Sunday, March 29, 2009
When we awoke and Joe found out we were going to Mass, he was upset that we had to go two days in a row. After he settled down and we had some breakfast, we went to an hour long Sunday school program prior to Mass. Sharon, Tim, Joe and I went with the young children and Tom and Rob went with the older children (up to teen agers). It was 45 minutes of very loud singing of Christian music and then the recital by about 20 students of the 10 commandments. Sharon and I each held a toddler who wanted desperately to be held and nun instructor was not in a position to manage the 30 children along with two needy todlers. The Sister had patience beyond imagination because it was all I could do to get through the 50 minute class.
Sharon and I continued to carry the two todlers across the compound to the Fr. Dag hall for Mass. There was a Jesuit priest who said the Mass who knew my Uncle very well, up to his last days on earth. Father, a native of India, speaks his native tongue along with English and Swahili. He knew many of the children and spoke to them in their native tongue. It was a very enthusiastic celebration of the Mass to say the least.
Shortly after Mass, there was a luncheon for all guests and the children in the Hall. The food was very good (the fresh papaya is always tasty.) Then once the tables were cleared, the children, by various ages, went onto the stage and danced to loud music. These kids can dance and Tom was able to capture many of their dance routines. The boys liked to Moon Walk and the girls did a lot of line dancing. Guests from the Netherlands joined us and we all had fun.
Sharon and I brought with us all the ingredients to make our italian biscotti cookies. We went to one of the teenage girl cottages, along with a large group of children on-lookers, and made and baked and iced the 3 batches. There were enough cookies for each child and staff to have 2 cookies. That was a huge hit.
We decided to treat Sr. Mary, Sr. Julie and Protus to dinner at a nearby Italian restaurant. It was the most beautiful evening eating outside, listening to all the native wildlife, especially the Sacred Ibis, which gives off the most deafening scream you could ever imagine. The day was over and we made it to be by 10:30PM or so. This day would prove to be the "Quiet" before the storm approaching on Monday.
Monday, March 30 ,2009
The "Storm" hit today, literally and figuratively. The country has been in a drought and March-April are supposed to be the rainy season. Well, until last night, the big rain came with thunder and lightning. But rain had stopped by early morning and we were went off at 10:00 to see the LeaToto program. This is an outreach program deep in 6 different communities throughout Nairobi to help children with HIV and their families. They provide a wholistic approach to caring for the children and the family. They have a network of social workers, nutritionists, nurses, medical directors, doctors to deal with the physical, social and psychological needs of their clients. It was amazing how well organized they were.
At the first site, we received a briefing by Nicholos, who heads up the entire LeaToto program. After the briefing, we went into the slums to visit 3 families and 1 school. Conditions were very harsh and all of us, especially the kids, were taken back by the environment in which these children live and the dedication of the social workers who go out into their slums every day to meet with their clients. We were able to get pictures with each family as we sat in their house (a 8x10 room with tin walls and ceiling, no running water or electricity). The school was a great departure from Saint Ambrose of Woodbury. Each classroom has about 30 kids packed into a tin shack that was 10x15 with only the sunlight coming through the windows and very hot. But the kids were all smiles and were very happy to pose for a picture. We promised everyone who allowed us to take a picture to send them a copy as a thank you for opening up their homes and school to us. With all the rain, the streets were muddy and we hopped over streams of sewage. Trash was everywhere.
After leaving that, Tim was very upset to hear that after lunch, were we going to Kibera, the largest slum in Kenya and the second largest in Africa. After a nice lunch at an upscale cafe, we headed deep into the slums of Kibera. We met with the local director and he informed us that the sea of tin shacks we see all around us houses 1 million people. Two social workers (a nun and another a local volunteer) took us in to the center of Kibera. Much of Kibera was burnt to the grown during the post election last year when two of the tribes were fueding. Much has been rebuilt. LeoToto was left untouched in the uprisings because everyone respected the work that they were doing . We had a chance to visit one mom, Mom Patricia. She has a 3 year old boy and 5 year old HIV+ Girl. She was a lovely woman and happy to share her home with us. The rains last night resulted in raw sewage running through the "homes" The "homes" here are mud and stick vs corragated metal. The room was dark but cool compared to the Kamgami area that we saw this morning. The children in Kibara were running through the streets saying the few words of english that they new "how are you, how are you?" It was delightful to see their kindness and energy. Tomorrow we will head to see the Village project about 3.5 hours away. We will update you more.
