Closing thoughts

So it has been a month since I've left Kenya. Technology is a wonderful thing and I have been able to speak with Omari on a bi-weekly basis (it's quick though because I'm paying about $5/min). Facebook updates and messages have kept me in touch with other volunteers and to hear good news from Faraja.

There have been a range of emotions that have come over me throughout the past month. I've been angry, at the Kenyan government and the wastefulness of Americans. I've been upset that I couldn't do more or couldn't be there for some landmarks for Faraja (Kefa's first words, piped water being placed, a hike up to the wind turbines). There is something consistently calling me back as I try to get myself grounded in the states.

To say that words and pictures can't describe the experience I've had is very, very true. Though there are many people that I have spoken with, there is always the afterthought that I missed something; a story, a moment, a person.

Did I accomplish everything that I put into one of my earliest posts? Yes and no. But, I'm not really concerned about it. To have been in Kenya for over a month, travel from the highlands to the coast, in all methods of travel, was beautiful. The conversations, meals, images were all memorable.

Do I think I'll return? I hope so. I would like to go back to Faraja to see the children older. They may not remember me, but I will definitely remember them.

I am thankful for meeting so many wonderful people on my journeys through Kenya and hope to remain in touch as time goes by in the short and long term. Before I close off on my final post I'd like to leave you with two items:

1. The Faraja Kuku Project - We are almost 100% funded. Please consider a donation. (link)
   You'll get plenty of detail on what we've been able to accomplish so far.

2. BootsforAfrica.org - On my last weekend in Ngong we ran into a couple who spend their 2009 honeymoon in Kenya and chose to volunteer in 2010. Being from the UK, and being Wigan Athletic supporters (English Premier League), they brought donations of what us Americans would easily call soccer cleats. I'm running a donation drive through the Monroe-Woodbury soccer teams. If you, or someone you know, would like to donate used cleats please contact me for further details.

3. Some favorite photos

Alex and Michael

Amy walking to bible school

My "square"

Michael and Morra

Nothing but the clothes on my back

My sambas . . . cleaned . . . repaired . . . and with a new owner

So, I'll definitely have pictures about this day, but I decided to do something a bit rash. Noticing that there are very few males who volunteer (guys if you want to meet women from all over, volunteer abroad) I felt that quite possibly boys were neglected in gifts and meaningful items. Having worked with the older boys with the daily chores and the chicken coop I felt the need to give them something. So, I'm coming back with a belt (because with the weight loss I can't hold anything up, a pair of pants, and 2 shirts. Everything else I gave to the boys, from a watch, to a bookbag, collared shirts, pants, shorts, and tees. I even gave away my Sambas to one of the young soccer players. It'll be about a year before he'll fit properly into them but it was a sight to see Emmanuel polish the sneakers to a shine. My backpack it light, but will be full of some souvenirs later on.

Rojas . . . he'll grow into it

Time for a last meal with my ladies before Claire leaves at 6am and Lucy leaves around 11am tomorrow.

Gloria and I have a late, late flight tomorrow and will arrive around noon on Saturday. We'll have plenty of more things to write and stories to share...

What time has brought

In 5 weeks time we've accomplished the following at Faraja:

1. Established the orphanage on Fadhili's list of orphanages to be at. Not only have we had people transfer to the orphanage (Amy, Lauren, and How will replace us for the next month), but they even delivered three bags of toys and blankets for the children.

2. Made the chicken coop "sustainable". We went from under 20 eggs daily to over 70 eggs daily. The coop was sectioned off to guarantee fertilized eggs which go for 25ksh instead of 8ksh for un-fertilized. Omari is paying off a debt quickly and has been set up with Kiva.org to begin conversations to receive a micro-loan. (If this happens I will mass email all so we can fund the project)

3. Health and hygiene has improved. We moved the fire so the smoke is no longer affecting children, cleaned the house properly, and have been working with the kids about coughing and hygiene.

4. Plans are in place. We finally contacted the landlord and now understand that Faraja was penalized with no water and electricity because prior tenants had 2 years worth of back debt. Their payment history will be looked into and they may receive those amenities. Also, the landlord approved of a plan to draw water from the local farm to give free water to the orphanage. These are high hopes, but progress is something. Finally, How has been educated on the farming/garden project and will undertake it when the rainy season starts in September.

5. Education. I passed along the grouping plans to Amy, Lauren, and How and they will take time in the day to review with the children as they are on holiday until September.

6. Incentives matter. My deal with the water merchant working and our replacements are fine with continuing "the deal". 220ksh for 220L of water is more than fair and will allow more work to be done at the orphanage.

Tomorrow will be a VERY difficult day. It's our last, don't really want to talk about it.

I will also update with images and video so please check back when I put some posts on FB. See you around . . .

Its not the end. Its just the begining.

 Omari and Emmanuel figure
out Twister

I can't believe tomorrow is our last day with the kids. Its heartbreaking. Its to the point where they all hug and kiss us when we arrive and leave. They push each other out of the way to hold our hands for walks...walks they have done for years alone. I have to muster up all the strength I have to not cry in front of them.

This trip has been extremely mentally and physically draining but equally rewarding. I am forever changed by my experience here.

Mary is all smiles

I know in my heart that I will return and I plan to begin some projects for Faraja from home. Its going to be so hard waking up and not seeing their beautiful little faces around me but knowing we will meet again someday will get me through it.

Handing out gifts on the last day

One of the boys asked me if I could tell Father Christmas about him and the other children at the orphanage. Just today we received at least fifty gifts for the children and will be distributing them tomorrow. God works in mysterious ways...tomorrow will be Christmas in August at Faraja.

To my friends and family back home hugs and kisses!

Out of the coffin and into the fire

   So, after a safari weekend and feeling a bit unwell last Tuesday I came down with a nasty bit of something Wednesday night. Thursday morning I was in a local private hospital and for the equivalent of $25 I was consulted, blood tested, and treated for . . . malaria. Oh, I know there are pills for that, was taking them. And have only two . . . TWO . . . mosquito bites on my body. Leave to one of those buggers to give me malaria.
    A shot larger than a tetanus needle in the bum and some medication from Novartus in good ol' Suffern, NY and yesterday was the first day I felt 100%. Nasty.
    Today was the children's last day of school and as Gloria mentioned in her post we're prepping for some reinforcement time in the mornings for the students. The grading system is interesting in Kenya. Students are ranked according to their class and also grade. Each grade is broken down into an North, East, South, and West where classes can range from 40 - 50+ students. Granted this is a public school, but I'm sure a union would flip at these numbers. In analyzing their strengths and weaknesses we hope to provide a little reinforcement over our last two weeks.
     The firepit idea has officially ceased for now. I have the specs drawn up, but with the lack of contact with the landlord we don't want to do work that will get them kicked out of the house. The chicken coop project is a go. Omari's chickens are now up to 70+ eggs daily and we're going to create a separate room to isolate the cock and and few hens to guarantee some fertilized eggs.
     Time is flying by unfortunately and there's definitely a need to have it slow down and stop.

A Typical Sunday Dinner with the Family

On Sunday night Marc, Claire and I prepared a traditional Italian dinner for our host family and twelve other volunteers. It reminded me of the dinners I would share with my family back home. We prepared garlic crostini, and pasta bolognese. Everyone loved it and had seconds.It was the first time some of our host family had ever eaten pasta. I never knew I could make sauce and boil pasta on a propane tank. Another trick I've learned here. We all sat together in the family room laughing, eating and then watched a movie together. It felt like we were all one big happy family.

At Faraja the children are finished with school and received their report cards today. Marc is dividing them up by ability and we will each take a different group and work on reinforcing the math and reading skills they have learned during the school year. Some of the children are severely delayed and cannot receive the extra help and services they would benefit from. They are lucky to even be able to attend school. We are hoping to work with the more delayed children more intensively over the next two weeks and that the new volunteers will continue our efforts when we leave.

Top to bottom, left to right:
Marc, Amy, Claire, Lucy, Hou, Lauren, Gloria

A warm welcome to Lauren, who joined us from Canada today and Lucy who is joining us from England.

I've set Momma Morra up on Facebook and taught her how to utilize it for networking. We also have a Faraja page set up. Please contact her if you are interested in volunteering or sending in kind donations.

Miss and love.

M stands for

Monday
Marc
Makes it over
Malaria

more to follow . . .

The private hospital that delivered one hell of a shot of 

quinine

Outreach Weekend.

Claire and I decided to spend the past two days working with the slum children of Mukuru and participated in a food project to assist in feeding the families at local Internally Displaced Persons camps. We also took on the physical challenge known as Hells Gate (hardest hike of my life) and discovered the literal meaning of pot shots.

Lucy with school children in KCC

Mukuru (KCC) is a slum located in Navasha. Until volunteer outreach the children were without a school in walking distance. Children in their teens could not read or write. Volunteers were able to build a school and employ teachers so that these children have an opportunity to learn. It was nice to see the efforts of volunteers paying off. The school is at full capacity and there is a wait list for children in the slum to attend. I went to find the children who weren't attending. I found many of them home caring for younger brothers and sisters and some orphaned as a result of HIV/AIDS and alcoholism. The hope is that we can expand the school and set up a day care type center so that these care taker children can have access to education and so that the children wait listed can also have the same opportunities. The children want to learn.

Internally Displaced Persons are persons or groups of persons who have been forced or obliged to flee or to leave their homes as a result of or in order to avoid the effects of armed conflict, situations of generalized violence, violations of human rights or natural or human-made disasters, and who have not crossed an internationally recognized State border. After the 2007 elections it is estimated that up to 400,000 people in Kenya lost loved ones, were separated from their families and were forcibly moved off of their property. We visited some of the families impacted by the violence and provided them with food rations.

When we first arrived at IDP camp a woman in her eighties hugged and kissed me so hard I almost lost my breath. This hug was in response to my giving her a ration of flour, rice and cooking fat. If not for these donated rations she would have no food for the next two weeks. As it is the families at IDP have only one meal a day. Up to ten people are sharing a tent which by American standards could fit no more than four people for a weekend of camping. One of the families I spoke with had a photograph hanging on the tent of them in their former home with their father who was killed in front of them during a post election riot. I could not even imagine how they have survived such tragedy. I thank them for allowing me to hear their story.

Claire climbing in Hell's Gate

Hells Gate was a nice opportunity to challenge myself physically after the emotional challenges of the weekend. I would place Hells Gate at a more difficult level than the Grand Canyon. It was definitely challenging for me and it felt amazing to finish it. I wish I had time to hike it again before heading back to the states. On your drive to the trail heads there are zebras, giraffes and buffalo all around you.

On a final note, you haven't lived until you pee and poop in a hole in the ground. I'm becoming an expert. Much love.

Fusball - the beautiful game

Soccer at a nearby field

     I've been under the weather for the past few days and while Gloria and Claire traveled to work at an IDP camp this weekend I stayed in Ngong. This afternoon my illness began to clear up and I ventured out with Issac to the nearby soccer field.
     There are no language barriers in soccer. A hand signal for directional plays, hands to the chest for a "me, me, me" action and hands down palms up to ask for the ball placed at your foot. The warm ups are always the same, I made a fool out of myself and then made a fool of others. As the day went on respect and communication between players grew. A "budda" (brother) or "wewe" to get attention and "cuja" (come) to get a player to continue dribbling.
    At 4 the children were on the field for practice, but as time passed the elder boys, and men coming home from work joined the frey for a very fast paced game. As more people arrived they easily stepped into warm-ups and the game, no conversations needed. Though I did not participate in the later game I hope once I'm back to health I can.
    And no matter where you go there seems to always be the same confrontations. In example the prima donna striker who dish out some tough blows but will complain when they receive a strong tackle from a no-nonsense defender who hates prima donnas.
    All you need is a ball and a place to play. This is why soccer is a global game a beautiful game.

Those three simple words . . .

Obediah and Kefa

Today, two of the children said "I love you" to me. While you can hear these three words from your parents, your spouse, lover or a friend there is something indescribably powerful when a child says it to you. It makes it that much harder to think about leaving Faraja. Which is why I know that this experience is going to develop into a life long commitment. While I've always thought about the possibility of being a mother to biological children I now know in my heart that I am meant to take care of children that are already here. My sons and daughters are already living.

A bedroom at Faraja. One room has 13 girls, the other 13 boys

I never thought I would be able to cook for 32 children but thanks to cooking lessons with Omari, I'm able to do it and enjoy every minute of it! The kids give my bean soup great reviews. We had a chapati making party today and even got the kids involved. Chapati is similar to pita and we make it from water, wheat flour and salt. We make the dough and then slice it, roll it and fry it. Preparing, cooking and eating food together is an essential component to our Faraja family. Ester, a beautiful eight year old girl, who was responsible to roll out the dough for me, and I had a little food fight and laughed so hard we found ourselves on the floor covered in flour. We cleaned up before anyone noticed;)

Ester, Morra's youngest child

Momma is always trying to feed us but many times we make up excuses since we know food is low. Yesterday, she followed me down the hill with eggs telling me to take them and eat them so that I keep up my strength. Food pushers are universal, I used to think only Italian grandmas behaved that way.

I am teaching the kids how to make pizza next week, if Momma gives me the ok, of course. They tell me they have never had it but have heard of it and really want to taste it.

Focusing on Faraja

     After 4 days on Safari I couldn't stop thinking about Faraja. Though I really haven't been able to be around the kids because of the work I do there is the continuous thought on how to allow Maura and Omari become sustainable.

The chicken coop

     Cleopus from Fadhili stopped by today to see how our placement was going. Gloria and I were more than happy to show them the orphanage, introduce them to Omari, and ask for some extra help. Claire should be joining us tomorrow but we'd like to get another male and female when the next orientation group comes on Sunday. Fadhili has been more than accommodating and we firmly believe that this can happen.
     Omari's chickens laid about 46 eggs today, nearing the magic number 60 so that they can begin selling in market. We talked about small loans from Faulu (a micro-finance institution) that might lead to larger loans. The difficult aspect is the first loan can only be 5000ksh and must be repaid in 6 weeks. We feel that Omari's eggs must be viable before taking the loan to guarantee repayment and move on to larger loans.

     Gloria's beans for lunch were a hit and my ugali was good (at least that's what I thought from the reaction of the kids. Ugali (right) is basically a maize flour based "bread". It's light but very filling. I prefer mine with chile sauce. Cooking for 30+ kids was interesting because the pots are huge. The ugali was mixed with the semblance of a canoe paddle and two hands on it at all times because it gets heavy to flip.

     There are many things to do here before we leave but I'm confident that Gloria and I can tackle any task and goal we put ahead of ourselves. When we are on "African time" it seems like we've been here forever and time is standing still (in a good way). When we find out the days date reality kicks in on how fast time is flying by.

      I've meant many kind-hearted souls, adventurous and energetic spirits, and downright great people so far in this experience and I hope it continues.


Capitalism (and incentives) might work:
$1 = 80ksh (Kenyan Shillings)

Laundry at Faraja

1. Considering incentives for day labor to build the fire pit. Eg: 100ksh for the day, 250ksh if done by 12:30, if not finished not hired back the next day. Laborers are used to being paid daily and I regularly see plenty on break when the "boss" isn't around for the day down the road. If the fire pit project gets off the ground I think it can be done in 2 days.

2. Talking with the Sudanese businessman (the "boss" I just mentioned) to get his unused mortar block or to get in on next week's shipment. 50ksh per block is the standard rate and we'd only need about 36-42. Don't plan on taking his labor, but 1 guy a day would be OK by me.

The donkey cart guys

3. Renting out a donkey cart from the water merchant who fetches water from the same pipe. He's there hauling 500L on the cart, maybe offering him 1/4 of the value of his haul to deliver it to the door. This wouldn't be done on a daily basis, but maybe on a Friday to cover the weekends. Kenyans pay a shilling a liter, and to have the tank filled in 45 minutes is a lot better than all day, and it will supplement the time needed to supervise the firepit project.

We've been fortunate to have some donated funds and hope to spend them wisely and appropriately for the duration of our time at Faraja. If you'd like to do anything to assist, just ask.

Life is either a daring adventure or nothing...

Hey kids. Its been awhile. I have missed some important events and want to acknowledge them before I begin to blog about whats been going on over here. Happy Birthday to my most amazing baby bro, Anthony!!!! Sending you tons of hugs and kisses from Africa and promises to make you Blue Moon cupcakes and a four course dinner upon my return. To my dear Cheryl, aka "Cherbear", I wish I could have been celebrating your bridal shower with you. Love to you and Bradley as your special day approaches. To my beautiful nephew MJ, I wish you a fast and safe recovery from your eye surgery, you are our little fighter.

Since I last wrote I've been on quite a daring adventure. Luckily I've had wonderful friends new and old to join me on the ride.

Our safari group with "Action" Jackson

I spent four days on Safari. Three days in Masaai Mara Game Reserve and one in Lake Nakuru National Park. I felt like I was in a dream. I stayed in a tent that resembled a house, had my own bed and a shower and toilet with running water. Pretty swanky for here. I finally shaved my legs after almost two weeks. The things we take for granted.

Dinner is served

On our first run through the reserve we spotted a lion eating a wildebeest. You could actually smell the blood of a fresh kill. We also spotted zebras, buffalo and gazelles. It was sick, in a good way and made me a little sick in a bad way. The animals were within inches of our open aired van. Our driver, Jackson, was the fastest and most aggressive driver out there and would get us into spots I never would have imagined the van could fit in. On day two of the safari we spotted more zebras and lions. The highlight was when we drove to the very edge of cliff and witnessed the Great Migration of the wildebeest, one of the seven natural wonders of the world! Scary and amazing! We had hoped to complete the "Big Five" sightings but the rhino and leopard were nowhere to be found. I also spotted elephants as our van was almost charged by one and hippos in the Mara River. A completely unreal experience and the foil of New York City. The land seems to span to eternity. At Lake Nakuru National Park we were able to get up close and personal with some flamingos and spotted the rhinos we had been hoping to catch in Maasai Mara. Sadly, we never spotted that bastard of a Leopard. My camera is busted so I will rely on Claire, Karen and Marc to post and link for me. 4 out of 5 of the Big 5 is cool with me.

. . . mad ups . . .

We also had an opportunity to visit a Maasai village. The Maasai tribe rejects westernization and is oddly similar to the Amish in the US. I was able to ask many questions and members of the tribe had many questions for me as well. While there I participated in a traditional welcome dance with the women members of the tribe and learned how to make fire from friction. I also was taken on a tour of a manyatta (a small home built out of mud and wood with no running watter). The Maasai are very self sufficient and seldom leave the tribe. The people I met there seemed incredibly happy. Sammy, our Maasai guide took us to observe a ritual of drinking cow blood. An arrow is shot into the jugular vein of a cow and blood spurts out into the air and is collected into a bucket. The bucket of cow blood is then passed around to drink. Marc, of course, drank from the bucket. I nearly passed out and am reconsidering vegetarianism due to this event and other things I have witnessed here. While not tasting the blood I did dabble in the yummy honey beer brewed on premises. I guess the lesson to be learned is that no way of life is necessarily better than another. We are all doing the best we can with what we have where we are.


A pretty kick ass adventure but I must admit I was so happy to return to the children today. Could not help but talk about them to everyone I met during my time away. I guess I now understand more than ever what being a mom must be like.

The troops have arrived

Janet, Michael, and Alex

     Alex (WA state) and Janet (GWU student) are in the room next door and joined up with the Faraja crew for the past two days and will be helping out when we are on safari. The added man power has enabled us to allow the kids a bath, less chores, and time to play.
     Normally when the elementary aged children come home they will do chores such as fetching water and firewood. Alex and I were able to carry 600-plus liters of water over the past two days. It was nice to have him around because on my own I've only been averaging about 200L. We were done just after lunch and had some time to measure out ground for a fire pit and discuss other ideas for Faraja. We also took time to climb a nearby water pump to see the surrounding lands. (I am trying my best to get those photos up.)
     Janet and the ladies were able to sort rice, beans, and other food staples and help clean the house. Because you don't know where the food is left by the producer (road, warehouse, etc) you have to check for small stones and other particles before cooking. It's a tedious process, but the ladies did very well over the past two days. Also, with scrubber, bucket, mop, and disinfectant the ladies did a great once-over on the house. It smells "clean"! Mamma Morra was able to focus on cooking and shared some stories about the history of Faraja, herself, and the children. I'm sure Gloria will post some of that in the future.

     We have made our focus hygiene and improving the overall conditions of the house. If the house and land are more hygienic, the kids (and Mamma) are more healthy and there is more time spent in school and at chores/play then at home or at the hospital. Also, if less money is spent on medication that money can be put towards more viable resources. The ladies took some time to demonstrate how to cough and these things will continue next Tuesday.
     Overall, I think they best thing with the help of Alex and Janet is that the children can play for a bit. As we sat on the stoop we watched the children play some monkey in the middle and dodgeball games and even got in on a few ourselves.  I'm dreading my last day already because they've grown on me so quickly. I've been away most of the time at fetching water and wood and hospital, but for the past two days it is a blast to really be around the kids (which is what it's all about).
     Safari will consist of the next four days, and I will post when I return. We won't necessarily post pictures of the activities we do in Kenya, but will continue to post on Faraja. Please click HERE to view some of those photos.

Some pics before safari

This is a taste of what we are experiencing at Faraja. Plenty more updates to follow.

Click Here to view the album

Jambo Kenya!

Joy... Joy... Joy

Marc, Alex and the Kenyan mud

     Marc, Karen and I were able to recruit two other volunteers to help us out with Faraja. Alex and Janet were originally stationed at another volunteer site but when they heard about Faraja they couldn't wait to help with our babies. They, like us, instantly fell in love. Because of the extra hands we are able to do a lot more around the house. In terms of collecting water, Marc and Alex are able to fill the water tank by lunchtime. Karen, Janet and I are able to finish the housework before the children even arrive home from school. You might not realize how much it means to have the extra help. When Alex and Janet are not with us the children have to pick up the slack in chores and collecting water. They don't have play time and if water is short they cannot wash themselves. The children have had time to be children these past couple of days. They play games, talk to each other and us, and teach us songs. Two of their favorite songs are "Joy, Joy,Joy" and "Jesus is my friend." I hope to be able to share some footage of them singing with you. When they break out in song for us it takes everything within me not to cry.

Janet playing with Michael

     The children have all been sick lately so we decided teach the children how to be more healthy. Today we mopped and scrubbed the house from top to bottom with bleach and water. We taught the children how to sneeze and cough into their sleeves and to wash their hands with soap after. Its very little things that we believe can save a lot of money in doctors costs and medicine for Momma in the long run.

Karen with Kelvin and Kefa

      Today was Karen's last day at Faraja. We will miss her!!! But before she goes we will all be on safari. Safe Travels back to the US.

Welcome Claire!

Claire and Morra's 2nd child Emmanuel

I'll try to make it a permanent link on the page, but it's always nice to get a 2nd and 3rd opinion on things. Our little 'Scot has made her first trip away from home at 19 and decided to come to Kenya. She works at another orphanage down the road, Sidai, loves Passion Fruit (which they don't have in Scotland) and lives with her family on a farm back home.

Claire's view:
http://www.mytripjournal.com/clairegoestokenya

P.S. Adrienne, if you're reading this Claire agrees with our theory on Fireman Sam's "son"

Volunteering does not equal vacation

This is obviously the first time I have volunteered abroad, possibly not the last, but I am thankful for the set up that IVHQ and Fadhili have provided us. During the week we are at our placements from about 9-4; sometimes you'll stay early and sometimes you'll stay late. But, during weekends you are provided with plenty of excursions. Fadhili has offered a 3-4 day safari, a city exploration, IDP weekend (including a visit to Hell's Gate), trips to Mombasa and other getaways. I feel it is an opportunity to unwind with friends following the work week that can also be emotionally draining. You'll be updated on these weekend excursions, as for now check out Gloria's post for what we did last weekend.

At Faraja, well there is a lot of work to be done. Six years ago the orphanage left it's location in the slums of Kibera (the largest in the world, 2nd is Soweto, South Africa). Ten months ago they've arrived at their current location. Approximately 2 months ago Fadhili Community started putting placements in Faraja. There is a lot of work to do in order to help them become sustainable. As we finished our third day Karen, Gloria, and myself have begun brainstorming ideas of how to help them become able to help themselves. I believe first on the list is creating a more cleanly environment. From building a fire pit that can divert smoke/fumes away from the children and house, to education on better hygiene, to building shelves/cubbies to keep their belongings off the floor. If they can cut down on hospital costs maybe those funds can be diverted elsewhere and improve their ability to produce and obtain income.

Water pump that delivers water
to the local farm. They provide
free water to Faraja

My daily routine is fetching about 200L of water. The boys chip in with fetching water when they get home as well. But they consume about 225L of water daily due to cooking, washing, and drinking. I just hope to offset the daily usage on my hauls. On the 1/4mi uphill route I have met "the neighbors", from a Sudanese businessman who sells houses in Kenya to Joyce, Dijomon, and Wilson who work on a nearby farm that will see its first selling season in about 2 month. All look for sustainability, not a handout. They are doing the best they can and some are doing very well.

Dominick cooking lunch

I also help cook breakfast and lunch, collect firewood and been all about town. Momma Morra's direct neighbors are actually a husband/wife doctor/nurse team. I have spoken with the wife and will hopefully get in touch with Public health to get ideas on how to help improve living conditions. They are not bad for the children's standards, but we hope to be able to improve the general health of their surrounding atmosphere.

Once we get settled on a project I will write. I may even set up a PayPal if you'd like to help over the next 4 weeks. I have also contacted Kiva and will hear back from this week with news of how to start a loan attempt. 

I will upload photos when there is time. I try not to take photos when citizens are around, it's considered rude. You must see the beauty of this land and those who I am talking about.

Rant ... aka 5 BARS!!!

Ok America, wake the hell up. My muzungu phone (a simple Samsung) is an inexpensive, international sim card, solar powered, 5 bars of reception, mobile credit card BEAST.

Solar powered? Check. In an area with NO electricity, you still can charge even in low light and light overcast conditions. It's about $25 and with M-Pesa you can use this phone for financial transactions interest free. You buy an mpesa card just like a mobile minutes card and then the credited amount is on your phone. A password for protection and a seller's mobile number and BAM you can transfer your fees. You can even go to Equity Banks and use the mobile to add/withdrawal funds from your bank account. Mpesa has forced financial institutions to eliminate most every fee for banking (eg those pesky ATM fees).

Oh and did I mention 5 bars of reception!! I am in the foothills of  western Kenya folks. Masai are directly over the hill (and enter town on weekends) and I have 5 BARS! I can go to any country in the world, pop in a sim card and make calls, texts. Damn you corporate America for crushing the freeing potential of mobiles in America.

When I return I will continue to loathe AT&T and other companies for their oligopolistic practices.

END Rant

P.S. Anyone who says "blah blah Verizon" I have an iPhone. You have a wannabe OS in Android soon to be segmented like any other open OS and you'll suffer the same network issues once iPhone comes to Verizon. Wouldn't you like consistent 5 bars (and let's throw 3GS in for the sake of conversation) too? And, you still want an iPhone.

A goat giving birth, eating camel, feeding giraffes?!

It has been sometime since we have been able to hit up an internet cafe. I have missed writing.

On Friday I witnessed a goat giving birth on a pile of garbage just about two feet from me. No one around me seemed to notice but i was in awe of the process and a little sick to my stomach at the same time. I frequently pass live stock while walking from place to place.

Karen going a little too far
trying to get her proteins in
Carnivore

Saturday was wild. we decided to venture out to an infamous restaurant called Carnivore, in Karen, a town near Nairobi proper. The idea is to delight in exotic meats until you nearly explode...I was unable to do so and stopped after eating a small bite of the uber chewy camel. thinking about it makes me want to throw up. Marc, Karen and Claire tasted the ox balls. I hear they taste like salty eggs. Go figure.

Sunday was amazing. Marc, Claire, Karen and I decided to go to mass to watch our house momma perform in the choir and to learn more about her church. it was a wonderful experience. The pastor gave a sermon on being thankful and that just sums up the whole experience here thus far. I am so thankful that i am able to be here and I am so thankful for everything I have back home waiting for me. the pastor called us up and introduced us to the congregation and then they made us a special tea to show their appreciation. Kenyan's are so hospitable. If someone had one piece of fruit to her name, she would share it with as many people as she could.

Video 1: Dancing with Issac and his school mates

Video 2: At the giraffe park

Marc making friends at the
monkey park

After church we met up with some other volunteers and headed to an elephant orphanage, went to feed giraffes and went to a monkey park where little monkeys jump on you and try to steal food from you. Was a pretty amazing weekend.

Now back to our babies. Three of them are very sick and had to be hospitalized yesterday. While momma Mora was at the hospital with them it was discovered that she too had to be hospitalized. Marc went to be with her at the hospital and it was determined that she had been having an asthma attack. Karen and I stayed back to run the show. The kids are really opening up to us and despite the sadness of their past they are so full of love and faith and joy.

Morra was released back home today but was exhausted. Marc, Karen and I were perfectly capable of holding down the fort and told her to sleep in, something she hasn't done in years. They are very self sufficient children. The children serve themselves food, build fire to cook, hand wash their uniforms and wash their own shoes. Kefa, the youngest and only over year old, feeds himself and navigates up and down stairs. Michael,who is only about six, knows how to wash and hang clothes. It's remarkable.

Marc, Karen and I also met with Momma Morra to explore possible revenue building opportunities for the orphanage. Some ideas were to sell cards or detergent in town and to possibly start a website of the place and have a mechanism to make online donations. It's all up in the air at this moment but we are hoping to have a plan in place prior to our departure. It's our belief that in addition to our short term volunteer project we can enable them to do something great for themselves long term.

Sending you all hugs and kisses. signing off.

I am in Kenya, not Kenyan and Nairobi is Nairobi is Nairobi

Claire with some kids from Sidai

     I am muzungu. Today we awoke and were lead by leaving volunteers to our placement near Ngong. The of use are at Farajas and one is at Sidai. Claire, our young Scot, is at Sidai and I have nervously taken her under my wing. When she did not return from lunch, nor was waiting at 4 to meet up and walk home we realized there was an issue. I ran a 5K today from our guest house back to Sidai and Farajas to look for her only to receive a phone call at an hour past 4 that she had returned. I am not a Kenyan runner, but I'm glad she is ok. P.S.We're a 1 1/2 miles above sea level too (much higher than Denver). Running no good on lungs

The largest tank is 1000L medium is 100L
and the yellow jugs are 20L and 5L.
My trusty wheelbarrow is taking a rest.

Karen and Morra walk the road to collect water

     Omari, the son of Morra, who runs Faraja, is an amazing woman who takes care of elementary aged children in an orphanage. Omari is 25 and just finished another year of school working towards a civil engineering degree. Together we carried about 600 liters of water to begin to fill their 1000 liter tank for the children (5 liters = 11 pounds, you do the math. I'm going to be jacked!). Kenya is in a dry season and water can not be collected through rainwater and a basin. There is a small farm and a chicken coop that we may possibly work on in the following weeks. Omari just returned home from school so there is some work to do now that I'm more than willing to chip in for.

Mutatus are pimped out with colors, logos, music, tvs and
other ornaments. We definitely began to master these over time.

   A New York minute to ridiculously fast but Africa time can't even be counted you'd be better off saying "sometime in the next 3 hours." As for Nairobi, it is a city center, a city, a surrounding suburb, and a province. The biggest difficulty was when trying to find out where we are they said "20 min outside of Nairobi" and then we found out which Nairobi they meant, the province. Directions below if you want to find us or at least check out satellite images. We have buses, taxis, and mutatus (image below) which are like pimped out multi-passenger vans that rarely obey any traffic rules. It's beautiful here and we'll try to upload pictures and video over the weekend.

Nairobi to Ngong:

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Our first day

Today was our first day at the faraja children's home. It is so tough both physically and emotionally but I have never loved doing anything in my life as much as I love being with the children today. There are 32 children at our location and many have health problems and learning delays. Five of our babies are HIV positive. Most of the children have lost both of their parents to disease and have known no other life outside of an orphanage.

Omari and Morra

I feel compelled to tell you about Momma Morra and her biological son, Omari. Morra started taking in children six years ago from a slum outside Nairobi called Kibera. She moved her orphanage to Ngong just ten months ago and only recently began receiving assistance for the home from the government. For many of the children she is the only mother they have known. Omari is studying civil engineering at the University of Nairobi and assists his mom with caring for the children. He tells me that he get no more than three hours of sleep a night. I don't know how they do it. They are truly angels among us.

One of the roads to Faraja

There is no running water at the children's home so we have to walk about three city blocks up a steep dirt road to collect buckets to bring back to the home. The food is scarce too but Omari knows how to stretch it to make sure the children always have three square meals a day. He is an amazing chef. there is a chicken coop where we collect eggs and eventually the chickens will be used for meat. The clothes and dishes are all washed by hand and a garden is maintained where kale and cabbage are grown.

Kefa and his brother Rojas

The children are so respectful and well behaved and many attend a nearby elementary school. My sweetheart is named Kefa. Kefa is a year old and lost both his parents to HIV related illness. He is the most beautiful child i have ever laid eyes on. today we taught him how to blow kisses:)

Our home in Faraja

We are staying about a mile and half from the children's home with our momma Naiomi. there are four of us sharing a small room and we are the fortunate few who have running water. Momma Naiomi cooks for us and has made us feel extremely welcome.

My heart is so fully of joy and love today. Remember how blessed you all are. xoxo

It's a beautiful day!

Good morning! Slept so well last night. We are staying in modest but wonderful accomodations. Our house mother, Regina just made us breakfast. It was so funny waking up under a mosquito net this morning to the sounds of a rooster. I was a bit disoreinted but well rested. Kids, we aren't in Manhattan anymore:)

Last night was wonderful as we were able to meet another five of the volunteers who will be heading to the orphange with us. Mike, a musician and writer from Delaware, was kind enough to loan me his laptop. Props to Mike:) We were up last night exchanging stories and watching wrestling, the only program that came in a on the tv. The folks volunteering range in age from their teens to thirties and are from all over the world.

We will be at orientation today and then placed with a host family. I am so excited. let the journey begin.

Arrived!

Leaving at 6pm on Tuesday and arriving 6pm EAT (east african time). Flying over Greece and the Mediterranean via Zurich the blues went to light browns and basically stayed that way until about 20 minutes outside of Nairobi.

The Sudanese terrain exposed dried river basins the entire way, and the Kenyan highlands were like giant tree roots exposed for all to see. Picture the Hudson Valley completely barren of trees, put that at the altitude of Denver and that's the highlands.

Our first flight had Orthodox Jews from Monsey who almost started an altercation with an attendant, Christian missionaries were on the other side of the plane, so there was plenty of God in the house. Zurich is beautiful and Swiss Air all the way was fantastic.

Currently we've met up with 5 of 7 other IVHQers and will start orientation tomorrow. Mike from Deleware will be with us the whole 5 weeks and is a musician. Eva from NYC is not only doing a "I'm 30 let me do something cool" phase and will be with the group through August but also is a Pace grad school student. The world truly is small when you find a fellow NYer in your
University on the other side of the world.

Good night. Orientation starts in the morning.

Where in the world are we?

Looks like we will be staying in Nairobi (map)  for the beginning of our trip (Google Map) . Once we arrive in Nairobi there will be some formal training classes and then we will receive our placements. We'll have the weekend to get situated and start fresh on Monday.

With some luck we hope to be able to post on a semi-regular basis with our work and play. Being in country for over a month definitely gives one time to get immersed in the culture. There is a safari planned, a music festival in August, soccer (of course) and I personally intend to make this a Bizarre Foods and Three Sheets (Hulu link) opportunity. Both of the episodes are from Tanzania, just south of Kenya, so I hope for a very similar experience.

Pay attention to who is posting because we hope to make this blog a "he said"/"she said" opportunity. With multiple perspectives on different events we're sure to keep you entertained.

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The night before our journey

This is my first attempt at blogging. And I can't think of a better reason to start.

I've dreamed for much of my life of going to Africa and I've always saw myself working with children there. As I write this on the eve of my trip to Kenya, I can't believe that my dream has become a reality. What makes this journey even more special to me is that I get to share this experience with one of my best friends since college, Marc and one of my dearest friends from the Department of Education, Karen.

When I was in the 5th grade I was asked by my teacher to write a list of my goals for the future. I wrote that I wanted to be a lawyer and live in NYC and help children around the world. My teacher wrote back to me that I should think of some more realistic goals in addition to the ones I had listed. I declined. And well here we are;) 

As you may or may not know I've spent my legal career working on issues impacting women and children and have volunteered my services to these causes outside of work. I've always felt most connected with the cause through direct action. When Marc suggested the idea of volunteering with children in Africa I felt like this was the right time and that we should not put it off. We did some research and came across International Volunteer Headquarters, a nonprofit based in New Zealand. The organization appealed to us for many reasons. Their volunteer service trips received consistently good reviews, they were not religiously affiliated and their program fees were not outrageous. While I am Christian, I did not want to travel to Africa with an organization that pushed religion. My priority is helping the children in anyway needed. 

I want to thank my family and friends for their constant love, support and prayers.

I hope that you will enjoy what we post and that our blog encourages you to follow your dreams and give of yourself in anyway that you can. 

The story behind it all

From Marc:

In looking to restart my outlook on life following a self-perceived miserable 30th year of existence I decided to start really focusing on goals that I've always wanted to achieve. Having always been involved in community service organizations growing up there was always a desire to do something globally. My War & Peace class, and a unit on Child Soldiers brought my focus and attention to Africa. This is not a trip regarding child soldiers, nor war or peace, but an opportunity to do something extremely productive with my summers and obtain the feeling that I helped to make a positive impact in the global community outside of a monetary donation.

Gloria has always been up for these activities, having done time on a kangaroo farm in Australia and tsunami relief in Phuket, Thailand. Friends since freshman orientation we've been getting into trouble (and I've been getting her out of trouble ;-) ) since 1997.

After weeks of research and searching Gloria and I came across International Volunteer HQ. Based in New Zealand this group was formed in 2007, non-profit, non-denominational and just looking to connect travelers with fulfilling experiences globally. Our program director Jamie-lee has be more than helpful with our questions and concerns. With their help I hope that Gloria and I have a very positive experience this summer and through this blog we hope to share it with you.

Jambo is "hello" in Swahili, the first of two official languages of Kenya. IVHQ stands for the International Volunteer HQ, our guide in the process. And with this first post we hope to welcome you all to the next 5 weeks of volunteer work in Kenya! Jambo!

Do Something

• Volunteer: http://www.volunteerhq.org/
• Micro-Loan: http://kiva.org (http://www.kiva.org/lender/gawron)