Praxides with her adorable baby Wisdom

With one of my favorite mamas from Shianda, Mama Jane!

Today was my last day in Shianda. It was so hectic because I had a lot to get done. The women wanted Elizabeth and I to come earlier than usual so that we could have a farewell celebration. Before I could go though, I had to prepare the material for the business workshop, make copies of all the information that they could need for the Ilesi-Shianda rafiki/visitation, etc.. Luckily, the cyber café that I recently discovered is extremely efficient at printing and copying so I was saved.

Once Elizabeth and I got there, we saw that there were decorations and music. They had really put in an effort. They made speeches, which were all very sweet.

Today was also the kick-off of the Ilesi-Shianda visitation program. So, about an hour or two after I arrived in Shianda, 3 people from Ilesi also arrived. I was so excited that the visitation program had started, and people from both groups seemed to be excited about it. I had the women in Shianda do their merry-go-round and microfinance activities so that the people from Ilesi could observe.

Then, I explained to the group about how the rafiki program and the visitation program would continue after I left. I was so happy to receive 30 letters to deliver to Ilesi. I really emphasized that it was up to them to keep the two programs going. They have to raise the money for transportation costs themselves in order to support the visitation program, and I gave them ideas on how to collect the money. I also brought a world map with me to show them on a map where I come from, and point out where their rafikis abroad live. Then, I said that there are many people in the world and we are all a part of the world. We all share it.

“There are differences between Kenya and America, or Kenya and Japan, but more importantly we are all human. We have more similarities than differences. My skin may be white and my hair might be different but I’m no better than all of you and you’re no better than me. We are all equals and we are all part of this world.”

I said that because it’s something that’s really struck me. It’s so easy to be in a different culture and start using words like “we” and “them” to point out all the differences, to build up sort of a cultural barrier between the home culture and the host culture. Another FSD intern Erica had mentioned during the mid-term retreat that it’s easy to point out all the differences but in reality, there are more similarities. People go to work, come home and spend time with families, they laugh; they make jokes, etc. That comment has really stuck with me. It’s made it so much easier to relate to people here and stay grounded.

I also wanted to tell the women that because many of them were so happy that a mzungu had visited their home. I could understand why that would be considered exciting for them and I was glad they were happy, but I also wanted to stress that I am not that special, and they are just as special as I am. I’m just another human. My skin is lighter, that’s all.

Next, the women from Ilesi asked questions which was cool because they were so interested in what the women in Shianda was doing. Hooray mission accomplished!

Then, we were served ugali, chicken (kuku) and chapatti. It was delicious. The women in Shianda had also prepared a small entertainment for us so we watched a man make cardboard puppets move while we ate.

The whole time, as much as I was enjoying everything, I was getting anxious because it looked like it was going to rain and it was also getting late. Once it rains, it’s impossible to get to the bus station because the roads are dirt and it rains hard. Since the women from Ilesi had to go further than Kakamega, I was getting really anxious for them. Thankfully, by some grace of God, it didn’t rain (lately it’s been raining every day at around 4:45). Vincent, the teacher at Ilesi, laughed at me for my very systematic ways (as in, I have a paper/file for everything, I plan things with a detailed time plan, etc.)

We then had the guests from Ilesi head home. I stayed with the Shianda ladies to do a quick workshop on business, which they seemed to really like. There’s a Swedish intern at Project Africa who will be here next week so I asked her to continue where I left off.

Then, finally it was time for me to leave. We took a group picture. It was so emotional because I had gotten to know so many of these women so well. It’s a big group but I know most of their names and they have been so wonderful. As parting gifts, they gave me a beatufiul purple lesso (type of Kenyan fabric) that says, “Every season has its sweetness.” They wrapped it around me as they danced and sang. They told me that this season with me has been sweet. Mama Phelistus also gave me a pencil and cell phone holder that she had made, with the message “God bless Kana.”

I wished that I could have savored the moment and taken more time to say goodbyes but it was getting really late by then so I had to rush back to Kakamega. It’s been a lot of work and at times it was slightly stressful but it’s been so worth it. I’ll really miss those women. And I sincerely hope that they will continue with the rafiki, visitation and workshops!

Yesterday I spent my afternoon in Shianda.  The Ilesi-Shianda rafiki program is up and going, which is very exciting.  I brought the women lots of letters from their new friends in Ilesi, and it was really nice to see them happily read the letters.  I also did a workshop on Health & Nutrition, which went pretty well.  Before I did the workshop though, I asked the women to say one thing that they learned from the HIV/AIDS workshop that I gave the week before.  To my dismay, most of the responses were very brief and one woman said that the only thing she learned was that AIDS is dangerous.  So, after 2 hours of lecturing and discussion, and after receiving a 10-page packet on HIV/AIDS, that was apparently all she learned.  I kind of though that was ridiculous.

So, I made a mini-speech, yet again, along these lines:  The women were the ones that voted for these topics.  I wasn’t forcing them.  I spent lots of time and effort preparing the workshops, because they had said that they wanted to learn about these topics.  For them to learn, they had to make an effort.  And if they’re not willing or eager to learn, I am wasting my time.

I’ve spent time thinking about this and discussing it with other interns, but a large part of development is about giving opportunity.  It’s up to the people to take that opportunity.  I think for those working in development, it’s important to consider the culture, sustainability, community support, etc.  But, development doesn’t lie in the hands of one person or party; I don’t believe it’s my responsibility to spoon-feed the women to make sure that they learn all the information I’m giving them.  The women constantly ask for help or assistance, but it’s up to them to take opportunities that are given to them.  Yes, sustainability should be considered.  Yes, the culture should be considered.  But it’s a partnership.

What is encouraging on the other hand is to see the change in the Ilesi group.  Initially, I really preferred the Shianda group because they were friendlier and seemed more enthusiastic.  The Ilesi group seemed more sullen and less enthusiastic.  In addition, this was the group, in which the majority of the members asked me for assistance in the letters they wrote me (see earlier blog posts!).  Over the past 7 weeks though, they have changed so much.  They’re much friendlier and really eager learners.  During the HIV/AIDS workshop, at least 5 hands shot up whenever I asked them if they had any questions.  Today, when I asked them to say what they had learned from the HIV/AIDS workshop, I was really impressed by the variety and the preciseness of their responses.  I’ve gotten to know so many of their faces and names, and I’m just impressed when I see them attending class twice a week, week after week, in poor conditions (see pics!), but so willing and motivated to learn.  It’s really, really great, encouraging and inspiring.

The past weekend was the FSD mid-term retreat. Destination: Hell’s Gate! So now I can say I went to Hell’s Gate in Kenya (which is a legitimate reason according to my program director to choose to go to this location over the national park in Nakuru, which some of us were rooting for as the retreat location). In short, the trip was amazing!

Hell’s Gate is near Naivasha, and it has some geysers, cool rock formations and animals. We stayed at Fisherman’s Lodge, which was truly wonderful. A hot shower, flushing toilet with a toilet seat and lots of typical American food like pizza, spaghetti, etc…. I never thought I would actually miss American food so much (usually it’s Japanese food that I miss)—this is certainly a first.

We spent 6 or 8 hours on the matatu to get there, so by the time we got there on Thursday it was dark. We just ate dinner and relaxed. Our first full day was on Friday, and I went with a lot of the other Duke students on a bike ride through Hell’s Gate National Park. I think the total distance that we biked was about 22 km. Anyways, we rented bikes and went through the park with a guide. We saw zebras, giraffes, water hogs, buffaloes, impalas and maybe a few more critters that I can’t recall right now. It was cool to see wild animals so close!

I am cursed when it comes to rental bikes. Last time I rented a bike in Argentina, I biked the whole time with a flat tire, so I was determined to choose a nice, sturdy bike for this excursion. Apparently I have poor judgment when it comes to rental bikes and the one that I picked had major issues with the gear. Every time I tried to change the gear it would go nuts and after a while cease to function. This was a problem. Obviously. On the way to the part of the park where the really cool rock formations were, I somehow made it. At one point my bike broke as my group and tour guide rode ahead. Since I was alone and quiet, a water hog followed by her babies crossed the road right in front of me, so the breaking bike issue almost felt like a blessing in disguise. Until I began my return trip that is.

But before I get to the return trip, brief description of the parts in between. We did some hiking and went to the area where there are some very interesting rock formations. Tomb Raider II was filmed here. Apparently, the film crew rented out the whole national park for 3 months to do the shooting. (Hopefully I’ll put pics up relatively soon…) After the rock formations, we went to visit a Masaai village. It was a very tourist-y thing, but it was still nice. They made fire for us, they sang and danced, and they demonstrated some intense stick throwing (their enemy-fighting techniques). I bought a bracelet and was ripped off pretty badly.

And THEN came the return trip. Since my bike was broken, one of the guides, Julius, traded bikes with me. So I started riding on this new bike. 30 seconds into it, I hear a pop. Flat tire. Fabulous. Julius just told me to take another guide, Chris’s bike, and that he would come later on the park ranger’s car, or something of the sort. The crappy bike I was using earlier was then passed to Chris. So, Chris had my crappy bike that I had used earlier, and I had Chris’ bike, which was also in bad condition. It sucked. 11 km is a long way to go on a dysfunctional bike. Everyone went past us so Chris and I were left behind. I thought, “There is no way I am going to make it home on this damn bike.” The sky looked ominous, like it was about to storm.

We kept going, stopping every minute to trade bikes so Chris could fix it. The bike would be repaired for some time, and then stop working. Bike 1 (the crappy bike I had in the beginning) could eventually be used on the lowest gear, which meant that the rider had to pedal like crazy to go a foot forward. Bike 2 sometimes worked great and then had a similar problem.

So we were slowly biking along and then Chris suddenly told me to stop. I look up and I see a herd of about 50 buffaloes right in front of us. They were crossing the road. I stopped. I asked Chris, “Are they dangerous?” He responded, “They’re unpredictable.” Great. 50 buffaloes vs. 2 people with malfunctioning bicycles? The outcome is clear. Buffaloes can only see about 7 m in front of them, but they could smell us and the whole herd was now turned towards us. We stand there for about 5 minutes. They are still staring. Even Chris seems slightly surprised that they’re still looking. Chris adds, “The mothers are especially dangerous when their with their children.” I see some baby buffaloes. We continue standing still. It’s actually pretty damn frightening, because buffaloes are huge, and there were 50 of them facing us.

He decides we should walk back in the direction that we came from. We backtrack and we wait. Finally, the buffaloes decide to continue crossing the road. Chris and I take our bikes through the grass to go around the buffaloes to get to the other side of the road.

After making it past the buffaloes, we trudged along with the broken bikes. Somehow, I made it. Luckily, one of the bikes decided to kind of start working towards the end, so I took advantage and raced back to our lodge. On the way, kids and adults on the road would repeatedly point out that my bike was broken. Some offered to fix it. I just waved them off, and kept on pedaling, fast as possible, before the bike could change its mind.

The following day, we visited Crescent Island, which is actually a peninsula and not an island. This was where the movie, “Out of Africa” was filmed. There are lots of animals on the island, like giraffes, zebras, impalas, etc. Apparently, before the movie was shot, none of those animals were there. All the animals were moved to Crescent Island from other places just for the movie. Crazy. There are no predators, so the population has steadily grown, and the guide told us that when there are too many, the animals are just moved to other places.

We spent three nights there and in addition to seeing the sites, I had a really great time bonding with my fellow Duke students. The group is made up of a really diverse assortment of people. I actually only knew one other person in the group before this experience. I’ve learned just as much from interacting with the group as I have from interacting with my host family and other locals. I’ve gotten to know people that I would have never encountered on campus, and everyone on the trip has surprised me again and again. Most of the first impressions I had of everyone have been wrong. I’ve been humbled and inspired by everyone in the group, and I am really thankful. I’ve written about feeling content most of the time here, but the support provided by the group has played a huge role in that. It’s been so helpful and enlightening to discuss different challenges, successes and issues/concepts that we’re grappling with, about development, culture, aid, corruption, etc.

I think I wrote about forming meaningful relationships in an earlier post. I am so happy now that I have been able to form so many—with my host family, the program coordinators of Project Africa, the women I work with, and with my fellow Duke students. It may sound awfully corny, but I’m really glad to have been able to share this experience with people that I’ll be able to continue to seeing back at Duke and hopefully beyond.

I think I have a pretty good gut instinct when it comes to knowing to whom I can become really close—people I just have good friendship chemistry with. In the past, I’ve had a tendency to not make an effort to get to know people that I didn’t have that gut instinct with. I also tended to avoid large group situations. Although partly because I didn’t have a choice, this time, I decided to make an effort to get to know and appreciate the group, and I am so glad I did ☺

Cute girl sitting on lots of maize

For most of the time that I’ve been here, I’ve just felt really content.  Lately I’ve been running in the morning before work in the field right next to my home.  The strange-looking birds that used to fly away as soon as I got near have now gotten used to me and so when I run past them, they’re just like “Psh, whatever,” and just continue on with their business.  Then, I go to work, which has been really productive and fulfilling.  Afterwards, I go home, relax, have dinner and go to sleep.  Much healthier lifestyle than when I’m at Duke.

Today, I felt even more content than usual, full of small happenings.  The cuisine here is good but with little variation.  Every day for the past 7 weeks, I’ve eaten some combination of ugali (corn meal)/rice/chapatti (kind of like naan), kale/cabbage, and fish/beef stew/chicken.  It’s good, but my taste buds need a little more variation, so I’ve taken up making salads for lunch.  I make salad with cabbage, tomatoes, avocado and green peppers, and with the soy sauce that I recently bought, it’s actually quite delicious, as well as economical.  All the vegetables are sold on the sidewalk.

This past Monday, to my delight, I bought the best avocado I’ve ever eaten from one of the ladies that has a stand near work.  The other veggies I bought from her were delicious as well, so now I’m a regular customer.  Today was the third day in a row that I went to buy vegetables from her and so when she saw me, she greeted me immediately with a big smile.  She then gave me an extra tomato for free, which was really sweet of her.  Then, since she didn’t have any mangoes for sale today, I went over to the next stand to buy it, and she came with me, to help me pick out the best mango.  It may seem like a small thing, but it put me in a great mood.

Then, about thirty seconds later, as I was walking back to work, a man approached me, with the words “Can you give me…” coming out of his mouth.  I assumed that he was going to ask me for food since I was eating potato chips and carrying two bags of food, but instead, he said, “Can you give me sex?”  I was taken aback for a few seconds, and then gave him the appropriate response with the appropriate curse words.  Some time later, I was surrounded by high school boys who made “Ching, chong, chang” noises so I turned to them and said, “What are you doing?  That’s rude.”  They kind of agreed and I shook all of their hands and that was that.

Later, I went to Ilesi to kick off the rafiki program that I’m starting between Ilesi and Shianda.  The women were so excited to get the names of their new friends, and they were all very enthusiastic so that was very cool.  I already have about 20 letters to deliver to Shianda on Monday.  Anyways, I took the matatu to go back to Kakamega after I was finished.  On the way, the woman sitting next to me had to get off so I got out to let her through.  She was a big woman and I took her arm to help her get off the matatu.  She lost her balance, leaned back, and fell, taking me down with her.  Luckily, I served as her cushion so she wasn’t hurt.  The laptop in my backpack also wasn’t hurt, thankfully.

Since I have to walk on a long dirt road to get to my home, I try to avoid rain as much as possible.  It’s wonderful because, “It looks like it’s going to rain,” is a legitimate reason for me to leave work early.  When I see the gray clouds coming (which now come every day at around 4:30), I hail a boda-boda with umbrella in hand and get going.

That is a typical day in my life right now, which I find, delightful.

Update 1: As mentioned earlier, work has been great.  I’ve been busy preparing and giving workshops, making resource binders, setting up the Ilesi-Shianda rafiki program and visitation program, etc….I gave my HIV/AIDS workshop twice this week, and that went pretty well ☺

Update 2: The other day, when I was on the matatu, I heard THE Barack Obama song…It went something like “Barack, Obama, Barack, Obama….They say it in the morning (Obama!), They say it in the evening (Obama!),” with the song lasting at least 5 minutes.  I asked my host sister about it and she said they played the song all over town all day long on the day of his inauguration.

Update 3: I have NOT eaten my hen yet!  Apparently it’s healthy and doing quite well, and we will eat it soon.

Update 4: Today I made fried rice for my family, which was successful!  They really liked it.  My host sister said she liked it more than she liked the garlic bread.  Tomorrow I am making garlic bread and pasta.  We’ll see how that goes….

My time here is going by so quickly.   I’m already past the halfway point—I just have about 4 more weeks left.  It’s crazy. There’s so little time to do a project that can be sustainable and have an impact.

Anyways, I’m trying.

All last week I was busy and exhausted.  In order to do something that would be useful for the women, instead of just developing workshops that I thought would be useful, I decided to interview the women to collect information on their experience with Project Africa, their challenges and their interests.  I’m working with specifically two women’s groups: one in Shianda and one in Ilesi.  I interviewed most of the women in Shianda but not as many in Ilesi. I did a total of 33 interviews!   Although I didn’t get to do as many in Ilesi, it was nonetheless very helpful to work with the two groups since I found out how different the the two groups are, and I’m hoping maybe another intern will finish the interviews in Ilesi in the future.

The interviews were very interesting and enjoyable but exhausting and difficult at the same time. I had a translator in each location that took me to the women’s homes. Especially in Shianda, the women were very eager for me to visit their homes, since they had never had a mzungu visit their homes. Some women even said that they would quit the group if I didn’t visit them. So, suffice it to say, I had to go to their homes. The crazy part is, after I visit a woman’s home, everyone in the surrounding area goes to her home to demand for money, since they assume that I’m visiting people’s homes to hand out money. They would find it inconceivable that a mzungu would visit one of their homes and not leave anything. My translator told me that after people in the village saw her walking with me, they would all come to her afterwards and ask her to buy things. Then, she would have to explain that this mzunug that she was walking is actually, gasp, not rich. Even the village chief when I met him suggested that I should take him to America. I explained that I’m a university student so I don’t have much money and even after I graduate I plan on pursuing a career in acting so I probably won’t have the money then either.

Back to the interviews. I asked the women about what they had learned or gained from Project Africa, their challenges in life, their suggestions for improving Project Africa and topics and skills they were interested in. Speaking to the women and visiting their homes was interesting, but after doing more than 30 it got a really rough. For one, I’m asking the same questions over and over again, and while all the responses varied, they of course had their similarities, so after a while it wasn’t as exciting. Second, some of the women live far away and far apart. So there was a lot of walking in the field in the sun all day long. I rode on a piki-piki, which is kind of like a boda-boda, except it’s a motorcycle and not a bicycle. My translator and I shared one, which meant my first experience on a motorcycle was with three people. Safe, I know.

Finally, the most challenging part, funny enough, was eating. The people here are big on hospitality, which is of course, a wonderful thing. However, it really challenged my digestive system. Especially in Shianda, each home would serve me tea and loads of food. I would visit about 5 or 6 homes a day. If I didn’t eat the food, the hostess would become offended. So, I was obligated to eat a lot. And I did eat a lot. Even then I couldn’t possibly finish all they gave me so by the time I was heading home, my backpack was very heavy from all the leftovers they packed for me.

The high point was when one of the mamas gave me a hen. So during my 40-minute journey home, I rode a matatu (bus) and a boda-boda (bicycle) carrying a hen. Thankfully, since I was so frightened when they tried to just hand me the hen, one of the mamas got a box to put it in for me, which was a true lifesaver. It was very funny but I was also grateful for the kindness this mama had shown me by giving me a hen, which is a great sign of respect here. I may have eaten the said hen a few days ago—I’m not entirely sure.

Also, I met my first baby Obama! The woman I was interviewing told me that her baby boy had been born on the day of his inauguration. I bought a DVD from here that has like 10 movies in one disc, and although most of the movies were fantasy movies and had no relation to anything political, the DVD was titled Obama. There is also Obama bubble gum with pictures of Obama and his family on the wrappers.

Two days ago, I wrapped up the interviewing process, which I’m happy about because I can stay in town and work in the office for a few days. Going to the field day after day was pretty exhausting, which is why I haven’t written any blog entries until now. I got a lot of good information as well as some good ideas. Also, it was easier for me to explain to the women about sustainable development and to try to undo a little bit of the dependent thinking fostered by the years of aid that has been fueled into the area. Almost everywhere I go, I’m immediately asked for assistance, as in money. So, I explain to them that I’m a university student and I don’t have much money because university tuition is extremely high in America, and I’m not here to do aid. If they tell me they need books, materials, machines, etc, I try to have them brainstorms ways they can get it, instead of waiting for Project Africa to give it to them because they might never do it and they’ll end up waiting for a long time.

In Ilesi, after the women wrote me letters in which 90% of them asked me for money or something along those lines, I made a speech to the group in which I explained that I’m here sincerely because I want to get to know them. When they say they want to be my friend and then immediately asks me for money, I don’t feel that they truly do want to be my friend. It’s important that I explain this because it would be really inappropriate for the rafikis abroad (their pen pals) to receive such letters. I also tell them that I’m a university student and I don’t have much money and that I am working for Project Africa but I’m not getting paid. I also say that I sincerely hope to be their friend and although I can’t give out money, that I will be able to benefit them in some way. Thankfully, they were receptive and so I hope that maybe some of this aid mentality will change, a bit by bit.

Now I’m in the process of typing up the interviews and preparing reports about what I found out. There’s a lot of good information that will hopefully be useful to the office and future interns, because I know I have a much better understanding of the situation after doing these interviews. I’m doing several things with the information. First, I made a list of topics of interest brought up in the interviews for each group. Then I took the list to the group meetings in which we did a prioritizing activity and I had them vote on the 3 topics that they were most interested in. Thankfully, (with some small guidance on my part) both groups chose the same three topics: HIV/AIDS, Health & Nutrition and Microenterprise/Personal Finance. So starting next week, I’ll be preparing workshops on each of these topics. The women in Shianda also really want me to do a workshop on baking a cake (which would be challenging since there aren’t any ovens in most homes) so we’ll see about that.

Second, some of the women mentioned to me that they wanted to interact more with other people and visit different places, including their friends abroad. Since that would be costly and difficult, I suggested that we instead start locally, fostering more exchange between the group in Ilesi and the group in Shianda. The groups are very different so I think an exchange would be really beneficial and they could really learn from each other. The group in Ilesi has adult education classes and tailoring classes, but as a group they seem less cohesive and social. They are, however, preparing the women to take competency exams for primary school and secondary school, which is really great. On the other hand, the group in Shianda is overall more friendly and social, takes more initiative and has more skills in regards to making handicrafts, but they don’t have regular classes.

So, my hope is to get a rafiki (pen pal) program started between Shianda and Ilesi so they could make more friends and exchange information. Also, a letter to a foreign country is expensive to send and takes longer to reach. These letters could just be delivered by the program coordinators, so the women wouldn’t have to worry about finding the money to pay for postage and since the letters would come more quickly and frequently, they would get more practice with reading and writing.

I’m also hoping that we can implement a monthly visit where 2 or 3 people from each group could visit the other. The locations are probably 45 minutes or so away, and most of the women have never visited the other location. In addition to all of this, I’m making a list of the skills and talents of the women in each group. Each group will have the list for both groups. The list of topics that they were interested in learning about was very long and I noticed that other women in the group could teach these topics (i.e. Farming, Raising Cows, Plaiting hair, etc). So I narrowed the list down by crossing out all the topics that someone in the group could teach instead of me. So, when I leave, they can go through the list of topics they’re interested in and then see the list of skills and talents to see who could do a workshop on that topic. If it works, that would make my project more sustainable and also it would be empowering for the women to learn how to share their knowledge in front of a group, since many of them don’t have that experience.

So that’s what I’ll be working on for the next 4 weeks (long explanation, sorry!). I’m pretty happy with how work has been going so far.

Other news: I made garlic bread with cheese for my host family today. It was actually mainly because I just wanted to eat it, but it was also a cool opportunity since my host sisters had never eaten cheese before. I’m not sure what my host parents thought of it, but luckily, my host sisters really liked them.

I went to a youth conference at my translator’s church. I sang a song in Japanese and a song in English in front of everyone. The other Duke student that works for Project Africa, Elizabeth, and I also danced with the youth and smaller kids in front of everyone.

One of my favorite moments here: When I brush my teeth and go outside to rinse my mouth, I lift my chin to gargle and my eyes open up to a beautiful night sky. I’m always awed and it always makes me smile.

The little plane that took us from Nairobi to Kisumu

Today, I went to the adult education class in Ilesi to observe.  I had gone to Ilesi last week on Thursday for the Rafiki program.  Rafiki is a Swahili word meaning Friend.  The program is inspired by the spirit of sisterhood between women in rural Kenya and their counterparts from all over the world.  Through a simple pen pal model, the program initiates friendships and gives women in developed countries an opportunity to participate in Project Africa’s vision of empowering women and girls with education.  The women learn how to read and write through telling stories about their families and their culture, while involving individuals from around the world.

Last Thursday, there were no letters from the rafikis, so I suggested that all the ladies write me a letter, to which I would respond.  At first there were only about 8ladies, so I told myself, okay I can respond, but more people kept on coming, and by the end, I had 20 letters to respond to.  Many of the ladies asked me if I was married and if I had any children.  Many also told me of their struggles.  One lady told me about how her husband and children had all died.  Some of them are widows.  Another woman is 75-years old and she is married but her husband is jobless.  She is taking care of 9 grandchildren, of which 2 are orphans.  The other grandchildren’s mothers had run away from her son, so she is looking after them.

Back to today: Today was the day for adult education, not the rafiki program, but many of the same women participate in the adult education program.  My supervisor had instructed me to observe and prepare a report/evaluation of the program for the head office in Sweden, but when I arrived, the teacher that was supposed to be there was nowhere to be seen.  I called him and he assured me that he would come soon, in about an hour.   When he finally arrived, it was two and a half hours later.  In the mean time, the ladies had come to class so I was called on to teach them something.  I had nothing prepared and I also had no idea what they had already learned.  I taught a lesson about family resource management out of a book that the teacher had given me earlier, but since the women seemed bored, we did some English grammar practice.  Then, I got slightly desperate so I decided to distribute the letters that I had written for them.  I had meant for the letters to be a one-time practice exercise, but since I didn’t have anything else prepared for them and the teacher wasn’t there, it became another letter-writing exercise.  This time though, instead of responding to 20 letters, I think I’m just going to correct the grammar.

My work plan is not yet set, but I will be doing some activities to support the organization, as well as a sustainable project that would hopefully effectively serve the community.  The key word here is sustainable—the project must be able to continue even after I leave.  Another important component of FSD’s mission is empowerment and community involvement.  What we don’t want to do is aid.  Many recent studies have shown the inefficacy of aid, much of which is sucked up by corruption and doesn’t actually help the people.  Also, giving aid does not empower the people or teach them anything, and it also fosters dependency.

However, sitting in the classroom at Ilesi, I wonder what kind of sustainable project I could do to actually serve these people.  The reality is, they are lacking important material needs.  Many of the groups don’t have enough pens and paper.  Half the roof is missing from the classoom at Ilesi, and when it rains, the rain pours into half the room, making it a very difficult learning situation.  The space is cramped with uncomfortable wooden benches.  Also, there is no electricity and only a very small window, making it very difficult for many of the older ladies to see.  Again, I ask myself, what can I do?  Many people here see me, a mzungu, and expect me to take their children to America to be educated, give them money, build them a new room, etc.  I can’t do any of that and that’s not what I’m here to do.  I hope that during my time here, I can make some positive impact on this community in an empowering, community-based, sustainable manner.

Ending on this note: One of the ladies offered me her lastborn’s child since I don’t have any children.  I politely declined.

Update 1: My host family now has a working shower.  It’s nice but I secretly miss my bucket baths!  Most of the other host families do not have showers and use pit latrines (My host family has a flushing toilet.).  I am also lucky to have electricity so that I can write these blog entries in the comfort of my room.  My room is very comfortable and I am very thankful.

Update 2: My host family is still awesome!  I taught the two younger girls, Mary and Joy, how to make cranes and balloons with origami.  I also had some good conversations with the older sister, who came home for the weekend.

Update 3: My host family has the cutest, friendliest kitten I have ever encountered.  Her name is Zana.  My host family also has a dog.  It used to have another dog, which ran away 2 years ago, and apparently came back.  This now-stray dog attacks the family’s chicken, stole a neighbor’s chicken, and also attacks the family’s new dog out of jealousy so my host father tried to poison it, with a very expensive poison.  Instead of dying from the poison, the dog became fatter.

Update 4: Insecticide is my new best friend.  Despite sleeping under a mosquito net, I’ve suffered multiple mosquito and ant attacks, and since I’m allergic, I have large bumps all over my body.  Hence it’s possible that I will get malaria in the coming weeks, although I do hope not.  No fears though—here they know how to treat it so it would really suck, but it wouldn’t be deadly.

Photos: Hopefully I’ll be able to upload some soon.  I haven’t taken too many yet because having a camera out is tricky, since this isn’t a tourist area.  It attracts a lot of attention and so I’m waiting until I’m a little more accustomed to the area to take pictures.