A Long and Lovely Day...

So much happened today: several errands, visits to two craft centers, but the best part was our time at the Nyanya Toto Preschool Center in Kibera. Six of our eight gradmothers were present and, along with wonderful teacher, Elizabeth, had prepared a traditional Kenyan meal for us. Expecting only light refreshments, we had eaten lunch just before, and so were more than overwhelmed. But I think we did pretty well, since refusing to eat would have been considered quite rude.

The grandmothers were dressed in their very best and looked wonderful in colorful headscarves and khangas (the traditional cloths which are used by African women in so many, many ways). I truly love the way in which these women mix colors and prints, with no real regard for matching. Gathered together, they resemble a garden of beautiful flowers in full bloom.

The biggest surprise for us- Mary Martin, Mae, and myself- came after the meal, its clearing away, and a rather lengthy meeting to discuss problems and concerns of both the Nyanya Project and the nyanyas themselves. One of the grandmothers brought out a bag which contained their gifts to us...and they proceeded to dress the three of us in beautiful khangas of our own, all the while singing and smiling and ululating and enjoying themselves greatly as they made us a part of their group, their "family".

Mary Martin and Mary

Mae and some Nyanyas

Another Mary and me in my Khanga-
a colorful picture in black and white

We joined in with the "dance" as my eyes filled with tears, so over-whelmed with gratitude for these gifts from women who have so little...who are existing on one meal a day, whose profits from their small businesses have, in some cases, been cut in half due to inflation and the economic downturn.  

I was especially overjoyed to be with my friend, Beatrice, and to see both her and her grandson, Eugene, looking so well. Beatrice lost an eight-year-old granddaughter during our visit last year, and we never had the chance to say goodby. Our meetings this summer have been especially meaningful to me and her hug was warm and long-lasting. We'll meet again at next week's Hurambee and this time we'll have the chance to say a proper goodbye.

Friends

Beatrice and Eugene

 And then it was time to go...and we discovered that the young man employed to paint the front wall was already hard at work. Mary had handed gifts all around for the grandmothers, Mae had presented the necklaces made by her friend, Lauren, and Elizabeth had a bag filled with toothbrushes and flip-flops from her granddaughters. All in all, a great day for everyone.

A happy Elizabeth

Mae & Nyanyas in front of the blue wall

And now it's time to sleep, after a long and deeply emotional day. Tomorrow, a flight to Kigali, Rwanda, where more visits and emotions await. No posts for several days, as my computer will remain here in Nairobi with my big luggage. Small carry-on only for the 4-day trip. Returning here to the Biblica Guesthouse on Tuesday afternoon, so expect a post- perhaps several- that evening. Love to all of you who read this...wishes for a happy and healthy day ahead...and may you live in appreciation of all you have. love, linda

Are You Tired Yet?

Oliver, almost 4

Was greeted this morning by Oliver, the son of our hosts at the Wildebeest, Lanita and Alan. They also have a new baby this year, Joel. It is so delightful to hear Ollie's ever-deepening Australian accent (his parents and grandparents are from there and the family just returned from several months "at home".) Last year he was just a little more than a toddler; this year, he is a BOY!!!




Then it was off to the pre-school 

Julius in the Sewing Center

to await the arrival of some
people from the Kenya Ministry of Gender, Children & Social Development. While we were
waiting, we took some photos of
the new sewing center located
in a building behind the pre-school
building, a place where people from the community can come and, for a very nominal fee, rent
the use of a machine for 3 hours
a day for the week. When it is running at full capacity, it will be a most welcome additional income source to help the pre-school to become a self-sustaining venture.
In talking with people from other non-profits, having projects become able to sustain themselves financially is a critical piece- and one of the most difficult. We ALL seem to spend inordinate amounts of time and energy fund-raising, unless, of course, a source with very deep pockets becomes an organization's "angel".

 Dear Beatrice, one of the original "Nyanyas"

Mary Martin & Beatrice at the Sewing Center, named for Mary's brother

The trash-fueled stove & oven

And then it was off to see the project of yet another group,
located deep in Kibera. This unique structure is a stove/oven
which uses trash as fuel. At the rear is the place where the trash is gathered and sorted (no glass or batteries are burned and plastic is saved for recycling). The rubbish is shoveled into the chute, where it comes down and is then pushed into the oven, where it
burns at about 800 degrees. There is about 99% combustion, so there is very little ash remaining, which has to be cleaned out only about every 3-4 days. There is a very large cooking surface and 2 generously-sized ovens and food is being cooked each day to feed lots of people very cheaply. The heat produced also heats water which peopl can get for 5 shillings for several gallons (about 7 cents U.S.) to use for bathing, a real gift in the slums.

The company building these ovens is known as PLANNING. When a oven is ordered, they send people to build it on-site, as well as to train the people who will be running the oven in operational and saafety skills and management. Of course, the cost is daunting to Kenyans- 690,000 Ksh- but that translates into $8117 American and with the great money-making potential and the employment opportunities it would generate, it seems to me a really worthwhile investment if that initial amount could be generated. Doesn't presently hold a lot of potential for us in the Nyanya Project, but for a couple of the non-profits with which we've established connections here it holds a lot of possibiities.

Walking through the slums is always an eye-opener. We were assaulted by the smells of rotting vegetables and meat and human waste, by the sight of all this running down the open gutters on either side of the paths (can't be called streets...only wide enough for human traffic), by the on-going sounds of a continual mass of humanity. Snapshots: a ribs-showing dog rooting through the garbage in one sewer and finding something to eat; a tiny girl sitting beneath a table of vegetables, playing right next to an open sewer; a small boy, his lower face virtually covered by...okay, I'll say it...snot; the path on which we walked absolutely covered by trampled-down garbage, discarded shoes, and plastic bags. All in all, a day filled with information and sensory input...and I am very tired.

The World of Kibera

Just finished reading Rye Barcott's new book, It Happened on the Way to War: a Marine's Path to Peace, and found it captivating. It brought Kibera, the largest slum in Africa, to life for me, as Barcott wrote about trying to balance his work there with his work in the Marine corps...making peace with the task of making war. 

For those of you who don't know, Rye Barcott was one of the founders of Carolina for Kibera, a non-profit begun in 2001 when Barcott was still a student at UNC/Chapel Hill, had received a fellowship to study in Africa and- intending to go to Rwanda- ended up in Kibera, in the city of Nairobi, Kenya.

Though i must confess to a lack of understanding Rye's dedication to the Marine corps and his seeing his serving in places like Somolia, Djibouti, and Iraq as part of his dedication to peace-making, i found myself fascinated by the way in which he linked his learnings and experiences everywhere he served to his work in Kibera. And his descriptions of that place brought it alive again for me, making me ever more certain of my decision to return there this summer. Places to go, people to see, things to learn...this is how i felt over and over again as i read this book, as it described realities and envisioned hope for the people in this place so far beyond the imaginings of most Americans.

Kibera is the home of the Nyanya Project preschool...the home of most of our grandmothers and their grandchildren, along with nearly 2 million other people. It is a place where homes are 10x10 shacks and kiriboto (bedbugs) prevail and running water and flush toilets are only dreamed-of luxuries...where famiies live on less than $1 a day...where hunger and malnourishment are the order of the day...where tribal unrest still raises its ugly head and where HIV/AIDS takes lives each and every day.

So why in the world, you might ask, so i want to return there? What draws me back to this dreadful-sounding place? It's the people... their courage, their determination, their willingness to work to make things better for their children and grandchildren. Perhaps Rye Barcott summed it up best in the closing lines of his book as he describes the buiding of what would become Tabitha Clinic, the largest, most modern medical clinic in Kibera, named for one of the founders of CFK who had herself died of AIDS-related complications. He is speaking with Salim, the young man who has been director of CFK's on-the-ground youth program in Kibera for 8 years:
 I turned to him (Salim). "Before she passed, Tabitha said, 'Don't quit pushing this thing.' We won't quit."
   "No, my brother, we won't." Salim placed his hand on my shoulder and looked into the community. There in the crisscrossing alleyways mamas balances jerricans of water on their heads; children kicked soccer balls made of plastic bags and twine; and men hauled bricks and mortat to what would become the largest clinic in Kibera. "We won't quit pushing because they won't."

Having been there, having come to know just a few of the people, having felt their spirit and courage and determination, i won't quit pushing, either...pushing myself and the Nyanya Project in our work, and pushing the rest of you to reach into you hearts and pockets to help with our work there. Visit the Nyanya Project website http://www.nyanyaproject.org/ to learn more and to make a contribution. There is much to be done...and you, YOU, can make a difference.