Preparations, Donations, and Communications……
On the road in Kenya
Well, it’s only 10 days before we leave and the excitement is mounting… and so is the pressure to get everything done before departure. I have to say that it’s hard to concentrate on all that needs to be done here when my thoughts keep drifting to Kenya and the email communications about planning are flying fast and furiously through cyberspace. This post will be a potpourri of things to share that may not seem necessarily that connected, but that is a reflection of my whirling brain……
- Amongst the email communications was one that just came from Jen and the group of KEST travelers who are currently in Nyumbani Village with the “translation” provided by Lloydie:
“it’s HOT, and the water taps keep going out (and the showers at the convent don’t work anymore). Pack lots of sunscreen, bug spray, and baby wipes. Oh, and some locks for the doors – we all have singles in the guest house, and John (the cook) didn’t have enough to go around.”
Translation… “it’s HOT, water is questionable so take a long shower before we leave for the village, we will have drinking water with us, bring the recommended items above , and ESPECIALLY a pad lock just in case it is needed. Plan to leave the lock behind so they will have enough for future visitors. We do not have our lodging assignment yet. It will either be in the convent or the guest house but either way, it seems like there are NO showers… pole sana, TIA… This IS Africa!“ - These e-mails made me smile. You have to have a sense of humor about such things and no where else on earth would I voluntarily put up with HOT and no showers! Aaah life in Nyumbani Village!! There’s nothing like it to make you appreciate the smallest creature comforts like a shower, not to mention cold water to drink, a way to cool off in the heat… And though water may be in short supply I’m sure that there is plenty of ugali that staple food of maize made porridge that sits like a brick in your belly (your favorite, right Lloydie?!) However, there will also be ample Kenyan hospitality seeped in Kikombe culture with singing and dancing and smiling from children and grandmothers alike since the village, with its simple ways, is a very magical place. And at the end of the day, you get to be mesmerized by the most star filled sky you’ll ever see.
Under the tree canopy in Nyumbani Village
Dancers--from children to grandmothers--of Nyumbani Village Photos by Karen Orrick
- One of my donors was also asking about whether or not she could specifically give to the Women 4 Women Initiative, but that is in the early stages of development and not quite ready for specific donations yet. Lloydie’s reply as an alternative was “ I think the best plan is for you to decide which community you want to help… Nyumbani Village for mattresses (they just admitted 36 new orphaned grandchildren and 4 orphaned grandparents in December), or the Maasai for the school food program (porridge every day at school for lunch, for some their only meal)”. Although I am very much aware of the need in Kenya the thought of the school food program providing the Maasai children with their only meal of the day is a very sobering thought. And the fact that 36 new children and 4 new grandparents have been admitted to Nyumbani Village is a reminder of the increasing need and number of AIDs orphans and the elderly who have lost their children upon whom they would have relied to care for them. The village has really grown–the last figure I heard was close to 800 orphans are living there. I’m not sure what the current count is, but I will find out.
Maasai Children
- About donations–these are the things I’m bringing to Kenya to donate guided by a list of needed items and anything that is not monetary has to fit in duffels to go onboard the airplane with me. Somethings like underwaer and socks and medical supplies are always needed. Other things, like matresses, not to be stuffed into duffels, but rather purchased once there, are new on the list. Having reached out to family and friends and done some special purchases of my own, the gathering seems to be going quite nicely. I also had the opportunity to go to the warehouse for Mid Coast Hospital last week where supplies and goods are stored that are no longer being used at the hospital, but are ready for anyone wishing to take them to third world countries. I met a very nice young man there who was traveling to the Dominican and also gathering supplies. As we looked through all the storage areas and came across things that would suit our purposes we both got increasingly excited and started to say “This is just like Christmas!” I gathered gauze and band aids and wound cleaner and ace bandages and slings and …… Now I have to get all the donations in one place–from my office, the car, my son’s car, various places in the house–and pack them in 2 duffels that weigh each less than 50 lbs. A Houdini-like task even without the mattresses–this is the magic that begins before you leave for Kenya–well a piece of it anyway!
Kibera, Lea Toto, and Kibera Paper
Somewhere between a half and a million people live in Kibera, Kenya’s largest slum. No one knows for sure what the population is there, but it is estimated that 20% of Nairobi’s inhabitants live there at a population density of about 750, 000 people per square mile. It is one of the most crowded places on earth. It is hard to describe in words but photos and video give a better sense.
Kibera is the site of great poverty, overcrowding, unsanitary living conditions, and a high crime rate. It is also a location with a very high incidence of HIV/AIDs. This is the reason that The Lea Toto program of Nyumbani began—to provide outreach services and home based care to families with children who have HIV/AIDS. In addition to having a clinic in Kibera Lea Toto now has 8 other satellite clinics in the slum areas surrounding Nairobi. We visited these clinics in Kibera, Kariobongi and Dandora during our last trip to Kenya and will be visiting them again.
This time we will also be paying some special attention to a couple of women’s artisans groups which have developed out of the need for these women of poverty to to have an income to support their families. One of these groups is Kibera paper. We have been working on a plan for our visit to Kibera paper to work with the women there who make the cards from recycled paper. In addition to talking with them about ideas to market and sell more of their cards in the US, since 2 of us make our own cards, we are planning an interactive card making workshop with a sharing of ideas and new media.
Here is an article from CNNWorld about Kibera Paper:
Greeting card project helps slum women
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// // December 22, 2010|From David McKenzie, CNN
In the largest slum in Nairobi, Kenya, some of the community’s poorest women are taking part in project that is spreading the true meaning of the holiday season. In 2001, an Anglican missionary from Australia started the Kibera Paper Card Project to help disadvantaged women in the sprawling Kibera slum.
The initiative began with a group of six women making greeting cards from recycled paper. Nine years later and it has expanded to employ 26 local women.
“It’s for women who are widowed, some of them are orphaned, some of them are abandoned by their husbands, so they make cards to meet their needs,” said Kibera Paper Card Project coordinator Emma Wathura.
Wathura said the project focuses on helping women because “women are the ones who care for the family.”
Agnes Awour is one of those benefiting from the project. She used to struggle to put food on the table, but joining the group has helped, she said.
“It enables me to buy food and clothes and pay school fees,” she said. “Even my children are happy about it.”
The women involved in the project see the card making process through from beginning to end. They collect scrap paper from Nairobi businesses and soak and dye the paper, turning the waste into pulp and then the pulp into new paper.
The paper is then dried before the women’s creativity transforms what was once rubbish into beautiful greeting cards.
“Yeah there is money,” said Wathura. “For one thing, we don’t spend a lot. Because the recycled paper we are given is free.”
At the Nairobi Christmas Fair, where thousands descend every holiday season, the cards are proving popular.
In a business where message is key, the Kibera Paper Card project offers its customers much more than just a greeting: Shoppers know that by buying these cards, they’re changing lives.
This is a great video that focuses on Kibera and the Kibera Paper Project
The slogan for Kibera Paper has become “Buy a card, change a life.” If you watched the video you know how that is literally true. You can learn more about Kibera paper at www.kiberapaper.com and I’m sure I’ll have lots more to say when I am actually there sharing the experience with these women. This is just one example of a truly hopeful project that has arisen from the slums; there are more, including of course the Lea Toto clinics. Despite the enormity of the horrendous conditions and poverty, there is hope too.
KEST and the Magical Magnetism of Shared Volunteerism
Volunteers from 2010 KEST Adult trip
We are off to Kenya in 19 days! I know that this time will fly by as I try to prepare to leave my office and home and gather up everything I need to be on my way. It’s time to direct some more concentrated attention on donations to be gathered, things needed for projects to be done while there, and eventually the overwhelming task of packing (I hate to pack even on a small scale and this is quite something else!)
I have been thinking about how exciting it is to return to Kenya and Nyumbani having been there before and how I am looking forward to seeing people again. I have just learned from Lloydie that we will have two more travelers, Lynne and Walter, joining our group so its wonderful to have a larger group. I have found myself immersed in thought about how this experience really gives me much more than I give in volunteering, how my endorphin levels soar every time I talk about the trip (I have actually been told that my face lights up) and how for weeks after I returned last time I couldn’t talk about the trip without getting teary or choked up because I was so deeply moved by the whole experience. I recently came across some medical literature about volunteerism and how volunteering actually increases the life span, at least in elders in whom it’s been best studied. But I think it must be true for others too because there is something about giving to others in need that just lifts you up and fills you up, and shifts your perspective to what’s important, like nothing else can. And the relationships that you make with other people when you share that experience of working for a common cause with all the joy, and the heartache too– those are lifelong bonds.
So this brings me to KEST, Kenya Educational and Service Trips (www.K-E-S-T.com). I can’t imagine going to Kenya in any other way than through KEST (and with you, Lloydie). KEST is a small operation started by one woman, Lloydie Zaiser, with a tremendous amount of enthusiasm, dedication, and love for the AIDS orphans of Kenya. It is still a tiny operation, yet I just received the annual report tucked in a holiday card (made by the women of Kibera paper of course) and have learned more about how KEST is expanding its mission beyond the Nyumbani Programs to two different sites, launching a number of new programs and increasing the number of volunteer trips to Kenya each year (I scanned the report so I could include it below in this post). This one little organization has done amazing things by bringing to Kenya so many volunteers and hundreds of duffels of donations and finding education sponsors for Nyumbani children and so much more….. I think this has a lot to do with the infectious enthusiasm and love of the mission that Lloydie brings to it as well as the incredible spirit of the Kenyan people that you get to soak up while you are there. But it also reflects the way that the totality of the experience profoundly binds you to each other and to the cause –what I referred to as the magical magnetism of shared volunteerism. Having been on one volunteer trip with KEST, you can’t just do one, you are now a KEST lifer! Your heart will call you back again to the children and the people and the country, to all of it. And if there are moments when you might not listening, you’ll get emails from Lloydie that will give you updates about the children that will pull at your heartstrings, or remind you of the touching moments in Kenya (or tease you about how it will be 8o degrees and sunny there in February when its snowy and cold in Maine.)
Lloydie, Mercy and the shoshos at Nyumbani Village
Lloydie playing finger games with the children at Nyumbani Village
So it gives me peace of mind and a very sweet feeling to look forward to this travel to Kenya and to Nyumbani and all of the other places we will visit and to know that I start out 2012 with all of my own blessings well in perspective and my intentions pointed in a very worthy direction.
“Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.” Margaret Mead
Returning to Kenya and Nyumbani!!
Children of Nyumbani Village
My last post was in June 2010–in some ways it seems like a long time ago and in some ways like yesterday. I am excited beyond words and extremely grateful to have the opportunity to return to Kenya again. I knew when I last left in February 2010 that I had been forever changed by the experience there and that my heart would bring me back again. Since leaving Kenya I have kept in contact with Lloydie, our fabulous trip leader, who has brought many other groups of volunteers to Kenya and who has the biggest heart of anyone I know. In fact in the fall of 2010, all five of the travelers in our group reunited in Washington DC at the annual Nyumbani gala and auction. We had the pleasure of escorting Joseph, the sustainability director of Nyumbani Village, who had never before been out of Kenya around Washington DC and, in particular, pointing President Obama’s “house” to him.
Joseph taking in Washington DC
In addition, I have kept in touch with Lilian, the counselor at Nyumbai Village both to get follow up about the young men I evaluated there but also to be a source of support as she has such a huge job being the sole counselor to so many people. There have been the newsletters from Nyumbani, letters from the student we sponsor at Nyumbani Village, many heartfelt email updates and even a visit from Lloydie, and oh so many things beckoning me back. The most powerful, however, are my memories of those moments that moved me to tears, that showed me that although the problems with AIDs, orphans, and profound poverty are so overwhelmingly huge, one person can really make a difference, one deed can really have a powerful impact on someone else’s life.
And so we depart on January 19th. The group that is traveling this time will be four women–Lloydie, Deb, Kristen and me. Although I have not yet met Deb or Kristen, I know by the e-mails and past experience that we will be incredibly bonded by the end of the trip. The itinerary is similar to our last travel to Nyumbani, but with some extras this time. We will be spending much of our time on the weekends at Nyumbani Children’s Home just outside of Nairobi. You may recall that this is where the children are both AIDS orphans and are also HIV+. They are however thriving children who are staying healthy with good medical support and ARV medication.
Nyumbani Children’s Home
Innocent and me after facepainting at the St Paul Miki Preschool, Photo by Karen Orrick
For a week we will be at Nyumbani Village, in rural Kenya about an hour away from Nairobi. The Village is where there are about 700 AIDs orphans living in “families” of 10 being raised by a grandmother or “shosho”. The Village has its own school, medical clinic, counseling center, amazing sustainability program, etc. I will have a chance to work with Lilian again and will get to see Caroline, the student whom we sponsor. The Village is a truly magical place that is ripe with culture and alive with song and dance, smiling and laughter, despite the enormous trauma and losses that brought people there. For a nice up to date glimpse of life at the Children’s Home and the Village you can watch this video A Place Called Home by Shamus Fatzinger. I am very excited to see all those lively little children’s faces again!
Children at Nyumbani Village
We will be spending some time in the outreach clinics of the Lea Toto Programs in the slums around Nairobi. These programs provide services to families with children who are HIV+. We will however have more than one goal in mind in visiting these programs. At a number of sites, the women have developed groups who have learned a craft such as jewelry making. We met one of these groups during our last trip–the Vision Self Help Group in Dandora. I was very touched by having the opportunity to sit with them and hear their personal stories that were so compelling and filled with loss and heartache, yet incredible resilience, devotion to their children and compassion for each other. We will meet with them and other such groups to help them focus on establishing fair trade practices and business plans for selling their wares in the U.S. Another group is the women of Kibera Paper who make beautiful handmade cards, each a work of art, from recycled paper from the slums.
Examples of my favorite Kibera Cards designs
Lloydie has actually set up some time for us to have a workshop with them so that I can bring over some art supplies and work with them on some new ideas. I am very excited about this aspect of the trip which Lloydie has referred to as Women4Women. I was so deeply affected by the women whom we met in Kenya during our last trip and the ways in which they seemed to have such capacity to overcome such hardship that I wrote this poem about them and only recently, when thinking about the possibility of going back, did I revisit it:
These are only some of the highlights of the plans as the itinerary is very full. We are now in the stage of busily gathering donations of all different sorts–from medical supplies, to children socks and underwear, to office supplies, to Pampers and onesies with feet! Each of us needs to fill at least one fifty pound duffel with donations (and given that mattresses are on the list of needs and we’ll shop for more once we get there!) I better get gathering as I have a long way to go………
The one thing that I have a tinge of sadness about is that I will not be traveling with the same group of five this time. We had a very special bond by the end of the trip last time and Kenya just won’t be quite the same without them there. So I’m hoping that Mary, Karen and Tom will follow along with us and get inspired for a reunion trip in Kenya some year soon……
The “Five Travelers” at Lake Nukuru in 2010
The Art Exchange at Jordan Acres School
Well, I am shamefully late at doing this post since the art exchange and show at Jordan Acres took place 2 weeks ago. I have not posted yet partially because I really fell down on my job as photographer that night. But truthfully, the reason for this was that I got so engaged with talking with people that I just put my camera down. I really want to thank Sharon McCormack (whose picture I wish I had taken) once again not only for doing amazing art with the children for me to bring to Kenya, but also for working on such a fun way for us to exchange the art and have a multimedia show that night. In addition to the poster you see in the picture above we had a table with a Maasai blanket and carvings and other such things that could be touched, and all the Kenyan children’s art work, some was displayed and what wasn’t displayed was mounted and placed in a notebook as a permanent collection for the school to keep along with the poster. We also had a slide show accompanied by some great background tribal African music. The man and boy in the picture below spent much of their time watching the slide show and I thoroughly enjoyed watching them since the little boy got newly very excited about each and every safari animal that came on the screen.
I was delighted that many children and parents asked lots of questions and enjoyed looking at the Kenyan students’ art. Some of JA students were thrilled when they recognized their own art in the photos taken in Kenya. I could tell from the questions that the students asked about the Maasai, and the animals, life in Kenya and other topics that they had really learned a lot about Kenya in the course of this project. So the Kenyan students art and the poster of all the smiling faces of Nyumbani have been on display at the school for everyone to see and enjoy since that night. For me it’s a really heartwarming thought to think of JA students smiling back and having an opportunity to browse through all the pieces of art and warm wishes that were sent to them.
Once again, thank you very much (asante sana) to all the JA students and to Sharon McCormack! Maybe we can do this again the next time I go to Kenya……
Kenyan Art Exchange in Brooksville, Maine
Stopping a moment on my "Brooksville tour" with Bec Poole and Maggie
Brooksville scene
Last weekend I headed up the coast to Brooksville, a really lovely small town and home to Brooksville Elementary School where 7th and 8th graders participated in the art exchange with the kids in Kenya from the Nyumbani Children’s Home and Nyumbani Village. It was my opportunity to personally see the display of the children’s art that I had brought back from Kenya on exhibit with some batik work that the Brooksville students had done. The batiks were inspired by African animals and were beautifully hung amongst the Kenyan children’s art.
It was truly a wonderful feeling to see them all hug together (this was a typo that I did find when I proofed the post, but feeling truly touched by seeing the artwork of all children hung together, I decided to leave it). Beside the art from Kenya was a picture of each child who had created the art and Bec Poole, the art teacher, had done a nice job of explaining what the art exchange was all about and what her students had learned from it.
Art from Kenya and artists from Nyumbani Children's Home
Art from Kenya and photos of artists from Nyumbani Village
Though the turn out was small, probably related to school vacation week, I enjoyed presenting a slide show and talking about my trip on Friday evening. Both Bec and I hope that we can find a way to keep this exchange going. I will send photos of the display back to Kenya with Lloydie Zaiser this summer so that the children there can see that their art made it to the US and was proudly displayed! I also enjoyed the opportunity to take in the lovely town of Brooksville on Saturday and just relax in the company of my friend Bec.
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- Art from Kenya and photos of artists from Nyumbani Village
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- Stopping a moment on my “Brooksville tour” with Bec Poole and Maggie
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- Brooksville scene
Update on the Maine Kenyan Student Art Exchange
It’s hard to believe that we have been back from Kenya for a month and a half– in some ways it feels like yesterday, in some ways like years. Fortunately the sharing of stories and photos has created and opportunity to relive the trip again and again. In e-mailing with Lloydie recently I referred to it as “the trip that keeps on giving” because my mind goes back to it so frequently and I have so many ideas about future things that I would like to do.
However, I still have another important piece of unfinished business with this trip– the final piece of the Art Exchange with the students here in Maine. I have been in contact with both the art teachers and each of us have something a little different planned. I was delighted to hear that Sharon McCormack at Jordan Acres had “blog week” for her art students and that they spent time enjoying my blog. I hear they especially enjoyed the Kenyan kids dancing videos.
On Friday April 23rd I am headed up to Brooksville (a little over 2 1/2 hours up the coast) to visit in person. I sent the Kenyan kids art ahead of time and it is currently displayed in the public library along with some additional African themed art that the students did. I hear from Bec that it is a beautiful display! When in Brooksville I will do a public presentatation to students and families about the trip to Kenya and about the AIDS orphans and what we learned about them and their lives. And of course I will also talk about the art exchange. I am planning to bring some “show and tell” items like a Maasai blanket, a basket from the village, etc as well as lots of pictures. Most of all I am really looking forward to meeting the artists!
More about the exchange at Jordan Acres later…….
Video clips:Traditional tribal dance practice at Nyumbani Village
While we visited NyumbaniVillage we had the opportunity to see (and participate in ) a lot of dancing which was traditional for the Kamba tribe. I did not do the best job with my video camera here since I often had left it behind not realizing the frequency that the opportunities would arise for using it and later had some editing snafus and lost some of the footage I would have like to have shared– I often have a strained relationship with technology. We did however have the chance to attend the practice for one of the drama class–really tribal song and dance– at Nyumbani village in which many students were involved. Although it started at the same time as my art project, it was still going strong well beyond the time that finished and I think that the students sang and danced for almost 3 hours in that 85+ degree heat. I am told that they do amazingly well in competitions when they put this altogether with tribal dress and have even made it to the Kenyan national competition in the past. This is just the beginning of their practices which we had great fun watching (www.plopsymd.wordpress.com):
Video clips: Exuberant welcome in song and dance at Kazuri Beads
When we went to Kazuri Beads to meet the workers, tour the factory and shop from the wonderful selection of jewelry we learned about the philosophy of the company being very focused on maintaining a happy and healthy work force. In no way was this more evident than in the greeting of song and dance that we received when we arrived. Of course, arriving with Lloydie, our trip leader who is a frequent visitor when she is in Kenyan, was cause for a particularly celebratory welcome for all of us. This is just an example of the kind of exuberant welcome in song and dance that we received in many places that we went and gives you a sense of the spirit of the Kenyan people (www.plopsymd.wordpress.com).
Video snip-its: Song and Dance at Nyumbani’s Children’s Home
In the next few posts I want to share some snip-its of video recordings, all of various song and dance experiences that we had while in Kenya. The recordings were done on a litle Flip Video recorder and my skill level certainly doesn’t match that of a stll camera in my hand. Nonetheless, the recordings capture the spirit of celebration that we had the opportunity to experience in various settings. The first 2 clips are from church, the upbeat and Kenyan style dancing and singing celebration at the Children’s Home. The last clip is a spontaneous burst of singing a favorite song, “Jambo Bwana” in one of the cottages at the Children’s Home.
The Art Exchange: A preview of art and greetings from Kenya to Maine
The real art exchange will be completed when I am able to give the art made by the children at Nyumbani Children’s Home and Nyumbani Village to the students at Jordan Acres and Brooksville Elemenatary Schools, but I wanted to show some examples of the art done by the kids in Kenya to everyone on the blog. Though I have said it before, I need to say again how appreciative all of the kids and everyone else I encountered in Kenya were for the art and the supplies that were sent to them. I want to say thank you to Sharon MCormack and her students at Jordan Acres in Brunswick, Maine and to Bec Poole and her students in Brooksville, Maine. I also want to thank Dick Blick Art Materials ( www.dickblick.com) for donating some of the art supplies that were used and left for the kids in Kenya along with the supplies donated by the 2 schools. It was great fun for the kids in Kenya to use materials that they never had used before to create art and I was thrilled to leave them with supplies that they will continue to use. For the students in Maine, your efforts really inspired a lot of good will.
At the children’s home, I worked with most of the children to create art (all except the very energetic St. Paul Miki Preschool kids whose faces I painted instead of doing an art project). With the first 2 groups which were of mixed ages, I told them that they were free to do whatever kind of art they wanted with all of the materials, but if they wanted a suggestion, I knew that the kids in Maine might be especially interested in learning about them and their lives in Kenya. Below are some of the examples that they created:
The kids at the Children’s home that worked with me in the last group worked on books to send back to the Brooksville Elementary School that were just like the books that had been sent to them. It was perfect that the students in Brooksville had the wonderful idea of sending blank books just like the ones that they had made. I worked with a group of the same age kids at the Children’s Home who seemed excited to have this special project saved for them. They all did a terrific job on the work that they created and stayed beyond the time that we had set up so that they could finish them. They also spent a lot of time looking at the art books about life in Brooksville and I could tell that they were very interested in them. They all got to keep a book from the Brooksville students. Here are a few examples of their work:
I also worked on art projects with the orphans in Nyumbani Village where I hung art from Jordan Acres students in their homes on the Kenyan red stone walls and in the school classrooms where all the students will enjoy them. The group I worked with there were students in the equivalent of junior high school who were in a club that had been developed by a prior volunteer called the “Young Ambassadors.” I worked with Lloydie to tell them about the art from Maine and to ask them to make art for me to bring back that would reflect how what they would like to say about their country as “Young Ambassadors”. I was amazed at the art they did, not only because they were so enthusiastic and diligent, but also because they chose to include a lot of knowledge about their country and had a lot of pride in sharing it. And as the last example shows, they were real embassadors by welcoming people to “Please pay a visit to Kenya!” Here are a couple of their posters:
I look forward to sharing ALL of the art work with the students at both schools and being able to share some more about my experience in Kenya. Thanks to all who participated in this project in Maine and also my fellow travelers, most especially Lloydie for helping me set up and work on the projects in Kenya….and of course to all the Kenyan artists!
For the students and everyone: The Great Rift Valley
For my last post before I show some of the art of the kenyan kids which I have to complete scanning, I decided that I wanted to include some of the photos of the Rift Valley since they are quite beautiful and because the Rift Valley is such a geological hallmark of Kenya. It actually extends for about 400o miles in Africa and divides the country of Kenya in half. Kenya’s most beautiful lakes are in a chain in and around the Rift Valley and we traveled down into the Rift Valley to get to the National Park at Lake Nukuru.
The Rift Valley was also the site of the discovery of some of our earliest hominid ancesters like “Lucy” and where a number of anthropolgists including the most famous, the Leakeys, made many of their important discoveries.
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- Scenery on the way to the valley
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- Scenery on the way to the Rift valley
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- Looking into the valley
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- View into the valley-I love how the red kenyan soil shows in the center
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- I love the canopy of these trees
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- Scenery on the drive back
Stay tuned………art by the Kenyan kids for their friends and ambassadors of good will in Maine is coming soon!
Faces and places of Nyumbani Village
Tom and a friend
I took quite a few pictures at Nyumbani Village, but now that I am home, I regret that I didn’t take more of the structure of the village itself so that I would have those to show. I don’t really have pictures of the homes, and the buildings because I was so taken with the people that I didn’t think much about photographing the structures. We were also busy every minute during the day so wandering around to take extra photos wasn’t something that easily fell into place. I so wish I also could have taken a photo of the night sky while I was there; it was the most amazing bright starry sky that I have ever seen. We dragged our chairs outside at night just to sit and look up at it knowing that we would not see the sky look like that again once we returned home.
I do however have many photos of the people and I loved taking their pictures, from young to old. The children were all incredibly adorable and the grandmothers had wonderful weathered faces that you knew each had an amazing story to tell.
Although I could not speak Kamba, except for a couple of greeting that they taught me with great enthusiasm, I could tell from their energy, liveliness, exuberance and quick movement into song and dance (and expectation that we join them) that these grandmothers would have a lot to say If I could speak their language. For now I just have to go with body langauge which said quite a bit about their approach to life.
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- Grandmother and children admiring JA art
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- Grandmothers with JA art
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- Grandmothers on home visit
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- Girls peeking out of the classroom door
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- One of the boys in the school yard
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- Tom and a friend
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- Two boys in the school yard who loved the camera
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- Singing with Lloydie
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- More adorable faces that greeted us when we arrived
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- Gathering with the children at Nyumbani Village
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- Horsing around for the camera
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- Loving the camera
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- Two brothers
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- Tom talking to one of the staff and children
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- Two boys hauling–kids work very hard in the village
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- Kids in the schoolyard
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- Kids in the schoolyard
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- Elizabeth and her World AIDS Day Tee shirt
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- Mercy concentrating with the help of her tongue
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- Mercy “drawing” with her grandmother’s help
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- two grandmothers
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- Weaving–you can tell how fast her hands are moving!
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- Lloydie, Mercy and 3 grandmothers
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- ADmiring JA art
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- Walking under the tree canopy
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- Shem, our wonderful driver, taking a break in the shade
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- Working on art to send to America
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- Just a portion of the baskets woven at the village
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- The preschool class
Faces of Nyumbani Children’s Home
This is a random collection of some of the photos that I took of the children at Nyumbani Chilldren’s Home. Some are quick shots of faces, some are of the St Paul Miki preschool kids on the day Karen and Lloydie did the visor projects and I had the great fun of painting their faces, some are at the birthday celebration in memory of the founder, Father D’Agostino, some are the kids being cared for in respite, a couple are from the football game, some are of the children working on art, a couple are of the children doing one of their favorite things– borrowing visitor’s digital cameras……..
Karen and the "lion"
Mary and Kevin
Tom and a child from the respite program
Hope you enjoy!
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- Tom and a child from the respite program
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- Mary and Kevin
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- Karen and the “lion”
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- Making visors
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- Making visors
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- I love the pink visor, spiderman face and camouflage shirt!
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- Eunice the butterfly
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- Eunice
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- Winnie, always with a sweet smile
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- St Paul Miki kids have a lot of energy!
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- The cutest lion in Kenya!
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- Another painted face–this time camouflage
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- St Paul Miki kids
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- St Paul Miki kids working on their project
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- One of the children in respite
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- Nicholas, another respite child
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- Working on art for Jordan Acres kids
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- AB boys working on books for Brooksville kids
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- Nyumbani kids working on art for Jordan Acres kids
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- Working on art for Brooksville kids
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- At Father D’Agostino birthday celebration
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- At Father D’Ag birthday party
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- Mary and her art
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- Enjoying the digital camera
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- Taking pictures
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- Looking at pictures
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- Smiling for the camera
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- Giving another big smile
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- Mark, hamming it up!
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- A nice smaile
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- Mary and the youngest St Paul Miki kid
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- Karen with the St Paul Miki kids
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- Karen with 3 painted St Paul Miki Kids
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- Karen with my favorite lion
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- The Nyumbani football team before the game
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- The team takes a break
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- Two friends smiling for the camera
Visit to the Maasai Village
Although we went to Kenya primarily to work with AIDS orphans, we did also go on safari during which we also visited a Maasai village. Over the course of our travels in Kenya, whether it was during this visit, during the time spent in Nyumbani village which is primarily composed of a Kamba tribe, or just generally through day-to-day life in Kenya, we learned a tremendous amount about the culture. I didn’t have a chance to post about this while there, but wanted to be sure to share a bit about our visit to the Maasai village on Maasai Mara. I regret that I didn’t have my video camera (or my own camera) but I was able to take some pictures with Tom’s camera. It would have been great to have the opportunity to video since we were welcomed with a traditional song and dance by both the men and women.
Maasai women welcoming us with a song
What is most interesting about the Maasai is that they are a tribe that has continued to preserve most of their original culture and way of life. They live in a group of huts made of branches covered with cow dung that are not meant to be permanent as they are nomadic and move as land and weather conditions demand. The women are responsible for building the houses which together form a village referred to as a manyata (?sp). We were able to go inside a hut which was comletely dark except for a very small hole to let in light in one wall so it was a huge contrast to the very bright sunlight we expereinced outside.
Maasai manyata
The women are also responsible for making elaborate bead work like the “wedding necklace” shown on the woman in the next photo.
The Maasai are herdsmen and it is the responsibility of the men to care for the herds which are primarily cows who also provide the primary staple diet of milk and blood for the Maasai. Men and often young boys are seen out during the day herding the cows who are brought into the manyata and the actual huts to sleep at night. As one Maasai man told me, “We dream with our cows at night”. I thought that was an interesting concept. The traditional color of the Maasai is red which they described as being recognized as safe by animals and easily identified as Maasai to each other.
Out with the herd.
Young boys have responsibility for the herd also
There is a very strong tribal tradition of ritual and celebratory male circumcision at age 14. Prior to this, boys undergo “pain training” to learn how to endure this without any sign of flinching or crying out since to do so is considered a great disgrace. Following this ceremony boys are considered warriors and can earn the title of “brave warrior” only by slaying a lion. We met several brave warriors. After 25-30, brave warriors become “elders”. Another male ritual is the jumping dance of the Maasai warrior which is quite amazing to watch since they are able to jump quite high starting with their feet flat on the ground.
Maasai Warrior jumping ritual
The manyata that we visited was a relatively small and newly built one which consisted of three families who were all related but had broken away for the larger manyata in the area. It was quite interesting to hear how this had come about and that one of the factors was that they had begun to question some of the traditional practices such as excluding women from education and were clearly speaking out against traditional female circumcision which occurs at age 12. The chief warrior of this manyata, Nelson, had been college educated and was very devoted to the idea of starting a school. It became clearer as we spent with them that separating from the parent manyata was a courageous step and we were clear to wish them good luck and support them in starting a school. We also did the latter by shopping from their homemade crafts which included beaded jewelry, carved wood animals and masks, and many other things. While there I was also happy to meet some of the children as well as the midwife in the community.
Maasai midwife
Maasai children
We were particularly fortunate to have Nelson as our guide since he was very welcoming of questions and willing to discuss all aspects of the culture including the practices that he and the others in this manyata were questioning or wanting to change. Visiting the Maasai village was one of many very rich cultural experiences which we enjoyed in Kenya and it was a really fascinating exposure to a very different lifestyle.
Missing Kenya, friends, and appreciation
Now that we are home, I have begun to reflect some on our trip and to realize that although we were in Kenya for less than 2 full weeks we did a tremendous amount in that time period. We have Lloydie Zaiser and her unique talent at planning, but more importantly at making and maintaining relationships with people in Kenya, to thank for that. Her capacity for warmth and friendship with the people in Kenya and her affection with the children afforded us an immediate welcoming and acceptance that we would not have had otherwise. We have been genuinely lucky for that and also for being able to share the trip with Karen and Mary who were like minded in their enthusiasm and openness to the experience. This is the kind of trip that bonds people in new relationships because of the depth of the experience that was shared. So thank you all for that.
The "five travelers", Lloydie, Mary, Karen, Tom and me, holding hands and casting long late afternoon shadows on the beach at Lake Nukuru
As I was going through my day today, I found myself with an awareness of being appreciative for the smallest things such as the fact that I could use a washing machine, brew some some good coffee in the morning, take a bath; and I don’t have any day to day worries about my livelihood, how I will feed myself or my family, having enough water, or about catching serious communicable diseases. It is quite a different world in which we live from many of the people I met in Kenya where the most fundamental of life’s resources are out of reach. From the women who have HIV and are raising 5, 6 or more children, some with HIV, in a one room shack. Poverty is not the exception in Kenya where the unemployment rate is 75%. It’s a harsh reminder to appreciate what I have……. Despite extroadinarily hard lives, the Kenyan people I met were some of the most gracious, appreciative and inspirational people I have ever encountered. It’s really quite remarkable. It’s easy to fall in love with children, I knew that would happen, but I was surprised by the power of the experiences with adults. Whenever I am feeling put upon by life I have a new standard of comparison that will be easily called upon to lighten my load and refocus me on the things I should be appreciating.
SAFARI Photos!
Zebra and flamingos
We did arrive home last night after 29 hours of traveling, weary but glad to finally get and at the same time missing Kenya and our fellow travelers Mary, Karen and Lloydie.
Maasai Mara landscape
Giraffe with 2 ox peckers
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- Grant’s gazelles
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- Warthogs
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- Cape buffalo
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- Maasai Mara landscape
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- Acacia trees on Maasai Mara
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- Maasai Mara landscape
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- Majestic lion
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- Maasai Mara lanscape showing Red Kenyan soil
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- Maasai Mara sunset
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- Lionnesses
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- Cheetah right after a meal of gazelle
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- Zebra
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- Hyenas who are frequently found laying in the mud
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- Beautiful crested crane, one of many colorful birds we saw.
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- Baby baboon on its mothers back
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- Baby babboon on his mother’s back
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- Adult baboons grooming each other
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- Hitching a ride
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- Mother baboon watching her baby
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- Mother grooming it’s baby baby
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- Playing young babboons
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- Young babboons playing– pulling each other’s tails
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- Tiniest babboon
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- Babboon family
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- Cute baby elephant with its mother
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- Suckling Thompson’s gazelle
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- Jackel
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- Lion laying in the shade of a safari truck–let’s you see how close the animals can get!
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- Lion about to take a nap
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- Pretty silhouette of Acacia tree at Maasai Mara
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- Water buck
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- Young baboon eating
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- Acaciaa’s in the afternoon sun at Lake Nukuru
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- Lake Nukuru with flamingos and a zebra on the beach
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- Zebra and flamingos
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- Playing young baboons
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- Mother holding a baby baboon
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- White rhinos at Lake Nukuru
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- Giraffes of different ages
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- Lone giraffe
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- Giraffe with 2 ox peckers
Back from safari….. tearful goodbyes soon
Beautiful lion at Maasai Mara
We are just back from safari and I have only a few moments to post before we go over to the Nyumbani Children’s Home to pay a final visit to the medical clinic, offer our final donations and say our goodbyes.
What I can say about the safari is that it was amazing!! We spent 2 days at Maasai Mara and one day at Lake Nakuru. Morning game drives began at 6:30 AM and evening game drives were at 3:30 until 6:30.
We saw so many different animals; we were entertained by the frolics of baboons, awed by the grace of gazelles, inspired by the majesty of lions, a little anxious in the presence of rhinos, and lost in a sea of zebras, cape buffalos, and much much more. At the top of a mountain we were in the middle of a huge herd of elephants and it was magical. Lake Nakuru was covered in beautiful pink flamingos. In many instances we saw baby versions of the animals that were adorable—even the warthogs. In the Maasai Mara even if we hadn’t seen any animals it would have been a photographer’s dream because the scenery was so beautiful!
Baby baboon
We also visited a Maasai village and were warmly greeted with dancing, singing and a tour. That will have to be a separate post as I have a lot to say about the Maasai.
I will post a whole gallery of photos that I can’t wait to share once I get home but I don’t have much time now and it takes so long to upload from here but I wanted to give a preview.
It will be very hard to say our goodbyes today. This has been an experience that has opened our eyes and hearts in so many ways that words cannot begin to describe. We have already begun to talk about our next trip and how knowing the “lay of the land” will allow us to do more useful service projects. I already have some ideas……..
But I’m off to the Children’s Home and will be happy to see the children’s smiling faces again. It will be an afternoon of tearful goodbyes before we board the airplane and I will leave a piece of my heart in Kenya.
The Art Exchange!
I loved how Mary's picture captured the spirit of the art exchange!
Today was a time for some lighter moments with the children of Nyumbani Children’s Home. The boys had football games (aka soccer in the USA) at a neighboring school and we, the American visitors, set off on the bus with them to be their cheering squad of Mzungu’s (the Kiswahili word used to refer to Caucasian people). I think they really appreciated our presence since they don’t have parents to cheer them on and we gave them a lot enthusiasm from the sidelines.
Following some scurrying back to the Children’s home, we set up for and afternoon of art projects in three sessions. I introduced the projects by sharing the art work that had been sent by the Jordan Acres students, which we all enjoyed, and explained that it had been sent especially to the kids at Nyumbani to say hello and to be friendly from America. When I asked if they wanted to do art work for me to bring back to the kids who had sent it to them there was plenty of enthusiasm and the children came into the school room and got right to work. Some even wanted to do a second picture. They really enjoyed working with all of the different materials and produced some wonderful pictures that I can’t wait to share. The art from the Jordan Acres students will go on a special shelf in the library here where all the kids at the Children’s Home will be able to look at it and enjoy it.
The last group was the AB kids with whom I planned to share the Brooksville art books. I explained to them that the kids in Brooksville had sent little books about their lives in Maine and that they would all personally get to keep one. I also told them that I had saved this project especially for them because they are the same age and I really wanted them to do it. They all responded with resounding “Thank you’s” to be offered a special project and when they saw that there were the same blank books that had made for them to do their art. I have to say that the Brooksville kids will have some great art coming back to them and I am excited to share that too.
I am thrilled that this part of the art exchange has been accomplished and that the orphans here in Kenya have heard the “Jambo’s” and felt many good wishes form their “friends in America.”
We head off on safari tomorrow! I saw a monkey run across the schoolyard today– that got me excited for the coming attractions. No posts for awhile, we are off to Massai Mara!
The Kazuri Beads Factory
The Kazuri Bead factory is a place not far from the Children’s home that we stopped on the way back from one of our days at Lea Toto. It is now a company that has about 350 employees but first began when one white woman wanted to create a way for impoverished Kenyan women to support themselves. Since Lloydie, our trip leader often takes travelers there and is a frequent visitor (as well as being one of the friendliest people in the world), she has developed a relationship with the “Mamas” who make the beads. When we arrived for our tour there was immediate excitement and with the support of the management in this incredibly worker friendly environment, all the women broke into song and dance as a special welcome for us. We have had a lot of special welcomes since as Lloydie’s friends we have been instantly accepted and welcomed in the most enthusiastic ways. After some singing and dancing, and handing out of candy to the Mamas, we went on with the tour. We learned about the making of the beads, which are beautiful, but also of a work environment that is incredibly supportive, offers onsite childcare and medical care, transportation for workers, rotates the work assignment daily to keep in interesting, and has a value system that is dedicated to employing single mothers, and the disenfranchised. What struck me the most was that it was the happiest workplace and that the women had a so much pride in their work. It is a wonderful model of a socially responsible company dedicated to its community, most especially mothers.
This YouTube video gives a great description of Kizuri Beads:
Lynn Ouellette
Watoto Wote Wazuri 
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