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Published: November 6th 2006
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Hello!
Well its been an interesting time since I last blogged. Wednesday and Thursday were kind of standard days trying to sort out getting iron sheets to the project in Mt Elgon and finding supply issues but hey ho. Then on Friday we went to Tesso one of our other project areas and one that I hadn't been to yet. We visited two 'springs' where people from 7 or more villages (about 500 per village) draw their water from for drinking, washing, crops and animals. It was unbelievable (see pic). We also visted an orphan house where 5 brothers and sisters share a small house which the chaity help them build last year. They had a wooden club with nails in so that they could fight off raiders from Uganda (the border is around half a mile from their home). It was unbelievable. Next we sat in at the clinic with the two nurses and Mary the project leader and witnessed some pretty disheartening stuff like a mentally disabled woman made pregnant again by 'men in the road' as Mary diplomatically put it. She already had a two year old from the same thing and that child could barely speak
as his mother couldn't communicate with him. Then on the way home we saw a Matatu ( a toyota mini bus used everywhere as public transport) on its back but they had gotten everyone out before we passed. Then right in front of us a man was hit crossing the road by a Boda Boda ( a beefed up push bike for carrying a passanger on the back). The guy was knocked out and we stopped to help as we had two nurses on board. They had dragged him off the road but as soon as we reversed to help (thinking we would get out and the nurses look him over before deciding what to do) it started to rain like crazy and the men with him picked him up and started shoving him (blood all over his smashed up face) into the van. He started coming round by this point and luckily we were close to Bungoma where there was a hospital (which looked medieval). They reckon he would be ok but he'd probably have quite bad concusion and some big cuts and bangs to his nose and head.
Saturday we went to Busea which was good. There
is a teenage orphan there called Kevin who now knows how to play 'Jolene' on the guitar - he was given one by another volunteer last year. Sadly he is a string down so I will have to pop one in the post for him when I get home. I also went along with Vicky and Patrick who deal with disabled children on a home visit to see a little girl called Purity who had Meningitis a few years back and is still recovering. On the way back one of the Kenyan staff from the charity wanted some new shoes so we stopped off in Busea town where there is a border crossing as the shopping is better (?) in Uganda and waited for her. Joy. Busea town is a dump.
Then we went out to Kitale to the night club ! (the trick in Kenya is to push on through no matter what you see, as things are not going to change in a hurry and they'll drag you down if you don't). It was a good evening but random as ever. The DJ refers to us as 'Our friends from Kimilili!!' before putting on more hip hop
or shakira (like I say, random). Ben one of the other volunteers spoke to a girl (its possible she was a lady of the night ) for a mere five minutes and unwittingly gave her his kenyan mobile number. The text mesage this morning read :
"friends are like a piece of a crossword puzzle, if you lose one piece it will never be complete again. I want you to know you are one of the pieces I cannot afford to lose. Good day Ben"
I describe this to you not as a story from a nightclub but a classic example of the madness here (and why I dont speak to people in night clubs!). A five minute chat can lead to requests for money or a contact in the UK or even a relationship. There is a kind of openness about asking for things and a total lack of normal or passing friendships. Things are nothing or everything, and it takes a bit of getting used to and some savvy to get yourself out of situations. I have been asked for money, drinks and even a CD Walkman! It makes you thick skinned though the down side
being that the romance of volunteering is dented sometimes by the money which of course it would be. The people here as so much poorer than home and for many its worth an outside shot to get themselves ahead by asking a volunteer for things. A teacher even asked me to do a joint agriculture venture with him, however I fear my farming days are over...
Anyway. Three weeks left. Let the madness continue!
Hywel xx
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