E Mails From Kenya 2010

Click here for E Mail sent July 29th 2010

E mail from Darlene and Wendy Sent July 19th 2010 from Kakamega, Kenya

Jambo from Africa,

After an eventful travel experience landing in six airports, on three continents, spanning three full days, shuffling 21 suitcases and even surviving one bomb scare which evacuated our terminal in New York City on July 4^th., Darlene, Wendy & Hilary ARRIVED SAFE & SOUND in Nairobi. There we met up with three other Suitcases For Africa travel companions - Mary, Emanuela and her son Lucas. After a night in Nairobi we flew to Kisumu and endured a three hour drive to Kakamega. The roads here are like a roller coaster ride and we felt every bump along the way. Once again we are in the very capable hands of our favourite driver John who is not only a driver but a protector and a fountain of information as well as a total inspiration to us daily. He is so busy he sleeps only three hours per night and laughs at us when we say Canadians on average sleep 7 to 8 hours per night. He says that if Kenyans slept that long each day they would not be able to earn enough money to feed their families. We feel like such wimps! His good humour and patience never fails.

We are really enjoying connecting with our old friends and enjoying meeting new ones. Our first stop was to visit with Sister Bernadette at her clinic in the Kisumu slums where she ministers to the very poor and sick. We found Sister Bernadette recovering from yet another bout of malaria and looking forward to some down time in her home in Limerick, Ireland. It was humbling to see how thrilled she was when she opened the suitcase of medical supplies that had been donated by the West Island Palliative Care Centre as well as by Dr. Jane Nayar.

Recently Suitcases For Africa has been able to facilitate two large shipments of drugs to the clinics and hospitals that we have identified as most needy within our areas of operation. Thanks to the Beraldo family and their company “ALVEDA Pharma” and to Beta Management Services of Toronto for providing antibiotics and anti-retroviral medications. Fortunately several representatives from Beta Management Services were able to join Wendy & Mary on a whirlwind trip to Kenya in May for a hands on visit to many of these facilities and were able to see what an impact these medications would have when distributed freely to the most needy. Since our arrival we have been told repeatedly by both medical personnel and their patients of the dramatic improvement these drugs have made in the lives of people learning to live “positively” with HIV/Aids. Their individual stories are very moving and full of hope.

We are thrilled to see and participate in the transformation of Mukumu Home For Orphans. Many of you have been following the story of Grace and her thirty-five orphans. The conditions in which they were living in 2009 left us speechless and in despair. Many of the children are HIV positive and most were sleeping on the ground. Thanks to our generous donors in Canada we can report that the renovations are almost complete and the children all have their own beds with clean sheets. Some of us spent an afternoon painting in the dorm and the dining hall. The children all gathered to watch in amazement, giggling and laughing to see women painting. Evidently it is not a job women normally do. What we lacked in expertise we made up for in enthusiasm. We all think Grace was glad we helped but also a little relieved when we had to put our brushes down. The children were thrilled to have two young people come to play and sing with them and Hilary & Lucas had just as much fun. It is great to have their youthful energy on our team. We were also pleased to see that the old, dilapidated, illegal latrines have been replaced with new ones and relocated a safe distance from the house. We feel fortunate to have had David Eshiluula as project manager for this wonderful project.

Just as we were celebrating the success of the Mukumu renovations we were introduced to St. Joseph School for Mentally Challenged Children! On one hand we were devastated to see the deplorable & primitive conditions. On the other hand we were inspired by the gentle and compassionate staff. It was evident to us that they were called to care for these children. Sister Josephat and her caregivers are attuned to each child’s special needs. We had the privilege of being at the home during their mid-day meal which was served in a makeshift dining room consisting of benches under the trees. When Hilary and Lucas brought out a soccer ball those who were able were thrilled and enjoyed an energetic play time. We were sad to learn that the disabilities of most of these children are a direct result of extreme poverty which led to unattended home births and lack of medical care. Many of the children have epilepsy and do not have reliable access to the correct medications and medical follow-up which would improve their prognosis. We left them preparing the children for their naps on the grass. A nap in the fresh air is most preferable to the inhumane sleeping conditions. The children now sleep in crowded, stuffy, dark, tin roofed hovels. In Kenya the children with disabilities are shunned and hidden away from society and the Community Health Workers have to go and find them and rescue them. We were all deeply moved by these children and their caregivers and hope that we will soon have the means to intervene and improve their daily lives.

Today – July 17^th – we shared in a joyful feeding program celebration with Father Paul’s community in Emalindi. We were heartened to see the improvement in the well-being of this community since we visited last year.

We are looking forward to spending Sunday with John and his family at their church and their home. We feel privileged to be invited to share this special day with them.

As you can see our emotions run from despair to joy – often in the same day but for now there is no place we would rather be. We look forward to sharing our stories and photos with all of you when we return.

Thank you all for helping us carry on the important work that needs to be done here. We are all part of a great grass roots team and we appreciate your enthusiastic support.

Kwheri from Kakamega.

Lala Salama,

Darlene & Wendy

E mail from Darlene and Wendy Sent July 29th 2010 from Kakamega, Kenya

Habari,

Today finds us sitting outside our hut in the Amboseli National Park looking at Mount Kilimanjaro across a field of grazing elephants, zebras and wildebeests. We are resting up for our long journey home while processing all that we have seen over the past weeks.

As we left you in our first letter we were preparing for our second full week in Kakamega. On Monday the 19^th we headed to Itegero Primary School which is where Suitcases for Africa started its first program. We arrived as the children had just been dismissed and were on their way home. The children spotted the van, realized who it was and en mass escorted us back to the school singing and cheering while running beside the van. What a welcome! Unfortunately for the staff the students sat on the grass and refused to go home until they had greeted us. Due to the newly formed music program, funded by Suitcases For Africa, we were treated to a performance by the student choir. This is the first choir to be formed at the school and it is already winning acclaim. The choir was accompanied by traditional African drums & a guitar. The funds for the instruments were raised by Hilary Adams. The Ebi Kimanani Memorial Library looks fabulous with new shelving, a new ceiling and fresh paint. The new Music Section is well stocked thanks to the numerous recorders, tambourines and various small instruments that we brought in suitcases on this trip. The whole library is a far cry from the one we saw initially in 2006. At that time it was a storage room with a leaky roof and chickens wandering through.

Our visit to St. Ursula was a pure delight. After loading the van with HUNDREDS of multi coloured squares knitted by dozens and dozens of our caring supporters we set off to visit the disabled children at this special school. No sooner had the gate opened when a young student opened the passenger door of the van and just crawled right in. It was heartwarming to see so many of our little friends looking so well and so happy. We scattered the squares on mats on the floor and were delighted to see the joy on the faces of the staff and the students as they chose their favourite colours and began to sew together their own blankets. The sheer determination, focus and patience were evident on all the faces. As their blankets began to form the children were exhilarated and proud. Even those who could barely hold a needle due to crippled or rigid fingers persisted beyond our wildest expectation. The lunch bell rang, which is normally the highlight of their day, and not one child moved! What a rewarding project this has been. Thank you for all the love that was transferred to these amazing children stitch by stitch by stitch.

The Beraldo Family had the privilege of experiencing firsthand the powerful tribute that was paid to the late Rosario Castrogiovanni. The ceremony included the blessing and opening of a community well constructed in his memory at Sacred Shrine. Emotions ran high as the water flowed. We also celebrated the opening of a chicken coop built for the community by Suitcases For Africa supporters. This was the third chicken coop of this trip. Local musicians and students entertained us with dancing and music. A group of Community Healthcare Workers ended the festivities with a moving song entitled “Suitcases For Africa”. They had written this song as a tribute to the changes brought about in their community thanks to our projects and we were all moved to tears!

We have just been distracted by galloping zebras a few yards away!!

One of our last official visits was to say goodbye to all of our friends at Mukumu Home. Hilary had the opportunity to hand deliver 37 dolls that were made by students at St. Edmunds School and each doll had a handwritten message inside. The kids were thrilled. Lucas, Alexis and Hilary also took advantage of the time to play football and skipping one last time. A great time was had by all.

Our search for new projects brought us to the community of Mukomari. Located between the Rain Forest and the Rift Valley escarpment this is a community of 300,000 that has only one nurse and no source of clean accessible water. At the one dilapidated clinic serving the whole region we met a hard working, dedicated nurse named Grace. On the day of our arrival Grace had just returned from the hills after delivering a baby. We learned that any women experiencing complications or difficulties delivering her baby must travel, by motorcycle, a great distance to a hospital and many don’t make it. We were so shocked by Grace’s living and working conditions and lack of medical equipment. Knowing that Grace routinely covered vast distances on foot each day we immediately ordered a bicycle for her. We hope this will ease her burden somewhat. As we left her at 5:00PM she still had a long line of students waiting to be seen. One young girl was suffering from malaria and others were coughing and listless. Grace’s day never ends.

After a tearful good bye to our friends we boarded our plane in Kisumu knowing we were leaving a part of us behind. In contrast to the chaos of Kakamega we now sit in the peace and calm of the Amboseli National Park recuperating and reflecting on all that has transpired over the past few weeks. We know we are making a difference here and we thank all our supporters for making that possible. Kenya is surely a country of contrasts: rich/poor; good/evil; generosity/greed; honesty/corruption; hope/despair. We try to focus on the positive as do the good people we have met and work with here. They never stop believing in the possibility of change. Their faith never waivers and their hope for a better future inspires us.

It has been a privilege to represent you all here in Kenya. THANK YOU FOR CARING.

Baraka Za Mungu.

Darlene & Wendy

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