Ok- the Wild West. I went into town on Saturday for a committee meeting regarding the Day of the African Child. Brian has organized local businessmen, some NGO workers and others attached to the government. It was just like an other event planning - Who is in charge of the food? Who will do decorations? (I wonder if there is helium here for balloons). The program? Speakers? Publicity? Same thing - but different.
As we sat at the Gimwa restaurant, I looked out the window at the dusty dirt roads and the three little kids that had their noses pressed up against the window staring at the Mazunga (this is the real word for white person. I think I had it wrong earlier in the week and used Mutatu - which is bus). There were donkey drawn carriages. There were people hanging out at the bars. And the kids just wanted to touch fingers through the glass. They keep it so real.
The goal for this event is to create an awareness of human rights and education. The total budget will most likely be less than $2000 and we are hoping that the entire community joins in for the event. There are upwards of 7 primary schools in this village and probably 5 secondary schools. Estimated attendance is 2000 children plus their families. This place will be a zoo. SO FUN!!
After the meeting, I stood on the side of the road with a few of our kids waiting for the rest of our group. Lots of kids came and surrounded me. Novelty. One in particular was very bold. He knew the words "give me" and then other words such as bag, watch and money. In no way do I want to condone begging. That is not why I am here. I sternly said "No, that's rude" and continued to chat with the other children. These kids know what they are doing. They are smart and want more. I can't blame them for asking but it seems like a fine line between asking for help and asking for a handout. And what is the difference really?
The infastructure in Kenya is poor. The roads through the country are not always passable because of the rain/mud. There are some major roads that are paved and the Chinese are the ones that are building these. I have not quite come to understand why but I have two stories. One is that the chinese want the resources here. The other is that they were low bid. I have asked what resources and am told there is gold, silver and oil in parts of this country. I haven't researched it so take it for what it's worth.
Because of the violence in nairobi in 2008 I believe some major companies have pulled out of the area or are unwilling to come here. There is a constitutional reform that has yet to be voted on. I am not so sure of what this will entail but I am pretty sure that some of it has to do with government reform. It sounds as though a lot of people in positions of power have their own best interest in mind. This reform is the culmunation of twenty years of work. Corporations will need to be transparent - which some people are not too happy about. There are provisions in the new constitution to allow women to have an abortion if they are going to die. It sounds as though the Christian Right of America is funnelling tons of money to vote NO because of this issue. It's very interesting to be in a country that is not settled - hence the wild west analogy.
The village that I am in has amazing soil. It is dark brown and very fertile. Cabbage, potatoes and maize are the crops that seem to grow best. Because of the lack of infastructure there can be times when there is an abundance of these crops that go to waste. People down the road can be hungry and food is rotting not that far away.
There are no government services which means that trash is an issue. In town everything just gets thrown on the side of the road. There are piles of garbage everywhere. Here we burn our refuse. There is a pit in the back of the house that all garbage goes to. Charles, one of our drivers, takes care to start a fire when the pile gets too big. There is not a lot that gets thrown out here. It mostly gets reused one way or another. Brian wanted to do a time capsule with the kids. He explained to them that they would all pick items that were of interest and put them in a locked box and bury them for ten years. They all looked at him and didn't understand. "Why would you put something of value in the ground?". Good question right?
I had someone ask about what happens to these kids once they graduate from school. Are there programs in effect to help them go to university either here or abroad? I have been having this conversation with Sarah, the director here. At this point, FKLA does not have a program set up for after high school. Their goal is to give them exemplary education and prepare them for life afterwards. The hope is to give them as many options as possible. Currently, this has not been developed within this group. However, there is a sponsorship program that allows someone to support a child for $2000/year while they are here. This covers food, clothing, housing and education. www.flyingkitesglobal.org
(The education fee is a whole other topic to discuss at another time.) (Fyi- matrons' children come to school for free here.)
The longer I am here, the more I don't understand. It seems so logical to be doing what is happening at FKLA. I continue to ask "isn't there anyone else doing this?" And the answer keeps coming back "there are other orphanages but typically it is about meeting basic needs." There can be money funneled into programs (like the TV commercials) but it doesn't mean that the money gets to the kids. There are no guarantees. At FKLA there are people on the ground working towards improving the lives of these children and hopefully the community. This is a true grass roots program and I consider myself very fortunate to have found this. I don't know about the rest of Africa but these people are really doing everything they can to make a difference.
The motives are right. The people are genuine. This is a humbling experience.
Pics attached are from my walk back from town this morning.
Peace out.
Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
