Day 6.
5:25 Alarm goes off 'Green Onions' Booker T. Hit the snooze button, lay there for 5 minutes before dragging myself out of my silk bed liner. Everyone was up - there was some coughing & spluttering, but by & large we were all set for an early morning drive out to Kendu Bay. The aim was to get there to see the fishermen set out at sunrise, and equally get back in time to finnish the planning of the day ahead - sports day, 'banquet', and church. The school was so quiet - we were up and about before the children! We still needed torches for the loo! Breakfast was a ginger biscuit, purely to help take with the malarone, and a bottle of water. We were joined by Duncan, who'd be our navigator/guide, and we set off.
6:45 Driving up to Kendu Bay we drove part on lad part of the village which had been completely abandoned - it looked like a scene out of Apocalypse Now! At one time it must have been thriving, but now it was void of life. We approached Lake Victoria just as the sun came above the mountains and before it disappeared behind the clouds - perfect timing. Tony had taken his usual bouquet of serious lenses - by now I'm getting serious lens envy, but at $2k+ for a lens is way beyond my capabilities - and budget! But he does take awesome photo's. We're all looking forward to getting copies so we can pass them off as our own to family & friends ;) Ooops, blown my cover! As we parked up 3 boats were being pushed out, through the water hydrangeas, before raising their sales. We were all snapping away like mad! There was a derelict 'canteen' which had seen better days - you could see that the lake had been significantly higher, but over the last 10 years it's receded by 10 feet!
Duncan tells us stories of when he was a boy, and used to walk from near H&K to Kendu Bay with huge bags of charcoal balanced on his head to sell - a walk of at least 20km!! I'll never forget how resilient the Kenyan people are.
Next is Simbi, the volcanic lake. We sat down on the edge of the lake while Duncan recited some folklore about a woman, who after running off with her husbands animals was swallowed up by some mud. Voila, salty lake! OK, don't kill the messenger! We decided to walk round the lake - Virginia Water it's not, but it was an interesting stroll; half way round we were greeted by a dead dog, semi-decayed, Polly did say it smelt of wet dog, but she never mentioned it had died!. Obviously the salty water didn't agree with it! The walk round takes a good half-an-hour, and as the Land Rover comes into sight we all start discussing what type of coffee we'd order from Starbucks, and which pastries ;) Personally a nice cup of 'Breakfast Tea" would've been fan-bloody-tastic!
9:30 We pull into H&K - home sweet home. Usual goings on at school - kids are running around playing games, boys kicking a football, some of the girls are helping the cooks plucking the hens, others are placing them on a fire, and a goat's tethered up waiting to be slaughtered - same ol' same ol' ;) The chickens and goat were for the banquet later in the day. They asked if I wanted to slaughter a chicken - well, why not. First though, the goat was led away to be slaughter. The venue - the end of the children's playing field. The goat was tethered to a post while someone ran off to fetch the knives. Suddenly the goat made a run for it - I think he knew what was in store. However, he hadn't banked on Duncan (who, let me remind you, carried bags of charcoal on his head for 20km a day no-less!), who quickly sprang into action and caught hold of the rope before it could run into the next open field. I'd never seen a slaughter before, and had a morbid fascination to look - and Polly, and Tony. And we weren't the only one's - virtually all the children were crowded round, especially the really young ones, trying to get a good vantage point. I'll spare you the gory details, apart from the fact it was at least a minute before it had stopped spluttering - and if it wasn't for the bowl he had under it's neck the blood would have spurted a good 6ft! We didn't stay around for the butchering, but that would all take place where it lay, and the meat would be hung out on the post. We left the children to admire the skilful butcher, and walked back to our chilli-out room for breakfast.
We arrived to find the ladies tucking into their scrambled eggs on bread, and strangely enough weren't interested in our goat story. John then came and offered a gift - the goats sweetbreads. No thanks, we said, we've just eaten.
The rest of the morning we spend around the school - playing/talking to children, teachers… each other about our experience and future plan.
1:00 We make our way down to the school field to start organising the sports day, with our 'special' races. Walking past the kitchen area we see some children still helping the cooks make the chickens - stripping what's left and putting in a bowl for the chick stock.
The air-horns arrive, and we're all set. First of all, the 50mtr dash! One race per class, starting with yr1, the 4yr olds, through to yr7, who are 16. Age has is not related to class, it's based on academic ability. Children are called forward to race - there are some unusual names as some are named after famous people - the best being Vladimer Putin!
Once we've the obligatory 'dash' race is over, we move onto our very British egg & spoon race, though without the eggs we go with stone & spoon race :) It doesn't take long for them to work out the top cheat - thumb over stone to stop it falling off when running :) Lot's of false starts follow, re-starts but the kids love it. Next, the 3-legged race! We bought some elastic at the market a couple of days back, and start to tie the ankles together in pairs. We obviously bought cheap elastic as we only get one race out of each piece of elastic!
2:30 With the races complete, it's end of term prize giving time! :) The teachers are awarding academic prizes for best in-class, most improved, discipline & responsibility, social studies, language studies, maths & english and sport. The awards consisted of pencils, books and a new pair of shoes! Can you imagine our children settling for those? It's so hot - there's a make-shift piece of cover which everyone tries to crowd under to get some shade. The children sit very patiently - in this heat it's incredible. Some of the small children are getting some special cuddles from our ladies :) One little boy has taken a special hold of Polly - she found him earlier crying, but a few special cuddles, and the gift of a little whistle soon made the tears dry up. For the next hour he wouldn't let her go. I notice during the prize giving/speeches that he's fast asleep in her arms :)
4:15 Final speeches are concluded - we all feel completely drained and dehydrated - god knows how some of the children are. We crash back in our chill-out room and Rachel puts the kettle on (no, not Polly), and we start to dream about what cake we'd like with our teaa…. Malt Loaf, Blueberry Muffin, Cheesecake, Carrot Cake, Vanilla Slice, ….hmmmm! if only! We realise we have no clean cups and no bowl to wash them with as everything's been used by the cooks for the feast - the tea will have to wait!
Ok whats for tea i hear you cry, well we could have goats and chicken claws but we were missing our noodles so more of them and some chips then, yes I know chips again, how healthy are we!
The new normal is our new saying! These are some of them:
Shitting in a hole
Not having electricity after 7pm
Wet wipes being a good substitute for a bath
Mozzie tennis being the only entertainment at night
The ladies having a back massage from Tony every night
Not having a fridge at all
Sanitising your hands before, and after everything!
Puking in your jumper, and not throwing it away!
Looking forward to travelling in a 40 year old Land Rover - anywhere and for however long
Not seeing any other white people since we have landed
Looking forward to a safari more for the food and plumbing than seeing the animals
Not wanting to have a drink in case you have to go to the toilet
Not being freaked out by looking at a very full fly strip in the front room
Children crapping outside a classroom
Having everyone call you mozungo
4:00 The feast commences! everyone had huge portions, ate well, and had sodas! Personally, I gave it a miss - somehow had lost my appetite after the chicken & goat incidents! The big shock - seeing the children opening coke bottles with their teeth!
5:00 Mr Bensen made a short speech, and we were all presented with individual letters written by the children! Now that was very special! It's something we will treasure forever.
9:00 We're all burnt out. It's been an experience more than any of us set out to achieve, but we're exhausted. We leave tomorrow at 9am and head to Nairobi. Tomorrow we'll be in tents, which have en-suits, running water, and alcohol. But before all that - a 9hr drive!
Going to bed - love all.
Wrighty.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Day 5.
6:30 Woke up this morning - oh my god what is that smell? A horrible disgusting smell! Oh, yeh - that'll be me then! Yesterday was non-stop, in boiling heat, plus running around for 30 minutes of football, and at the end of the night I was just too exhausted for a shower - yuk!!!
This morning we're handing out the solar/wind up lamps we brought. We brought 50 with us - I hope that's enough.
7:00 First thing first - shower! The morning start is now becoming routine; shower (stand in bucket, turn the tap on above head - cold water, freezing cold water dribbles out, put on soap, turn tap off, wash, turn tap on, quickly was off soap, turn tap off, dry & dress, get out of bucket, pour watt from bucket into bigger outside), breakfast (salty porridge and/or boiled egg), malarone tablet, toilet (I'll spare you the details on this one - needless to say, it's an ordeal!), clean teeth, fill up individual water bottle from 5 litre bottle. Got all this now down to 15 minutes. After 4 days of living in such close proximity to each other, we're all getting very frank - toilet humour is very often the source of our laughter! Polly just come back into the our chill out room - toilet roll in hand, and gave a thumbs up :)
8:00 The elders, guardians and parents had turned up for the lamps. They are all sitting down outside the school. First impression - we don't have enough lamps to go round. One of the teachers comes with me and helps interpret for those who don't speak english. I take them through the basic instructions on how they use them/wind up etc.. I hear gasps of delight. None of them have power at their homes and therefore when the sun goes down they have no light until the morning (Tania & I were very upset in our bed last night, under our mosquito net, with our solar lamp, thinking of Stephen and his 2 brothers in a mud hut, no lights, no protection. We were hopeful his mother turned up last night & we'd meet at school today). I start to hand them out with Tania - I'm 5 short. I go back into our rooms and fetch our - the ones we'd been using/brought with us). I've got 5 - perfect. Oh no. 4 more guardians had turned up. We make a list of those who didn't get one, including the teachers who have the same dire needs. It totals 18. We'll have to work out how we get more shipped over. Shipping anything in to Kenya is very difficult due to customs - it can take months! We brought ours in our luggage.
I ask the teacher to find Stephen's mother - "is she here?" She calls out to the guardians. I hope she's here. A hand goes up, and a women comes forward. Tania & her naturally give each other a hug. It's very emotional. She knows we sponsor Stephen. We talk and try and find out more about her. Her name is Aska, she's a nurse, was working at an American Institute, but it closed down. Now she can't get a job - she has to pay to get a job! She's doing occasional garden work for money. We found out she also has a daughter who's 16. She wants her to go to secondary school to finish her education but she has no money to pay for it. She said she needs 20,000 Kenyan schillings - around $200. We said we'll see what we can work out with H&K. I give her some money to keep her going, and the woman who's looking after Stephen when she's not there - I find out this is the woman who was in the small dwellings with Stephen last night.
9:00 Tony left in the Land Rover to photo Garad the gravel maker, Mary's (H&K site manager) vegetable patch, and Joseph (remember, the man with one one, who's neighbour hacked it off with a machete when high on "Bang", a drug here they smoke). Looking forward to seeing those pictures - will be amazing as usual! :)
Whilst I'm standing outside Rachel comes out and asks for my speakers and iPod; they're organising a game of 'musical bumps' :) I set the music up and explain the rules (with the help of a teacher). Rachel & Polly are in the game to show them some moves - I think they'll be the ones learning new moves! I hit play & Michael Jackson kicks out 'Billie Jean'. All the children (about 30 of them) suddenly start to dance/jive/groove there thang! It's hilarious! The ones at the front are as young 4 - where do they get their moves from? H&K has got Talent! :) I suddenly hit the pause button and they all drop onto their bums - a huge dust cloud appears! The last 2 to sit down are identified by the teacher and they're out. We continue for the next 20 mins - dust is getting everywhere, so we agree the last 10 will get a sweet - ok, this wouldn't be fair, so we agree everyone gets a sweet. I start to hand out sweets and a stampede erupts! My security guards (Polly, Rachel & Tania) try them to get in an orderly queue, with helps for…. 30 seconds before they break ranks and I'm stampeded again. The girls begin to loose it - you can't tell who's had one and who hasn't. We were saving the 5kg tub of sweets for tomorrow, but hey, now's a good a time as any.
9:00 Helen & Emma started the IT training to the teachers. IT training constitutes: file save, save as, new folder….., basic MS Word principles. They've just broke for a stress diffuser - cigarette break! This is not going to be an easy session - they've never used a PC before.
10:00 Meghan started her management training. It was due to start at 8:00, but not everyone was here - this is Africa after all :) Her pupils were the Kosele primary school head & deputy head, the District children's officer, the principle of the local secondary school, Mary & Deden's (H&K Head teacher). I asked her how's it going, she replied "it's going"!
Bad news - I've just walked over to field and I notice Connor's football has a puncture. It was less than 24hrs old :( Though they're still out there playing football with it :)
10:30 Sand Filter building time; once the pandemonium and stampede has settled, along with the dust, we start work on the Sand Filter. We bought all the bits & pieces at the hardware store yesterday. We don't have all the right tools, but improvise is the way forward! Polly does a great job of drilling the perfect size holes in the 250 litre drums for the pipes, and it's not long before all pipes, taps, seals are in place. Next we need to build up the ground so that one drum is higher than the other, and then need to fill the higher one with 3 layers of sand, charcoal and gravel. Water is then poured in, filtered through the sand, charcoal and gravel, and then trough the pipes is transported into the clean drum! Voila! Clean(ish) water.
As I walk past the school's kitchen I notice the cooks sifting rice. I ask John what they're doing? He said they buy the cheapest rice, which has grit in. They then go though each grain of rice and pull the grit off - some of the grit is the same same size as the grain of rice. It's a tireless job.
12:30 we've gone as far as we can with the Sand Filter. Problem is we don't have enough bricks to raise the drums, so we're going to have to get more in - we still have time to do that before Friday as there is a team of guys on site building 3 new EcoSan toilets.
1:00 Polly & Rachel are in the kitchen cooking up lunch. On the menu today is avocado, saute potatoes, chopped tomatoes & onion. They're getting adventurous (yes, that menu is very adventurous here!) - where's my noodle & tabasco - I have a simple pallet!
Helen is now entering mild hysteria. She's been looking for her room key for the last half-hour. She's turned everything in the teachers room (our chill-out zone) upside down - twice! On reflection, me reminding her she keeps looking in the same places may not have been constructive :) Tania's drafted in as a new pair of eyes. 10 seconds later she's found them. Case solved, hugs all round - except me - Helen I guess didn't value my 'help' :)
The place is now full of dust. Everyone is dirty, sweaty, slightly stressed and feeling tired. Lunch break's required. We start to work out the plan of action for the afternoon - parcel delivery, Tony's got some portraits, IT training & management truing continues.
Tony arrives back from the grinding mill, with a gift of flour! The pictures are amazing, though he comments the grinder's conditions are not conducive to a long-life - flour dust everywhere which he's inhaling. Tony could only stand it for 10 seconds.
Chief Benton arrives for a visit. He is in charge of the district. He's come along to thank us and offer his support.
1:30 Lunch is served. Tony sent Tiny out for cold soda's. We distribute them to the teachers & elders on the training. Everyone wants Fanta!
We hear that back in the UK there's chaos - most of the airports are closed due to snow! That's the first time we spoken of home (excluding our individual calls back home) - we're all totally wrapped up in the events here. We all it down for lunch - the first time we've been together all day. We laugh about the events of the day, the frustrations we have with the place, discuss simple things they can do to improve and observations we've made. We draw up a list which we'll share with Terry (H&K founder, who's a teacher in the UK).
Lunch was fantastic! Well done Rachel & Polly! :) We also had rice - and I didn't bite on any grit!
2:00 Everyone splits up and gets back top their designated tasks; Meghan management training, Helen & Emma IT training, Rachel, Polly Tania & I are going out delivering food parcels. Tony gets the thankless job of washing up - after those saute potatoes that is a nasty one!
The chickens arrive in the Land Rover. We're about to get into the Land Rover when we see the back is full of chicken poo - do you think they knew today was their last? I jump in the driving seat, Duncan alongside (helps out at the school, though not employed by them, and has come along to help with directions and translation). The girls get the chicken coup in the back.
First stop was Mary. Mary's got learning difficulties - we met at the church on Sunday. She was raped twice before the age of 15. We went as close as we could in the Land Rover, and then had a small walk to her dwelling. She was there standing outside her door, breast feeding her youngest. She recognised us and looked pleased. She pulled her child off her breast and shook our hands. We went into her house and was met by her grandmother, who was trying to tidy up and collect the rags which were our being drying on the ground. It was a sorry sight. Every item of clothes had rips/holes. They were thankful for the food. We would've like to stay - learn more. I had to remind the ladies we were on a tight schedule and wouldn't be able to deliver them all if we didn't leave now. I wish we had more time to talk to them all, but this part of the trip was never in the plan and we had to get back to H&K for 16:30 as Tony going out on another photo project.
On the way to our next stop we walked past Grace's house - the one we built on day 2. Good news - it's still standing! But the final layer of cattle poo is still yet to be applied. I'm told that's because our mud layer is still drying. Grace is standing there in front of her new door - she seemed very happy and gives us all a big handshake. We eventually come to we're aiming for - I can't recall her name, but she was identified by one of the groups from Day 2 as someone who's destitute (the list is long-the list is endless). As we approach her house the first thing that really shocks me is a small boy, no more than 4, with a huge knife in his hands that he's playing with! Unbelievable. As we get closer he drops it as he cached a glimpse of the sweets. Another child is playing with something which resembles a butchers knife. He too drops it as sweets appear. Crazy! Their mother is in the garden making string, made out of strips of a certain plant. She's so happy. We pass around some biscuits to the children. I count 11. 2 of them are very small, under 2. They have no clothes on and are covered in mud - thick mud up their legs and arms. One of them is eating a biscuit with fingers caked in mud. Her mother reaches down and cleans it's hands. We walk next door to the elderly couple we also met 2 days earlier (he's the one with cataracts). We're welcomed inside (everyone always welcomes you into their houses and asks you to sit down), but it's so hot! We chat for a short time and say our goodbyes - always receiving HUGE smiles, cuddles and firm hand shakes :)
Iffe's grandmother was the last call. Iffe is one of the children from H&K school. Her parents have both passed away. Her grandmother lives on her own about 2km away. She looked very old - I asked her how old she was (through Duncan who was translating). She said she was 90! An incredible lady. She was so pleased to see us, though you could tell her sight was fading and had early stages of cataracts. Again we say our goodbyes - I know everyone's thinking them same as me 'this is all wrong - this is so cruel' :(
4:15 All done we make our way back, but call in at a local shop for a Fanta - we hadn't taken any fluids out with us and we were a bit parched, including Duncan. We set off again and come alongside Stephen's dwellings - he's playing outside with his brothers. He sees us and screams with delight - his face all lit up. We've run out of sweets, but we give them our Fanta's. Before each child drinks the lot in one gulp we insist they need to share - which isn't common practise. We need to get going and tell them we'll see the at school tomorrow. "see you tomorrow" Stephen shouts, with a big smile and white teeth beaming :)
4:30 As Tony made it out to I started to capture my Blog, and some of the ladies went down to the field for a chill with their cup of tea! Pis*ed of with the amount of flies in our chill-out room, I wander down to find the ladies. There they are, sitting in a circle having brain-dump of the day, capturing observations and ideas of improvement. One concern we have is that we don't want to appear condescending - just trying our helping hands.
5:15 Mid brainstorm, Emma appears with a hand signal which can mean only one thing….. they've brought back some Tusker! We chill-out, sup Tusker, and I re-start capturing my Blog. Reflecting on more humorous moments; why is it Helen & Emma have designated the EcoSan area (toilets) the smoking area? It's bad enough mustering up the courage to go for a long drop, let alone knowing Helen & Emma are smoking away outside! And why??? Tony & Emma said walking into the bar to get the Tusker was something like a scene out of 'Dusk 'till Dawn' :) Having been in there yesterday I couldn't agree more! However, the lady Tony went to photograph wasn't ready - she's a potato chip fryer and she went to get more potatoes. So he has to go back. Good news is that he should return with some chips! OMG we all shout!
6:15 Tony returns with chips! Chips have never tasted so good - who wants to eat plain noodles every day anyway?! :)
Area of concern; everyone's getting far too good with the Terminator (mozzie fryer). Emma's just pulled in a couple of back hand drop shots - a double burn. The competition is hotting up! ;)
7:00 It's getting dark and I need a shower. Oh well - cold shower in the dark - another new experience.
7:30 We were never going to get through the day without our daily noodles - noodles are served. Just how we like them - plain with tabasco. We all agree we will never eat noodles ever again. You'll have noticed that by now we've stopped eating what the cooks serve to the children. Unfortunately, when they're having their dinner, 5pm, we're still doing our chores - that's our excuse anyway ;)
8:00 Torrential rain starts. We hear the children scurrying around outside - 2 minutes later a girl brings in our washing. How considerate :) We're now cooped up in our 'lounge' which is now our home. 9 of us tucking into noodles, a couple want to go to the loo, but with pouring rain, creepy crawlies, long-drops… this place continues to challenge you :) Coffee/tea is kindly made by Helen and we settle down for a game of cards, liar dice and mozzie/fly frying - bring it on!
Tomorrow is going to be an early start. Tony's going to photograph the fishermen's village at Lake Victoria, and we all agree on joining him - we're ahead of schedule and agree to have a few hours at the lake. We'll be setting off at 5:45am so we can be back for 9!… and in time to organise the children's sports afternoon!!! Camera's start being passed around and we reflect on the day. There's so many wonderful memories. Heathrow seems light years ago! I download the flips onto the MacBook Air I brought and look back at today's music bumps - quality! :)
8:45 Tania goes to read a bedtime story in the boys dorm, Emma to the girls.
9:00 I join Tania and take my laptop to show them some of today's flips. I'm instantly hit by how hot it is and the dim light. Tania's just finishing - they're all sitting so still and quiet. I show them their dancing from today & some of football skills. They all close in and lean all over me. They laugh outlaid and point at each other on the screen. I then try and show them 'Photo Booth' but it's too dark - that'll have to wait for tomorrow - I can't wait for that! :)
I get back to our 'dorm' to find the girls mustering up the courage to go to the toilet - yep, all of them together! I hear them running back squealing/laughing :)
9:25 As we start to settle down the girls next door (Meghan, Polly & Rachel) burst out into fits of laughter. What the heck are they laughing at? Tania's sent in to find out… Meghan's wish was she wished she had a tail - she realises animals have tails so they can swish flies away when on the loo! :)
Goodnight all. Tomorrow's our last full day at Hope and Kindness. I know we'll all be sad to leave - although we'll all have a sense of achievement, we all know deep inside we still need to make more permanent solutions/improvements. Hope and Kindness is an incredible place - like no other any of us have ever encountered before. It's achieved so so much - it provides a home to 34 orphans - a school to 131, and something Terry and Judi must be (and absolutely have the right to be) immensely proud of. We all feel privileged to have experienced the warmth and love that emanates form here, and equally to witness the painful hardships that we need to change - don't do something just because you can't do everything is our motto.
Please post this Blog link to your Facebook page to help publicise this fantastic charity - thank you!
6:30 Woke up this morning - oh my god what is that smell? A horrible disgusting smell! Oh, yeh - that'll be me then! Yesterday was non-stop, in boiling heat, plus running around for 30 minutes of football, and at the end of the night I was just too exhausted for a shower - yuk!!!
This morning we're handing out the solar/wind up lamps we brought. We brought 50 with us - I hope that's enough.
7:00 First thing first - shower! The morning start is now becoming routine; shower (stand in bucket, turn the tap on above head - cold water, freezing cold water dribbles out, put on soap, turn tap off, wash, turn tap on, quickly was off soap, turn tap off, dry & dress, get out of bucket, pour watt from bucket into bigger outside), breakfast (salty porridge and/or boiled egg), malarone tablet, toilet (I'll spare you the details on this one - needless to say, it's an ordeal!), clean teeth, fill up individual water bottle from 5 litre bottle. Got all this now down to 15 minutes. After 4 days of living in such close proximity to each other, we're all getting very frank - toilet humour is very often the source of our laughter! Polly just come back into the our chill out room - toilet roll in hand, and gave a thumbs up :)
8:00 The elders, guardians and parents had turned up for the lamps. They are all sitting down outside the school. First impression - we don't have enough lamps to go round. One of the teachers comes with me and helps interpret for those who don't speak english. I take them through the basic instructions on how they use them/wind up etc.. I hear gasps of delight. None of them have power at their homes and therefore when the sun goes down they have no light until the morning (Tania & I were very upset in our bed last night, under our mosquito net, with our solar lamp, thinking of Stephen and his 2 brothers in a mud hut, no lights, no protection. We were hopeful his mother turned up last night & we'd meet at school today). I start to hand them out with Tania - I'm 5 short. I go back into our rooms and fetch our - the ones we'd been using/brought with us). I've got 5 - perfect. Oh no. 4 more guardians had turned up. We make a list of those who didn't get one, including the teachers who have the same dire needs. It totals 18. We'll have to work out how we get more shipped over. Shipping anything in to Kenya is very difficult due to customs - it can take months! We brought ours in our luggage.
I ask the teacher to find Stephen's mother - "is she here?" She calls out to the guardians. I hope she's here. A hand goes up, and a women comes forward. Tania & her naturally give each other a hug. It's very emotional. She knows we sponsor Stephen. We talk and try and find out more about her. Her name is Aska, she's a nurse, was working at an American Institute, but it closed down. Now she can't get a job - she has to pay to get a job! She's doing occasional garden work for money. We found out she also has a daughter who's 16. She wants her to go to secondary school to finish her education but she has no money to pay for it. She said she needs 20,000 Kenyan schillings - around $200. We said we'll see what we can work out with H&K. I give her some money to keep her going, and the woman who's looking after Stephen when she's not there - I find out this is the woman who was in the small dwellings with Stephen last night.
9:00 Tony left in the Land Rover to photo Garad the gravel maker, Mary's (H&K site manager) vegetable patch, and Joseph (remember, the man with one one, who's neighbour hacked it off with a machete when high on "Bang", a drug here they smoke). Looking forward to seeing those pictures - will be amazing as usual! :)
Whilst I'm standing outside Rachel comes out and asks for my speakers and iPod; they're organising a game of 'musical bumps' :) I set the music up and explain the rules (with the help of a teacher). Rachel & Polly are in the game to show them some moves - I think they'll be the ones learning new moves! I hit play & Michael Jackson kicks out 'Billie Jean'. All the children (about 30 of them) suddenly start to dance/jive/groove there thang! It's hilarious! The ones at the front are as young 4 - where do they get their moves from? H&K has got Talent! :) I suddenly hit the pause button and they all drop onto their bums - a huge dust cloud appears! The last 2 to sit down are identified by the teacher and they're out. We continue for the next 20 mins - dust is getting everywhere, so we agree the last 10 will get a sweet - ok, this wouldn't be fair, so we agree everyone gets a sweet. I start to hand out sweets and a stampede erupts! My security guards (Polly, Rachel & Tania) try them to get in an orderly queue, with helps for…. 30 seconds before they break ranks and I'm stampeded again. The girls begin to loose it - you can't tell who's had one and who hasn't. We were saving the 5kg tub of sweets for tomorrow, but hey, now's a good a time as any.
9:00 Helen & Emma started the IT training to the teachers. IT training constitutes: file save, save as, new folder….., basic MS Word principles. They've just broke for a stress diffuser - cigarette break! This is not going to be an easy session - they've never used a PC before.
10:00 Meghan started her management training. It was due to start at 8:00, but not everyone was here - this is Africa after all :) Her pupils were the Kosele primary school head & deputy head, the District children's officer, the principle of the local secondary school, Mary & Deden's (H&K Head teacher). I asked her how's it going, she replied "it's going"!
Bad news - I've just walked over to field and I notice Connor's football has a puncture. It was less than 24hrs old :( Though they're still out there playing football with it :)
10:30 Sand Filter building time; once the pandemonium and stampede has settled, along with the dust, we start work on the Sand Filter. We bought all the bits & pieces at the hardware store yesterday. We don't have all the right tools, but improvise is the way forward! Polly does a great job of drilling the perfect size holes in the 250 litre drums for the pipes, and it's not long before all pipes, taps, seals are in place. Next we need to build up the ground so that one drum is higher than the other, and then need to fill the higher one with 3 layers of sand, charcoal and gravel. Water is then poured in, filtered through the sand, charcoal and gravel, and then trough the pipes is transported into the clean drum! Voila! Clean(ish) water.
As I walk past the school's kitchen I notice the cooks sifting rice. I ask John what they're doing? He said they buy the cheapest rice, which has grit in. They then go though each grain of rice and pull the grit off - some of the grit is the same same size as the grain of rice. It's a tireless job.
12:30 we've gone as far as we can with the Sand Filter. Problem is we don't have enough bricks to raise the drums, so we're going to have to get more in - we still have time to do that before Friday as there is a team of guys on site building 3 new EcoSan toilets.
1:00 Polly & Rachel are in the kitchen cooking up lunch. On the menu today is avocado, saute potatoes, chopped tomatoes & onion. They're getting adventurous (yes, that menu is very adventurous here!) - where's my noodle & tabasco - I have a simple pallet!
Helen is now entering mild hysteria. She's been looking for her room key for the last half-hour. She's turned everything in the teachers room (our chill-out zone) upside down - twice! On reflection, me reminding her she keeps looking in the same places may not have been constructive :) Tania's drafted in as a new pair of eyes. 10 seconds later she's found them. Case solved, hugs all round - except me - Helen I guess didn't value my 'help' :)
The place is now full of dust. Everyone is dirty, sweaty, slightly stressed and feeling tired. Lunch break's required. We start to work out the plan of action for the afternoon - parcel delivery, Tony's got some portraits, IT training & management truing continues.
Tony arrives back from the grinding mill, with a gift of flour! The pictures are amazing, though he comments the grinder's conditions are not conducive to a long-life - flour dust everywhere which he's inhaling. Tony could only stand it for 10 seconds.
Chief Benton arrives for a visit. He is in charge of the district. He's come along to thank us and offer his support.
1:30 Lunch is served. Tony sent Tiny out for cold soda's. We distribute them to the teachers & elders on the training. Everyone wants Fanta!
We hear that back in the UK there's chaos - most of the airports are closed due to snow! That's the first time we spoken of home (excluding our individual calls back home) - we're all totally wrapped up in the events here. We all it down for lunch - the first time we've been together all day. We laugh about the events of the day, the frustrations we have with the place, discuss simple things they can do to improve and observations we've made. We draw up a list which we'll share with Terry (H&K founder, who's a teacher in the UK).
Lunch was fantastic! Well done Rachel & Polly! :) We also had rice - and I didn't bite on any grit!
2:00 Everyone splits up and gets back top their designated tasks; Meghan management training, Helen & Emma IT training, Rachel, Polly Tania & I are going out delivering food parcels. Tony gets the thankless job of washing up - after those saute potatoes that is a nasty one!
The chickens arrive in the Land Rover. We're about to get into the Land Rover when we see the back is full of chicken poo - do you think they knew today was their last? I jump in the driving seat, Duncan alongside (helps out at the school, though not employed by them, and has come along to help with directions and translation). The girls get the chicken coup in the back.
First stop was Mary. Mary's got learning difficulties - we met at the church on Sunday. She was raped twice before the age of 15. We went as close as we could in the Land Rover, and then had a small walk to her dwelling. She was there standing outside her door, breast feeding her youngest. She recognised us and looked pleased. She pulled her child off her breast and shook our hands. We went into her house and was met by her grandmother, who was trying to tidy up and collect the rags which were our being drying on the ground. It was a sorry sight. Every item of clothes had rips/holes. They were thankful for the food. We would've like to stay - learn more. I had to remind the ladies we were on a tight schedule and wouldn't be able to deliver them all if we didn't leave now. I wish we had more time to talk to them all, but this part of the trip was never in the plan and we had to get back to H&K for 16:30 as Tony going out on another photo project.
On the way to our next stop we walked past Grace's house - the one we built on day 2. Good news - it's still standing! But the final layer of cattle poo is still yet to be applied. I'm told that's because our mud layer is still drying. Grace is standing there in front of her new door - she seemed very happy and gives us all a big handshake. We eventually come to we're aiming for - I can't recall her name, but she was identified by one of the groups from Day 2 as someone who's destitute (the list is long-the list is endless). As we approach her house the first thing that really shocks me is a small boy, no more than 4, with a huge knife in his hands that he's playing with! Unbelievable. As we get closer he drops it as he cached a glimpse of the sweets. Another child is playing with something which resembles a butchers knife. He too drops it as sweets appear. Crazy! Their mother is in the garden making string, made out of strips of a certain plant. She's so happy. We pass around some biscuits to the children. I count 11. 2 of them are very small, under 2. They have no clothes on and are covered in mud - thick mud up their legs and arms. One of them is eating a biscuit with fingers caked in mud. Her mother reaches down and cleans it's hands. We walk next door to the elderly couple we also met 2 days earlier (he's the one with cataracts). We're welcomed inside (everyone always welcomes you into their houses and asks you to sit down), but it's so hot! We chat for a short time and say our goodbyes - always receiving HUGE smiles, cuddles and firm hand shakes :)
Iffe's grandmother was the last call. Iffe is one of the children from H&K school. Her parents have both passed away. Her grandmother lives on her own about 2km away. She looked very old - I asked her how old she was (through Duncan who was translating). She said she was 90! An incredible lady. She was so pleased to see us, though you could tell her sight was fading and had early stages of cataracts. Again we say our goodbyes - I know everyone's thinking them same as me 'this is all wrong - this is so cruel' :(
4:15 All done we make our way back, but call in at a local shop for a Fanta - we hadn't taken any fluids out with us and we were a bit parched, including Duncan. We set off again and come alongside Stephen's dwellings - he's playing outside with his brothers. He sees us and screams with delight - his face all lit up. We've run out of sweets, but we give them our Fanta's. Before each child drinks the lot in one gulp we insist they need to share - which isn't common practise. We need to get going and tell them we'll see the at school tomorrow. "see you tomorrow" Stephen shouts, with a big smile and white teeth beaming :)
4:30 As Tony made it out to I started to capture my Blog, and some of the ladies went down to the field for a chill with their cup of tea! Pis*ed of with the amount of flies in our chill-out room, I wander down to find the ladies. There they are, sitting in a circle having brain-dump of the day, capturing observations and ideas of improvement. One concern we have is that we don't want to appear condescending - just trying our helping hands.
5:15 Mid brainstorm, Emma appears with a hand signal which can mean only one thing….. they've brought back some Tusker! We chill-out, sup Tusker, and I re-start capturing my Blog. Reflecting on more humorous moments; why is it Helen & Emma have designated the EcoSan area (toilets) the smoking area? It's bad enough mustering up the courage to go for a long drop, let alone knowing Helen & Emma are smoking away outside! And why??? Tony & Emma said walking into the bar to get the Tusker was something like a scene out of 'Dusk 'till Dawn' :) Having been in there yesterday I couldn't agree more! However, the lady Tony went to photograph wasn't ready - she's a potato chip fryer and she went to get more potatoes. So he has to go back. Good news is that he should return with some chips! OMG we all shout!
6:15 Tony returns with chips! Chips have never tasted so good - who wants to eat plain noodles every day anyway?! :)
Area of concern; everyone's getting far too good with the Terminator (mozzie fryer). Emma's just pulled in a couple of back hand drop shots - a double burn. The competition is hotting up! ;)
7:00 It's getting dark and I need a shower. Oh well - cold shower in the dark - another new experience.
7:30 We were never going to get through the day without our daily noodles - noodles are served. Just how we like them - plain with tabasco. We all agree we will never eat noodles ever again. You'll have noticed that by now we've stopped eating what the cooks serve to the children. Unfortunately, when they're having their dinner, 5pm, we're still doing our chores - that's our excuse anyway ;)
8:00 Torrential rain starts. We hear the children scurrying around outside - 2 minutes later a girl brings in our washing. How considerate :) We're now cooped up in our 'lounge' which is now our home. 9 of us tucking into noodles, a couple want to go to the loo, but with pouring rain, creepy crawlies, long-drops… this place continues to challenge you :) Coffee/tea is kindly made by Helen and we settle down for a game of cards, liar dice and mozzie/fly frying - bring it on!
Tomorrow is going to be an early start. Tony's going to photograph the fishermen's village at Lake Victoria, and we all agree on joining him - we're ahead of schedule and agree to have a few hours at the lake. We'll be setting off at 5:45am so we can be back for 9!… and in time to organise the children's sports afternoon!!! Camera's start being passed around and we reflect on the day. There's so many wonderful memories. Heathrow seems light years ago! I download the flips onto the MacBook Air I brought and look back at today's music bumps - quality! :)
8:45 Tania goes to read a bedtime story in the boys dorm, Emma to the girls.
9:00 I join Tania and take my laptop to show them some of today's flips. I'm instantly hit by how hot it is and the dim light. Tania's just finishing - they're all sitting so still and quiet. I show them their dancing from today & some of football skills. They all close in and lean all over me. They laugh outlaid and point at each other on the screen. I then try and show them 'Photo Booth' but it's too dark - that'll have to wait for tomorrow - I can't wait for that! :)
I get back to our 'dorm' to find the girls mustering up the courage to go to the toilet - yep, all of them together! I hear them running back squealing/laughing :)
9:25 As we start to settle down the girls next door (Meghan, Polly & Rachel) burst out into fits of laughter. What the heck are they laughing at? Tania's sent in to find out… Meghan's wish was she wished she had a tail - she realises animals have tails so they can swish flies away when on the loo! :)
Goodnight all. Tomorrow's our last full day at Hope and Kindness. I know we'll all be sad to leave - although we'll all have a sense of achievement, we all know deep inside we still need to make more permanent solutions/improvements. Hope and Kindness is an incredible place - like no other any of us have ever encountered before. It's achieved so so much - it provides a home to 34 orphans - a school to 131, and something Terry and Judi must be (and absolutely have the right to be) immensely proud of. We all feel privileged to have experienced the warmth and love that emanates form here, and equally to witness the painful hardships that we need to change - don't do something just because you can't do everything is our motto.
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