside my apartment for a ride this morning when Charlene called to say I would be going to Dandora today after all! I ran back to my room to change shoes, leave my laptop & pack a quick lunch – then headed out for Dandora by mid-morning (the 9 o’clock pick-up became a 10’oclock pick-up, that left around 10:30). I rode with a driver & Gitau, who heads HOPE’s procurement – he was visiting vendors today and traveling all over Nairobi to do so. He told me stories of corruption and the extensive role that bribes play in procurement & so much of Kenyan business. HOPE obviously has a strict no-bribe policy, but that often makes his work more challenging. We talked government and politics (& family) for most of the ½ hour trip to Dandora… I’m not sure all these fascinating conversations I have had can count toward my 160 hours of public health work – but they certainly are giving me a much richer picture of life in Kenya!
So how can I begin to describe Dandora….? You see acres of waste (30+) before you get to the homes – Nairobi has only one waste dump and it runs along one entire border of Dandora… completely unregulated… residential garbage, industrial and commercial garbage, hospital/medical waste. For the residents of Dandora, it is a source of income (recycling), food (scavenging), and poison (lead, mercury, and other heavy metals, PCB’s, dioxin, used needles, acrid smoke) - 600,000 residents. As we approached, I realized I had not brought the vicks-vaporub I had planned on bringing to mask any odors – and wondered how bad the smells might be.
The HOPE office is about a 10 minute drive into Dandora – a second floor “office” right on the main “road” next to the area “chief” (I thought at first police, but I think it was more tribal). The office had been left vacant by Doctors Without Borders & HOPE took it over… two small concrete walled offices with a total of 3 plastic tables and 6 plastic chairs & one laptop. Posters on the wall (in Swahili) & a shelf lined with binders… very sparse otherwise. I spent the day with Makena, who is the asst director of the OVC program and Charles, a young man who lives in Dandora, has completed 2 years of a social work/counseling degree at a local university, but dropped out due to lack of funds; he volunteers with HOPE to continue to get experience in his field until he can go back to school. Makena reviewed the programs & her plans to introduce me to each of them over the next week. Then she, Charles & I walked through Dandora/phase 4A (there are 5 phases or regions within the slum) and to the edge of the residential area so we could overlook the dump. I am nearly without words to describe the sites – some of the homes are more “substantial” than Mukuru (some concrete block buildings mixed in with tin-roofed shacks), water & sewage running through all the walkways, lots & lots of flies – a sour, acrid smell from the burning waste – but it wasn’t the kind of smell that made you sick to your stomach (which I had feared), tiny shops everywhere – used clothes, pots, shoes, charcoal, dead minnows; a herd (?) of HUGE pigs at one entry point…. goats roaming over the rubbish piles… so many, many little children – the bolder ones called out “HALLO, how are you?”… practicing their English… several children seemed terrified of me & ran. For those who wanted to talk, I bent down & shook their hands … asked names (which I rarely got with their soft Kenyan voices), ask about school…. And always told them they looked very smart & encouraged them to study hard… and the girls…I also told them they were beautiful.
I know I can’t fill these pages with heart-breaking stories, but I will tell you briefly about one child we will make a home visit to tomorrow (as long as I don’t go to the HOPE office):
· Melvin – lost his mother some time ago & his father 3 months ago. His father remains unburied because no one has claimed the body (the body will be discarded as rubbish at the end of the month, if still unclaimed). Melvin, 10 years old, has been living alone since his father’s death. “Friends” of his father completely looted his home in repayment for debts the father left behind. Some of Melvin’s friends told HOPE about his plight. A neighbor, who is already raising 6 children, has agreed to take Melvin in. I met the neighbor, Bente, today… she looked worn. I guessed her age at about 50-60… but found out she was only in her 30’s. She is HIV+… so Melvin will only have a home for a time (as will the other 6 children). I can’t fathom the physical & emotional trauma Melvin has experienced in his short life. One of the confounding characteristics of AIDS orphanhood… if a child has lost one parent, it is very likely that he will lose both (which is different from most other orphaning).
So to end…
Two fears:
· The electricity went out last night just as I stepped in the shower…
· Eating food at Dandora – they had prepared a plate for me of rice, greens, cabbage & beans (I am sure it was a feast)… but the sanitation is very questionable. One of bigger fears is getting sick while I am here & I just pray that nothing I eat will make me sick.
Two new experiences:
· The toilet in Dandora (it’s inside – a huge plus)…. but I didn’t even know which direction to stand or how/if to flush…
· Made cab arrangements for tomorrow night with Pam’s friend Dave – to take me to Anyima’s home.
Two things I’m thankful for:
· My Kenyan cell phone – it has been a life-saver, especially when communicating about transportation.
· The clunky-looking rubber-bottomed, closed-toed shoes I bought for the trip – they are perfect for Dandora!
So how can I begin to describe Dandora….? You see acres of waste (30+) before you get to the homes – Nairobi has only one waste dump and it runs along one entire border of Dandora… completely unregulated… residential garbage, industrial and commercial garbage, hospital/medical waste. For the residents of Dandora, it is a source of income (recycling), food (scavenging), and poison (lead, mercury, and other heavy metals, PCB’s, dioxin, used needles, acrid smoke) - 600,000 residents. As we approached, I realized I had not brought the vicks-vaporub I had planned on bringing to mask any odors – and wondered how bad the smells might be.
The HOPE office is about a 10 minute drive into Dandora – a second floor “office” right on the main “road” next to the area “chief” (I thought at first police, but I think it was more tribal). The office had been left vacant by Doctors Without Borders & HOPE took it over… two small concrete walled offices with a total of 3 plastic tables and 6 plastic chairs & one laptop. Posters on the wall (in Swahili) & a shelf lined with binders… very sparse otherwise. I spent the day with Makena, who is the asst director of the OVC program and Charles, a young man who lives in Dandora, has completed 2 years of a social work/counseling degree at a local university, but dropped out due to lack of funds; he volunteers with HOPE to continue to get experience in his field until he can go back to school. Makena reviewed the programs & her plans to introduce me to each of them over the next week. Then she, Charles & I walked through Dandora/phase 4A (there are 5 phases or regions within the slum) and to the edge of the residential area so we could overlook the dump. I am nearly without words to describe the sites – some of the homes are more “substantial” than Mukuru (some concrete block buildings mixed in with tin-roofed shacks), water & sewage running through all the walkways, lots & lots of flies – a sour, acrid smell from the burning waste – but it wasn’t the kind of smell that made you sick to your stomach (which I had feared), tiny shops everywhere – used clothes, pots, shoes, charcoal, dead minnows; a herd (?) of HUGE pigs at one entry point…. goats roaming over the rubbish piles… so many, many little children – the bolder ones called out “HALLO, how are you?”… practicing their English… several children seemed terrified of me & ran. For those who wanted to talk, I bent down & shook their hands … asked names (which I rarely got with their soft Kenyan voices), ask about school…. And always told them they looked very smart & encouraged them to study hard… and the girls…I also told them they were beautiful.
I know I can’t fill these pages with heart-breaking stories, but I will tell you briefly about one child we will make a home visit to tomorrow (as long as I don’t go to the HOPE office):
· Melvin – lost his mother some time ago & his father 3 months ago. His father remains unburied because no one has claimed the body (the body will be discarded as rubbish at the end of the month, if still unclaimed). Melvin, 10 years old, has been living alone since his father’s death. “Friends” of his father completely looted his home in repayment for debts the father left behind. Some of Melvin’s friends told HOPE about his plight. A neighbor, who is already raising 6 children, has agreed to take Melvin in. I met the neighbor, Bente, today… she looked worn. I guessed her age at about 50-60… but found out she was only in her 30’s. She is HIV+… so Melvin will only have a home for a time (as will the other 6 children). I can’t fathom the physical & emotional trauma Melvin has experienced in his short life. One of the confounding characteristics of AIDS orphanhood… if a child has lost one parent, it is very likely that he will lose both (which is different from most other orphaning).
So to end…
Two fears:
· The electricity went out last night just as I stepped in the shower…
· Eating food at Dandora – they had prepared a plate for me of rice, greens, cabbage & beans (I am sure it was a feast)… but the sanitation is very questionable. One of bigger fears is getting sick while I am here & I just pray that nothing I eat will make me sick.
Two new experiences:
· The toilet in Dandora (it’s inside – a huge plus)…. but I didn’t even know which direction to stand or how/if to flush…
· Made cab arrangements for tomorrow night with Pam’s friend Dave – to take me to Anyima’s home.
Two things I’m thankful for:
· My Kenyan cell phone – it has been a life-saver, especially when communicating about transportation.
· The clunky-looking rubber-bottomed, closed-toed shoes I bought for the trip – they are perfect for Dandora!
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Another rainy evening, May 27
One of the keys to thriving in Africa is flexibility. No Dandora today, after all. HOPE has graciously figured a way to help with the costs of my transportation to Dandora, but it involves being part of their M&E (monitoring & evaluation) program. The plan was for me to be fully oriented in all their M&E procedures today & then start at Dandora tomorrow (Thurs)... but the woman overseeing the M&E program had an early morning commitment, a sick child, and was planning to come in during the late afternoon - but the rains began & she was unable to travel... so we'll try again tomorrow and hopefully I'll get to Dandora on Friday. I had taken a number of journal articles with me - so spent much of the day reading and meeting more people.
Because HOPE is in a residential area, they arrange to have lunch brought in daily for those who want to purchase it (100 bob... about $1). Today was mashed potatoes mixed with corn and greens - a wonderful "comfort food” meal. I don't think I told you that milk is delivered at 10 each morning & everyone takes a minute to have a cup of tea... so nice! Today I ate lunch with Tabitha, Fridah, and Anshu. Tabitha & Fridah have each been with HOPE for many years & really know the history of all the transformations it has undergone. Anshu is another "intern" - from the Duke MBA program. She is originally from India - and working on a sustainable marketing plan for one of HOPE's vocational programs. She was actually onsite for a short time (in western Kenya), but was staying in a house without electricity - except for solar power. In this rainy season, the home rarely had electricity - her lap top went dead, her phone went dead... she discovered they had snakes - and then decided she would do the rest of her work in Nairobi. She is going to Mombasa for the weekend... and asked me to go with her. Unbelievably, I almost said "yes"... but I haven't lost all fear yet (you’ll be glad to know, Frank) and ultimately decided it might not be best (but maybe later!).
For those who know him, saw JP today, from Maasai Land - he was up planning for the HOPE Youth Corps in July - they are planning for 50 students! JP sends his love to the family, looked great & really likes the new program HOPE has started among the Maasai people!
Had such an interesting talk today with the man who oversees two of the HOPE programs (including the child abuse/child labor program)... he is a biochemist, who is now working on his master’s in public health - and has so much experience working with vulnerable children - you could tell it was a real passion for him. One of his previous jobs was in Liberia just after the last war ended a number of years ago - he was investigating child abuse and helped to re-introduce into society many of the very young boys who had been conscripted into the army during the war. I can't even write some of the stories he told me - things he said no child should ever have to see or experience. It was heart-breaking... but he also told me stories of the difference that even a small ray of hope could make in a child's life - hope that their lives could be different or better than they were. Since I'll be in the office again tomorrow, we are going to talk further & he has some short UN and CDC dvd's to show me. Maybe that’s why I was in the office today!
Went to church tonight – Steve Mukenya taught the lesson and I got to see lots of familiar faces & make some weekend plans – really wonderful. If I’m not too late getting home from Dandora, I will go to Anyima’s home Friday evening (really interesting family.... she has a master’s in economics from a London school and with 3 children at home, has started her own line of very beautiful African clothing; her husband has a PhD in civil engineering and operates his own firm in Nairobi) – they have been completely gracious to me – including bringing me home tonight! I am joining a group of women to pray together in the “Arboretum” (a park?) on Saturday morning and then will go home with Mary M for lunch. Sunday is “African Day” at church – everyone is encouraged to wear traditional African garb to church (I have my Kisumu outfit with me – do I dare?) and then groups all over town are having traditional Kenyan lunches – I will go to Mary O’s house for lunch that day. My schedule is getting quite full for the weekend! I’m learning you have to add so much time to any appointment for transportation – I’m still not sure which is the bigger challenge – water or transportation…
I did ask Mary M tonight how she washes her dishes (even Kenyans do not use the water from their faucets to drink or cook with). I was washing my dishes with faucet water – then dipping them in bleach… but the bleach is thick, so I needed to get it off somehow (one night I ate on a bleached plate – bad). Using faucet water would “re-contaminate” the plate; bottled water is too precious to just pour over plates – so I wiped the bleach off with a napkin (unbelievably there were no paper towels sold in the store… that’s another other story – or commentary - on American waste… & when it comes to paper towels, I am the worst!). Long story short – Mary said she uses faucet water & soap to wash in… but just makes sure the plates, etc are dry before using. I’m not 100% convinced that that means they are safe, but it’s so much easier than what I’ve been doing, I’m willing to risk it!
Because HOPE is in a residential area, they arrange to have lunch brought in daily for those who want to purchase it (100 bob... about $1). Today was mashed potatoes mixed with corn and greens - a wonderful "comfort food” meal. I don't think I told you that milk is delivered at 10 each morning & everyone takes a minute to have a cup of tea... so nice! Today I ate lunch with Tabitha, Fridah, and Anshu. Tabitha & Fridah have each been with HOPE for many years & really know the history of all the transformations it has undergone. Anshu is another "intern" - from the Duke MBA program. She is originally from India - and working on a sustainable marketing plan for one of HOPE's vocational programs. She was actually onsite for a short time (in western Kenya), but was staying in a house without electricity - except for solar power. In this rainy season, the home rarely had electricity - her lap top went dead, her phone went dead... she discovered they had snakes - and then decided she would do the rest of her work in Nairobi. She is going to Mombasa for the weekend... and asked me to go with her. Unbelievably, I almost said "yes"... but I haven't lost all fear yet (you’ll be glad to know, Frank) and ultimately decided it might not be best (but maybe later!).
For those who know him, saw JP today, from Maasai Land - he was up planning for the HOPE Youth Corps in July - they are planning for 50 students! JP sends his love to the family, looked great & really likes the new program HOPE has started among the Maasai people!
Had such an interesting talk today with the man who oversees two of the HOPE programs (including the child abuse/child labor program)... he is a biochemist, who is now working on his master’s in public health - and has so much experience working with vulnerable children - you could tell it was a real passion for him. One of his previous jobs was in Liberia just after the last war ended a number of years ago - he was investigating child abuse and helped to re-introduce into society many of the very young boys who had been conscripted into the army during the war. I can't even write some of the stories he told me - things he said no child should ever have to see or experience. It was heart-breaking... but he also told me stories of the difference that even a small ray of hope could make in a child's life - hope that their lives could be different or better than they were. Since I'll be in the office again tomorrow, we are going to talk further & he has some short UN and CDC dvd's to show me. Maybe that’s why I was in the office today!
Went to church tonight – Steve Mukenya taught the lesson and I got to see lots of familiar faces & make some weekend plans – really wonderful. If I’m not too late getting home from Dandora, I will go to Anyima’s home Friday evening (really interesting family.... she has a master’s in economics from a London school and with 3 children at home, has started her own line of very beautiful African clothing; her husband has a PhD in civil engineering and operates his own firm in Nairobi) – they have been completely gracious to me – including bringing me home tonight! I am joining a group of women to pray together in the “Arboretum” (a park?) on Saturday morning and then will go home with Mary M for lunch. Sunday is “African Day” at church – everyone is encouraged to wear traditional African garb to church (I have my Kisumu outfit with me – do I dare?) and then groups all over town are having traditional Kenyan lunches – I will go to Mary O’s house for lunch that day. My schedule is getting quite full for the weekend! I’m learning you have to add so much time to any appointment for transportation – I’m still not sure which is the bigger challenge – water or transportation…
I did ask Mary M tonight how she washes her dishes (even Kenyans do not use the water from their faucets to drink or cook with). I was washing my dishes with faucet water – then dipping them in bleach… but the bleach is thick, so I needed to get it off somehow (one night I ate on a bleached plate – bad). Using faucet water would “re-contaminate” the plate; bottled water is too precious to just pour over plates – so I wiped the bleach off with a napkin (unbelievably there were no paper towels sold in the store… that’s another other story – or commentary - on American waste… & when it comes to paper towels, I am the worst!). Long story short – Mary said she uses faucet water & soap to wash in… but just makes sure the plates, etc are dry before using. I’m not 100% convinced that that means they are safe, but it’s so much easier than what I’ve been doing, I’m willing to risk it!
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
PS for May 26
One more note from the Nakumatt: Saw a large sign below a shelf of powered chocolate drink mixes: Chocklaty Nourishment for Future Leaders. ... hmmmm; questionable on several fronts.
Late Tuesday afternoon, May 26
Today was a day to get "settled in" (still had no Kenyan money, local phone or food for my apartment)... so did lots of errands with Charlene today. I'll just write some short miscellaneous notes:
- I am absolutely intrigued by the little village below my window. It's kind of like "Room With A View"... I find myself drawn to the window, just to see what's going on! I have named one man "Mr Clean"... he lives in a tiny house that is completely made of corrugated tin - tin sides & tin roof - with an opening cut out of the front (no door) - all on a concrete slab. I think his is probably the nicest home in this little settlement. Today he swept his slab & dirt yard with a broom - tied reeds, but no handle, so he was bent almost completely over as he swept. Then he washed his car - a small white car, no hubcaps. I am guessing he may be a taxi driver. While he was busy working, another group of men sat around a table - once they looked like they were playing a game... but ususally they just appear to sit & talk. There is a woman who looks like she may be shelling peas or beans every morning... and the tiny market is quite a busy spot - bikes or motorscooters drive up with small deliveries... people go in & come out with food items - one man came out with a single banana, another with a small bag of flour or meal... some people go in & I don't see them come out - perhaps there is a place to sit for tea or coffee. There is a new sign out today (hand-lettered on wood): Fruit Salad, Porridge, Good, Available. I am wondering how out of place I'd look if I went there to buy bananas...
- Got a Kenyan cell phone today...had to make sure I got a model in English & not in Kiswahili! You purchase a phone, then get a sim card (you get to pick your phone #), then you purchase your minutes via "scratch cards". Scratch cards look like little lottery cards - you scratch off a silver backing which reveals a # which you calll - & minutes are automatically added to your phone - you are always paying in advance, so no unexpectedly huge phone bills (which most of us who are teen parents experience before deciding on unlimited everything!). Scratch cards are available in kiosks all over the city - from modern storefronts, tin-roofed shacks, converted shipping containers - saw one just outside a parking lot today, painted red, selling scratch cards.
- People are fascinating... I could watch for hours & make up stories all kinds. One story I am still trying to figure out is for a trio of men I saw today as I waited on the sidewalk in front of my apartment. Three men - one in a pink/orange jumpsuit - were all pushing a wheelbarrow down the side of the road in quite a hurry. The wheelbarrow had 3 large black trash bags in it - from their speed & enthusiasm, it looked they must have found some real treasures. They turned off the road right in from of my apartment into a "park" across the street & I could see they stopped and were opening their loot... but I couldn't ever see what it was. To be so excited about trash... there surely is a story.
- Went to the Nakumatt today grocery shopping... so many interesting experiences. Absolutely no idea of brand names... several things that seemed like they should be refrigerated weren't (eggs were on an endcap in the center of the store). Fruit & vegetables were beautiful - a section of fresh shelled beans, peas & corn (so many bins, so many colors) made a beautiful checkerboard display... mangos, pineapples, papayas... and I bought 3 avocados for 22 schillings (less than 50 cents total!!). Tomorrow I start at Dandora & will need to bring my lunch - there is no refrigerator there, so I was trying to think through a "safe" lunch - I bought peanut butter & jelly for sandwiches... also think avocado, tomato & bread could make a good lunch.
- Birds are everywhere.... massive black storks in the trees along the boulevard (a little creepy) to birds that look like sea gulls but are black with a white ring around their necks... to colorful , tiny birds - I thought one was a large insect until I saw it more closely this afternoon.
Well, I am trying my kitchen out tonight & cooking dinner! I very carefully washed a number of kitchen items in boiling water earlier today, so I could use them tonight. I think the hotel staff thought they were left out dirty, so they unfortunately rewashed them all... I did buy clorox at the Nakumatt today, so think I use the old camping trick of washing everything with large amounts of bleach. Who would have known that the Tidal River camping days would have taught me things that would come in handy in Africa!?
Monday, May 25, 2009
Monday night, May 25
Frank, this one is a "news report" for you! (at least mostly)
First day! Solomon picked me up at 7:30 for the 15 minute trip to the HOPE office. Wish I’d had my camera to document the traffic…. We are on a main road, near downtown and the magnificent Presidential estate – and this busy road is unpaved, rocky, full of pot-holes and just barely wide enough for 2 cars. To avoid potholes, cars were frequently traveling on the wrong side of the road. Bumper to bumper… how there were not dozens of wrecks, I do not know!
The HOPE main office is a converted 2-story stucco home in a residential part of town. It is quite beautiful – and every inch of space put to use! As a “faith-based organization”, the day began with a devotional (a regular Monday event). Jimmy, the financial manager for HOPE, talked about walking places you had never walked before (from the story of Joshua and the children of Israel crossing into the Promised Land over the dry river bed of the Jordan River) and related it to both personal challenges and challenges faced by HOPE. I could well relate to finding myself in the middle of a river bed & wondering how in the world I got here – it was a great lesson.
From there I went through some basic paperwork and then spent the rest of the day meeting with each of the HOPE program directors to learn about the programs they oversaw. Very briefly:
· CPP: Comprehensive Prevention Program. HOPE’s largest program. Overall goal = HIV prevention. Includes multiple programs (7), each with slightly different strategies or target groups.
· NPI: New Partner’s Initiative Overall goal = HIV prevention. New program modeled after CPP, but with different funding scheme.
· OVC: Orphaned & Vulnerable Children. (HOPE’s first signature program – nutrition, shelter, education, psychosocial counseling for OVC’s… works at individual child level – as well as capacity-building projects for families & communities).
· KenyaKids (individual sponsorships of vulnerable children)
· ICOH: Industrial Centres of Hope (Vocational training, HIV prevention & OVC support program sponsored by Wal-Mart – in their factories!)
· Blood Safety Program (Began after 1998 bombing of US Embassy in Nairobi. Lack of available blood cost many lives that might have been easily saved if blood had been available. HOPE , the Red Cross and a third Kenyan program are the only agencies in the country which coordinate blood drives).
· IPESS (Education and prevention services for commercial sex workers)
· TACKLE (program to address abuses of child labor)
Also met with members of the finance, procurement, administration, and M&E (monitoring & evaluation) teams. Over & over, their themes were accountability, careful documentation, and strict adherence to program funding guidelines… HOPE has instituted evaluations that are stricter than many of the program requirements, just to insure they are adhering to every requirement mandated by the funding. I was extremely impressed by the level of professionalism and the pride and enthusiasm each staff member display for his/her work. Some programs had even experienced funding cuts, which necessitated cutting positions. I met one gentleman whose job had been eliminated, but who was continuing to work as a volunteer, so the program would not suffer (hopefully new funding will be found soon!).
I spent the most single time with Makena (a beautiful woman, whose name means “happy” – it was perfect for her!) who works in the Dandora project where I will be. She described the work they do at the individual child level, the family or care-giver level, and at the community level… so much to describe! (I’ll have to save that for later). I’ll actually start at Dandora on Wednesday & confirm my project and schedule at that time.
Got home a little after 5, had tilapia for dinner and am ready for bed! (I have been fine, but maybe a delayed jet-lag has crept up on me today). Tomorrow Charlene is taking me to do all the errands I need to do to get settled (food shopping, exchange currency, buy a local phone…). Biggest challenges? water & transportation.... but I am happy & doing great.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Sunday afternoon, May 24
First night in Nairobi - there is something slightly exotic about sleeping under a malaria net... slept well and woke up to a 7 am courtesy call, followed just seconds later by a rooster crowing! I am in a small 4th floor apartment & was not prepared for what my back window overlooks. I had heard lots of noise last night & thought there might be restaurants behind me. What I found was one apartment building similar to what I am in off to the right, and directly behind me is a small settlement area – numerous shacks, rusty tin roofs, a big stone fireplace, a little market - with bananas hanging adjacent to raw meat. There is pleasantness about the sounds coming up from the little “village” – roosters, chickens; I think goats… & lots of talking. I am sure I’ll get accustomed to the sounds. Since there is no air conditioning, my windows will be open most of the time (which is slightly problematic since there are no screens).
When we drove up to the Nairobi Train Depot this morning (where church is held), Malinda & I found ourselves in the middle of a mass of armed soldiers (not a dozen, but hundreds!). She stopped to see if there was a security issue, but we learned they were only amassing to plan for a national holiday celebration on June 1st… a little intimidating, but not alarming.
After church Malinda & her Ethiopian husband Tewolde (I said hello from you, Priscilla!), daughter Dagmawit, the Ondatto’s with Joshua, Kaidza & Jambi – and I - all had lunch together at an Ethiopian restaurant… we walked into a tiny walled home, down a pathway (saw rosemary growing!) and through a beaded curtain into a simple dim room with large upholstered furniture surrounding a center coffee table. Tewolde ordered food for all of us – and it came on what looked like an over-sized pizza tray. There was a large “pancake” (very, very light) that covered the whole tray & then three spoonfuls of different minced meats and various spoonfuls of vegetables (beet roots, beans, cabbage) on top of the pancake, plus dried meat pieces and a pureed bean soup in a clay pot. No silverware – you just tore a piece of the pancake & used it to eat with – including the soup. There is a delightful intimacy that comes from literally sharing a meal together. Tewolde order “juice” for us all – a tall mug with a layer of mango juice on the bottom, avocado juice in the center and papaya juice on the top (more “slushy” than thin juices) … again, really wonderful! And we ended with a small cup of Ethiopian coffee.
I am now home for the rest of the day. Missing suitcase arrived! I start tomorrow at 7:30.
When we drove up to the Nairobi Train Depot this morning (where church is held), Malinda & I found ourselves in the middle of a mass of armed soldiers (not a dozen, but hundreds!). She stopped to see if there was a security issue, but we learned they were only amassing to plan for a national holiday celebration on June 1st… a little intimidating, but not alarming.
After church Malinda & her Ethiopian husband Tewolde (I said hello from you, Priscilla!), daughter Dagmawit, the Ondatto’s with Joshua, Kaidza & Jambi – and I - all had lunch together at an Ethiopian restaurant… we walked into a tiny walled home, down a pathway (saw rosemary growing!) and through a beaded curtain into a simple dim room with large upholstered furniture surrounding a center coffee table. Tewolde ordered food for all of us – and it came on what looked like an over-sized pizza tray. There was a large “pancake” (very, very light) that covered the whole tray & then three spoonfuls of different minced meats and various spoonfuls of vegetables (beet roots, beans, cabbage) on top of the pancake, plus dried meat pieces and a pureed bean soup in a clay pot. No silverware – you just tore a piece of the pancake & used it to eat with – including the soup. There is a delightful intimacy that comes from literally sharing a meal together. Tewolde order “juice” for us all – a tall mug with a layer of mango juice on the bottom, avocado juice in the center and papaya juice on the top (more “slushy” than thin juices) … again, really wonderful! And we ended with a small cup of Ethiopian coffee.
I am now home for the rest of the day. Missing suitcase arrived! I start tomorrow at 7:30.
Nearly midnight, May 23
Writing for the first time from Kenya!!! Great flight over… clear skies, smooth rides from Charlotte to Amsterdam to Nairobi, no delays, no getting lost in strange airports – couldn’t have been easier. Sat next to a German couple on the trip to Nairobi – their 4th visit to the country. They have other jobs, but support a group called jaaba (?), which works primarily to fund university scholarships for children who graduate from a particular school in one of the area slums. I have read there is a particular line of thinking in the “development world” that massive programs are not the ones which work best… but that the most success seems to come in smaller programs, targeted for a particular group & which has the buy-in of the group being supported as well as a committed sponsor or sustaining group. This couple’s jaaba, our Reach-Out, HOPE’s niche… each is filling a role & seeing success in the lives of those it touches.
So the “adventures” began once I landed, not unexpectedly. Swine flu concerns are real in Kenya, despite no diagnoses in this country yet. Everyone arriving from a country where cases of swine flu had been diagnosed has to complete a page long survey …. Any signs of fever? Cough? Sore throat? Where have you been? Where are you going? How can we reach you? Cool to see public health in action!
Then a luggage issue. Got the big bag full of jump ropes, soccer balls, games & flip flops. Didn’t get the suitcase carrying my clothes. After standing in two lines, I was assured my baggage had arrived; but no one could find it. The consensus was that someone mistakenly took my suitcase instead of their own – I have also been assured that Kenyans are honest people & the security people are sure it will be returned – in which case they will bring it to me. Meghan, be sure to pack essentials & cloths for another day or so in your carry-on bag!
Malinda, Mary O, Mary M, Anthony, and Anyima were all there to greet me – so wonderful & amazing to have such loyal & kind friends… the swine flu & luggage issues meant I finally cleared customs about 9:30, after landing at 7. The waited so patiently & I was very grateful! We had lots of laughter & catching-up in the car ride to the “hotel”.
For those who know it, think Heron Court, downgraded a few steps. The Kenya Comfort Apartments are indeed comfortable, but worn. Slightly odd-shaped rooms with half-walls built to create different spaces – everything has sliding doors, mounted with the hardware on the outside. Friends had left yellow roses, crackers, and bananas & oranges for me – the bananas were huge… and the one I ate tasted so sweet; just perfect!
The issues of traveling in a foreign country (and not a first world country) were immediately apparent. I failed to exchange currency at the airport with all the other issues - and you just can’t use credit cards everywhere like in teh US. I needed Kenyan schillings to buy water at the front desk.... and without KS, I had to do a little negotiating for 2 bottles “on loan”. I can’t drink the water from the faucet; I can’t brush my teeth or make tea with it…. You really have to plan & think things through. I shouldn’t keep my passport in the room; they can lock it at the front desk – for 100 KS each day, but without the KS & since it was so late, he thought I should just wait ‘til tomorrow. Computer in room while I’m out? Malinda suggested I also lock that up while I’m away… but the hotel’s safe isn’t big enough to accommodate laptops. The parking/security attendant also oversees the computer café (2 computers in a closet)…. I have so much to learn and figure out!! But it’s perfect.
I am meeting Malinda at 8:15 for church in front of the hotel.
So the “adventures” began once I landed, not unexpectedly. Swine flu concerns are real in Kenya, despite no diagnoses in this country yet. Everyone arriving from a country where cases of swine flu had been diagnosed has to complete a page long survey …. Any signs of fever? Cough? Sore throat? Where have you been? Where are you going? How can we reach you? Cool to see public health in action!
Then a luggage issue. Got the big bag full of jump ropes, soccer balls, games & flip flops. Didn’t get the suitcase carrying my clothes. After standing in two lines, I was assured my baggage had arrived; but no one could find it. The consensus was that someone mistakenly took my suitcase instead of their own – I have also been assured that Kenyans are honest people & the security people are sure it will be returned – in which case they will bring it to me. Meghan, be sure to pack essentials & cloths for another day or so in your carry-on bag!
Malinda, Mary O, Mary M, Anthony, and Anyima were all there to greet me – so wonderful & amazing to have such loyal & kind friends… the swine flu & luggage issues meant I finally cleared customs about 9:30, after landing at 7. The waited so patiently & I was very grateful! We had lots of laughter & catching-up in the car ride to the “hotel”.
For those who know it, think Heron Court, downgraded a few steps. The Kenya Comfort Apartments are indeed comfortable, but worn. Slightly odd-shaped rooms with half-walls built to create different spaces – everything has sliding doors, mounted with the hardware on the outside. Friends had left yellow roses, crackers, and bananas & oranges for me – the bananas were huge… and the one I ate tasted so sweet; just perfect!
The issues of traveling in a foreign country (and not a first world country) were immediately apparent. I failed to exchange currency at the airport with all the other issues - and you just can’t use credit cards everywhere like in teh US. I needed Kenyan schillings to buy water at the front desk.... and without KS, I had to do a little negotiating for 2 bottles “on loan”. I can’t drink the water from the faucet; I can’t brush my teeth or make tea with it…. You really have to plan & think things through. I shouldn’t keep my passport in the room; they can lock it at the front desk – for 100 KS each day, but without the KS & since it was so late, he thought I should just wait ‘til tomorrow. Computer in room while I’m out? Malinda suggested I also lock that up while I’m away… but the hotel’s safe isn’t big enough to accommodate laptops. The parking/security attendant also oversees the computer café (2 computers in a closet)…. I have so much to learn and figure out!! But it’s perfect.
I am meeting Malinda at 8:15 for church in front of the hotel.
Friday, May 22, 2009
Day 1 - En route
Well, today is the day I leave for Kenya. I have held on to the comfort & routines of life for the last few days, knowing that things will be very different in just a few hours. I have treasured up memories of the garden, sounds of the birds through our open windows, last laughter with good friends...times with Frank & Meg, calls to Kate & Chrissy... so much of the precious ordinariness of life.
And I've gone through my checklists again: passport, visa, shot records (yellow fever mandatory, typhoid suggested, everything else up-to-date... especially tetanus!), malaria pills, skirts to work in (cultural competence), rubber-bottomed shoes for the slum, a suitcase full of flip flops & books to give away, list of ...other than that, the packing has been fairly ordinary (camera, sun tan lotion)!
Thanks to all for you support & well-wishes!
Wednesday, May 20, 2009
Many, many thanks to Susan for setting up this blog for me! I’ll use it to record what I see and do and learn during my time in Kenya – and I’ll also use it to reassure my husband & daughters that all is well! This first entry may be somewhat self-indulgent; but I think I should tell at least part of the story of how I got to this point.
It’s Monday night, May 18 as I sit at my kitchen table beginning this blog. This time next week I’ll be living in a small apartment in Nairobi, Kenya, beginning a six week internship in the field of public health: four weeks of work in the informal settlement (slum) of Dandora and two additional weeks in rural Kisumu at a center of support for orphaned & vulnerable children. The thought is somewhat surreal and yet it is the very thing I have dreamed of doing for years… nearly a lifetime, in fact.
As a 56 year old woman with an extremely wonderful and extremely comfortable life, it may seem a little odd that I would make this move to Kenya to work in a slum for part of the summer… but to me, it is the most reasonable thing in the world to be doing at this point in my life. I had the wonderful fortune of growing up in the 60’s and early 70’s… those years during which all of us under 30 thought we would change the world in some remarkable way. Since I was quite timid and painfully shy, I decided marriage wouldn’t be in my future… so I planned to become a doctor, live in rural Florida (Palatka, Putnam County to be exact… the one county in Florida that refused federal money for health care for its women & children). My dream was to provide medical care for that county – and be reimbursed via barter… diagnose an ear infection; get a bag of tomatoes…the idealism of that day was wonderfully naïve. My plans were so certain that my best friend’s father, who was a physiologist at UF, even gave me a medical dictionary as a high school graduation gift.
But life takes unexpected turns and I took a 25+ year sabbatical from my first dream to live a second dream – I married a great man & raised three daughters, each of whom I cherish. I can attest, however, that a dream may be deferred without the dream dying; and over the years, my first dream underwent revisions that I could have never predicted. Putnam County, FL became East Africa; my patients were no longer rural southerners, but Kenyan children who had been orphaned by AIDS; I was not treating sick people, but working to prevent illnesses before they began or easing the severity when prevention didn’t work. In an odd way, the movie Out of Africa, paired with Bible verses about defending the rights of the poor, caring for widows and orphans, and feeding the hungry became the unlikely framework for my life’s next step.
I began a graduate program in public health at UNCC in Fall 2008 and this trip to Kenya (my third) will fulfill the 160 hour internship requirement for my degree.
My husband, whom I adore & who has been so supportive of my pursuit of a public health degree, says this first “blog” sounds more like a start to a novel than a blog post (they should be more like news reporting, he says). I don’t think I can promise that I will write “news reports”, especially in light of all that I will see…
It’s Monday night, May 18 as I sit at my kitchen table beginning this blog. This time next week I’ll be living in a small apartment in Nairobi, Kenya, beginning a six week internship in the field of public health: four weeks of work in the informal settlement (slum) of Dandora and two additional weeks in rural Kisumu at a center of support for orphaned & vulnerable children. The thought is somewhat surreal and yet it is the very thing I have dreamed of doing for years… nearly a lifetime, in fact.
As a 56 year old woman with an extremely wonderful and extremely comfortable life, it may seem a little odd that I would make this move to Kenya to work in a slum for part of the summer… but to me, it is the most reasonable thing in the world to be doing at this point in my life. I had the wonderful fortune of growing up in the 60’s and early 70’s… those years during which all of us under 30 thought we would change the world in some remarkable way. Since I was quite timid and painfully shy, I decided marriage wouldn’t be in my future… so I planned to become a doctor, live in rural Florida (Palatka, Putnam County to be exact… the one county in Florida that refused federal money for health care for its women & children). My dream was to provide medical care for that county – and be reimbursed via barter… diagnose an ear infection; get a bag of tomatoes…the idealism of that day was wonderfully naïve. My plans were so certain that my best friend’s father, who was a physiologist at UF, even gave me a medical dictionary as a high school graduation gift.
But life takes unexpected turns and I took a 25+ year sabbatical from my first dream to live a second dream – I married a great man & raised three daughters, each of whom I cherish. I can attest, however, that a dream may be deferred without the dream dying; and over the years, my first dream underwent revisions that I could have never predicted. Putnam County, FL became East Africa; my patients were no longer rural southerners, but Kenyan children who had been orphaned by AIDS; I was not treating sick people, but working to prevent illnesses before they began or easing the severity when prevention didn’t work. In an odd way, the movie Out of Africa, paired with Bible verses about defending the rights of the poor, caring for widows and orphans, and feeding the hungry became the unlikely framework for my life’s next step.
I began a graduate program in public health at UNCC in Fall 2008 and this trip to Kenya (my third) will fulfill the 160 hour internship requirement for my degree.
My husband, whom I adore & who has been so supportive of my pursuit of a public health degree, says this first “blog” sounds more like a start to a novel than a blog post (they should be more like news reporting, he says). I don’t think I can promise that I will write “news reports”, especially in light of all that I will see…
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