Blogs from Kenya, Africa

“You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth (mourning attire) and clothed me with joy, that my heart may sing your praises and not be silent. Lord my God, I will praise you forever.” Psalms 30:11-12 We pray this prayer for all those affected over the last month in the sad events happening in the USA. We pray for comfort and that hearts full of sorrow can make their way back to joy. In Kenya the people have experienced such pain as well. Imagine if you will, the little girl that lives a neighborhood away in a dirty little house. Liquor flows more freely than love. Hands that should serve and be gentle act as hands that hurt and bring disgrace. Food that should be on the table is nowhere to be found. The ... read more

It's getting harder to access internet on this trip (which actually feels really nice), so the blog entries unfortunately are becoming even more sparse! So here is a brief run-down on what I've been up to since arriving in Kenya. I went back to the elephant orphanage for a second time and enjoyed it just as much. This time my tour guide and two fellow travellers joined me, and we stopped at the Galleria shopping centre to get some cash and indulge in a large tub of frozen yoghurt. There were a lot more visitors in general, but I still had some (unexpected) elephant contact when I got between a running baby and the milk bottle awaiting him... I'm hoping to get back there one last time when I head back to Nairobi, to see them ... read more

The boat terminal was a flurry of activity, with stalls and hawkers trying to flog things to passing foot passengers. Cars and trucks were queuing up in the haze, and Amos and I jostled and squeezed with the crowds of foot passengers, waiting for the signal to board. Very soon the announcement came and we entered the fray. A man just ahead of us was carrying a couple of chickens and in front of him, another man was carrying a pile of cardboard on his head. Like the ferry crossing in The Gambia, Amos and I hit the top deck for the journey. But unlike the Gambian crossing, this one only took five minutes. At the other side we faced the same mad crush to get off. Amos and I headed to a line of waiting ... read more

Days 38-43: Entering Kenya during election time, saying goodbye to much of the group and cheetah spotting in the Masai Mara Arriving in Kenya, Nairobi we were straight away hit with hot weather, stopping for lunch on the side of the road in ‘Kenyan shade’ – under the pull out side compartments of the Tucan truck. We were arriving in Kenya at a very interesting time, as the first elections since 2007 were taking place. Josh, our Kenyan truck driver, had told us of his inability to cast his vote two days earlier, due to voters having to queue for hours. The country was on standby and nervous as the 2007 elections had resulted in post-election killings of hundreds of people, and thousands left homeless, after many Kenyans believed the result was tampered with. ... read more

Um Kalume Upepo zu erreichen, muss ich diesmal nicht weit reisen. Von meinem Apartment sind es ca. 10 Minuten Fahrt mit einem Matatu. Seit langem war geplant, dass ein guter Freund mitkommt und endlich konnten wir uns organisieren. Er selber leitet eine Hilfsorganisation mit Sitz in Italien und ist seit langem interessiert, mich zu begleiten. Wie immer begleitet uns Paul, welcher sich in der Gegend auskennt. Das Dorf entspricht meinen Bedingungen. Es handelt sich um "klassisches" Dorf, wie ich es von der vorhergehenden Dörfern kenne. Einzige Ausnahme: es gibt hier keine Palmen. Diese werden von "normalen" Bäumen kompensiert. Wie immer begegnen wir vielen Kindern. Auch ein paar jungen Frauen, welche unter einem Baum sich die Haare stylen. Die Mundharmonikas kommen auch in diesem Dorf gut an: die Kinder spielen damit, bis wir zu weit weg sind, ... read more

We've had an evenful trip and are on our return now. We spent three days in Kitale/Liavo teaching at the school and spending time with the orphans at the Children's Home. Florence took good care of us. Gary and Timothy have spent endless hours on the phone trying to resolve the shipping issues of the containers. The broker is attempting every delaying tactic most likely for a bribe. Gary fired him and now is working with a woman who is at least attempting to resolve issues. Besides the school building we had so many books and supplies to distribute to various places in the ministry. So we are disappointed with that setback. We enjoyed the drive to Kisumu. The city is in a lush valley on the shore of Lake Victoria. From there it is only ... read more

A few weeks ago my mother (who spends endless hours volunteering for ITHM), my son (who is an African American), my friend Sheila Reeves (who’s time and talents are irreplaceable to ITHM) and I had the privilege to attend a dedication ceremony of a water well at Spring Valley Academy in Nairobi, Kenya. I only wish I could encapsulate the feelings that were evoked and shared at this amazing celebration and send them to you in pill form. That way you could share in the joy and gratefulness that was felt by all. And, if I could sell that pill I would be a gazillionare because depression has no chance in the face of all that joy. It started out by us arriving in true Kenyan form…late. Very late. This was because we couldn’t find Jono’s ... read more