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!