Hi!
I write to you from my now 22 hour layover in Dubai, it's going by just as a slow as I thought it would haha. Although, there is a Starbucks, Dairy Queen, McDonalds, and Coldstone- those are the only restaurants I recognize. I've put up almost all of the pictures after not being able to upload for about a week, so sorry it took me so long!
Almost home!
Coty
Monday, June 22, 2009
Saturday, June 20, 2009
Hi everyone!
Greetings from the buggy balcony of St. Anna’s guest house in Kisumu, Kenya! I am sitting in the very corner edge of the balcony outside our room mooching internet from the World Vision office across the street. I am much overdue for a legitimate update, but unfortunately, I leave Tuesday for home and am not sure yet if this will be my last post so we’ll see... I’m also not sure my internet situation up until I leave as I will be taking an 8-hour train ride from Kisumu to Nairobi tomorrow night, then flying to Dubai where I will have a 20 hour layover ugh.
After slowly getting adjusted to a new city and diving right in to working at the new home, we have been kept busy. I wanted to write a little bit more about the special needs unit at the Kisumu orphanage, I felt I didn’t do it justice before. There are currently 7 in the unit that range from ages 1 ½ to almost 6 and have varying physical and mental conditions. They are so fun. There is one in particular that is just too funny, her name is Ashley and she loves climbing all over you and is just a ball of energy.
The unit I have been in the most is the baby unit, as I think I’ve mentioned in earlier blog posts. There are about 15 babies ages 0-6 months and about 5 babies that are 6 months-1 year. They need a lot of help in this unit because the babies eat every 3 hours. With quite a few babies, it takes a good while to feed them all so I’m glad we can alleviate some of the stress of the nurses.
Apart from our time at the orphanage we have been doing some exploring in Kisumu, well, mainly just the grocery store haha. We are about a 45 minute walk from the Nakumatt “Mega Plaza.” Basically, it is a huge shopping center with a grocery store, several cyber cafes, and a Chemist (similar to a pharmacy). Tonight, my last night with Morgan and Hilary (as they are staying here until mid-July), we ate at Mon Ami for a delicious last meal of pizza.
This morning we woke up at 5:40 to go on a sunrise walk with some friends that we met back in the Atlanta airport. We walked about 2 miles to Lake Victoria. We got to watch the sun rise over the lake and it was really beautiful. The lake is really huge, it is the second largest freshwater lake in the world. Our friends from Oklahoma knew a native named Tom who we found and he informed us about the wildlife at Lake Victoria. Apparently, hippos account for the most human deaths by an animal and their four molars are made of ivory so hippo poaching has become popular. He informed us the black mamba is the most deadly snake at about 23 feet with the head of a cobra, yikes. It’s been so neat to meat other groups and form Kenyan friends, Hilary is even joking about joining the Kenyan Facebook network. It’s funny, being the minority for the first time ever, every time we see a group of white people we are asked where we are from, what we are doing, and quickly become friends with the group. We have met people from Indiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Utah, just from the United States alone.
In my last few days at the orphanage, I have definitely come to realize why I am here and why I felt compelled to fly halfway around the world when there are people in need right in North Carolina. Hilary read me a verse today from Matthew 25 where Jesus is talking about the blessed claiming their inheritance because they took care of the King when he was hungry, thirsty, etc. The righteous then ask when they were given a chance to do these things and the King answers “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” The verse hit me because a few times since I’ve been here I have felt utterly useless. I have seen so much need in Africa, but spending 7 hours a day in an orphanage isn’t exactly what I would call saving the world. I came to realize that upon coming on this trip, I expected to walk off the plane and just start saving the world (as ridiculous as I’m sure that reads haha). Merely “helping out” wasn’t quite what I expected. I came to realize, that, despite the mass amount of need I was seeing, these people are quite content. They are aware of their situation and some of them just don’t know anything other than their overcrowded shack with a tin roof - that’s completely normal for them. Thus, I certainly didn’t expect to find people to be completely content with their situation, and that was a big hurdle I had to overcome. These people continue their lives day in, day out without a lick of help. It’s nice when missionaries come, but sometimes these people don’t need saving, just a hand or a smile.
Hilary and Morgan found a couple more verses they felt applicable to our trip so I decided to post them below.
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” [Matthew 19:14]
“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.” [Acts 4:32-35]
It is so weird to think that my trip has come to an end. It has certainly flown by and what I have seen here can honestly not be put into words, although I have done my best. As I expected it would, this trip has really shown me things I should be more grateful for as well as adjusted my priorities and perspectives. I’ve learned quite a bit about myself as well, I learned that alone with 2 other girls in Kenya, I can survive on my own just fine. I’ve learned that African time doesn’t coordinate to Coty’s time, waiting 45 minutes for a taxi will not kill you, it’s merely a test of my patience. I’ve learned to tolerate bugs and lizards in my living space though it still freaks me out just a little bit. As I said in an earlier post, Kenya has given me so much more than I feel I ever could give in return.
I truly am so lucky and blessed to have this opportunity. At 18, I realize that few people are given such an amazing shot at helping others and seeing a completely different side of the world. I thank everyone at Bethlehem so much for that, and am truly grateful for such an opportunity. Thank you especially to Dennis and LaRue for caring so much for me and this trip, that has meant so much to me. And I thank my parents for humoring me as I first explained what I’m sure sounded like a ludicrous idea for a summer vacation at the time. They have been more than supportive, as has the rest of my family and friends.
Honestly, I was quite unsure at times what I was getting myself into but I put a strong amount of trust in the girls I was going with and in myself that this was something I felt called to do. I realize now that there was a reason for my coming here, it had been in the cards all along.
I’ll be putting up the rest of my pictures as soon as I get back too!
“Sometimes you just have to trust an unknown future to a known God.” [Carrie ten Bloom]
Thank you all for reading my blogs, putting up with me, and for being in my life. I love you all.
See ya in the states!
Coty
PS Happy Father’s Day, love you dad!
Greetings from the buggy balcony of St. Anna’s guest house in Kisumu, Kenya! I am sitting in the very corner edge of the balcony outside our room mooching internet from the World Vision office across the street. I am much overdue for a legitimate update, but unfortunately, I leave Tuesday for home and am not sure yet if this will be my last post so we’ll see... I’m also not sure my internet situation up until I leave as I will be taking an 8-hour train ride from Kisumu to Nairobi tomorrow night, then flying to Dubai where I will have a 20 hour layover ugh.
After slowly getting adjusted to a new city and diving right in to working at the new home, we have been kept busy. I wanted to write a little bit more about the special needs unit at the Kisumu orphanage, I felt I didn’t do it justice before. There are currently 7 in the unit that range from ages 1 ½ to almost 6 and have varying physical and mental conditions. They are so fun. There is one in particular that is just too funny, her name is Ashley and she loves climbing all over you and is just a ball of energy.
The unit I have been in the most is the baby unit, as I think I’ve mentioned in earlier blog posts. There are about 15 babies ages 0-6 months and about 5 babies that are 6 months-1 year. They need a lot of help in this unit because the babies eat every 3 hours. With quite a few babies, it takes a good while to feed them all so I’m glad we can alleviate some of the stress of the nurses.
Apart from our time at the orphanage we have been doing some exploring in Kisumu, well, mainly just the grocery store haha. We are about a 45 minute walk from the Nakumatt “Mega Plaza.” Basically, it is a huge shopping center with a grocery store, several cyber cafes, and a Chemist (similar to a pharmacy). Tonight, my last night with Morgan and Hilary (as they are staying here until mid-July), we ate at Mon Ami for a delicious last meal of pizza.
This morning we woke up at 5:40 to go on a sunrise walk with some friends that we met back in the Atlanta airport. We walked about 2 miles to Lake Victoria. We got to watch the sun rise over the lake and it was really beautiful. The lake is really huge, it is the second largest freshwater lake in the world. Our friends from Oklahoma knew a native named Tom who we found and he informed us about the wildlife at Lake Victoria. Apparently, hippos account for the most human deaths by an animal and their four molars are made of ivory so hippo poaching has become popular. He informed us the black mamba is the most deadly snake at about 23 feet with the head of a cobra, yikes. It’s been so neat to meat other groups and form Kenyan friends, Hilary is even joking about joining the Kenyan Facebook network. It’s funny, being the minority for the first time ever, every time we see a group of white people we are asked where we are from, what we are doing, and quickly become friends with the group. We have met people from Indiana, Texas, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Utah, just from the United States alone.
In my last few days at the orphanage, I have definitely come to realize why I am here and why I felt compelled to fly halfway around the world when there are people in need right in North Carolina. Hilary read me a verse today from Matthew 25 where Jesus is talking about the blessed claiming their inheritance because they took care of the King when he was hungry, thirsty, etc. The righteous then ask when they were given a chance to do these things and the King answers “I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” The verse hit me because a few times since I’ve been here I have felt utterly useless. I have seen so much need in Africa, but spending 7 hours a day in an orphanage isn’t exactly what I would call saving the world. I came to realize that upon coming on this trip, I expected to walk off the plane and just start saving the world (as ridiculous as I’m sure that reads haha). Merely “helping out” wasn’t quite what I expected. I came to realize, that, despite the mass amount of need I was seeing, these people are quite content. They are aware of their situation and some of them just don’t know anything other than their overcrowded shack with a tin roof - that’s completely normal for them. Thus, I certainly didn’t expect to find people to be completely content with their situation, and that was a big hurdle I had to overcome. These people continue their lives day in, day out without a lick of help. It’s nice when missionaries come, but sometimes these people don’t need saving, just a hand or a smile.
Hilary and Morgan found a couple more verses they felt applicable to our trip so I decided to post them below.
Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” [Matthew 19:14]
“All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales and put it at the apostles feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.” [Acts 4:32-35]
It is so weird to think that my trip has come to an end. It has certainly flown by and what I have seen here can honestly not be put into words, although I have done my best. As I expected it would, this trip has really shown me things I should be more grateful for as well as adjusted my priorities and perspectives. I’ve learned quite a bit about myself as well, I learned that alone with 2 other girls in Kenya, I can survive on my own just fine. I’ve learned that African time doesn’t coordinate to Coty’s time, waiting 45 minutes for a taxi will not kill you, it’s merely a test of my patience. I’ve learned to tolerate bugs and lizards in my living space though it still freaks me out just a little bit. As I said in an earlier post, Kenya has given me so much more than I feel I ever could give in return.
I truly am so lucky and blessed to have this opportunity. At 18, I realize that few people are given such an amazing shot at helping others and seeing a completely different side of the world. I thank everyone at Bethlehem so much for that, and am truly grateful for such an opportunity. Thank you especially to Dennis and LaRue for caring so much for me and this trip, that has meant so much to me. And I thank my parents for humoring me as I first explained what I’m sure sounded like a ludicrous idea for a summer vacation at the time. They have been more than supportive, as has the rest of my family and friends.
Honestly, I was quite unsure at times what I was getting myself into but I put a strong amount of trust in the girls I was going with and in myself that this was something I felt called to do. I realize now that there was a reason for my coming here, it had been in the cards all along.
I’ll be putting up the rest of my pictures as soon as I get back too!
“Sometimes you just have to trust an unknown future to a known God.” [Carrie ten Bloom]
Thank you all for reading my blogs, putting up with me, and for being in my life. I love you all.
See ya in the states!
Coty
PS Happy Father’s Day, love you dad!
Friday, June 19, 2009
jambo!
Hi everyone!
Sorry I have been so slack at posting recently. We moved to Kismu where the guest inn we are staying at does not have interent. We have to find time to venture on a 30 minute walk to a cyber cafe. Once I am back home with stable internet connection I will also post more pictures, I haven't forgotten!
Ok so today is Friday. We have spent all week in the Kisumy orphanage. We arrive around 9 am and stay until 5:30 each day. It gets dark around 6:30 and it's not too safe to go out after dark, although we're normally so tired we fall asleep by 8:30 haha. We are staying at the St. Anna's Guest Inn which caters to mostly foreigners in the area doing mission work. We've met a group from Texas, Oklahoma, and even Duke ew. It's been neat eating dinner with them and learning about where they come from and what they're doing here. One of the groups was actually on our flight here and we didn't even know it!
On Wednesday we arrived at the orphanage for another morning of feeding and caring after the babies. You would think that by doing the same thing everyday we would get tired, not at all actually. They feed the newborns every 3 hours and the orphanage is pretty big so we get to help sweep, mop, and do dishes. It helps to keep us busy because our days are so long! We normally pack an energy bar or a sandwich for lunch which we eat outside on the grass. Wednesday afternoon, the social worker working with Morgan invited me to ride with her to pick up an abandoned baby to bring home to the orphanage. We picked her up from the Children's Court where a good samaritan had found her in a thorny bush Sunday night. She had a huge welt on her chest which appeared to be an infection. She was wrapped so tightly, she had almost suffocated when they found her. She's doing much better now that the orphanage has her. We had to run to the police station and a doctor's office to get her cleared but she is now at the orphanage safe and sound. They decided to name her Betsy. She can't be more than 3 weeks old, she is simply precious.
Thursday, we spent another morning feeding and caring after the babies. Thursday afternoons are fun because one of the local pools lets the kids come for an hour a month to swim. We helped the older kids get on their swimtrunks and they had so much fun in the water.
Today brings another day of who knows what at the orphanage, it's always so busy with prospective parents coming in. Hopefully, I'll get to see one adopted before I leave.
Running out of time for now, must get back to the orphanage. Will write more the next visit to the cyber cafe!
Love,
Coty
Sorry I have been so slack at posting recently. We moved to Kismu where the guest inn we are staying at does not have interent. We have to find time to venture on a 30 minute walk to a cyber cafe. Once I am back home with stable internet connection I will also post more pictures, I haven't forgotten!
Ok so today is Friday. We have spent all week in the Kisumy orphanage. We arrive around 9 am and stay until 5:30 each day. It gets dark around 6:30 and it's not too safe to go out after dark, although we're normally so tired we fall asleep by 8:30 haha. We are staying at the St. Anna's Guest Inn which caters to mostly foreigners in the area doing mission work. We've met a group from Texas, Oklahoma, and even Duke ew. It's been neat eating dinner with them and learning about where they come from and what they're doing here. One of the groups was actually on our flight here and we didn't even know it!
On Wednesday we arrived at the orphanage for another morning of feeding and caring after the babies. You would think that by doing the same thing everyday we would get tired, not at all actually. They feed the newborns every 3 hours and the orphanage is pretty big so we get to help sweep, mop, and do dishes. It helps to keep us busy because our days are so long! We normally pack an energy bar or a sandwich for lunch which we eat outside on the grass. Wednesday afternoon, the social worker working with Morgan invited me to ride with her to pick up an abandoned baby to bring home to the orphanage. We picked her up from the Children's Court where a good samaritan had found her in a thorny bush Sunday night. She had a huge welt on her chest which appeared to be an infection. She was wrapped so tightly, she had almost suffocated when they found her. She's doing much better now that the orphanage has her. We had to run to the police station and a doctor's office to get her cleared but she is now at the orphanage safe and sound. They decided to name her Betsy. She can't be more than 3 weeks old, she is simply precious.
Thursday, we spent another morning feeding and caring after the babies. Thursday afternoons are fun because one of the local pools lets the kids come for an hour a month to swim. We helped the older kids get on their swimtrunks and they had so much fun in the water.
Today brings another day of who knows what at the orphanage, it's always so busy with prospective parents coming in. Hopefully, I'll get to see one adopted before I leave.
Running out of time for now, must get back to the orphanage. Will write more the next visit to the cyber cafe!
Love,
Coty
Tuesday, June 16, 2009
Hi everyone!
Sorry it has taken me such a long time to post! We have had a whirlwind of the past few days. Morgan and Hilary had been planning a two-day safari to the Masai Mara for the weekend and at the last minute I jumped in on that. We flew from Nairobi to the Masai Mara and stayed in a tent/campground for the weekend. We saw all sorts of animals, and our tour guide was a Masai warrior who let us tour his village. I am on dial-up connection now in a cyber cafe so I will upload those as soon as I get faster internet connection! Anyway, it was neat to see the same animals you see at zoos in their natural home. It is hard to believe I am half-way around the world seeing these animals in where they actually live all their lives, it was so surreal. We got within 10 yards of a pack of lions, it was ridiculous.
After our little getaway, we left early Monday morning for the Nakuru orphanage which is about 2 hours outside of Nairobi. The New Life Home Orphanages have 6 branches in Nairobi, Nakuru, Mombasa, Kisumu, Lama, and Nyeri. We spent the day in the Nakuru orphanage which is considerably smaller than the Nairobi one. The Nakuru orphanage had about 25 kids all under the age of 3. We left Monday night and drove 5 hours to Kisumu, the second New Life Home to be built. This is where I'll be spending the remainder of my trip. Morgan and Hilary are here until the middle of July and they will be visiting other parts of Kenya after I leave.
We are staying at the sketchiest hotel for $12 a night. I shouldn't complain though, because our room (despite the mosquitos and no internet) it's a lot nicer than most of the homes the Kenyans are living in that we have seen during our trip. Today, Tuesday, we woke up and walked to the Kisumu home and were given a tour of the orphanage and learned of the different nurseries it is divided into. They have a room for newborns up to 1 year, 1-3 years, and then 3-18 (however, the oldest at the home is 7 years). What is interesting about the Kisumu home is that it is the only orphanage to offer a special needs nursery. There are 7 kids in this part of the orphanage that are brought in from all over Kenya with various physical/mental diseases requiring them to have special attention. We learned today that because the Nairobi home is so close to the University of Nairobi, they recieve a lot of student volunteers. However, because there is no university in Kisumu they can go 3-4 months without volunteers. Needless to say, they were very appreciative of our choosing Kisumu for our next home to work at.
We stayed busy all morning, they divided the three of us up into the areas where they needed to most help. I worked in the baby nursery which has about 20 babies. Like the Nairobi home, they are understaffed and I spent my morning feeding, changing diapers, and playing with the kids. It is obvious that the kids here don't get as much attention because it is the largest orphanage of the 6 New Life Homes yet maintains about the same amount of staffing the others do.
We'll be in Kisumu until I leave on Monday for Nairobi to fly home to the US. It's weird to think the trip has gone by so fast, we've stayed very busy! However, I learned today that my flight home was cancelled and by the time I called to re-book, the only flight available has a 20 hour layover in Dubai. So, even more than before, I am dreading going home! My 30 minutes in the cyber cafe is about up, so I will post more another day this week!
Love you all,
Coty
Sorry it has taken me such a long time to post! We have had a whirlwind of the past few days. Morgan and Hilary had been planning a two-day safari to the Masai Mara for the weekend and at the last minute I jumped in on that. We flew from Nairobi to the Masai Mara and stayed in a tent/campground for the weekend. We saw all sorts of animals, and our tour guide was a Masai warrior who let us tour his village. I am on dial-up connection now in a cyber cafe so I will upload those as soon as I get faster internet connection! Anyway, it was neat to see the same animals you see at zoos in their natural home. It is hard to believe I am half-way around the world seeing these animals in where they actually live all their lives, it was so surreal. We got within 10 yards of a pack of lions, it was ridiculous.
After our little getaway, we left early Monday morning for the Nakuru orphanage which is about 2 hours outside of Nairobi. The New Life Home Orphanages have 6 branches in Nairobi, Nakuru, Mombasa, Kisumu, Lama, and Nyeri. We spent the day in the Nakuru orphanage which is considerably smaller than the Nairobi one. The Nakuru orphanage had about 25 kids all under the age of 3. We left Monday night and drove 5 hours to Kisumu, the second New Life Home to be built. This is where I'll be spending the remainder of my trip. Morgan and Hilary are here until the middle of July and they will be visiting other parts of Kenya after I leave.
We are staying at the sketchiest hotel for $12 a night. I shouldn't complain though, because our room (despite the mosquitos and no internet) it's a lot nicer than most of the homes the Kenyans are living in that we have seen during our trip. Today, Tuesday, we woke up and walked to the Kisumu home and were given a tour of the orphanage and learned of the different nurseries it is divided into. They have a room for newborns up to 1 year, 1-3 years, and then 3-18 (however, the oldest at the home is 7 years). What is interesting about the Kisumu home is that it is the only orphanage to offer a special needs nursery. There are 7 kids in this part of the orphanage that are brought in from all over Kenya with various physical/mental diseases requiring them to have special attention. We learned today that because the Nairobi home is so close to the University of Nairobi, they recieve a lot of student volunteers. However, because there is no university in Kisumu they can go 3-4 months without volunteers. Needless to say, they were very appreciative of our choosing Kisumu for our next home to work at.
We stayed busy all morning, they divided the three of us up into the areas where they needed to most help. I worked in the baby nursery which has about 20 babies. Like the Nairobi home, they are understaffed and I spent my morning feeding, changing diapers, and playing with the kids. It is obvious that the kids here don't get as much attention because it is the largest orphanage of the 6 New Life Homes yet maintains about the same amount of staffing the others do.
We'll be in Kisumu until I leave on Monday for Nairobi to fly home to the US. It's weird to think the trip has gone by so fast, we've stayed very busy! However, I learned today that my flight home was cancelled and by the time I called to re-book, the only flight available has a 20 hour layover in Dubai. So, even more than before, I am dreading going home! My 30 minutes in the cyber cafe is about up, so I will post more another day this week!
Love you all,
Coty
Thursday, June 11, 2009
What a day
Wow. Words cannot do justice to what I saw/did today. I suppose I’ll have to try anyways and let the pictures I post speak for themselves. Thus, today’s blog will be pretty long so bear with me!
This morning, we went with Rhoda to the Little Angels Adoption Agency. We met with a woman who is on the adoption team and is part of the group that handles the parent’s side of adoption while New Life Home (the orphanage we’re working with) deals with the paperwork for the child. It was really neat to learn about the other side of adoptions.
Some things I learned from her:
-if all goes smoothly (which is hardly ever) the process from application to taking home the baby is about 10 months
-some adoption cases from even as far back as 1999 are still be processed because of many legal complications
-the most popular country for international adoptions in Kenya is Holland
-the UK doesn’t allow any adoptions out of Kenya
-from an adoption agency’s perspective, the most difficult part of the process is dealing with legal issues and the unpredictability of the courts
-there is only one public orphanage in Kenya and it is mostly a transition home until it is decided which private orphanage the child will go to
-they handle about 10 adoptions a month
-this particular adoption agency has never had a single male apply to adopt (part of the reason there are so many boys)
After the adoption agency we rode another matatu (bus) to downtown Nairobi. While on the bus, I was listening to the radio with the “Top 40 Countdown”, I was amused to hear that the “Macarena” was number one today haha. We followed Rhoda to the Children’s Court, High Court, and the Registry of Births/Deaths in Nairobi. Our final stop was the hospital where many of the abandoned babies are found to be taken in by an orphanage. We were allowed a tour of the newborn unit by another social worker of the hospital. I was almost nauseated by what I saw. You enter into a room that can’t be bigger than my bedroom and it is filled of mothers breastfeeding. The hospital has no air conditioning so it was swelteringly hot and smelled of sour milk and dirty diapers. This room was also where they kept the abandoned babies. There was one baby who was 1 and a half years old, he was not allowed to leave the hospital because his uncle claimed him almost a year ago though is not willing to adopt him. Kenyan law says that as long as a relative has been identified, the baby cannot be declared free and is not allowed to go to an orphanage. So, this baby has had to stay within the walls of the hospital until the uncle can be tracked down to declare the child free. The nurse said that he rarely is allowed out of his crib and sleeps all day for lack of space to crawl around. All of the children had to share rusty cribs held together by plastic bags with one or two other babies each. They are not clothed or diapered and just soil themselves until a nurse can clean them. Needless to say, it wasn’t appropriate to document this image with a camera but it is will be etched into my mind for a while. This was the nicest hospital in Kenya and sterile isn’t even close to how I would describe it.
Ok, so that was our morning. Our afternoon is where our day drastically changed. We met a church group from Indiana working in the same orphanage we are a few days earlier this week. We told them we were hoping to go to Kibera, the biggest slum in Africa, but were afraid to go by ourselves. As chance would have it, they were going on Thursday to do some street evangelism and had space in their van. We met them at 2:00 and after battling an hour of Nairobi’s rush-hour traffic, arrived in Kibera. Words cannot explain what we saw. The physical houses and infrastructure were exactly what I was picturing (my only reference to go on here was Slumdog Millionaire haha). As far as the history of the slum, we learned today that it was settled by soldiers after the first war who needed payment for their services for the British. Kibera is Swahili for forest which is what it was before it became inhabited by immigrants and other low-income groups. Surprisingly enough, it is mostly Muslim which is a challenge for the group. Finally, we learned that to rent a 12 by 12 space for a home, it is 700 shillings a month. This equates to about 9 dollars a month , and each space houses about 8 family members.
What I didn’t expect were the people, they were so happy and joyful. I expected seeing the slums as a really devastating experience, it wasn’t at all; it was so fun to meet all of the people and swap stories. It was as if they had no idea where they lived was littered with tons of trash and no running water or electricity. We met with Preacher Sammie (the slum preacher) and he explained to us how he created Youngsters for Christ in the area. He explained that of the 1.3 million people living in an area smaller than Central Park, 75% of them were younger than 30. His program gets kids in the slums out of trouble and arranges weekly (or even daily) worship settings. He gave me his card to read on some of the testimonies of the kids he has met. One kid in particular was a Muslim, when he became a Christian his entire family denounced him and refused to see him ever again. If you’re interested in reading more about his work and other testimonies, his website is www.youngsters4christ.com. In speaking with one of the older girls in the program, I asked her how she liked living here. Expecting to get a response like, “well you get used to it” or “it’s really hard sometimes”- this is what she said: “I love it here, I would never move. We are so blessed to live here, God really watches over us.” I was lost for words. This 24 year-old woman was completely aware of her situation and returned to live with her family after studying Theology at the University of Nairobi. She claimed that it’s amazing how little illness and disease are spread despite the most inhumane living situation. She spoke of the awesome sense of community Kibera has.
After speaking with her, we proceeded to walk around the slum until we reached an all-girls school. The school is focused on purifying young girls and educating them about women’s rights. The group we were with had rehearsed a skit on salvation to perform to the girls. Then, Sammie preached the gospel of John and we all prayed with the girls. They even sang some of our favorite worship songs in Swahili which I videotaped on my camera. After our afternoon talking to the girls at the school we walked in the slum to the sanctuary they built a few years ago. Consisting of a mud floor and some wooden beams with a tin roof, I could tell the Kiberans were so proud of their church. One of the volunteers had brought candy and the kids came running from everywhere. Seeing their faces with just one piece of candy was priceless, it looked as if they had just won the lottery. The kids loved having their pictures taken, they were so polite and kept asking for us to take pictures of them. In hindsight, I was shocked by the kids approach to fun. It was obvious that none of them had a single toy, yet they all managed to have so much fun playing with each other. One kid even made a soccer ball out of one of the many mounds of trash in the slum. It was so humbling to see these people with nothing to their name so grateful to have the company they have and the leaky tin roof over their head. I couldn’t help but to think of all I’ve been given in the United States and still had the nerve to ask for more; as cliché as it sounds, I felt so ungrateful for what I have. This trip has certainly done an incredible job and putting things in perspective for me.
Finally, before we left (none of us wanted to leave!) Sammie requested that some of the American girls speak with some of the younger Kenyan girls about the challenges we face as women halfway around the world. I learned that, in Kenya, there is a lot of pressure for the women to be bigger (as opposed to in the US, where being thin is idealized). It was so interesting to swap stories with theses teenage girls of issues we all face as women. One of the biggest issues of for Kenyan women, also, was the issue of pregnancy. So many of their friends have illegitimate children and are pressure by men because they don’t feel they have the authority to say no. I couldn’t imagine living in a country so submissive to another gender. It was almost as if the girls live in fear of men.
Anyway, we all prayed together and hopped on the bus to come back to our apartment for the night where I had a lovely dinner of an energy bar and mentos, haha.
It was such a God day in the sense that, here I am, randomly sat beside this girl I didn’t know in a 400-person class on my first day at Carolina who was going to Kenya. We become good friends and I am then convinced to join her on this trip and twist my parent’s arms to come. We then randomly bump into a group from Indiana that decided to take the three of us under their wing and we end up swapping stories of self-image and confidence with Kenyan girls in a hut in the Kiberan slum. Never would I have thought I would have an opportunity such as today, I just couldn’t help but think I have so many things to be grateful for and to be humbled by. So far, Kenya has given me more this trip than I believe I could ever give back to Kenya. I am so grateful for obvious things such as a roof over my head, my bed, my car, etc. I am thankful for parents who didn’t abandon me at a hospital (though sometimes I’m sure they wish they had haha) and for a history and an extended family. The orphans I’ve been working with will grow up not ever-seeing a baby picture of themselves, knowing an uncle or grandma, or having any funny baby stories and histories of their childhood.
Phew, I know that was a lot so thanks to those who stayed with me and read the whole thing. I know my stream of consciousness isn’t always the most interesting read haha. Tomorrow is our last day at the orphanage in Nairobi before we move to the Kisumu orphanage and school.
So grateful for every last one of you,
Coty
This morning, we went with Rhoda to the Little Angels Adoption Agency. We met with a woman who is on the adoption team and is part of the group that handles the parent’s side of adoption while New Life Home (the orphanage we’re working with) deals with the paperwork for the child. It was really neat to learn about the other side of adoptions.
Some things I learned from her:
-if all goes smoothly (which is hardly ever) the process from application to taking home the baby is about 10 months
-some adoption cases from even as far back as 1999 are still be processed because of many legal complications
-the most popular country for international adoptions in Kenya is Holland
-the UK doesn’t allow any adoptions out of Kenya
-from an adoption agency’s perspective, the most difficult part of the process is dealing with legal issues and the unpredictability of the courts
-there is only one public orphanage in Kenya and it is mostly a transition home until it is decided which private orphanage the child will go to
-they handle about 10 adoptions a month
-this particular adoption agency has never had a single male apply to adopt (part of the reason there are so many boys)
After the adoption agency we rode another matatu (bus) to downtown Nairobi. While on the bus, I was listening to the radio with the “Top 40 Countdown”, I was amused to hear that the “Macarena” was number one today haha. We followed Rhoda to the Children’s Court, High Court, and the Registry of Births/Deaths in Nairobi. Our final stop was the hospital where many of the abandoned babies are found to be taken in by an orphanage. We were allowed a tour of the newborn unit by another social worker of the hospital. I was almost nauseated by what I saw. You enter into a room that can’t be bigger than my bedroom and it is filled of mothers breastfeeding. The hospital has no air conditioning so it was swelteringly hot and smelled of sour milk and dirty diapers. This room was also where they kept the abandoned babies. There was one baby who was 1 and a half years old, he was not allowed to leave the hospital because his uncle claimed him almost a year ago though is not willing to adopt him. Kenyan law says that as long as a relative has been identified, the baby cannot be declared free and is not allowed to go to an orphanage. So, this baby has had to stay within the walls of the hospital until the uncle can be tracked down to declare the child free. The nurse said that he rarely is allowed out of his crib and sleeps all day for lack of space to crawl around. All of the children had to share rusty cribs held together by plastic bags with one or two other babies each. They are not clothed or diapered and just soil themselves until a nurse can clean them. Needless to say, it wasn’t appropriate to document this image with a camera but it is will be etched into my mind for a while. This was the nicest hospital in Kenya and sterile isn’t even close to how I would describe it.
Ok, so that was our morning. Our afternoon is where our day drastically changed. We met a church group from Indiana working in the same orphanage we are a few days earlier this week. We told them we were hoping to go to Kibera, the biggest slum in Africa, but were afraid to go by ourselves. As chance would have it, they were going on Thursday to do some street evangelism and had space in their van. We met them at 2:00 and after battling an hour of Nairobi’s rush-hour traffic, arrived in Kibera. Words cannot explain what we saw. The physical houses and infrastructure were exactly what I was picturing (my only reference to go on here was Slumdog Millionaire haha). As far as the history of the slum, we learned today that it was settled by soldiers after the first war who needed payment for their services for the British. Kibera is Swahili for forest which is what it was before it became inhabited by immigrants and other low-income groups. Surprisingly enough, it is mostly Muslim which is a challenge for the group. Finally, we learned that to rent a 12 by 12 space for a home, it is 700 shillings a month. This equates to about 9 dollars a month , and each space houses about 8 family members.
What I didn’t expect were the people, they were so happy and joyful. I expected seeing the slums as a really devastating experience, it wasn’t at all; it was so fun to meet all of the people and swap stories. It was as if they had no idea where they lived was littered with tons of trash and no running water or electricity. We met with Preacher Sammie (the slum preacher) and he explained to us how he created Youngsters for Christ in the area. He explained that of the 1.3 million people living in an area smaller than Central Park, 75% of them were younger than 30. His program gets kids in the slums out of trouble and arranges weekly (or even daily) worship settings. He gave me his card to read on some of the testimonies of the kids he has met. One kid in particular was a Muslim, when he became a Christian his entire family denounced him and refused to see him ever again. If you’re interested in reading more about his work and other testimonies, his website is www.youngsters4christ.com. In speaking with one of the older girls in the program, I asked her how she liked living here. Expecting to get a response like, “well you get used to it” or “it’s really hard sometimes”- this is what she said: “I love it here, I would never move. We are so blessed to live here, God really watches over us.” I was lost for words. This 24 year-old woman was completely aware of her situation and returned to live with her family after studying Theology at the University of Nairobi. She claimed that it’s amazing how little illness and disease are spread despite the most inhumane living situation. She spoke of the awesome sense of community Kibera has.
After speaking with her, we proceeded to walk around the slum until we reached an all-girls school. The school is focused on purifying young girls and educating them about women’s rights. The group we were with had rehearsed a skit on salvation to perform to the girls. Then, Sammie preached the gospel of John and we all prayed with the girls. They even sang some of our favorite worship songs in Swahili which I videotaped on my camera. After our afternoon talking to the girls at the school we walked in the slum to the sanctuary they built a few years ago. Consisting of a mud floor and some wooden beams with a tin roof, I could tell the Kiberans were so proud of their church. One of the volunteers had brought candy and the kids came running from everywhere. Seeing their faces with just one piece of candy was priceless, it looked as if they had just won the lottery. The kids loved having their pictures taken, they were so polite and kept asking for us to take pictures of them. In hindsight, I was shocked by the kids approach to fun. It was obvious that none of them had a single toy, yet they all managed to have so much fun playing with each other. One kid even made a soccer ball out of one of the many mounds of trash in the slum. It was so humbling to see these people with nothing to their name so grateful to have the company they have and the leaky tin roof over their head. I couldn’t help but to think of all I’ve been given in the United States and still had the nerve to ask for more; as cliché as it sounds, I felt so ungrateful for what I have. This trip has certainly done an incredible job and putting things in perspective for me.
Finally, before we left (none of us wanted to leave!) Sammie requested that some of the American girls speak with some of the younger Kenyan girls about the challenges we face as women halfway around the world. I learned that, in Kenya, there is a lot of pressure for the women to be bigger (as opposed to in the US, where being thin is idealized). It was so interesting to swap stories with theses teenage girls of issues we all face as women. One of the biggest issues of for Kenyan women, also, was the issue of pregnancy. So many of their friends have illegitimate children and are pressure by men because they don’t feel they have the authority to say no. I couldn’t imagine living in a country so submissive to another gender. It was almost as if the girls live in fear of men.
Anyway, we all prayed together and hopped on the bus to come back to our apartment for the night where I had a lovely dinner of an energy bar and mentos, haha.
It was such a God day in the sense that, here I am, randomly sat beside this girl I didn’t know in a 400-person class on my first day at Carolina who was going to Kenya. We become good friends and I am then convinced to join her on this trip and twist my parent’s arms to come. We then randomly bump into a group from Indiana that decided to take the three of us under their wing and we end up swapping stories of self-image and confidence with Kenyan girls in a hut in the Kiberan slum. Never would I have thought I would have an opportunity such as today, I just couldn’t help but think I have so many things to be grateful for and to be humbled by. So far, Kenya has given me more this trip than I believe I could ever give back to Kenya. I am so grateful for obvious things such as a roof over my head, my bed, my car, etc. I am thankful for parents who didn’t abandon me at a hospital (though sometimes I’m sure they wish they had haha) and for a history and an extended family. The orphans I’ve been working with will grow up not ever-seeing a baby picture of themselves, knowing an uncle or grandma, or having any funny baby stories and histories of their childhood.
Phew, I know that was a lot so thanks to those who stayed with me and read the whole thing. I know my stream of consciousness isn’t always the most interesting read haha. Tomorrow is our last day at the orphanage in Nairobi before we move to the Kisumu orphanage and school.
So grateful for every last one of you,
Coty
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
After offering to help with laundry this morning, we spent our morning like most others by playing with the crawlers. They wake up at 7 am everyday and are fed breakfast. When we typically get there at 8 we are there in time to give them their morning milk. After that, the babies go out into the front yard to play for a couple hours so they're extra tired for their 12 noon nap. During our lunch break, we went to the Ya Ya to refill our water jug (we've gone through 10 gallons on water in a week!) and walk around.
This afternoon after the babies woke up from their naps we loaded them into their strollers to take a walk. This was very strange because outside the gates of the orphanage is unpaved, dusty roads, no sidewalks and cars flying by at high speeds. However, despite this seemingly dangerous situation, we loaded all the toddlers into beat up strollers and walked them about half a mile to The Ark. Apparently, every Wednesday the toddlers are allowed to go on a walk provided there are enough staff to push all 15 of them. The Ark is owned by the New Life Homes and houses the older children who never get adopted. There are currently 9 children (6 boys, 3 girls) living in The Ark, and they live in a very nice house with a full time "mother" and they strive to help these children feel like part of a family. Most of the children in The Ark are HIV positive or have AIDS and range from ages 5 to 9. One of the staff at the Ark gave us a tour of the house they live in. When the Ark kids got home from school they all came up and inroduced themselves to us, they were so polite! One of the girls was blind and another had down syndrome on top of AIDS, although seeing this is heartbreaking it really goes to show how lucky I am for things I often take for granted such as good health and medical care. Though I was sad that none of them will probably ever get adopted, it is comforting to see how nice the facility they live in is and that they are well taken care of.
We came home and cooked pasta with some vegetables from the Ya Ya and are going to head to bed early because we have a super busy day tomorrow. In the morning, we are going with Rhoda to Nairobi to visit the courthouse and the International Hospital to get a better feel for some of the vital partners that help the NLH tick. In the afternoon we are going to visit Kibera, the largest slum in all of Africa and one of the biggest in the world. It houses almost 1 million people in an area about 75% of the size of Central Park. We are going with a group we met this week at the NLH from Indiana. They have a contact there (which is the safest way to visit Kibera) so we can get a tour and then visit an all girls school there where the group is doing some work. We are so thankful they are letting us tag along as I think it will be a great (and eye-opening) experience.
Loving Kenya,
Coty
This afternoon after the babies woke up from their naps we loaded them into their strollers to take a walk. This was very strange because outside the gates of the orphanage is unpaved, dusty roads, no sidewalks and cars flying by at high speeds. However, despite this seemingly dangerous situation, we loaded all the toddlers into beat up strollers and walked them about half a mile to The Ark. Apparently, every Wednesday the toddlers are allowed to go on a walk provided there are enough staff to push all 15 of them. The Ark is owned by the New Life Homes and houses the older children who never get adopted. There are currently 9 children (6 boys, 3 girls) living in The Ark, and they live in a very nice house with a full time "mother" and they strive to help these children feel like part of a family. Most of the children in The Ark are HIV positive or have AIDS and range from ages 5 to 9. One of the staff at the Ark gave us a tour of the house they live in. When the Ark kids got home from school they all came up and inroduced themselves to us, they were so polite! One of the girls was blind and another had down syndrome on top of AIDS, although seeing this is heartbreaking it really goes to show how lucky I am for things I often take for granted such as good health and medical care. Though I was sad that none of them will probably ever get adopted, it is comforting to see how nice the facility they live in is and that they are well taken care of.
We came home and cooked pasta with some vegetables from the Ya Ya and are going to head to bed early because we have a super busy day tomorrow. In the morning, we are going with Rhoda to Nairobi to visit the courthouse and the International Hospital to get a better feel for some of the vital partners that help the NLH tick. In the afternoon we are going to visit Kibera, the largest slum in all of Africa and one of the biggest in the world. It houses almost 1 million people in an area about 75% of the size of Central Park. We are going with a group we met this week at the NLH from Indiana. They have a contact there (which is the safest way to visit Kibera) so we can get a tour and then visit an all girls school there where the group is doing some work. We are so thankful they are letting us tag along as I think it will be a great (and eye-opening) experience.
Loving Kenya,
Coty
Monday, June 8, 2009
Hi everyone!
We've had an incredibly busy two days since I last posted! On Sunday we went in search of a church and after an unsuccessful attempt found the straw market (it is called the straw market because the Kenyans used to lay out what they were selling on straw). It was such a neat experience- it was essentially a street market and the second we walked into it we were bombarded by venders grabbing us and asking us if we were from America and knew Obama (they love him here). They continued to make comments such as "all americans have money so you buy this." So although somewhat stressful, it was a really fun experience. I even bartered a few of my own items in exchange for some neat animal carvings. They loved the hairbows I had on my wrist and kept asking if I had any pens or pencils. For some reason, this were novelties to them. Isn't it weird to think the things we hardly value as a luxury item for these people?
At the market, we were right beside the Ya Ya where we have been buying our groceries. We are having to buy all of our water bottled so we had to buy another 5 gallon jug and lug it back to where we are staying. After dropping some of our groceries off, we went to the orphanage (it's about a 5 minute walk from where we are staying).
They especially needed us with the toddlers on Sunday because one of the workers was sick so we administered vitamins which was quite a struggle, assisted them in eating dinner (they're learning how to use utensils), and bathed them. After a very long day of chasing them and wrestling them into their beds, we left the orphanage around 7 pm.
Today, Monday, we went to the orphanage expecting another full day of helping the sitters care after the 50 kids. When we got there, Rhoda, the social worker, said she desperately needed our help with paperwork. We learned that there is no such thing as a copy machine so all of the documents need to be copied by hand. Also, the orphanage can only afford one social worker so a lot of the time she could spend in the field collecting documents from hospitals and police stations. Rhoda said that the adoption/paperwork process could go 3 times faster had she someone just to hand copy the documents for her.
After we copied all of the documents she needed, she treated us to riding along with her to collect forms in Thika (a suburb about an hour outside of Nairobi). We took a city bus to the outskirts where there are vans about the size of an American suburban that can squeeze 15 people into it. We climbed into one of the vans and rode to Thika. There, we went to the "square" where the District of Registering Persons, Courthouse, and Registry of Births and Deaths is. All of these were essentially shacks with papers overflowing out of closets. They don't use any computers for their records which really slows Rhoda's work. She sometimes has to visit these places 3 times asking for documents before she actually brings one back. The mail system here is really illegitimate so it's unsafe to use it and all of her work must be done in person. All of the entrances to these places were outside as if they were connected like a strip mall. Each office was about the size of a bedroom and 3-4 cramped workers managed to share desks to get their work done.
After we went to the "square", we visited the police station to collect another form before we retreated to the orphanage. The police station was the sketchiest thing I could have ever imagined. You walk into a building about 10 yards wide and then face a counter with no one behind it and proceed through a tiny hallway to get to the outside courtyard area where the polic chief's office is. There is only his office (with a lot of people waiting in line to meet him) and a room where there were two men arguing profusely about a legal matter. The other part of this courtyard was the jail. The jail consisting of one cinderblock room without a roof and one gate for all of the prisoners. As we waited to meet with the police chief, a small baby that couldn't have been more than 5 years old was peeking through the gate at us. When I asked Rhoda, she informed me that Kenyan law says that if a mother or father breaks a law, his/her entire family is put in jail so there are often tiny children/kids in jail. You have the option to pay for porridge twice a day. It broke my heart seeing this tiny child behind bars for her parent's mistake simply because child services isn't accountable in Kenya.
Afterwards, we headed back to the orphanage in enough time to put the babies to sleep and headed back to our room. It's been a long few days, but so worth it. The children are precious, it almost feels like this isn't a mission trip at all sometimes because taking after the babies can be fun. I've become attached for one child in particular, his name is Ansley and he is about 4 years old. I've taken plenty of pictures of him, so be sure to look! He has big beady eyes and a chipped tooth, haha, I'll get better at captioning the pictures!
xoxo,
Coty
We've had an incredibly busy two days since I last posted! On Sunday we went in search of a church and after an unsuccessful attempt found the straw market (it is called the straw market because the Kenyans used to lay out what they were selling on straw). It was such a neat experience- it was essentially a street market and the second we walked into it we were bombarded by venders grabbing us and asking us if we were from America and knew Obama (they love him here). They continued to make comments such as "all americans have money so you buy this." So although somewhat stressful, it was a really fun experience. I even bartered a few of my own items in exchange for some neat animal carvings. They loved the hairbows I had on my wrist and kept asking if I had any pens or pencils. For some reason, this were novelties to them. Isn't it weird to think the things we hardly value as a luxury item for these people?
At the market, we were right beside the Ya Ya where we have been buying our groceries. We are having to buy all of our water bottled so we had to buy another 5 gallon jug and lug it back to where we are staying. After dropping some of our groceries off, we went to the orphanage (it's about a 5 minute walk from where we are staying).
They especially needed us with the toddlers on Sunday because one of the workers was sick so we administered vitamins which was quite a struggle, assisted them in eating dinner (they're learning how to use utensils), and bathed them. After a very long day of chasing them and wrestling them into their beds, we left the orphanage around 7 pm.
Today, Monday, we went to the orphanage expecting another full day of helping the sitters care after the 50 kids. When we got there, Rhoda, the social worker, said she desperately needed our help with paperwork. We learned that there is no such thing as a copy machine so all of the documents need to be copied by hand. Also, the orphanage can only afford one social worker so a lot of the time she could spend in the field collecting documents from hospitals and police stations. Rhoda said that the adoption/paperwork process could go 3 times faster had she someone just to hand copy the documents for her.
After we copied all of the documents she needed, she treated us to riding along with her to collect forms in Thika (a suburb about an hour outside of Nairobi). We took a city bus to the outskirts where there are vans about the size of an American suburban that can squeeze 15 people into it. We climbed into one of the vans and rode to Thika. There, we went to the "square" where the District of Registering Persons, Courthouse, and Registry of Births and Deaths is. All of these were essentially shacks with papers overflowing out of closets. They don't use any computers for their records which really slows Rhoda's work. She sometimes has to visit these places 3 times asking for documents before she actually brings one back. The mail system here is really illegitimate so it's unsafe to use it and all of her work must be done in person. All of the entrances to these places were outside as if they were connected like a strip mall. Each office was about the size of a bedroom and 3-4 cramped workers managed to share desks to get their work done.
After we went to the "square", we visited the police station to collect another form before we retreated to the orphanage. The police station was the sketchiest thing I could have ever imagined. You walk into a building about 10 yards wide and then face a counter with no one behind it and proceed through a tiny hallway to get to the outside courtyard area where the polic chief's office is. There is only his office (with a lot of people waiting in line to meet him) and a room where there were two men arguing profusely about a legal matter. The other part of this courtyard was the jail. The jail consisting of one cinderblock room without a roof and one gate for all of the prisoners. As we waited to meet with the police chief, a small baby that couldn't have been more than 5 years old was peeking through the gate at us. When I asked Rhoda, she informed me that Kenyan law says that if a mother or father breaks a law, his/her entire family is put in jail so there are often tiny children/kids in jail. You have the option to pay for porridge twice a day. It broke my heart seeing this tiny child behind bars for her parent's mistake simply because child services isn't accountable in Kenya.
Afterwards, we headed back to the orphanage in enough time to put the babies to sleep and headed back to our room. It's been a long few days, but so worth it. The children are precious, it almost feels like this isn't a mission trip at all sometimes because taking after the babies can be fun. I've become attached for one child in particular, his name is Ansley and he is about 4 years old. I've taken plenty of pictures of him, so be sure to look! He has big beady eyes and a chipped tooth, haha, I'll get better at captioning the pictures!
xoxo,
Coty
Saturday, June 6, 2009
Hi there!
The New Life Home orphange didn't need us until the afternoon today because it is a Saturday so the babies sleep longer, so we started off this morning going to Kazuri beads on the outskirts of Nairobi in Karen. Kazuri beads is an organization that employs 340 women who handmake beads for jewelry and pottery. The neat thing about Kazuri beads is that they employ citizens (mostly women) who cannot be employed elsewhere. In Kenya, it is completely legal to deny a job to a single woman just because she has a child, so many of the women that are raped or have an illegitimate child are unable to find work. This organization was created to employ such citizens and also gives a percentage of its proceeds to the New Life Home where we are working. While there, we toured the factory where all of the workers make the beads and pottery to fire in a kiln. We also got to do a little shopping in the store to buy some neat jewelry and pottery for a great cause.
After our trip to Kazuri beads, we went to the orphange for the remainder of the day. We got there in time to feed the babies lunch and change diapers. We took the toddlers outside to play before it was time for dinner and then they are put to sleep at 5:3o p.m. The schedule each day for the kids is very structured. Depending on which age group we are assigned to that day will determine what we are doing with the kids, how often they are fed/take a nap, etc. The orphanage is incredibly undestaffed so each day brings something new they need us to help out with.
The social worker here is named Rhoda and she has been very helpful in informing us about the adoption process and organization of the orphanage. We have spent some time helping her with paperwork. The Nairobi orphanage is organized into four nurserys: 1)pre-mature/newborns 2)6 months- 18 months 3) 18 months-3 years 4)3-5 years. All but 9 of the 20 five -year- olds were adopted last year which is amazing. All 9 of the kids who were not adopted tested posted for HIV AIDS and are moved into the "Arc" which is the home for kids older than 5. It is hard for the kids testing positive for HIV AIDS to get adopted because many families cannot afford the medical care. Also, the girl-boy ratio here is about 75% boys. Kenyan law says that couples may adopt either sex, single mothers may only adopt girls, and single fathers may only adopt boys. There are a lot of single mothers looking to adopt but hardly any single fathers which is why there are so many boys.
We cooked dinner for the first time tonight after being brave enough to boil the water here. We're having to be very careful with not drinking the water and washing our hands while handling the children.
Tomorrow, we'll head back to the home for another long day of caring after the adorable babies!
If you're interested, be sure to look at some of the pictures on the webshots link I posted in the email I sent you all.
Love you all,
Coty
The New Life Home orphange didn't need us until the afternoon today because it is a Saturday so the babies sleep longer, so we started off this morning going to Kazuri beads on the outskirts of Nairobi in Karen. Kazuri beads is an organization that employs 340 women who handmake beads for jewelry and pottery. The neat thing about Kazuri beads is that they employ citizens (mostly women) who cannot be employed elsewhere. In Kenya, it is completely legal to deny a job to a single woman just because she has a child, so many of the women that are raped or have an illegitimate child are unable to find work. This organization was created to employ such citizens and also gives a percentage of its proceeds to the New Life Home where we are working. While there, we toured the factory where all of the workers make the beads and pottery to fire in a kiln. We also got to do a little shopping in the store to buy some neat jewelry and pottery for a great cause.
After our trip to Kazuri beads, we went to the orphange for the remainder of the day. We got there in time to feed the babies lunch and change diapers. We took the toddlers outside to play before it was time for dinner and then they are put to sleep at 5:3o p.m. The schedule each day for the kids is very structured. Depending on which age group we are assigned to that day will determine what we are doing with the kids, how often they are fed/take a nap, etc. The orphanage is incredibly undestaffed so each day brings something new they need us to help out with.
The social worker here is named Rhoda and she has been very helpful in informing us about the adoption process and organization of the orphanage. We have spent some time helping her with paperwork. The Nairobi orphanage is organized into four nurserys: 1)pre-mature/newborns 2)6 months- 18 months 3) 18 months-3 years 4)3-5 years. All but 9 of the 20 five -year- olds were adopted last year which is amazing. All 9 of the kids who were not adopted tested posted for HIV AIDS and are moved into the "Arc" which is the home for kids older than 5. It is hard for the kids testing positive for HIV AIDS to get adopted because many families cannot afford the medical care. Also, the girl-boy ratio here is about 75% boys. Kenyan law says that couples may adopt either sex, single mothers may only adopt girls, and single fathers may only adopt boys. There are a lot of single mothers looking to adopt but hardly any single fathers which is why there are so many boys.
We cooked dinner for the first time tonight after being brave enough to boil the water here. We're having to be very careful with not drinking the water and washing our hands while handling the children.
Tomorrow, we'll head back to the home for another long day of caring after the adorable babies!
If you're interested, be sure to look at some of the pictures on the webshots link I posted in the email I sent you all.
Love you all,
Coty
Thursday, June 4, 2009
Finally here!
Hi all,
We have just finished our first day playing with beautiful babies in the Kilimani New Life Home Orphanage. Our trip got off to a rocky start when our flight was cancelled 2 hours before we were to depart, so we hastily made plans to connect in Atlanta and then Amsterdam and after almost two days of airplane food, connecting flights, and no showering- we are here safely! (As well as ALL of our luggage!)
We are staying in the Natural Oaks Apartments extending the lease of someone who is coming to work in the orphanage in late June. We started the day by going to the Ya Ya (the center of commerce, similar to our mall) to buy groceries and water. You can't drink the water here so we're having to be really conscious to use it for brushing our teeth and washing our face. After our grocery store trip, we went to the orphanage which is about half a block from where we are staying. We lugged three full rolling suitcases down the dirt road to the orphanage for the director to sort through. We had clothes, books, markers, maps, toiletries, you name it- it was donated.
As soon as we got there we were given a tour of the orphanage and instructed on the admission process of babies and how they are organized within the home. The babies all nap from 1-2 so we went back to our apartment/hotel and then went back at 2. Once there, we met with the head social worker who met with us and explained the entire adoption process and why it is so expensive and lengthy. It was really interesting to learn that the foundation starting off with 90% of its adoptions being international and now the numbers have completely reversed as the babies are mostly adopted by Kenyans. The reason for this is that adoption programs require the adopting parents to live in Kenya for 6 months before they can even begin to apply for adoption. She said she would love our help in some of the field work required for adoption such as gathering forms and organizing the ridiculous amount of paperwork required.
After we met with her, we were sent to the yard where all of the babies were playing. We spent the majority of the afternoon chasing them down, feeding them, changing them- essentially, assisting the nurses/sitters wherever necessary! We stayed at the orphange until about 6 p.m. when all of the babies are put to sleep!
It's been a long day but a really interesting one to learn the adoption process and see the kids, they are absolutely precious. We will be staying with the Kilimani New Life Home in Nairobi for one more week before we are needed at the Kisumu New Life Home about three hours away by land.
Just for fun, I compiled a list of the things I learned/witnessed today:
1. there are 3 million people in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya
2. it is completely normal for grown men to hold hands in a platonic demonstration of friendship
3. kenyans are huge fans of "drinkable chocolate" (whatever that might be...)
4. there are no stoplights in Nairobi (or at least the parts I've seen thus far)
5. showers are uncommon, most people takes baths on a regular basis
6. in Holland, your carry-on cannot be more than 10 kilograms/ the flight attendents are slightly grumpy...
Love,
Coty
We have just finished our first day playing with beautiful babies in the Kilimani New Life Home Orphanage. Our trip got off to a rocky start when our flight was cancelled 2 hours before we were to depart, so we hastily made plans to connect in Atlanta and then Amsterdam and after almost two days of airplane food, connecting flights, and no showering- we are here safely! (As well as ALL of our luggage!)
We are staying in the Natural Oaks Apartments extending the lease of someone who is coming to work in the orphanage in late June. We started the day by going to the Ya Ya (the center of commerce, similar to our mall) to buy groceries and water. You can't drink the water here so we're having to be really conscious to use it for brushing our teeth and washing our face. After our grocery store trip, we went to the orphanage which is about half a block from where we are staying. We lugged three full rolling suitcases down the dirt road to the orphanage for the director to sort through. We had clothes, books, markers, maps, toiletries, you name it- it was donated.
As soon as we got there we were given a tour of the orphanage and instructed on the admission process of babies and how they are organized within the home. The babies all nap from 1-2 so we went back to our apartment/hotel and then went back at 2. Once there, we met with the head social worker who met with us and explained the entire adoption process and why it is so expensive and lengthy. It was really interesting to learn that the foundation starting off with 90% of its adoptions being international and now the numbers have completely reversed as the babies are mostly adopted by Kenyans. The reason for this is that adoption programs require the adopting parents to live in Kenya for 6 months before they can even begin to apply for adoption. She said she would love our help in some of the field work required for adoption such as gathering forms and organizing the ridiculous amount of paperwork required.
After we met with her, we were sent to the yard where all of the babies were playing. We spent the majority of the afternoon chasing them down, feeding them, changing them- essentially, assisting the nurses/sitters wherever necessary! We stayed at the orphange until about 6 p.m. when all of the babies are put to sleep!
It's been a long day but a really interesting one to learn the adoption process and see the kids, they are absolutely precious. We will be staying with the Kilimani New Life Home in Nairobi for one more week before we are needed at the Kisumu New Life Home about three hours away by land.
Just for fun, I compiled a list of the things I learned/witnessed today:
1. there are 3 million people in Nairobi, the capital of Kenya
2. it is completely normal for grown men to hold hands in a platonic demonstration of friendship
3. kenyans are huge fans of "drinkable chocolate" (whatever that might be...)
4. there are no stoplights in Nairobi (or at least the parts I've seen thus far)
5. showers are uncommon, most people takes baths on a regular basis
6. in Holland, your carry-on cannot be more than 10 kilograms/ the flight attendents are slightly grumpy...
Love,
Coty
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
