On Monday Dom and I began what we are really here to do, helping out with the Tumaini AIDS/HIV Project which is located in Lenana, an urban slum that is just outside of Nairobi. The first day we headed there we really had no idea what we had gotten ourselves into ... but as soon as we arrived we realized that we were there to try and make a difference, even if it was only for one person!!!
The project we are working on is run through an elementary school in Lenana, it is their Head Teacher Sophia that created and oversees it, so it was into the school to find her. This school is nothing like the schools we know back home. It is a bunch of small rooms, no larger than our t.v. room at home, that surround a courtyard full of rocks and dirt. Each classroom has between 15 and 40 children from primary through Standard 8 (grade 8) so you can imagine how squished in they all are. When we first walked into the courtyard the entire school was gathered together and gave us one of the most warm welcomes I think I've ever had. The whole school was clapping for us as we introduced ourselves and had them repeat our names back to us. After the second round of clapping Sophia led us to her office to dicuss the project and the group of ladies that were part of the project. As we walked away from the kids they all held out their hands to slap five with us, I felt like a celebrity, it was almost surreal!!! After discussing what was expected of us with Sophia (which is nothing and everything at the same time) one of the teachers took us around to each classroom individually to meet the kids. Each group stood up and sang us a song in english or swahili ... it was so sweet. By the end of it my cheeks started to hurt because I couldn't stop smiling ... though the best part was when the littlest kids sang us "we wish you a merry Christmas" haha, perfect!!!
When it was time to meet the ladies Dom and I were led off to the little room that was donated to the project so we could meet the ladies. The room is a small, tin-walled, room no larger than a childs bedroom that has only small plastic chairs for the ladies to sit on. There is nothing on the walls, and the room happens to be situated beside the "outhouses" so it constantly smells like urine and feces ... but that is all that there is for these ladies so they do not complain. Once all of the ladies arrived we were given an introduction to them ... then it was off for 5 hours worth of walking through the slums to visit each of their houses. It's hard to believe the living conditions of some of these ladies. I swear some of their houses are no bigger than my closet ... and they have to pay rent for these things!! Most of them don't even have running water or power ... but they make due, and they don't complain because they are not out on the street.
Each day is something different at the project, the schedule goes as follows:
Monday - Home visits with the ladies where we follow them around to each of their homes and see how everyone is doing
Tuesday - Counselling with the ladies. They shared with us their stories and we provided them as much comfort as we could.
Wednesday - Craft making (which is how they make their money)
Thursday - More crafts!!!
Friday - Home visits again to check up on everything!!
The ladies are absolutely amazing. There is Rose, Sharon, Anne, Linet, Doris, Elizabeth, Florence and Saramon. Saramon actually has a 3 week old baby, Michelle (as in Obama), that Dom and I actually got to hold!!! One of the things that is customary when someone has a baby is to bring her gifts of food and clothes to thank her for bringing a life into this world. Even if you have nothing you are expected to provide something, so today everyone brought something and Dom and I bought her a bunch of food and baby clothes to last her a while. All of the women brought something and all clapped as each gift was given ... it was beautiful. She doesn't even speak english and managed to say thank you to Dom and I, it was hard not to cry I must say.
I would love to share the stories of all of these women to you guys, but out of respect for them I don't think it would be the right thing to do. They have gone through so much, more than most of us will endure over our entire lives ... and I don't think we understand how lucky we really are to live the lives that we do. These women really have taught me that the beauty in life is life itself.
The project we are working on is run through an elementary school in Lenana, it is their Head Teacher Sophia that created and oversees it, so it was into the school to find her. This school is nothing like the schools we know back home. It is a bunch of small rooms, no larger than our t.v. room at home, that surround a courtyard full of rocks and dirt. Each classroom has between 15 and 40 children from primary through Standard 8 (grade 8) so you can imagine how squished in they all are. When we first walked into the courtyard the entire school was gathered together and gave us one of the most warm welcomes I think I've ever had. The whole school was clapping for us as we introduced ourselves and had them repeat our names back to us. After the second round of clapping Sophia led us to her office to dicuss the project and the group of ladies that were part of the project. As we walked away from the kids they all held out their hands to slap five with us, I felt like a celebrity, it was almost surreal!!! After discussing what was expected of us with Sophia (which is nothing and everything at the same time) one of the teachers took us around to each classroom individually to meet the kids. Each group stood up and sang us a song in english or swahili ... it was so sweet. By the end of it my cheeks started to hurt because I couldn't stop smiling ... though the best part was when the littlest kids sang us "we wish you a merry Christmas" haha, perfect!!!
When it was time to meet the ladies Dom and I were led off to the little room that was donated to the project so we could meet the ladies. The room is a small, tin-walled, room no larger than a childs bedroom that has only small plastic chairs for the ladies to sit on. There is nothing on the walls, and the room happens to be situated beside the "outhouses" so it constantly smells like urine and feces ... but that is all that there is for these ladies so they do not complain. Once all of the ladies arrived we were given an introduction to them ... then it was off for 5 hours worth of walking through the slums to visit each of their houses. It's hard to believe the living conditions of some of these ladies. I swear some of their houses are no bigger than my closet ... and they have to pay rent for these things!! Most of them don't even have running water or power ... but they make due, and they don't complain because they are not out on the street.
Each day is something different at the project, the schedule goes as follows:
Monday - Home visits with the ladies where we follow them around to each of their homes and see how everyone is doing
Tuesday - Counselling with the ladies. They shared with us their stories and we provided them as much comfort as we could.
Wednesday - Craft making (which is how they make their money)
Thursday - More crafts!!!
Friday - Home visits again to check up on everything!!
The ladies are absolutely amazing. There is Rose, Sharon, Anne, Linet, Doris, Elizabeth, Florence and Saramon. Saramon actually has a 3 week old baby, Michelle (as in Obama), that Dom and I actually got to hold!!! One of the things that is customary when someone has a baby is to bring her gifts of food and clothes to thank her for bringing a life into this world. Even if you have nothing you are expected to provide something, so today everyone brought something and Dom and I bought her a bunch of food and baby clothes to last her a while. All of the women brought something and all clapped as each gift was given ... it was beautiful. She doesn't even speak english and managed to say thank you to Dom and I, it was hard not to cry I must say.
I would love to share the stories of all of these women to you guys, but out of respect for them I don't think it would be the right thing to do. They have gone through so much, more than most of us will endure over our entire lives ... and I don't think we understand how lucky we really are to live the lives that we do. These women really have taught me that the beauty in life is life itself.
Great post and awesome pictures ange. The picture of the child in what looks like a garbage area below is my new background. Keep them coming. :)
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