Yesterday Brian joined me and the Young Women in Enterprise team in one of the Nairobi slums called Mathare. He had some down time from the Gates proposal and wanted to experience what the YWE team was doing in the field. Mathare is a much different slum than last week's Kawangware. It's the 'real slum' as some of the fellow Technoserve folks like to say. It's densely populated, barely any leftover space for additional people or kiosks. It's important that we are there.
We were divided into teams and spread out to cover certain geograpic areas. All the mizungos (Swahili for white person) were split so as to be leveraged for the attention that we can bring in the slums. Each day that I go to the slums young children yell out "mizungo, mizungo, how are you? how are you?" Apparently there is a regular TV show where children have learned to associate the phrase 'how are you?' with a white person. It's really amazing when you have a whole schoolyard full of children chanting it in unison waiting for the "I'm fine, and you?" response ;) Kenyan children are beautiful and brighteyed gems in what can be a challenging and dreary environment.
So Brian was off in a group, his teammate Julia also joined us, she was in another group, and I with a new team this week. We headed off in our respective directions to recruit young girls for the next few hours. It was a very successful first day in Mathare. Because of the dense population it was easy to rack up the numbers. My team reached over 50 young women and the top team reached over 70! A total of over 260 girls were recruited - truly amazing!
We all returned around 3pm to our temporary office (a local church) to congegrate for a late lunch. During this time we went around the room and shared the number of our recruits and stories. One story in particular took the cake that day. Brian had paired up with Paul, a Technoserve staff member, and Paul explained to the group this very interesting story from the field. As Brian and Paul were out trying to recruit the young women, loads of children were drawn to Brian and started following him around. Brian enjoyed the company and began playing a bit with some of the kids. At one point he was picking a few up and swinging them around. This sparked a revelation by a couple of the children. Here is a white person, with a beard, and appears to be quite strong. This could be none other than CHUCK NORRIS!!! A few of the children started chanting, "Chuck Norris, Chuck Norris, Chuck Norris" and soon they all caught on while following after Brian through the streets of the Mathare slum.
For your information, I refuse to be called Mrs. Norris but I can still kick a lot of butt when needed. And for your reading pleasure please see below.
Chuck Norris Facts:
If you have five dollars and Chuck Norris has five dollars, Chuck Norris has more money than you.
There is no 'ctrl' button on Chuck Norris's computer. Chuck Norris is always in control.
Apple pays Chuck Norris 99 cents every time he listens to a song.
Chuck Norris can sneeze with his eyes open.
Chuck Norris can eat just one Lay's potato chip.
Chuck Norris is suing Myspace for taking the name of what he calls everything around you.
Chuck Norris destroyed the periodic table, because he only recognizes the element of surprise.
Chuck Norris can kill two stones with one bird.
www.chucknorrisfacts.com
July 28, 2009
July 22, 2009
It Starts With a Girl
Over the last few days I've been volunteering with TechnoServe (TNS), the NGO Brian's been consulting with, in a program called, Young Women in Enterprise. Their goal is to reach out to young women in the slums, ages 15-22, and train them on business skills, entrepreneurship skills, money management, give them access to loans, and teach them about life skills like HIV/AIDS. On Monday, our first day, I headed out with the team of about 12 hired consultants and TNS staff into the Kawangware slum of Nairobi. We were looking for young women in the community who haven't been given the chance to thrive; house girls, child brides, primary school drop outs, prostitutes, young girls who have one baby strapped to their back and another one on each hand and she's only 17. So far we have been able to reach about 400 girls and spread the word to an even greater number of people in the community. Even though you may be able to reach the girl, who stands in her path? Her father, her brother, her mother, her employer.........her community. These are the gatekeepers to change.
Who greatly impacts future generations inside the home = women
Who can impact population growth given awareness and information = women
Who invests 90% of their income back into the home = women
Who is a saver of money = women
Girls are viewed as assets for their family. If money is needed, who is the first to be pulled out of school = a girl. If more money is needed, who will be sold as a child bride = a girl
How do we stop the cycle?
We have to start somewhere and that's what I'm witnessing first hand here in Nairobi. I have spoken to several girls now and looking into their eyes while I explain the free opportunity to learn how to start a business or learn how to interview to get a better job or a job, there is so much energy just waiting to be released. These girls are innovative, they survive in some of the worst conditions on our planet and yet they can come up with ideas on how to start a business so they can feed their family if only given the chance.
Give them this chance. Start with a girl.
http://www.technoserve.org/work-impact/locations/kenya.html
- See Entrepreneurship Training
www.girleffect.org
July 21, 2009
July 20, 2009
Hell's Gate and Lake Nakuru National Park
This past weekend we set off to Hell's Gate on Saturday and Lake Nakuru National Park on Sunday. We hired a safari van and driver, Jimmy, both of which turned out to be great.
Hell's Gate is only about a 1.5-2 hour drive from Nairobi. We left the apartment around 8am and made our way driving through villages, amongst smoke belching trucks and matatus on into the Rift Valley. Once we arrived, we rented some bicycles and made our way into the park. We were immediately greeted with amazing rock cliffs and towers jutting out of the ground. Hell's Gate once held an ancient lake where it is said the first humans roamed. We ventured down the set path on our bikes and found ourselves surrounded by zebras, a very large bird (still searching the name), gazelles, giraffes, and water buffalo.
About 5 miles into the park we came upon the gorge (gateway to hell according to the Massai people) and so parked our bikes and had a picnic before embarking on a hike. Our guide through the gorge was Seret, from the Massai tribe. He told us that the park land once belonged to the Massai people and now you'll find many of the guides are Massai as a way for them to ensure their land is being preserved. While trekking through the gorge, you actually pass onto present day Massai land for which they have made arrangements with the KWS (Kenya Wildlife Service). Seret took us to meet some Massai people from the nearby village and we asked to take a picture with them. For allowing this we gave them some money and being impressed with our generosity they gave each of us a bracelet and walked us through the meaning of different colored beads it was made out of.
The Massai tribe seem quite similar to the U.S' Native Americans. Both are people who lived off the land, not taking more than what it can offer, not exploiting animals and the planet; ultimately knowing that everything we use and have comes from this earth. Seret was an amazing individual. He has invited us to come to his village to witness the culture he is so proud of, we would be so honored.
After trekking through the gorge, it was time to head back to the entrance to meet our driver Jimmy to head over to Nakuru for the night. We started off and I soon realized that my back tire was flat. I tried to ride about 1/3 of the way but was having lots of trouble so Brian, being the gentleman that he is, offered to ride it in. He made it about another 1/3 of the way and then we decided to foot it. It was a lovely walk back, despite the tire, as it was around 4pm, a wonderful time of day where all the animals were enjoying some relief from the sweltering sun and chewing their last bit of cud before finding a place to retire for the evening.
Jimmy was there waiting for us and we on our way to the town of Nakuru, where we would be staying for the night just outside of the park. We stayed at a hotel called, Merica. It's fun if you imagine George W. Bush pronouncing it "Merica is a great hotel, Merica". The room was pretty nice and we had a lovely hot shower - nice change of pace from the apartment. We were both pretty spent so took a quick shower, grabbed a quick meal from downstairs and crashed.
Sunday morning we met Jimmy at 6:30am, had breakfast, and drove about 10min to the park. For the next 5.5 hours we enjoyed seeing tons of wildlife and all sides of the the lake full of its infamous flamingos. Parts of the lake were just covered in pink. Early in the morning, we saw our first lion sitting peacefully by the road. We saw a handful of white rhinos scuffling along eating up grass and twigs. There were several groups of giraffes, just playfully enjoying the sunshine. We noticed that one group in particular were all facing the same direction, very focused on something. It wasn't clear at first, but as we made our way, we realized there were a number of lioness' relaxing in the bush close by. The giraffes were well aware of their presence and weren't going to bat an eyelash until they were gone (and they have beautifully long eyelashes by the way).
Around lunchtime we exited the park and found a local eatery in the town. The food was quite good (I had a veggie burger, Brian egg curry, Jimmy a cheeseburger). Once we were stuffed with food an mixed tea (black tea with lots of milk) we proceeded to the Hyrax Hill Museum. It was on the way out of town and knowing this would be a place of interest by my mother, I had to stop. Hyrax Hill is famous for the archeological digs done by the famous Leakey family. It showcases artifacts from people living 3,000 years ago.
Another great weekend in Kenya!
July 15, 2009
Jambo!
Your Swahili lesson for the day....
Karibu - Welcome
Kwaheri - Good-bye
Asante - Thank You
Asante san - Thank You Very Much
Hakuna Matata - No Problem (you know you just want to break into the Lion King song, don't deny it......)
A matatu is a small taxi bus that drives around like crazy and tries to pick up as many people as it can cram inside
Tipping is not generally done here like it is in the U.S. unless you feel that you had exceptional service, then you may leave a tip (usually 10%)
When at a conference or meeting, before you adjourn for lunch, a group blessing is given
Security is highly rampant, everywhere you go there is a locked gate a security guard will let you enter through (at home, office, grocery store, mall)
When somebody says they're going to 'flash you' they mean they will send you their cell phone number to your phone
You don't see too many police officers around, mainly traffic cops at round-abouts directing the chaos
You will find small piles of burning trash alongside the road. There is no formal trash collection service here but they have managed to ban thin plastic bags
The national dish is called nyama choma which means roasted meat. They serve goat, mutton, beef, chicken, liver. There's a famous restaurant called Carnivore that we haven't been to yet but they also serve ostrich and crocodile. They used to serve other game like zebra but new restrictions have barred such items from the menu
The traditional staple is ugali which is thick maize meal
Most dishes are accompanied by chipatti which is like a compressed naan
This is a picture of a vegetarian dish I had last weekend: red beans and rice with coconut milk, there are a few pieces of chipatti on the side (very yummy)
July 14, 2009
First Weekend in Kenya - Nairobi National Park
On Sunday we went to the Nairobi National Park at sunrise. We were there for about 4 hours and saw a ton of wildlife. Immediately we came across a herd of water buffalo who look pretty fierce that early in the morning.
We ventured on throughout the park and saw giraffes eating acacia leaves, eland and hart beasts grazing in the fields. There were several herds of zebras who would just stand in the middle of the road staring at us as we approached them in our car and at the very last minute scurry off in a huff. It was a wonderful experience to see the animals in their natural habitat just like you'd find in a National Geographic article or in watching 'Planet Earth'. We were fortunate enough to have seen a black rhino and her baby. Our driver reinforced that we were quite lucky as they are endangered and most folks don't get a chance to see them in the wild.
After driving around the park, of which we didn't even cover half, we stopped at the Athi River where many hippos reside. There was a guide waiting to show tourists around. We noticed right away that he was carrying a gun just in case we encountered an unhappy animal. He took us alongside the river and as we walked we could hear blowing sounds. As the hippos came above water, after being under for 4 minutes, they would breathe heavily in and out of their noses. We could hear this as we approached. We were able to see about 5 hippos hanging out in the cool waters of the river. The guide informed us that they stay in the water throughout the entire day and only get out at night to eat.
We moved on after seeing the hippos to the Sheldrick Elephant Sanctuary. For one hour every day the keepers bring out the baby elephants and feed them in front of a crowd of onlookers with these huge baby bottles full of soy milk. The elephants go crazy and as soon as they are finished head straight to the mud hole where they continue to climb all over each other in a slippery mess. The keepers then address the crowd to explain how each elephant arrived at the orphanage. The number one reason for their presence is poaching. Recently, the Kenyan government released a stockpile of ivory they had sitting around for some time onto the market. I guess they felt the best thing to do was to release it where at least it could make a profit (grrrr). This was seen as an invitation by many to enter into trading ivory (again) and ever since poaching has increased significantly. Abandoned elephants have been found by local farmers who then contact the orphanage. The orphanage raises them until they are about 2 years old at which time they are released into protected areas. Again, we have another case of humans trying to destroy a species for profit. That is why it is so important to create sustainable economic opportunities for people in Africa; so they do not have to exploit their natural resources and wildlife for survival.
Thus far, Kenya seems to be a place of extreme beauty and richness and yet violent crime and desperation. It's a hard life for many here and there is so much corruption that at times life may seem hopeless.....but nothing is hopeless. Many Kenyans are fed up with the theft, violence, and continuous lack of leadership. Things will get better, but they have to come from within.
More pictures to follow....
First Weekend in Kenya - Crescent Island
On Saturday we went to Crescent Island Game Sanctuary which is about an hour and a half drive north of Nairobi near Lake Naivasha. Brian's manager, Ana, and her husband Greg, along with another TechnoServe employee visiting from D.C., Payal, invited us on this trip.
Crescent Island is not so much an island but a peninsula jutting out into Lake Naivasha. Unfortunately, due to terrible drought conditions, part of the land connected to the mainland is now visible because the water levels are so low.
Many of you may know of Crescent Island if you've seen the film, 'Out of Africa'. We were embarrassed to admit that we had not seen it and proceeded to be harassed for a good while by the rest of the group. (Don't worry - it's now on our list!) The animals were brought over specifically for the film. Because no predators were included in this process, the animals have been able to thrive without any threat. This makes it a great place for people to walk around quite safely.
In order to get to the island, you must take a short boat ride across the lake. On our way over, the driver ran us by a group of hippos enjoying the cool water in the hot sun. They caught wind of us looking at them and started to head our way. At that point, the driver had trouble starting the motor and a bit of panic ensued. He was able to get the motor started just as the hippo crew began to pick up speed to come over and check us out. Whew!
We made it over to the other side safe and sound. There was a guide to meet us and show us around the island. At first, it didn't seem as though there were many animals around but as we continued to walk across we came upon several types: wildebeests, zebras, gazelles, giraffes, water buffalo, and fish eagles.
This was our group for the day: Brian, Jalyn, Greg, Ana, Payal, and our guide Moses.
July 13, 2009
July 10, 2009
July 9, 2009
Luggage Arrived Today!
A porter came to the TNS office today around 4pm and only had one bag and it was Brian's. Brian checked it over and everything looked good. As for me, reality started sinking in that I would never again see those cute jeans with the 3 buttons on the pocket and the next 6 months would be filled with pictures of me in 1 of 3 outfits. The TNS employee who had been following up with the airport reassured me that my luggage would arrive tomorrow. Yeah right I thought to myself.....
Brian and I stuck around the office a little later this evening waiting to hitch a ride home with the other volunteers and around 5:45pm my bag arrived! Oh the joy that came over me! I couldn't believe it, I gave it a look over, checked inside, and everything was in its place. What a relief!
Tomorrow I'm wearing the cute jeans with the 3 buttons on the pocket.
All is well in Kenya tonight :)
Volker's Garden Apartments - Part One
Here are the first few pictures of our apartment in Nairobi. We just got word this morning that we'll be moving to a private one bedroom in the building next door sometime next week. We currently share a living area with television and kitchen (you can see these pictures on the website) with two fellows from India. We're looking forward to our own space soon ;)
Few things to note about the pictures:
1) The shower head has a heater attached and is low flow and luke warm but at least it's warm...
2) We sleep with the mosquito net over the bed each night but we have only seen one mosquito to date and Brian successfully took him down
3) There are several Latin channels with English voice overs and they are horrible!
4) Check it out: http://www.foreignxchange.co.ke/accommodation/volkers_gardens.htm
Are We There Yet?
We have arrived! Here we are walking through the Nairobi Airport corridor headed for the visa counter.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)