Tie-Dyed Carport

Yesterday, our group gathered under St. Anna’s carport to begin the first step in tie-dying prep for Saturday’s seminar. Yes, we came to Kenya with enough dye to color the 120 GIS t-shirts we brought in tow. It turns out that tie-dye works on carport concrete just about as well as it does on white cotton t-shirts. After our librarian/chemist (we affectionately call her Ahh-Dell) began her water and powdered dye brew, we knew we were in for some serious coloration. The morning work took a bit longer in clean-up than it did in preparation, but we left St. Anna’s with perhaps only a hint of turquoise on her concrete floor. So, we are officially one step closer to Saturday’s GIS extravaganza.

In the afternoon, after a quick jaunt to the market or two or three, we visited Archbishop Okoth Ojolla Girls’ Secondary School. We met with the principal and then had a brief moment to introduce our group to the 9 Umoja scholars living and studying at the school. We were very impressed by the boarding school, and were excited to hear about the girls’ daily and weekly routines. It is our hope that someone from Umoja may begin to visit these girls on their “visitation day,” which comes around each month. As orphans and vulnerable girls, they often do not receive visitors on that day, which we feel must be difficult for them.

Later that afternoon, we traveled back to St. George’s Sianda Primary School to meet with some of the female guardians from the many different Umoja schools. They shared with us about their concerns for the girl child. Much of what they said echoed what we have been hearing … that the girl child is often overworked and underappreciated, that many relatives or guardians do not see the benefit in educating her, and that she is often forced to turn toward men (many times, bad men) for economic support. We also discussed the information allowing girls more rights in the new constitution, and like in many other places, some of the women seemed aware, while many seemed uncertain about what the new bill of rights means for them. The women also differed in their understanding on the girls’ reproductive health education. The women were passionate and truly opened up to us. We are so appreciative of their trust and desire. They hope that the day’s meeting may be the beginning of a regular gathering for the guardians to discuss such issues.

In the evening, we met Umoja supporters Tom and Philip (Dave Berry: Philip says hi!) at a Chinese/Thai restaurant for dinner. Plenty of food was eaten by all. It was the UN of dinners, Americans and Kenyans gathering around a Chinese/Thai table. A great close to a good day.

Eldoret Diaries (posted by Elizabeth)

Today marked our second day in Eldoret. It is quite a nice pace of life in the IU House. Ann, Adele, Suzanne, and I have become quite accustomed to the easy internet access and the fridge full of Kenyan and American bevies. We are spoiled!

This morning, we headed for a walk out to visit Sally Test and the AMPATH clinic at the hospitals. We had a wonderful and thorough tour of AMPATH. It was amazing to see all of the work they have done and to hear about the number of people in Eldoret and the clinics throughout western Kenya who are receiving free care and treatment for HIV. Amazing. After our visit to AMPATH, we headed out to Neema House, a children's home for HIV+ children. There, over 30 children live and receive their schooling and healthcare. We were able to meet a few of the children, but the sweetest moment was witnessing all the babies napping and baby-snoring soundly under their mosquito nets.

After lunch, we headed to the Imani Workshop, where AMPATH trains and employs anywhere from 40-140 HIV+ adults in crafting beautiful African artwork for sale in Kenya and the US (probably other countries, too, but not sure on that fact). We made a dent in their show/sales room, believe me. I continue to be amazed at how readily people welcome we American strangers into their workplace and show us around with such patience and enthusiasm for the work they are doing.

This evening, we gladly spooned down some hamburger helper and banana pudding. We are free to walk a bit more in Eldoret (which is a great change), and thus allowed to build a good appetite. I have to say, banana pudding on an empty tummy is a mighty fine thing.

Tonight, we are repacking suitcases and getting ready to head out to Lake Nakuru National Park for some safariing (is that a verb? spell check says "yes"!). Suzanne leaves Eldoret for the US tomorrow evening, so our numbers are slowly dwindling. Soon, we will all be home. So much to tell and so many photos to show! Get ready friends and family, you're gonna have some long slide shows to sit through when we return!

Hi! from Ann! (Posted by Ann R.)

We are into our second day in Eldoret, staying at the IU House which seems like luxury to all of us . This is an international community of medical people and others doing good work who come from all over the world. We visited Moa University Hospital yesterday which is a teaching hospital and the Mother Baby hospital. We were treated like very special guests because of the introduction we got from Jim Lemons. Thanks, Jim! This is truly an amazing place and the people here are so very grateful. We saw many mothers taking care of their new infants in a safe environment. We also visited the Sally Test area of the hospital which is a day care for children to play before they go home. Also some children are abandoned here and cared for. We wandered through the beautiful gardens at the home of Joe and Ellen Mamlin and we talked with Joe briefly. We wandered through town looking for Bata, Bata's for some very special shoes to bring home! Today we are going to visit the Ampath program which is all about the treatment and prevention of aides in Kenya. We will also go to Amani Works which is a micro economy of women who make various crafts such as purses, paper bead jewerly, etc. Can't wait to see this, Also planned is to see a drop in center for street kids here in Eldoret. Tomorrow we leave for Nakuru and an evening safari and early morning safari. Trip is quickly coming to an end and I have many vivid images of poverty beyond anything I could have imagined and a country of people who are kind and loving. Love to you all and see you soon!

Tie-dying...the Kenyan way (posted by Ellen)

Try as we might to tune into the Kenyan culture, our own habits and ways of doing things often will surface unexpectedly. Certainly that was the case at our big tie-dye party yesterday afternoon! The American way to conduct such an activity is to have everything super-organized – we’re dealing with permanent dyes after all! – with the women and girls proceeding in an orderly fashion from station to station through the process of getting a shirt, tying it in rubber bands, dipping it in soda ash water, dying the shirt and bagging the shirt to carry home. Adults would defer to children – after all, we’ve all done these sorts of things before and can afford a little disappointment if the shirts run out before we get our turn. Very little attention would be given to the “tools” required – the pens for writing one’s name, the rubber bands for tying, the bags for carrying the wet shirts home.

What we learned yesterday is that, if you have never been given a t-shirt which came all the way from Indiana and has a cool insignia, or if you’ve never had access to rubber bands, Sharpies, and Zip-Loc bags, the orderly process falls into disarray pretty quickly! Everyone wants a piece of the action – NOW. On the one hand, it is easy to get frustrated with children pocketing rubber bands, until one realizes that for these children a rubber band is a real treasure. It is easy to make judgments about adults making sure they are at the front of the line, until one takes into account that the t-shirt represents inclusion in an esteemed group (the Global Interfaith Sisters) and no one wants to feel left out.

The six of us from Indiana were pretty worn out by the end of the tie-dye extravaganza! It was tempting to say that we would never try that sort of activity again. The process was too chaotic and difficult…and essentially illogical. Surely anyone can see that the American way of order is so much more effective?

Yet, at the end of the day, almost 200 women and girls (and quite a few boys and men) had been a part of a special community gathering which we were told was unlike anything that had happened before. New friendships were made, and there was a lot of conversation and laughter. And, in spite of the lack of organization, 125 women and girls went home with brightly-colored t-shirts!

Running with the Kenyans (posted by Suzanne)

I have run many races before and even a few against Kenyans (though they usually finish hours ahead of me.) I did not expect that in coming to Kenya to work with the Umoja Project, I would find myself competing in a Kenyan track meet. But yes, I recently had my international running debut.

We were headed to Bar-Anding’o Primary School for the afternoon to see their new poultry project, garden and fuel efficient cook stove that the Umoja Project had helped support. But as soon as our matatu pulled up, it was clear this was no ordinary school day. It was athletics day and students from three neighboring schools had come to compete in track and field events. A track had been carved in the dirt in front of the school and parents, guardians and students crowded the sidelines cheering on the runners. It must have been obvious that I was showing much more interest in watching the competition than in the veggies growing in the garden so Leonard, the Umoja link teacher, asked if I would race with the students. I immediately shook my head and said no acting as if that was a silly idea, but secretly was dying to join in.

Leonard saw right through my bluff and went to arrange a spot for me in the next race. The next and final race turned out to be a 4x100 relay, but I was without a team. It did not take long for them to round up three other guardians to complete my team and we were ready to go. I was running the fourth leg so I found my place on the track, tightened up my shoelaces and waited eagerly for my new teammate to round the curve and pass me the baton. I felt a bit unprepared as I was wearing a calf link skirt and street shoes, but no one else in the race was even wearing shoes!

The class 8 girls turned out to be stiff competition and by the time the baton was passed to me, the other teams had almost finished. As I grabbed the baton and started my sprint, the whole crowd erupted in laughter and started yelling “muzungu.” I may not have impressed them with my athletic prowess, but I think they enjoyed the show. Though I still remain winless against the Kenyans, even the class 8 girls running without shoes, this was certainly one of the most memorable athletic events of my life. And I have been invited back to participate again next year!

Why did the hippo cross the equator? (posted by Elizabeth)

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.

Reality (posted by Ellen)

In our efforts to understand better the needs and concerns of adolescent girls in rural western Kenya, we have conducted a number of “key informant interviews.” We have talked with female teachers and guardians, as well as primary and secondary school girls. Tomorrow we will meet with a group of women professionals, hopefully to begin sorting out how best to respond to all that we have learned this week.

Each of these meetings has been held in a neutral school setting, while orderly classes take place in the adjoining rooms. All of the women have been well-dressed and have spoken with the quiet formality so typical in this culture. Everyone, from school administrators to young 5^th grade girls, has known the protocols for such a meeting (except perhaps the visiting Americans!) and great attention has been given to impeccable behavior.

In such meeting settings and style, I find that it is easy to forget where I am and to whom I am speaking. It is easy to forget that, for these Kenyan women and girls, the issues we are discussing are not something they have read about in a book like Half the Sky (Nicholas Kristoff and Sheryl WuDunn) or heard on an NPR broadcast. The reality is that to ask a Kenyan woman about issues affecting girls is to ask them to share the stories of their own lives.

“My major cry is poverty,” one guardian says, and goes on to tell about inadequate food, unsafe housing, and an inability to pay her daughter’s school fees. A secondary school girl, who heads her own household, describes coming home from school late in the day, knowing that she still has to fetch water, make dinner, and do other household chores before she can begin her homework. “I don’t know where to begin,” she says. A primary school girl reveals the temptation to seek money and necessary supplies from the local men in exchange for sexual favors. A teacher shares her helplessness about young female students she believes are being sexually exploited by neighboring men.

By the end of each meeting I am exhausted. The complex interplay of culture, poverty and disease make it easy to get overwhelmed. Yet, in the midst of these difficult stories, I have been struck by the strength and resilience which have been revealed. I have been awed by the courage of these women and girls’ to speak so openly about their lives. I have admired their passionate desire to create change, even if they, like us, are unsure where to begin.

We have been privileged to hear these women and girls’ stories. To me, the only way we can honor their trust is to join hands and begin to work for change.