After a late night yesterday of playing games, star gazing, and talking, we sleep in this morning and enjoy a hearty brunch. Afterwards, some of us help Rocky plant trees at his church and others stay back at the hotel to relax.
Today is a rest day – a day to recuperate from a week of hard labour and to prepare for another laborious week ahead.
We’re all excited about going to the local disco this evening with Rocky, Mwaniki and Dominic, Apparently, there’s a butchery inside the actual disco…just another reason to love Maai-Mahiu.
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
May 22: Seeing the end product after just a week of work.
Today, we mixed sand and cement with shovels to add another layer to the classroom floor. We all worked hard to shovel the mixture into buckets and wheel-barrels. By lunchtime, the entire floor is complete and leveled. After lunch, we mix cement and water and add the final layer to the floor. The local workers skillfully even out the floor.
It’s remarkable to see the end product of just one week of work. From a derelict room of rock and gravel, we have built a classroom with concrete floors and walls for the children.
“You have all made my job easier,” one of the local workers tells me. I don’t even have the words to respond to him. All I’m left with is an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.
It’s remarkable to see the end product of just one week of work. From a derelict room of rock and gravel, we have built a classroom with concrete floors and walls for the children.
“You have all made my job easier,” one of the local workers tells me. I don’t even have the words to respond to him. All I’m left with is an overwhelming sense of accomplishment.
May 21: Feeling guilty for the easy work day.
May 21
Even though three members of the team are still sick, I let them come to the worksite on the condition that they take it easy. Fortunately, the workload is relatively easygoing today.
We plaster the walls with a cement and water mixture. But the art of applying the substance requires such a skilful wrist flick that we leave it to the local workers. Instead, we mix the cement and water together and bring it to the workers. It seems like such a simple task, but everything requires so much manpower. The water needs to be brought in by the bucket, filled from a trough 200m away. I’m surprised by the weight of a single bucket of water.
After we finish mixing cement and bringing it to the site, we observe in awe how the workers apply the plaster and even out the wall. For once, we end the day without feeling sweaty and sore. And funnily enough, we all feel guilty for it.
Even though three members of the team are still sick, I let them come to the worksite on the condition that they take it easy. Fortunately, the workload is relatively easygoing today.
We plaster the walls with a cement and water mixture. But the art of applying the substance requires such a skilful wrist flick that we leave it to the local workers. Instead, we mix the cement and water together and bring it to the workers. It seems like such a simple task, but everything requires so much manpower. The water needs to be brought in by the bucket, filled from a trough 200m away. I’m surprised by the weight of a single bucket of water.
After we finish mixing cement and bringing it to the site, we observe in awe how the workers apply the plaster and even out the wall. For once, we end the day without feeling sweaty and sore. And funnily enough, we all feel guilty for it.
May 20: Quick work, bar-b-qued goat and advocados!
I wake up sore all over. I’m relieved to hear that 3 out of the four who stayed behind yesterday are feeling better.
Today, we mix cement with rocks and sand and pour it onto the larger rocks that are on the classroom floor. We develop a system. Kerwin and the local workers shovel the cement mix into buckets. Jenn brings the bucket to the door of the classroom and Melissa, Anisha, Heidi and I carry the buckets in pairs and pour the cement onto the floor. We work quickly and rotate jobs. By 11:30, we finish cementing the entire floor.
We take an early lunch. Afterwards, we dig a trench to allow rainwater to travel to the school’s community garden. Rocky of CTC decides that we’ve finished the day’s tasks, so we end our workday at 1pm.
Afterwards, Rocky takes us to a Nyama Choma to eat barbecued goat. The restaurant is a makeshift tent that is constructed with wooden beams and cloth. A perfectly roasted goat leg is delivered to our table and the six of us (minus Melissa, who is a vegetarian) devour the entire thing. It is perhaps the most tender and delicious piece of meat I’ve eaten in my entire life. Rocky also takes us to buy avocados (because I’ve been craving them the whole trip). One avocado costs only 5 shillings, which is about 8 cents Canadian. I can’ believe how inexpensive it is, and I decide avocados will be a staple in my diet for the next few weeks.
May 19: The intensity of work takes it toll.
May 19, 2009
“Jess! Jess!”
It’s 7:30 in the morning and Kayla’s knocking on my door. She tells me that she’s been sick over night. My heart sinks as I wake up to realize that four out of the nine of our team members aren't feeling well. I tell them to stay at the hotel for the day and take it easy.
With only five of us to work, we know it’ll be an intense day. Today, we smash the large rocks from yesterday into smaller rocks with hammers and mallets. Whenever we think we’re done, we discover more large rocks underneath. It is a frustrating and exhausting process.
After a couple of hours, I feel blisters form on my hands. By the end of the afternoon, my blisters have popped. But in the end, we finish. And the satisfaction of breaking every rock somehow makes me forget about my hands – as raw and red as they may be.
“Jess! Jess!”
It’s 7:30 in the morning and Kayla’s knocking on my door. She tells me that she’s been sick over night. My heart sinks as I wake up to realize that four out of the nine of our team members aren't feeling well. I tell them to stay at the hotel for the day and take it easy.
With only five of us to work, we know it’ll be an intense day. Today, we smash the large rocks from yesterday into smaller rocks with hammers and mallets. Whenever we think we’re done, we discover more large rocks underneath. It is a frustrating and exhausting process.
After a couple of hours, I feel blisters form on my hands. By the end of the afternoon, my blisters have popped. But in the end, we finish. And the satisfaction of breaking every rock somehow makes me forget about my hands – as raw and red as they may be.
May 18: First work day.
Today is the first workday of our project. At 9am, we head over to Ngaya school, where we will be building two new classrooms. At present, there is one teacher for every 75 to 100 kids, and there aren’t enough desks to go around.
We meet Rocky, Paul, Nathan and Mindy, who give us a brief intro into what we will be doing. None of us know what to expect. We start by shoveling piles of sand into wheel-barrels. We’re told that we need to fill 30 wheel-barrels with sand, which is taken to another area to be leveled. Each full wheel-barrel weighs a ton, and we take turns dumping the sand into a pile. When we’re finished, we’re taken to a pile of heavy rocks. We thought shoveling sand was difficult, but shoveling rocks is even harder. We fill wheel-barrels of rock and dump it on top of our sand pile. By 12:30pm, we’re exhausted and hungry.
After taking a long and much-needed lunch break, we start the next task. We throw big rocks that lay in a pile through the window and onto the floor of the classroom we’ll be building. There are hundreds – no thousands of rocks – and the pile seems never-ending. Yet somehow, we find a bottom and within a couple of hours, we manage to cover the entire floor of classroom with rocks.
It’s recess by this point and we’re bombarded with 1500 kids who just want to be around us. We’re covered in an inch of dust, there’s sand in our eyes, and we’re all drained. But the smiling faces of Ngaya’s children remind us why we’re doing this, and it all becomes worth it.
We meet Rocky, Paul, Nathan and Mindy, who give us a brief intro into what we will be doing. None of us know what to expect. We start by shoveling piles of sand into wheel-barrels. We’re told that we need to fill 30 wheel-barrels with sand, which is taken to another area to be leveled. Each full wheel-barrel weighs a ton, and we take turns dumping the sand into a pile. When we’re finished, we’re taken to a pile of heavy rocks. We thought shoveling sand was difficult, but shoveling rocks is even harder. We fill wheel-barrels of rock and dump it on top of our sand pile. By 12:30pm, we’re exhausted and hungry.
After taking a long and much-needed lunch break, we start the next task. We throw big rocks that lay in a pile through the window and onto the floor of the classroom we’ll be building. There are hundreds – no thousands of rocks – and the pile seems never-ending. Yet somehow, we find a bottom and within a couple of hours, we manage to cover the entire floor of classroom with rocks.
It’s recess by this point and we’re bombarded with 1500 kids who just want to be around us. We’re covered in an inch of dust, there’s sand in our eyes, and we’re all drained. But the smiling faces of Ngaya’s children remind us why we’re doing this, and it all becomes worth it.
May 17: A camping trip like no other!
Even though we’re still sore from yesterday’s grueling outing, our guides talk us into hiking up a mountain to see all of Lake Naivasha. We’re told that it’s an easy hour-long trek. But by now, we all know better. We make sure that we have enough water and snacks to get us through. Anisha and Kayla are too sore, so they stay back at the campsite.
As I expected, the hike up the mountain is challenging. The route is rocky and cactus trees are literally everywhere. As much as we try to dodge the spiky trees, we’re all scratched and bloody by the end of it. But the view from the lookout point is extraordinary. As promised, we can see all of Lake Naivasha and the rolling hills and mountains seem to continue endlessly into the horizon. Kenya is so beautiful.
Later in the day, we take a boat ride to see hippos in the water. Simon and Marcus also show us a fish eagle demonstration. The fish eagle is so perceptive that even from the tops of trees, they are able to spot a fish in water. We throw a fish into the lake, whistle, and lo and behold, the fish eagle swoops down to pick up its dinner. What a spectacle.
At 3pm, we leave the campsite and head back to Maai-Mahiu.
This was a camping trip like no other. I don’t think I’ll ever be able to go camping in Ontario again, without feeling disappointed.
May 16: Biking thru the Hells Gate National Park.
We’re told that the best time to see animals is in the morning, so we get an early start on the day and head to Hells Gate National Park. Our guides, Simon and Marcus, tell us that we’ll bike to the park and then walk through the canyon.
I haven’t been on a bicycle since I was 11-years-old, when I broke my leg riding. Getting on a bike for the first time in 10 years is absolutely nerve-wracking, but after a few attempts, I manage to pick it up again. The 13-km bike ride to the park is pleasant, and I tell myself that I’ll make it a goal to take up cycling again.
Then, however, we’re told that we’ll bike through the park. Unlike the smooth tarmac of the main road, the path in the park is rocky and mountainous. It becomes exhausting and painful to bike, and the 7km to the edge of the canyon are downright brutal. We’re all hot, exhausted and dehydrated.
When we’re finally able to dismount from our bikes, we’re told that we’ll hike through the canyon to see the hot springs. This is where the movie, Tomb Raider: Cradle of Life was shot. But the Hollywood movie, with its multi-billion dollar budget, doesn’t do this place justice. We rock-climb, tumble over rocks, and jump over streams, in order to make our way through the canyon. Our muscles are burning and we still have the bike ride back.
We finally make it to the lookout point, and as physically drained as we feel, we are stunned by the view. Mountains, waterfalls and babbling brooks fill the landscape. It’s hard to believe that places like this exist in the world.
We hike back through the canyon and get back onto our bikes. It’s 4pm and we haven’t eaten since breakfast. We’re lightheaded and our sit-bones are in excruciating pain.
For many of us, today’s events proved to be the hardest physical test we’ve ever had to endure. But as we sit around the campfire – tired and sore – we feel bonded knowing that we went through it together.
May 15:
Today, we set off for our camping trip to Lake Naivasha. When we arrive at the campsite, we’re blown away by the cleanliness and luxury of the amenities – clean toilets, tiled showers, and a bar! We’re camping in hippo territory, so we’re told to stay away from the water after 6pm, as hippos are the Number One killing-animal in Africa.
After eating a hearty breakfast, we head to Oloidien Lake to see flamingos. Thousands of them graze the surface of the lake. Along the shore, there’s a dead hippo, and we’re able to appreciate its massive size. Our comical guides, Simon and Marcus, tell us that hippo skin is so thick it’s bullet proof.
We then head to Crater Lake Game Sanctuary. It’s the first time any of us have seen a giraffe or zebra or warthog up-close. The park also tries to leave the sanctuary in its natural habitat, so the bones of dead animals litter the floor. At the end of our hike, we make it to Crater Lake, which lies in the middle of an inactive volcano. The view is simply breathtaking and well worth the walk.
As we make it back to the car, it suddenly starts to pour. We’ve gotten used to the hard and fast rains that come in during the late afternoon, because it’s rain season in Kenya. By the time we make it to the van, we’re all soaked but still in high spirits.
We then make the one-hour drive back to the campsite. But in the rain, the dirt road has turned to mud and our front-wheel drive proves to be no match. We get stuck in a mud ditch and our driver revs the engine in a desperate effort to get the tires out. The situation is reminiscent to a Canadian snowstorm, only that it’s much more muddy and dirty. Twenty minutes pass, and a few members of the team begin to panic. My cell phone has no reception; it’s getting dark; and the last thing anyone wants is to be stranded in the middle of nowhere. Tension arises amongst the group as some members try to make jokes, while others are genuinely scared. I tell the panicked members that I will somehow contact Nathan to let him know where we are and to send help. Eventually however, some of us push the car out of the mud, and before we know it, we’re back on track.
At the campsite, the rains stop and we enjoy dinner by the campfire. The food is amazing and we all head to our tents for a restful slumber.
May 14: Seeing with our very own eyes.
Music and laughter fill the room as CTC’s 15 ‘malaika’ children sing and dance. These beautiful malaika, or ‘angels’ when translated in English, have either mental or physical disabilities – something that prevents them from being accepted into a government-funded public school.
“Many of the children here were locked up in their homes and hidden from the community because their families were embarrassed by them,” Nathan tells us.
It sickens me to think that anyone could hurt or abandon these children. Malaika Kids is the only available program in the region for children with disabilities. CTC has also established Malaika Moms, a sewing clinic for the mothers of these children, where they make canvas bags and sell them to the U.S.
After an introduction by CTC, the nine of us are split into four groups and taken around the village of Maai-Mahiu by local volunteers for CTC.
Our guide, Tony, takes us to Ngaya school, the only government-funded school in the region. As a result, the school has limited resources, including desks and classrooms. As I enter the school grounds, I’m greeted by 1500 “Hi! How are you’s?,” while children pull at my hair, tickle me and follow me wherever I go. They’re fascinated by my camera and even more so when I show them a picture of themselves through my viewfinder. I’m excited to know that our project will be to build new classrooms for the school.
We also visit AIC Polytechnic, where students who cannot afford university can take courses such as IT, carpentry or sewing. In fact, the woman who teaches the sewing clinic for Malaika Moms was trained at AIC Polytechnic. I can already begin to see the far-reaching effects of CTC’s programs and their work in the community.
Later, we walk into the village and visit the local police station, health centre and council offices, where posters calling for a stop to corruption are posted everywhere. We’re told by Tony that the one thing preventing Kenya from being all that it can, is government and police corruption. The lasting effects of the 2007 post-election violence continue to resonate, as IDS or internally-displaced camps litter the surrounding area of Maai-Mahiu.
In the late afternoon, Tony takes us to his family home to meet his parents for tea. Like every other home in the village, Tony’s house is self-built – held together by wooden beams and insulated with cardboard.
Tony’s Dad tells us how happy he is that we have come from Canada to visit Kenya.
“Now, we don’t have to tell you our story because you can see it with your very own eyes.”
But even though I am here, I still feel like I have so much more to learn and see.
May 13: Arrival at our home for the next 5 weeks.
Our car swerves, bumps and grinds, balancing on the edge of a narrow road that spirals through the Rift Valley. We are left speechless from the vast expanse and the breathtaking view. It is here, nestled in the dips and creases of the valley, where Maai-Mahiu lies – a village of about 30,000 people, most of whom are children.
We arrive at the Transit Hotel and meet Dominic, the giggly and forever-smiling general manager. This will be our home for the next five weeks Nathan gives us a tour and tells us a bit about the village and the history of Comfort the Children.
“Maai-Mahiu” means hot water. Hot springs flow from Mount Longonot and bubble beneath the village. But ironically, drinkable water is hard to come by. It’s too salty to drink and even the locals need to have their water delivered to their homes.
The economic backbone of the village comes from truck drivers. Every trucker that travels between Nairobi and Mombasa stops in Maai-Mahiu before continuing their drive on what is called The AIDS Highway. It is the one major road that links the coast and the capital, providing an easy channel for truckers to spread the disease. Prostitution is rife here, and girls as young as 12 solicit themselves – earning more money when they don’t use a condom. Maai-Mahiu is considered a social blight, with one of the highest rates of HIV/AIDS in Africa and where the residents are virtually ignored by the Kenyan government.
Comfort the Children helps those who can’t help themselves. The symbol of CTC International is an open hand, to symbolize its five initiatives: community, environment, health, education and economics. Our team will focus on education by building two classrooms and working on a community garden in the school.
As I write this, the nine of us are sitting on the porch of the hotel – talking and laughing, and watching locals talk and laugh. It is the longest amount of time I’ve spent just sitting. And for once, I find myself not thinking about tomorrow. I am simply enjoying the moment of being here.
Wednesday, May 13, 2009
KENYA: Humbled by beauty
May 13, 2009
4am and we are awoken by the sound of roosters. It feels so surreal, but the symphony of animal noises throughout the night confirm that we are in fact in Kenya.
It was an 18-hour plane ride (including a 3-hour stopover in Amsterdam), but we all got up feeling excited about the day.
At the moment, we are at the Village Market in Nairobi, which has all the amenities of a mall back home, only that it's outdoors. The 30-minute car ride from the hotel to the mall was overwhelming. Everything is green and lush and hibiscus trees dot the sides of the roads. We met Mindy Stallings and Nathan Dillon, the directors of Comfort the Children, our host partner here. After lunch, we'll drive to the village of Maai-Mahiu, where we'll be for the next five weeks -- bricklaying, mixing cement and painting. The project is to build two elementary school classrooms.
The journey hasn't even began and I can't wait for what's ahead.
Jessica Lam
Team Leader
4am and we are awoken by the sound of roosters. It feels so surreal, but the symphony of animal noises throughout the night confirm that we are in fact in Kenya.
It was an 18-hour plane ride (including a 3-hour stopover in Amsterdam), but we all got up feeling excited about the day.
At the moment, we are at the Village Market in Nairobi, which has all the amenities of a mall back home, only that it's outdoors. The 30-minute car ride from the hotel to the mall was overwhelming. Everything is green and lush and hibiscus trees dot the sides of the roads. We met Mindy Stallings and Nathan Dillon, the directors of Comfort the Children, our host partner here. After lunch, we'll drive to the village of Maai-Mahiu, where we'll be for the next five weeks -- bricklaying, mixing cement and painting. The project is to build two elementary school classrooms.
The journey hasn't even began and I can't wait for what's ahead.
Jessica Lam
Team Leader
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