Blogs from Nairobi, Nairobi Province, Kenya, Africa - page 7

The past two days have definitely been less than stellar - especially when compared to the amazing time we had tracking the gorillas. Yesterday started off decently enough with a two hour drive back to Kigali from Musanze. Since half of the drive was done in the dark on Monday, we definitely got a better look at the amazing landscapes Rwanda has to offer. The efficient use of space demonstrated by the locals rivals that of the Japanese and definitely puts Canadian urban planners to shame. After returning to the city we were given a brief tour, showcasing the under-construction downtown and some of the hotels being built to handle the new tourism industry. The tour ended with a stop at the Rwandan genocide memorial which I was both interested in seeing and dreading. I found ... read more

Hello again! Tonight it my last night at Brackenhurst, Limuru. It has gone so fast but has been an amazing experience! I have nearly overcome being sick and can eat like normal again! This last week has been incredible with so many great days. Monday consisted of the normal daily duties at BOC which included sorting the good and bad beans/rice. We played many games with the children and the older girls did some singing and dancing for us. Anna and Jessica said goodbye to the children after 8 weeks. It was so sad to watch as tears flowed from them and the children. That night after dinner Sarah and Kelly also left. That too was another tearful goodbye. Becky and Sarah became great friends from volunteering and watching their goodbyes was so sad. From Tuesday ... read more

Today was the final day of the managing safely course and the managers on the course arrived very anxiously, even early - not something you often see a Kenyan do... But after some revision they took the exam and passed with flying colours ( pending verification from IOSH) so I am very proud. Between Mark, Mike and I we have trained managers in Sierra Leone, Uganda, Tanzania and now Kenya, mark and Mike will be doing Ghana next and I will be doing Egypt so we are well on our way to improving the safety culture of our business from the top :) My colleague John asked me about keeping panadol in the first aid kit, I told him no, I explained that in keeping this in the box and people continuously using it they could ... read more

I hear in the UK its been very very heavy rain, lots of flooding and even people being killed, OMG! what will I come back to? I am sitting here in the office in an Atrium, in a place that would be lovely to work in if the weather was nice all the time, my desk is against a wall with a small room and some lighting but in the middle where there are plants and a patio there is no roof, and all week the sun has shone in and its been glorious as I dont train until the afternoons, Mark does the mornings. Yesterday the Kenyan army trained their pilots and scared the hell out of me as they were really low, but today it is raining, after all it is rainy season and ... read more

As I type This there is news of the Bangladesh factory fire on the news and it fills me with sadness and reminds me how important the message is that my colleague and I are delivering in Africa right now. Today we explained that the managers had responsibities, legal responsibilities to look after the health and safety of their staff and this surprises them - tomorrow I will be discussing the legal aspects and looking at the criminal and the civil laws, these subjects really opens their eyes - especially when they find out that they risk going to prison. My friend Esther who I have spoken fondly of before has had twins "Joy and Josie" here women are entitled to 3 months maternity leave and she is not really coping with being away from her ... read more