This morning, we woke up bright and early for a boat ride around Hippo Point. The name is just what it sounds like. We got to see hippos! 4, we think. I have to admit, with a name like Hippo Point, I was expecting a flock, herd, fleet, or however hippos travel. But to see 4, was pretty exciting, nonetheless! We also got to do a bit of bird watching, and sneak a peek on some Kenyan homebrew in action. Once back at St. Anna’s to grab breakfast and hit the road, we loaded up the van and made our way to St. ? (Gregory? Maybe? I’ll do more research on that one …), a boy’s Catholic Seminary, a secondary boarding school for boys considering the priesthood. There, we had a meeting with women principals, a female guidance counselor, and a female lawyer to share what we have heard about the problems the girl child faces. Ann asked them what they felt the root of the problems might be. Basically, the women felt they all stemmed from three main sources: culture, poverty, and lack of or misinformation. They shared powerful stories and revealed their deep care and concern for the issues faced by young girls. As Joseph says, we have a hold of them now :) and hope these women will continue to be key people in the efforts Umoja and GIS make on behalf of the girl child.
After the meeting, we gathered at Martha’s house in Maseno, where Alice and I are bunking for the next few nights. We were fed (we get fed often), and then proceeded to a meeting at Mary’s (Mary is an Anglican priest at the cathedral in Kisumu, but she lives in a new house in Maseno with the most amazing view). At Mary’s we were fed again, began to work out details for Saturday’s seminar with the girls, and discussed the structure of GIS, to help the women and Umoja move forward for the months ahead. After Mary’s Alice and I retired back to Martha’s house, where we were fed AGAIN.
For the next 3 nights, we are all tucked away under the wonderful and welcoming care of some pretty amazing women. I, for one, am going to bed fat and happy.
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