Higher Education: a ticket out of poverty

One of the immediate problems that any visitor sees in Kenya is the education system. There are more problems with it than worth mentioning here, but one of them is the fact that going to college is very difficult for many different reasons. For the kids I was working with in the slums the cost of college is unthinkable, so if they do make it through high school they have no way of affording to going to college. A high school diploma cannot get a student a job of any sort-- even at a gas station you need a college certificate of some sort. So the only benefit of going to high school in the slums is that it will usually feed the child lunch- which could be the only meal of the day, and that it keeps the kids busy and off the streets getting into trouble. But once they finish high school the kids are in the same vulnerable position as kids without high school education. In fact they might even be in a worse situation because they haven't had the experience of working the streets and learning the "right way" to do things.

With this being said, one of the investments that Change Lives Now, the US counterpart I have been representing, wants to do is start is a scholarship program for students who can qualify for post secondary education. They were given a lump sum of money that was specifically for this project. So Alix, another volunteer that came over to Mogra, and I worked on this scholarship program a lot. We travelled all over Nairobi visiting different colleges, universities and trade schools to see where we could send students based on fields of study that are marketable and in our budget. We interviewed and met with dozens of alumni from Mogra Star Academy to find which students scored well enough to attend college, were in great need and would be willing to give back to the community. Finally after many weeks of research and work we invited 13 students to be apart of this scholarship, give back program. The students are required to do 16 hours of community service a week until they begin classes, and then they will be required to do work 1 weekend a month while in school in order for them to stay connected in the community and give back.

We chose 3 different schools for the students to study a diploma or certificate course in social work, IT, engineering, teaching and business. The courses are from 1 year to 3 year long and should be marketable enough for them to find a job at the end and them hopefully make enough money to continue their education. We couldn't pay for degrees, but diplomas in most fields are just as marketable.

When we gathered the students together for a social to congratulate them on being selected they were ecsatic and shocked that it was actually happening for them. They have had many people come and promise them scholarships in the past, but it never actualates, and never got their hopes up that we were different. One kid named Sammy was so happy he told me, "This is the best thing that has ever happened to me. I never knew my savior would come this soon." The kids were all calling their parents and family members to tell them they were sponsored to attend college, it was a beautiful sight.
Education truly is their only way out of the slum, and now 13 kids have a opportunity to better their lives and receive an education. A few of the kids are complete orphans and have nobody to support them, and a few have parents that are so sick that the kids are actually raising their siblings, so this opportunity will really change the future of their families.

It was an honor and blessing to be apart of this process. It was incredibly difficult to pick which students we offered scholarships to: trying to narrow 75 down to 13. They are all in need and I wish we could have helped them all, but slowly hopefully over time we can help more and more students. I look forward to keeping in touch with the students and hearing about their progress and succes!

Wonderful Donations!

I am continuously blown away by the generosity of everyone supporting not only me but all the people I am working with for. Being in a place like Kenya, and especially the orphanage here I am able to identify so many needs. It can be incredibly overwhelming, so I have found the best way to avoid feeling so helpless is to work on 1 project at a time- brilliant right!?
The first need I identified here at Mogra was that the 140 children did not have a single table to study on or eat supper at. If they wanted to they would sit in chairs and hunch over another chair to study, or they would study on their beds. Being the teacher that I was trained as I knew this was awful for them to learn. And when they ate they did the same, going to their beds or just sitting on the ground. It is not conducive for any family setting or community building, it bring isolation. I really hated seeing them eat and study every night and I briefly mentioned it to my mom. Before I knew it my aunt was generously donating enough money for us to buy tables for the kids. When I announced it one night that we would be getting tables all the children erupted into cheers, and were so excited. They were thanking me all night before they even had the tables. The night the tables arrived the children sat down immediately after seeing them and didn't move until we forced them to go to bed! When we measured the tables we figured 6 kids could sit at a table comfortably. But the Kenyan culture is such that you share everything, and you don't have anything to yourself. So these kids were sitting 8-12 kids at a table so they could be together. It is such a beautiful site to see them sitting together during dinner and talking rather than sitting isolated. The tables came just in time for the seniors to take their HUGE exam, and they couldn't be happier studying sitting up straight up. It's so exciting!

The other donation that transformed these kids was simple: socks and underwear! Mom and Dad brought over tons of donations (THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR THEM!!) and they went CRAZY when I brought them in 2 by 2 to receive 1 single pair of socks and 1 pair of underwear (check out those smiles in the pictures!) You could hear the girls screaming a mile away and showing off their new pants! The socks will last them a whole year, wearing them to school 6 days a week, washing them every night after school. Insane. All of their current socks have holes in the toes and heals and are so worn they look uncomfortable. The next day they were all strutting to school excited to look nice in their new socks!

It puts everything into perspective for me when I see these kids being so thankful for 1 pair of sock. I toss around my belongings like it is no big deal but they carefully take notice to every one of their belongings. They are so grateful for all of the donations they have received. Thank you for all of your generosity and donations, from pencils (which they treasure almost more than socks i think!)to clothes, shoes, toys, everything is recognized. Asante Sana (thank you so much!)

10 year old Victim

It is with great sadness that I sit here and write to you all. Our dear young Samuel passed away yesterday, a horrible tragedy at 10 years old.

I last saw him on Saturday and he was the worst I had seen him yet, however the nurses assured me and his family ‘he is improving and hope to release him soon.’ They had no reason to say that, especially to give his family that kind of hope when he was no better off than before. He had been off of the IV, yet again, for the previous 4 days. His arm was blocked so they wanted to move the IV to his neck, but they needed to X-ray it first to insert it properly. But the technicians had not come to x-ray him so they simply didn’t give him the IV. He still had an open wound on his stomach and they hadn’t fixed the whole in his intestine, so there is no way he would be released soon. I left on Saturday incredibly helpless and frustrated that the nurses and doctors can sit there all day and not call anybody in to help this poor kid. But the nurses had given his family such positive feedback that they were encouraged he would be released soon and only began to worry how they would pay the hospital bill and take him home. That was the least of my worry leaving.

I received a call on Wednesday saying that he was barely conscious, but had been put on the IV finally. The doctors also diagnosed his initial problem as Typhoid, brought from unclean water and food, however his symptoms don’t match typhoids so I don’t know if I would believe it. The current complications he was experiencing were simply a result of neglect and malnutrition- from the hospital. The woman that called me was desperate to find an immediate solution because she knew if he was left in that condition he would die. And no sooner than 12 hours later was he taken from his miserable state to eternal rest.

My first reaction is pure sadness. Such a small young boy, who had never been ill before and had suffered so much pain in his last weeks of life, nobody should have to do that. My second reaction is frustration and anger. He was completely neglected and not treated properly. If his situation had occurred anyplace else in the world he would have been treated and recovered fine. And if he hadn’t of been treated his family could file a major case of neglect on the hospital and they would be held accountable. But not here. Not among the poorest of the poor. Not in a 3rd world country. Samuel is one of many cases that this neglect happens to. And his story will go unheard just like the last one. The nurses and doctor will continue on with their lives, probably thankful they don’t have to deal with the mzungu who comes in and disturbs their rest asking questions about the patient they are not helping properly.

For young Samuel, I am coming to realize that his death was the best way to help him. He was not cared for or loved properly in his life-- by his family at home or by the doctors. And had he recovered he would have been sent back into the dark slum world trying to fend for himself barely surviving. It saddens me that he was so neglected and let down by the people in his life, but I trust that he is able to rest peacefully with God now. He will not be abandoned or forgotten by God, as none of us are.

I trust he was taken to heaven, but please pray for him, and pray especially for his family. They are already in tough situations lacking hope for their future and this tragedy will hurt them even more. But I know it is possible to bring them back together and make their lives better. Pray also for Kenya and all the places where the poor are exploited and abused on every level and the rich don’t open their eyes to see it and help. Even if you and I are not the wealthiest we are all so blessed in our lives and we have a responsibly to reach out to those who cannot speak up for themselves. Let us rise to the occasion to do something to help those people.
Rest Peacefully, Samuel, pray for the rest of us down here.

Family Va-ca in Kenya!

So the fam successfully made it to Kenya, and we had a packed full week of adventures and fun! I barely gave them enough time to adjust to the 7 hour time difference, but they did a great job! They wore me out, so in brief, here is what our week looked like: maybe they can do a guest post and give their experiences better than I can (ahem, mom and dad!).

We started with 2 days at Hekima Place, the first orphanage I was in September and they got to play with the kids, pick avocado's off the tree and visit the new land that Hekima is building on. The girls loved meeting my family, and especially playing with all of our hair: especially dad's (see photo!!) They very rarely have any males in their life, so when a father figure comes around they are excited to receive love from them.

Mom was very excited to do some shopping while in Kenya, and we did plenty of it! We went to 2 open air markets that you must bargain prices. I would say she became pretty good at it- with my help, while Bridget may have been taken advantage of a bit- but we'll pretend like she was good! The conversion caused a few problems. We also went to a bead and pottery factory called Kazuri. They hire single mothers and give them jobs and health care for the children, we watched the women mold and paint the beads into beautiful jewelry.

I know you are all waiting to hear about the animals we saw, but we didn't see any. KIDDING! Of course we went on Safari to the Masai Mara and saw almost all of the Big 5. We saw so many Zebras and Gizelles we almost got tired of them. We saw a few lions as close as 10 feet away, giraffes, elephants, buffalo, warthogs- which are surprisingly cute, and most thrilling of all was a Leopard eating a gizelle in a tree! It isn't a trip to the Mara without getting a flat tire either. So in the middle of the wildebeast and zebras we had to get out and change the flat, pretty exciting! It was a fun couple of days, and a beautiful drive through the Great Rift Valley and the small villages of the Masai people who still live in huts cut off from the modern world.

Finally we ended at Mogra, the current children's home where I am. I was most excited for this because it has become like home for me, and I wanted to share it with them. We went into the slum and they saw the school and also went to a student's home in the slum. They experienced the sounds, smells and sights in the slum that I have come to love. I think Dad was more surprised that all 1000 students are (chaotically) let out for lunch at the same time, completely unsupervised than the poor living conditions of the home he visited!
Back at the children's home they were absolutely loved to pieces. We sat in the dining room and the kids completely surrounded them and started asking every question they could think of. Dad, being the teacher and business lover that he is spent his time teaching the kids about savings bonds, no joke! They all want to be economists now. The kids are still telling me that my mom is the most jovial and loving mother they have met, that my sister is just as beautiful as me (obviously!) and that my dad was so smart and friendly. They loved meeting the family and kept asking why they had to leave so soon. Another visit must be arranged!

Finally, we ended the week by going to a tea farm and learning how tea is made. Kenya is known for their tea and coffee, they export 98% of their production It was a beautiful and relaxing afternoon to learn the process and enjoy a beautiful tea garden. Did you know from the time a leaf is picked, a cup of tea can be made in 24 hours?

Overall,i would say we had a great week seeing all different parts of Kenya. I even got a few showers this week, quite a treat! It was a a blessing to be able to show them around first hand so they can now picture the places I have been. I look forward to showing the rest of you around some day in the future!
See bridget's photo's for a more complete tour: http://www.facebook.com/home.php#!/album.php?aid=2067992&id=1420980375