My trip to Kenya

Dago Dala Hera Orphanage
Alex Salkin
Sunday, March 1, 2009

I’m currently staying on a farm with the Odoyo Family, who are basically the patrons of the Dala Hera Orphanage. The farm is about a 5-minute walk away from the Dago Kogelo Primary school, and the Orphanage is another 3 minutes beyond that. There are about 55 orphans in all, all supported by a feeding program ran by the Odoyos and a Canadian sponsor. The Orphanage is basically a girls dorm, housing about 20 girls at night. The building itself was made possible from a donation from a Peace Corps volunteer in July 2002. While they would have liked to house both the boys and the girls, the government here makes it illegal to house both sexes in the same building, so the executive decision was made to house the girls while they wait to raise the money build a boy’s dorm.

The kids there are some of the sweetest you will ever meet. Most of them are shy around white people (Mazungus) because they see so few of them, but also I don’t think they get much personal attention from many adults. Sarah, the Canadian volunteer, while she was here was great with the kids, teaching them duck, duck, goose (which they call “Dok dok dok”) and playing with the skipping ropes and listening to them sing. I have been spending most of my time elsewhere with Edwin Odoyo, but the times I’ve been over at the orphanage while they’re playing I taught them how to use a Frisbee and recorded some of their songs with my digital voice recorder. They had never seen either of those things, so when I first threw the Frisbee or played back one of their songs they all burst out laughing.

The kids are taken care of by 8 different volunteer mothers, who rotate throughout the week with the cooking and supervising of the children at night. They do it completely without pay except for eating some of the meals they cook.

But through talking with Edwin the program always seems to be in jeopardy. “If our donor stopped paying for the feeding program we would have enough money and food saved up for about five weeks” after that, they wouldn’t be sure what to do. His ultimate dream is to buy an eleven-acre piece of land right next to the farm. By doing this, the whole program may one day be completely self-sufficient, with them growing their own food, and even selling any excess they may grow back into the community. At this point the land is full of sugarcane.

But at this point there are always ways to help the program even in small ways.

Did you know that for 10,500 shillings (135 dollars) you could bring a mobile clinic here every three months for a whole year and immunize all 55 orphans from malaria? For an additional 15,500 shillings (200 dollars) you could provide all the orphans with medicated skin cream (for ringworm and scabies, which almost all of them have) for the entire year?

You would be surprised at how much a little donation of just about ANYTHING helps someone here. An old pair of shoes can go to someone who has never owned shoes. A package of pens could go to a school that can’t afford them, ten dollars could feed a child for weeks.

Sometimes it’s hard to look at what some of these kids have to go through every day.

But when you see something really appreciated, it’ll touch your heart. A donor in the states sent me along with reading glasses to give to each village I go to while I’m here, and the first people I brought them to were the teachers at the Dago Kogelo Primary School.

One teacher admitted he had problems seeing the words on the pages of his student’s homework, and when he put on a pair of glasses he exclaimed, “I can see!”

Here’s an excerpt from the thank you letter from the headmistress of the school: “To Whom It May Concern: May I take this time on behalf of the Dago-Kogelo Primary staff, through the hands of Brother Alex to thank you very much for having donated to us very good glasses for reading. This will enable us to cope up with the present dynamic in Kenya which is always exhaustive to the bare eyes.”

I just have to smile when I read that.

Helping out at Namunyak Maasai Welfare
Sunday, March 22, 2009

My host Emmanuel Tasur and his wife, Lillian, run the volunteer program here about half an hour drive from Kilgoris (Should show up on Google maps) and 50 km from Maasai Mara game reserve, near the “Oloololo” entrance gate. Their house is in an area where nature is more abundant than houses, and our closest neighbors are Emmanuel’s sister, Georgina, and her family. She has two boys and one girl. Larry, her middle son, is 7 years old and incredibly smart. He speaks English better than most adults here and even figured out how to use my digital camera without any input from me (his artistic talents, however, leave much to be desired). I recently taught him and some of his friends how to play the card game “War,” and when Larry is on a hot streak he tends to say, “Tonight I will eat goat!”

Emmanuel’s school is already showing a great deal of progress, even in the short time I’ve been here. Three classrooms have been cemented and they’ve begun on the administration offices. The walls need to cure for 7 days, then they’ll be painted and other finishing touches will be added. Even though I’ll be gone when they start painting, I’m glad to know that the students here will soon be able to learn in permanent buildings.

When Emmanuel got the idea for his school, he had some requirements that he wanted to meet. First, a quality education for everyone. When he went to school as a child, there were too many students and too few teachers, so he made sure that his school would have a good student/teacher ratio. He also has a few mentally handicapped students in some of the early classes, which is almost unheard of here.

Second, cultural preservation. The school is in Maasai land, so he wants to preserve the “good parts of Maasai culture” (don’t ask me to define them). There is a rich history and strong traditions here, and what he sees as a loss of his culture worries him. However, when he hired the teachers and staff, he made sure that there was a good mix of the different tribes represented.

Third, environmental sustainability. He plans on using organic farming methods to grow crops, and wants to teach to his students the importance of the environment to their community. I’d say that’s pretty respectable, yeah?

A few weeks ago he got a letter from the Minister of Education letting him know that he’d been appointed to the “board of governors” of a local high school. He hadn’t applied to the position- he didn’t even know that there was an opening. But his reputation preceded him and at his first board meeting was elected chairman. Laughing, he said to me “I told them that I wasn’t going to serve unless certain things were met, including me being chairman of the board, so they elected me!” Everything was going according to plan, until he found out that the principal and the old chairman had been funneling funds meant to go towards building a new dorm into their personal bank accounts. He tried to stop them, but most of the power lies with the principal, so Emmanuel stepped down from the position instead. The other board members talked him into staying on the board, though. That is just one of the parts of Kenya I can’t stand. It’s so corrupt here. Even though the board knows about the money, there’s nothing they can do about it, and the principal knows that everyone knows about the money, but he does it anyway because he can. Screw everyone else.

So that’s why Emmanuel is a breath of fresh air. I envy the honesty, focus, and drive he has when it comes to his project. Basically everything goes towards the school. While the classrooms are almost finished, he still needs about 65,000 dollars to build the two dorms. (about 33k per dorm, but he may be able to get that down to 25,000 per dorm) He plans on building a public library and a clinic available to the whole community on the school property, and needs money for that. He still needs to build a permanent kitchen and living quarters for the staff, which will cost even more money. And also, to sponsor a child at his school costs 365 dollars for the whole year. That includes books, food, uniform, school fees, everything. All for a dollar a day. Just remember that even a few dollars goes a long way in this country. If you want to donate, go to www.villagevolunteers.org.

I asked what Emmanuel wants to do when he’s done building his school. He replied with a smile, “Build more schools, of course!”
If he’s the person in charge, than I know it will get done.

Alex Salkin is a 24 year old graduate of Willamette University with a B.A. in Anthropology. He just returned from a 6 week trip to Kenya through the Village Volunteer program (www.villagevolunteers.com). If you have questions or comments, please contact Alex.Salkin@gmail.com

Blog entry by Michele Fujii

I have been in Kenya since August 13, 2008. I did not plan on being here for the US Presidential Elections but the plane ticket worked out that way. At 5:30 this morning I was downstairs at Wendy’s in Nairobi glued to the TV only to find out a couple hours later that Barack Obama is to become our next president. The people of Kenya are ecstatic and share the joy with so many Americans. Last night we went to see “Obama: The Musical” at the Kenya National Theatre; where they announced that the next nights show would have a different ending. President Kibaki has declared tomorrow a public holiday in Kenya to celebrate the win.

For the past 3 months I have seen more of Kenya then ever before. I traveled here last summer for 5 weeks to Mama Maria and Namunyak Maasai. This year we held the first (of hopefully many) Kick it with Kenya Conference in Makutano, just north of Kitale. It was partnered with an in-country program called Inspire Life Outreach Ministries (ILOM), founded by Charles Wambula. The conference was very successful. About 75-100 students attended each day along with about 20 pastors from around Kenya. One day a free medical clinic treated over 250 patients within the community. Lessons of the conference included HIV/AIDS, sanitation, good hygiene practices and youth empowerment. The soccer tournament was also a success with 16 teams in total participating. A trophy was awarded to the first place team.

The next 2 months, I spent in Kitale, mostly at Sister Freda’s Medical Centre. This was another incredible experience. The day Caroline and I arrived we were immediately introduced to two newcomers at the hospital. Eliya, almost 2 years, was from Kipsongo slums were his meals consisted of tea and dirt. Emmanuel, about 5 months and weighing a mere 2.5 kgs, was brought by a grandmother who was unable to take care of all her daughter’s children when the daughter died 2 months before of an unknown cause. These children became an immediate part of our lives, feeding and loving them, we watched them grow and become active and alive once again.

The feeding program at Sister Freda’s nursery school is also wonderful. Maize and beans are grown on the 26 acres of land and feed about 100 children every day. The children are just beautiful, like all Kenyan children. Playing with them everyday brings a certain joy to your heart that I cannot explain in words. There is also a nursing school being built on the compound and it’s coming along very quickly. The brick walls are almost finished and the roof is going on some of the rooms as I write.

I was told that I would fall in love with the place before I went and I found that to be very true. Sister Freda has a heart of gold that is rare to find and I feel privileged to have met her and her family.

The rest of my trip was spent at Namuyak Maasai, with Emmanuel Leina Tasur. Last year I walked on the land that he had purchased to build a school. This year I walked on the same land now filled with children playing football or skipping rope. From nursery to class 3, the school has amazing teachers and most of all eager students ready to learn. During the duration of my stay another two classrooms have been painted and are almost ready for classes 4 and 5.

Emmanuel is another incredible person with a passion for his community that almost no one else has. He has seen his people and land being neglected by not only the government but by each other and he is now bringing a change so great that it will impact the future of the area greatly. It is also an honor to have worked by his side.

To wrap up this entry, not enough can be put in words to describe my second stay here in Kenya. I feel like it is becoming a second home and I feel so welcomed by everyone I’ve met. I have built friendships and partnerships that I know will last a lifetime. And I already planning my return.

Consider Kenya, Summer 2007

Written by Tyler Batson

Consider Kenya, Summer 2007

It’s an overwhelming thing to consider. “Should I do this? Am I actually going to travel to Kenya?” These were the thoughts running marathons through my head as I sat watching my flight taxi into the gate. I looked around, alone, saw the faces of my fellow travelers and then felt mine sink. “What the hell have I done?”

I could make a hackneyed attempt at telling you what I did at Mama na Dada and Namunyak Maasai Welfare, respectively. I could tell you of the people, the gorgeous landscapes, the sweeping hills, or how all the clouds in the wide expanse of space above all seemed to be rushing from the further reaches of the planet to this singular place. I could tell you all of this, yet still you would not truly understand. And that is exactly the answer. What I have done is found an understanding. An understanding of the world, of relationships, of genuine love and community. And, perhaps most importantly, of struggle. Not in its expected form, however. The lifelong struggles of disease, drought, exploitation, and government corruption have grown roots in the soil of this place. From these roots have grown its people. The men, women, and children are all leaders, eager to find direction in the mud and mire of their under-developed homeland.

At Mama na Dada I arrived like some kind of celebrity. In the States, in the city, if you were to greet a stranger on the street, the best you could get is a returned sense of aversion. Everyone that met me wanted to know my name, where I was from, wanted to shake or hold my hand. They want to know you! There’s no suspicion, no hidden agendas, no aversion to speak of whatsoever. They are reaching out, trying to find direction in this beacon of hope: you.

So often I wanted to pick up one of the kids at the Mama na Dada Day Care Centre or Namunyak Maasai and never let go. I did not know their language, but you grow to realize that those things don’t matter. Come as you are and you will learn even more about what that truly means, what you mean to the world and to the individuals who suffer from it. There will invariably be some trepidation maybe even some hesitation when confronted with these realities. Some kids may not want you to jostle them into your arms at any given chance. Just know that it is your presence alone that is the utmost blessing. It may not seem like it was that hard to get there, but to get out is the struggle. You serve to those kids, and to everyone, as an example, as a personification of freedom, of moral strength and integrity. You may not have known it, but your nationality has bought you strength. Its youre responsibility as a human being to live it and to share it.

This lesson was never more clearly learned than from Emmanuel Leina Tasur, director of operations and projects at Namunyak Maasai Welfare. When I thought to go there, many past volunteers and others looked at me like I was crazy. “I heard that there wasn’t much going on there.” “Those Maasai are wild!” was what one Kenyan even told me. This convoluted notion of the Maasai is something that precedes their magnificent strength, once more, signaled by their presence alone.

Indeed, when I arrived, I was shocked. However, I was offered an opportunity. In the vast landscape I found in front of me, I found a total completeness and complete emptiness. These antithetical notions were not battling with one another, rather they were existing as just that: notions. My mind needed to understand this place. As I grew closer to Emmanuel, his wife Lillian, his three kids, their cousins and all of the guests that would come by every day that feeling of emptiness faded away. It was not Maasailand that was empty, it was me, still searching, still applying notions where they need not be. I just needed to be, with the same genuine quality the Maasai inhabit that remains unchanged throughout history.

As contrived as it may sound, the past two and a half months in Kenya, I have learned to love. Not only all of my new friends and surrogate families, but also myself. In this world, we think that we can find the answer to happiness in impulses, capital gain, boyfriends and girlfriends, but we cant. I campaigned with Emmanuel and taught sexual health education and creative writing at Mama na Dada with Daniel Rateng. Have I ever even considered doing any of those things before? The answer my friends, is no. It wasn’t until I dared to just be and exist in an environment that supported a goal of individual empowerment that I realized true happiness and success.

Reward comes when you use an opportunity to take a risk. The ultimate reward comes when you do it for someone else.

Epilogue:

September, 2007
Los Angeles, CA

Just yesterday I ran into a Mexican man selling blankets door-to-door in the middle of summer. I held the door open for him to an apartment building and began to speak to him in Spanish. “No se te nota!” he said, referring to my rather un-mexican appearance. I told him that it was unfortunate that my Mexican background is so unapparent, that I am proud to be Mexican. He was stupefied. “You are the first person who I have heard say that in the 6 years that I have been in this country,” he told me.

Now, you may be wondering what my point is so I’ll just tell you. This man was selling blankets to doors that were, I’m sure, routinely shut on his face as we sweated through the streets of L.A. Before that he did hard labor in a plastics factory, construction work, and gardening before that. He did all this for his family back home, suffering under a corrupt government regime, poverty, and strife, and now Hurricane Felix. So just remember, when you travel, you bring your culture with you. Make sure you know what that means before you watch your plane taxi to your gate wondering what the hell you have done. And take pride in what that means, because if you don’t, no one will, and your roots will just get stuck in the mud and mire that keeps you caught up in a notion of happiness. Instead just remember: all you have to do is be.

THE BEST TEN WEEKS OF MY LIFE.

I arrived in Muhuru bay, home of the Mama Maria Clinic and it's projects with little idea of what to expect but was greeted so warmly by the villagers I would be living with, that it was difficult to not feel as though you had been part of their family for years. The ten weeks I have spent in Kenya, seven of those being at Mama Maria and the others at Namunyak Maasai Welfare, have been the most rewarding, eye opening and humbling ten weeks of my life. At Mama Maria I was involved in the building of the new volunteer compound site where the new clinic will eventually be placed, and the upkeep of the ambulance. The clinic is running a continuous battle against Malaria and has to give out so many drugs in this fight that it is consistently under pressure to try to keep from running out of these precious resources. Throughout my time there I met many different people and the one thing that stood out above all else was there overwhelming happiness. Despite the fact that everyday there is a struggle to buy food and collect drinking water from the lake which is often filled with parasites, and that simply feeding your family every day is your main objective, everyone has an amazing appreciation of life and unwavering faith, which humbles you to the bone. I made an uncountable number of friends, both locals and other volunteers and as a result of the experiences we went through together, these friendships became very strong. For the people I was able to meet and the things I was allowed to accomplish I am eternally grateful.

After my seven weeks in Muhuru Bay were up I headed to the hills of transmara and to the Namunyak Maasai Welfare project that is led by Emmanuel Leina Tasur. When one meets Emmanuel you can tell that there is something special about his character, but it was not until a couple of days of living with him and speaking with him on various issues that I realized how truly inspirational he is. He is running for MP for the whole of Transmara constituency, which is inhabited by the Maasai and Kipsigis tribes, and has an amazing vision for this area. He allowed me to see how much hope there is, not just in Transmara but throughout the whole of Kenya for it's future. Its people are truly amazing and have simply been let down by years of corruption, broken promises and marginalization by the government. Emmanuel believes that Transmara is an area on the edge of prosperity and I believe he is the man that can finally bring this area into this prosperity that they so deserve. He and his family are some of the most warm and welcoming people I have ever had the opportunity of meeting and they love every volunteer that stays with them. I was given the chance to speak on his behalf at some of the political rallies that we attended and jumped at the chance of portraying my belief in his vision to people of the area. Transmara is a simply stunning land; its fields expand to the horizon everywhere you look and its culture is probably the richest I have ever seen. We were able to experience many cultural Maasai events, which were simply stunning to see and it was fascinating to follow a man around that is starting so many projects for the area and is so warmly greeted by everyone you meet. It is a long and hard road that Emmanuel is beginning, but with our support for him and his projects, I believe Transmara can be transformed into one of Kenya's great regions and aid the continued development of Kenya as a whole.

I will sorely miss this great country and all the people who I have had the fortune of meeting, so much so that I am already making plans for a return trip either next year or the year after. To anyone who may be considering volunteering in Kenya, make the jump with an open mind and an easy going approach and you, as I did, will have the most incredible, rewarding and inspirational experience of your life – of that I'm sure.  

By Chris Kwiatkowski.

chriskwiatkowski@hotmail.co.uk

Jambo! from Ryan Drysdale

Jambo! I just spent a month at Namunyak with Emmanuel and company and had the best time. Before I left I was a little hesitant about my safety alone in Kenya, but after a couple days with amazing people I felt completely safe. Emmanuel is an amazing man who is about to make an amazing difference to the Transmara District by running for Parliament. I learned more from him than I have in a semester at college and at college I don't get to go on safaris!! Emmanuel is also an amazing safari guide. My advice is if you are thinking about going even just a little bit do it! You will have such a great experience and be able to see the optimism and potential of a great country.

Karibu and Jambo!

Village Volunteers was an incredible experience.  I just spent 6 weeks at Common Ground program and 10 days at Namunyak Masaai Welfare.   Both places were unique in it's own way and have opened my mind without question.

 

The people I met and came to love at common ground were absolutely amazing.  During my stay I was able to work on various sustainable development projects.   I was also able to take part in several physical education classes with the kids which was a lot of fun.  The kids there are amazing and it was not easy saying goodbye.   I only hope I was able to give the people of common ground as much as I received from them.  The accommodations make you feel right at home and Mama Sandra and Mama Elizabeth make one mean chapatti.

 

Numunyak was also a great time and I was only there for a little more than a week.  During my short stay I was able to pick the mind of a Emmanuel Tasur who is currently running for MP.   Emmanuel has an amazing vision for change and I hope he keeps his vision ripe.  During my stay I was able to attend a fundraiser for a local school as well as a political rally.   I ended my trip with a safari at Masaai Mara which was awesome.  The wildlife is unmatched and Emmanuel is a great guide.

 

The best part of this experience has been the people I have met and the friendships I have made.  It is no fun saying goodbye, but this experience has given me all the reason to come back to Kenya.   If you are at all curious about experiencing Kenya this is the way to do it.  It will be something you will never forget.  

 

Joshua Braunstein – Dix Hills, NY – USA - jsb100@gmail.com

Ian Crump Journal Entry

I have just returned to Nairobi after spending five weeks with the Village Volunteers Common Ground and Namunyak Maasai Welfare projects, and hundreds of things are going through my head….

The main emotion right now is sadness at having to not only leave the programs, but I'm already missing the many people that I had the great fortune of meeting and working with. During my stay, I worked with a number of volunteers, and none of us were ready to go "home", so my feelings are definitely not unique. It doesn't take long for Africa to plant a seed in your heart, that's for sure!

I came to Africa knowing that I would probably learn more from the people here, than I could possibly ever repay through advice, education, business training, etc. and I was right. I also came to Africa with a "plan" on what I hoped to accomplish and be involved with, and though many of those specific ideas did not come to pass, I know that what I did get involved with was more important to those people involved.

 

I began my stay at Common Ground, just outside of Kitale in the west of Kenya, and was met with open arms by everyone… from the 300 students at the onsite school, to the other volunteers, to the employees at the program, and especially by the head of the program, Joshua and his family. Though African culture and way of life is significantly different than the western culture I was raised in, it only took a few hours for me to start marveling at the beauty of the Kenyan culture, and I quickly forgot where I had come from a short few hours before.

This feeling continued as I traveled to the Namunyak Maasai Welfare project, where I was fortunate to meet and work with Emmanuel. He has a very clear vision of what he believes the people of his district can achieve by working together, and all of the people I met there are personally committed to doing their part to making this vision come to fruition.

The excitement that we were met with from everyone that we worked with: the widow's groups, the youth groups, the woman's groups, etc made my heart very warm!

I know I'm not alone in saying that I'm already looking forward to my next visit to see these very special people!

Oriti Kenya “ Goodbye Kenya in Luo”

The blog was written by Village Volunteer Mariel Rosen on July 31, 2007
Evey029@hotmail.com