Blogs from Nyanza Province, Kenya, Africa - page 10

Happy Weekend All. I enjoyed a lovely Sunday lunch today getting caught up with my friends Nej and Chotu Pabaris. They have lived in Kisumu over 30 years. The Pabaris were introduced to me by my golfing partner Sheila. They are an amazing and generous couple. Nej is the founder and inspiring leader of Ladies in Action - a local NGO that refurbishes public schools in partnership with local communities and holds weekly medical camps at schools to provide villagers with access to doctors and medication for a nominal charge - 5 ksh for children and 30 ksh for adults (8 and 48 cents, respectively). And if that is not enough, this wonder couple sponsor the care of 9 orphans - the youngest 5 and the oldest 14. Chotu owns and operates a hardware business - ... read more

Last week I experienced some amazing sites around Kisumu; however, there were two specific experiences that warrant some discussion. The first was a staff development day for CDC/KEMRI. There were about 600 Kenyans and a few expats building straw towers and competing in a relay race that included putting condoms on a wooden penis. I helped with the tug-of-war. Not only were people extremely competitive, but people had no qualms about getting sweaty and dragged around in the dirt under the hot sun...they enjoyed the hell out of it. I couldn't help but wonder how much of a disaster this would have been at CDC in Atlanta. Saturday night I went to a Halloween party at the Walter Reed Army housing compound, affectionately called United Court. It was strange to walk through the gate (past the ... read more

I did some great riding this weekend. We headed north and west along the shored of Windam Gulf. One might say that we got lost, but since I had no idea where we were going in the first place and no designs on getting anywhere in particular, it didn't much matter. Luckily biking through other people's shambas isn't frowned upon here. Sunday we headed northwest out of town and hit a long straight stretch of highway. Off to the right through the morning mist was Kisumu and the lake. On the left, through the burning cane fields were some sugar farms and seriously craggy cliffs. We found a great path through the fields and climbed to the base of the hills. To our surprise there were some amazing gullies created by the floods off the mountains ... read more

Last weekend was a weekend like no other. It was a hot and sticky weekend filled with laughter and learning, a weekend of discovery. Five friends and I set out on a journey to Kisumu, Kenya on the Western side of the country. It holds the second largest freshwater lake in the world. We didn’t go to see the lake, but to see my friends’ families and to be available to minister in whatever ways arose. I was filled with anticipation as I had desired to see more of this country. As we began our journey bumping down dusty, rocky roads, laden with potholes, semi-trucks, donkey carts, people, bicycles, matatus (public transportation in the form of a van) and buses, I knew it was going to be an adventure. We passed shantytowns, vendors selling their produce ... read more

Now let me tell you about a couple of organizations who stand out for me that embody the local community based approaches that are resonating with me: C-MEDA and St. Rita’s Community Based Orphanage. One has led me to the other. I first came across C-MEDA (Community Mobilization and Economic Development Agency) when I attended a good governance seminar in Nakuru my second week here. Unfortunately it has taken me a month or two to reconnect with their CEO Anne-Marie. But a conversation that Anne-Marie and I had in those early days has stayed with me. We talked about supporting orphans to stay in their home communities with a relative or friend of the family acting as guardian has stuck. This in stark contrast to institutionalizing children - pulling them out and away from their roots. ... read more