Thursday, July 30, 2009

The Best Job in the World!

Date: Monday July 6 to Sunday July 26
Day 35 to 55
Quote of the week: "People must make responsible choices that prevent the spread of disease, promoting health in their communities and countries" - Obama (speech in Ghana during his first visit to Africa as the U.S. President)

WOW, I can't believe it has been 3 WEEKS since I last blogged! My delay in writing has been due to work being crazy busy and I am thrilled to announce that we have finally STARTED PRODUCTION! We started production on Sunday July 19 and distribution began the following day on Monday July 20. It has been unbelievable for us to finally achieve this great success after so many challenges have set the project back (mainly the post-election violence). Roy, the Yoghurt Mamas, and the community have been waiting for this project to start for over 2 years and now we can finally say that we are up and running :)

Jen, Rani, and I have spent the past 10 days working from 7:30 am to 5 pm at the kitchen and distribution centres with Roy and the Yoghurt Mamas. We have 3 distribution centres→ Jiko La Jamii Dairies which is our yoghurt kitchen , The Rachuonyo District Hospital, and The Ober Health Centre. Rani, Jen, and I rotate between the 3 centres supervising distribution for the study which is so great because every day is different and I love meeting new people every day. The clients have been LOVING the yoghurt and they are always asking for more.

The best part of my day is distributing the yoghurt to men & women living with HIV/AIDS and many malnourished children. I have had the great opportunity to meet some very healthy happy clients who are open about their positive HIV status and determined to spread awareness and educate the general public. It is the greatest feeling in the world to wake up every day and do something so simple which can bring a smile to someone's face. I have the best job in the world doing what I love and that is why I don't mind the hectic work days that we have been having getting only 5 or 6 hours of sleep.

Project Accomplishments:• Teaching the Yoghurt Mamas to ride a bicycle which is necessary for distribution to the Rachuonyo District Hospital. Initially only 1 Yoghurt Mama knew how to ride a bike but after a week she had successfully trained 5 others. Although this was very important and a lot of fun it was also very challenging since the 2 bicycles we have are HUGE and for the women who are short like me it is impossible to mount the bike and reach the peddles.
• We went over all of the record keeping documents with the Orande Women's Group prior to distribution. We also had all the women sign a contract ensuring confidentiality of the study subjects, high quality milk production, etc.
• PRODUCTION FINALLY STARTED!
• Sales have been relatively good considering we haven't really done any marketing yet. We are hoping to meet with the other women's group working on advocacy this week to spread the word about Fiti Yoghurt and eliminate any misconceptions about the benefits.

Challenges:• Pushing the huge broken water tank in the reception area out of the kitchen. This was pretty hilarious and we ended up taking a machete to it! This cracked water tank was in very high demand and many people tried to take it...although I'm not sure what they wanted it for.
• The study for the project→ The study is pretty demanding requiring 300 clients to come in and consume the yoghurt on site every single day for 6 months (including Christmas)! In Oyugis with their culture and lifestyle it is nearly impossible for this to happen when many of the study subjects are sick in bed, at church, or live very far and do not have the money to travel to our distribution centres every day.
o Many mothers struggle to get their very young children to consume the full 200ml of yoghurt because it does not have sugar and the children think it is medicine. On the first day of distribution I had a mother with her young child in our room for 30 minutes!
o Over 200 of our clients do not have telephone numbers so it has been extremely difficult to contact them about the start of distribution. As well, we have had to sign up many new clients and each survey takes 30 minutes to complete so we need to have someone who is capable and willing to survey the new clients.
• Communication (again)! When we are out at the distribution centres and must communicate very important information to the study subjects it is very difficult without a translator. I have been working to learn more Kiswahili & Luo phrases for the project and we have been finding ways to overcome this challenge. Sometimes the clients who know some English will help us translate to other clients which is really nice.
• Our milk supplier→ we have already had to switch suppliers after our first one failed to deliver high quality milk on time. It is impossible to find high quality milk at competitive prices in Oyugis so our suppliers come from out of town which causes delays a lot of time.
• The Yoghurt Mamas→ I have learned so much about the Orande Women's Group this past week and one thing that I had no idea about was the fear that some of the women have about distribution. Almost all of the Yoghurt Mamas have less than high school education and many of them have trouble looking up a client's ID # on the distribution sheets when the numbers are in order. We have been very patient with them supervising and teaching them every day.
• People ALWAYS asking me to give them or buy them yoghurt which is especially hard when they want it for their child.

Most Memorable Moments:• Playing football (yes, I don't call it soccer anymore) with a local high school boys team. Roy spoke with the coach previously about me practicing with the boys’ team and although he told me they were very excited to have me play I was soooooooooo nervous. I was the only girl, the only white person, so out of shape, and HUNDREDS OF BOYS at the high school were watching the entire practice. Agoro Sare Secondary School is an all boys boarding school where they NEVER interact with girls so having Jen, Rani, and I come there was a pretty big deal. Plus none of the boys would talk to me since they've never had a lot of interaction with females and they are all in high school and very shy.
I played with them for 3 days and LOVED it :) It was the best feeling to finally be getting a good workout and it was pouring rain everyday which was awesome. A lot of the boys showed concern for me when I stuck it out in the rain, they said some really nice things about the way I play, and they kept telling me to come back every day. We also spent a full day with the team at a tournament and made a lot of new friends.
• Children outside the kitchen using our broken water tank as a play pen and slide.
• Leaving our hotel for dinner for the first time ever. This was definitely a good decision since our new dinner place makes the BEST food with a variety of items and exceptional service unlike at our hotel. We thought it was such a big deal to leave our hotel after dark because everyone built up this fear inside us but we have never had a problem and Oyugis is very safe.
• Stargazing behind our hotel :)
• Teaching Sachabea (our 8 yr old neighbour who isn't in school) some English phrases and math.
• News travels very fast in Oyugis which is why we must be very careful with our actions all the time because we get a ridiculous amount of attention. We were very happy when a friend told us that people in Oyugis like us because they have noticed that we try to blend in with the local culture and live like they do. I absolutely hate seeing tourists around because we are not tourists (we live here!) and sometimes I think they act so disrespectful and only solidify the stereotypes that Kenyans have about us.
• Jen and I trekking through the market with bicycles on a Tuesday (market day)!!! This was a disaster and pretty embarrassing and will never happen again. It is impossible to move around with people, food, and clothes everywhere!
• Speaking to one of the Yoghurt Mamas about her life. She shared with me how her mother passed away when she was very young, she was sold by her aunt to her current husband, has 6 children and would not like to have any more.

Life in Kenya:• Being Mzungus (white)→ we get asked to sponsor someone every single day...I only wish people could understand our situation as students in debt when we return to Canada. My boda boda (bicycle taxi) driver even asked me to sponsor him so he could buy a motorbike!
o We are ALWAYS offered a chair to sit on...we usually sit on the ground to show them that we are NOT superior to blacks and DO NOT deserve better treatment.
o They think we are very fragile beings→ bruises, always sick, sunburns, etc.
o People call us fat...YUP! I have gotten this comment about 3 times now and it’s hilarious.
o "H1N1! Swine flu!" being yelled at us after some UK students were quarantined in Kisumu (2 hours from Oyugis) and were all over the news.
o A hospital staff volunteer asking to be my Mom's maid and if I eat snail.
• Electricity and food are luxuries for many people in Oyugis
• The market→ the one thing I don't really understand is why everyone sells the exact same thing right beside each other...I'm not sure if this is some sort of regulation or their own choice but I find it very weird with no differentiation, excess supply, and very little demand.
• Corruption is EVERYWHERE!
• Children grow up learning to ask for money and food from Mzungus and to take things for free without earning it through hard work. One of the saddest things I have seen has been around the yoghurt kitchen where very young children scavenge through our garbage bin for empty yoghurt packets to drink. I always tell them "THI! THI!" (meaning GO!) because I am so worried about them getting sick or contracting a disease.
• Every little thing is entertainment since many people have nothing to do.
• Families of 6 and 7 are very common.

Quotes and memories:• All of our friends here say that I'm the loudest out of the 3 interns...I'm sure my family and friends back in Canada are laughing about this one.
•"I am almost the small dairy God" - Roy...because he is!

Sunday, July 12, 2009

Tears of Joy

Date: Saturday June 27 to Sunday July 5
Day 26 to 34
Quote of the day: "They are corrupt at the top out of greed, and they are corrupt at the bottom out of necessity" - Chris Hirst, Ongiya Disi Preparatory School sponsor

This was the most INCREDIBLE week of my trip so far and it was an emotional rollercoaster that I will never forget. I shed tears of happiness for the first time in my life on two completely different occasions. The first life changing experience for me was on Friday when we visited Ongiya Disi Preparatory School located on top of a hill in a small village called Ringa. We have met many children and visited a school before but Ongiya Disi is truly something very special. With 227 children and 9 teachers (plus the head teacher, kitchen staff, and maintenance) the school focuses on teaching the children integrity and empowering them out of poverty.

Ongiya Disi was built by an amazing woman named Risper Saituni...the Mother Teresa of Kenya. She has a huge heart and has devoted her life to building hope for the country she loves with this school. The school is currently surviving on the good will of the staff and the local community as they realize that education is their only hope. The teachers are practically volunteers with such a low salary and they are keeping this school alive without corruption (unlike all the government funded schools here). Upon our arrival we received a tour of each classroom and each group of children had a different song or poem for us. The youngest class, age 3 to 5, was definitely my favourite as the children belted out different songs in English led by 1 very young confident girl. Our tour ended with the most amazing song and dance performances by the children, speeches from Risper and Chris Hirst (sponsor who brought us there), and finally speeches from us. As soon as I began to speak my emotions took over and I began to shed tears of happiness. I tried to hold my tears back as I thanked Risper, the teachers, and the children expressing how incredible they all are in every way.

I truly believe that these children can make a difference and that they will be successful in their lives. It is something you really have to experience to believe in which is why I have really good videos for all of you to see! Children are the future and we must start with them to change the world.

Now the project and my second emotional experience...
This week we had 3 Yoghurt Mamas from the Fiti Yoghurt kitchen in Tanzania (up and running for 4 years now) in Oyugis training our Yoghurt Mamas on production, quality control, and hygiene. These women were truly inspirational and I am so proud of them for everything they have done for themselves and everything they have taught our Yoghurt Mamas. The 6 days of training were very successful and I was very impressed by the hard work, dedication, and desire to learn from both women's groups. On our last day of training speeches of thanks were given by the 3 Yoghurt Mamas from Tanzania, one of our Yoghurt Mamas, Roy, and the interns. Again as I started to speak my emotions took over and I cried uncontrollably. I was just so happy and inspired by the Tanzanian Yoghurt Mamas, their incredible leadership, and everything they have accomplished for themselves.

Project Accomplishments:
• Purchasing the necessary lab equipment and supplies for production
• Branding the kitchen FINALLY! We painted the front and side of the kitchen which includes "Jiko La Jamii Dairies", the project title, a dairy cow, and "processors of high quality healthy yoghurt". We also used blackboard paint inside the kitchen and have been using it for production records.
• Training by the Mwanza Yoghurt Mamas is finally complete! Although many of our Yoghurt Mamas were late on the first day of training their attendance and timeliness improved over the week which I was very happy about. I am very proud of all them for their huge amount of self-sacrifice when they leave their families and come to the kitchen for the whole day with no pay and no lunch.
• We have electricity!

Challenges:
• Every day we are faced with the challenge of dealing with people who want to use our phone (and therefore credit), buy them something, give them money, etc. The most difficult part about this is when they are our friends or acquaintances and it is hard for us to say no.
• Another similar challenge is replying to our friends/acquaintances when they ask us how they can get to Canada or to help them get to Canada. Unfortunately almost everyone here believes things are better outside of Kenya in the Western world and they all have dreams of going there. Every time we meet someone I dread this question being brought up...it is very difficult to answer and Kenya is way more beautiful than Canada anyway.
• Changing the stereotypes that everyone has about us. We are staying in the most expensive hotel in Oyugis and we have to purchase every meal out since we don't have a kitchen to cook for ourselves. We would prefer to live in an apartment with our own kitchen especially so people don't judge us as white "cash cows". We also buy a lot of water which people ration here.
• Communication! The biggest communication challenges are with the project work since Roy is the ONLY one in the kitchen who speaks Kiswahili, English, and Luo fluently. Roy was a translating machine this past week and not only was this very difficult but I'm sure many things got lost in translation. I love learning Luo, it is simple and usually white people never learn the language which makes us unique, but Kiswahili is the national language so it is probably more important for us to know that language.

Most Memorable Moments:
• ONGIYA DISI PREPARATORY SCHOOL!!!→ I also saw my first traditional African dance put on by these children :)
• Our 1st customer at the kitchen!!! A small child (about 5 years old) in her school uniform came into the kitchen with money for yoghurt. We gave her a packet for free since the yoghurt was not high quality yet.
• Chasing the young children as they run away screaming and laughing. They love it!
• Kennedy (my favourite soccer friend who is 13 years old) setting up an email account and sending his first email ever to me!
• Celebrating Canada Day decked out in red & white and temporary tattoos, stickers, and flags. By the end of the day we had many children, friends, and the hotel staff all wearing the temporary tattoos and stickers...it was awesome!
• Jen's birthday celebration! We spent Thursday night enjoying Tuskers (Kenyan beer) with our local friends and Saturday we had a fabulous trip to Lake Victoria! Lake Victoria is East Africa's most important geographical feature and the best part of this trip was the sweet boat ride we took on a really old gorgeous wooden sailboat (without a sail...just giant paddles) :)
• The Tanzanian Yoghurt Mamas thanking us for our self-sacrifice and commenting on how difficult it is for our parents to let us come here.
o Also, when we held elections for the kitchen positions one of our Yoghurt Mamas nominated me as Secretary as a joke

Life in Kenya:
• The average elevation of Oyugis is 1420 meters, about 4686 feet, compared to Toronto at 270 meters.
• WOMEN: Hair maintenance is very expensive so many young girls have their heads shaved and sometimes we have trouble distinguishing whether some children are male or female.
• CHILDREN: Jen and I observed the children and discussed the young ones looking after the babies as usual. We realized that when parents have more children it really isn't more work for them because they just have their older children looking after the young ones. Children grow up so fast and mature at a very young age learning to cook, look after their younger siblings, do the laundry, clean the house, etc.
• SCHOOL: A field trip for many children in Kenya is a trip to the supermarket where they learn to shop, pick an item, take it to the checkout, and make a purchase. This is something I would have never imagined but for these children it is educational and an important thing for them to learn.
• There is a sign that says "HIV/AIDS keep off or use condoms" at a junction near the market and kitchen
• We have been told that witches exist in Kisii (30 mins from Oyugis). They eat human corpses (by tapping on the grave and the coffin just comes up) believing that it gives them strength. They also use human hands as stir sticks when making alcoholic brews.
• Our hotel guards use a bow and arrow as their weapon. I have now witnessed one of the guards bring it out twice now after our friends were at the gates...it's nice to know that we are protected but I get really scared when they are pointing them at our friends!

Quotes and memories:
• INCREDIBLE is my new favourite word. Everything here is incredible and in every video we have I am saying that word.
• Singing along (very loudly) to Dilemma by Nelly and Kelly Rowland in the Matatu to Lake Victoria
• "Education is Life! It gives bread and wine, for those who are clever and wise, they never fail in life!" - Children singing at Ongiya Disi Preparatory School...just wait until you see the videos :)
• I got bit by a dog...it really isn't that bad at all and it barely broke skin but it’s funny because I'm the only intern who got the rabies shot. My co-intern Rani got a kick out of this...
o "Amanda's rabies shot - $800...Amanda getting bit by a dog - PRICELESS"
• Our friend wrote a cute message on Jen's birthday card and added "T-H-U-G→ True Homies Under God"
• "How do they hold the pot when it is so hot?" - Interns to Roy about the Yoghurt Mamas
"They are women, they just do it....you are not women." - Roy

Thursday, July 2, 2009

Embrace Life

Date: Monday June 22 to Friday June 26
Day 21 to 25

Quote of the day: Impossible things can happen

The Project:

Unfortunately our project work this week was very slow, complicated, and frustrating. We wanted to spend the week completing some necessary tasks for production to start (which is our main priority at the moment) but instead we had some financing limitations and other restrictions from KEMRI (Kenyan Medical Research Institute) which held us back. Instead we worked on anything and everything that we could think of to do for the kitchen.
Our accomplishments this week:
• Financial statements including a balance sheet and projected income statement. These tasks have been very difficult to complete with such large amounts of missing information (e.g. start-up costs). As well we must decide whether to create these statements for the kitchen as a commercial business or as a project including the World Bank funding and the study.
• Completed a rough draft of a business plan for the project kitchen in Oyugis (including the study)→ this will be used by all stakeholders involved. We can also make slight changes to the business plan to make it appropriate for the kitchen as a commercial business.
• TRAINING→ On Thursday we had a very successful training session with 9 of the women from The Orande Women’s Group (our Yoghurt Mamas). Unfortunately I was sick and had to stay home at the hotel :( I wanted to be there more than anything to see the Yoghurt Mamas again!
o Topics covered: project summary, yoghurt benefits, the Yoghurt Mamas, and Yoghurt Mama profiles (occupation, why they are involved, goals, etc.)
o I created a project summary sheet for the Orande Women's Group which includes the objective of the project, the benefits of the probiotic yoghurt, the role of the Yoghurt Mamas, information on the study, and a list of resources/contacts. This information was reviewed with them on Thursday as part of their training. Many stakeholders have not read the project proposal so this document will be used as a brief but thorough summary of the necessary project information.
• I also worked on my personal work responsibilities by summarizing some information informally to assess the cultural and intercultural communication issues around business decisions among the program stakeholders in Oyugis.
• I received feedback from the Yoghurt Mamas on the marketing materials (poster, flyer, and packaging inserts) and made necessary changes to make them more eye-catching with clear and concise information
• I designed and created client ID cards and dairy farmer tender posters
o Although Roy already has milk suppliers, KEMRI is requiring us to distribute the posters to attract milk suppliers for formality
• We created the training schedule for next week when the Tukwamuane Women's Group from Tanzania will be training our Yoghurt Mamas. These women have been involved with the Western Heads East project for 4 years and they are successfully operating the Fiti Yoghurt kitchen in Mwanza. This training will be very empowering for both women's groups and I know that the Orande Women's Group will gain more hope and excitement for the project after next week. Some things that will be covered in this training are:
o Hygiene & cleaning procedures
o Yoghurt production process
o Business practices: sales & distribution, record keeping, ethics, financial statements (opening and closing entries)
o Personal benefits for the Yoghurt Mamas

I love the work and it is so great to actually be using what I've learned in school. We face many challenges every day and work is very slow (something we are not used to at Ivey) but we are doing absolutely everything we can to get the kitchen up and running.

Challenges:
• We have a long list of THINGS TO PURCHASE BEFORE PRODUCTION which we wanted to buy this week but unfortunately KEMRI, a government institution with a lot more authority than us, has very specific requirements which must be met and they are extremely slow on transferring funds so this did not happen.
o As well our project manager Roy has ordered many of the necessary supplies for the kitchen and we are still waiting (after many weeks) to receive them.
• Although the Western Heads East project is very important to many people it is a very small project for KEMRI and this makes it extremely difficult for anything to get done.

Most Memorable Moments:
• Watching a group of kids (about 7 or 8 years old) taking turns riding an adult's bicycle down a hill. The kids would stand on one side of the bike with 1 leg through the bars to reach the other pedal. It was incredible.
• Climbing a tree at Oyugis Primary school. It was COVERED in ants so I was a little hesitant at first but of course I just climbed away. The children who followed us up the tree were like monkeys climbing at double the speed of us.
• Again I have to mention the children yelling my name  Everywhere we go I get many children who have now replaced “Mzungu!” with “Amanda!”
• Tracy (our 2 year old neighbour) speaking for the first time ever!
• Making peanut butter and jelly sandwiches! Yummmm...after eating huge portions of chicken or beef with rice or potatoes it is nice to have a smaller option available for lunch or dinner

Life in Kenya:

THE CHILDREN→ usually the children wear exactly the same thing clothing every single day (which is usually ripped or the wrong size). I can't believe how much we complained to our parents about wearing hand-me-downs. Their feet, hands, and faces are very dirty and the soles of their feet are as hard as rock from running around without shoes. One time I attempted to play soccer without shoes but barely lasted 10 seconds...running on the stones and hard ground was so painful!
• Children don't cry very often but when they do their parents are usually not around and so they are left to cry on their own.

I constantly think about how grateful I am to be here and how perfect this opportunity is for me. I love everything about the project and living in Africa is an incredible experience. I will always have a place in my heart for Oyugis, the project, and the people I have met here. I wake up everyday and still can't believe that just over a month ago I had no idea what my summer plans were and now I am living my dream.

Wednesday, June 24, 2009

Outliers

Date: Friday June 19 to Sunday June 22
Day 18 to 21
Quote of the day: "Amanda! Amanda!" - The children :)....there are now quite a few of very young children who have replaced "Mazungu" with my name which makes me smile. We will be walking down the street and young children who I barely recognize will be yelling my name.

On Friday June 19th I reflected on my experiences so far and I realized that my life has truly been impacted. The people I have met, the things I have seen, the places I have been, and the life I have lived here are so different than I had ever imagined. In my opinion the most difficult part of life in Kenya, and Oyugis in particular, is the lack of opportunities available to the children. There are some people who have the opportunity to get a good education, they work hard to overcome challenges, and they live a happy successful life. However, some children in Kenya will never have the opportunities that are available to us which we take for granted every day.

I have been reading the novel Outliers - The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell where I have found many things relating to Oyugis in many ways. Here is a perfect representation of the children in Oyugis: A sociologist Annette Lareuau conducted a study where she found "Poor parents tend to follow a strategy of 'accomplishment of natural growth'. They see as their responsibility to care for their children but to let them grow and develop on their own....The poorer children were, to her mind, often better behaved, less whiny, more creative in making use of their own time, and had a well-developed sense of independence."

Returning to the primary school again on Friday we listened to the teachers speak about the lack of funding for facilities, supplies, and sports equipment for the children. As well they told us of the many children who are orphans from HIV/AIDS victims and the challenges children face inside and outside the classroom. Many children struggle to complete their homework due to the lack of light in their home or emotional problems after the death of a sibling or parent.

Respect and authority are generally still based on age and gender. The majority of our free time is spent playing with the children which is my favourite thing to do. The older boys believe that they have authority over the other children and get to do whatever they want. I feel accomplished when we teach the children some discipline when it comes to the soccer ball and skipping ropes that we bring out. One afternoon we switched it up so that the girls played with the soccer ball while the boys used the skipping rope. Many of the boys continually asked me for the ball saying that the girls weren't any good at soccer...but since it is my ball I told them it was the girls turn and they listened. By the way, the only reason the girls may not be very good is that they never get time with the ball to practice!

The Project:
• Our project work is almost ALWAYS delayed as problems continually arise and must be dealt with immediately. Many simple tasks require the project coordinator due to language barriers, cultural differences, and inaccurate or missing information which is very difficult especially when Roy is required to make last minute trips to Kisumu or Kisii.
• Communication between stakeholders is one of the most challenging aspects of the project. Cell phones are very common however it is a pay-as-you-go system and many of the stakeholders demand to be financially compensated for telephone expenses related to the project. E.g. The chairlady of The Orande Women's Group contacting 20 women to inform them of a necessary 3 day training session which they must attend.
○ Keep in mind, in the Oyugis-Rachuonyo region many people are struggling every day to provide food for their families and cannot afford these additional expenses for a project that they are volunteering for.
• Recent problems:
○ The water tank in the kitchen fell over and broke...we are still not sure how this happened. We need to submit a proposal to receive funding for a new one which will take over 2 weeks to get the funds to purchase the new tank.
○ The training by the Mwanza Yoghurt Mamas is delayed by 1 week.
• I am thrilled to be working with my peers Jen and Rani. It is so much easier to work cooperatively and efficiently with people that you are sharing such an intense experience with.

Most Memorable Moments:
• Everlyn, our 10-yr old neighbour, inviting me over for Tea and tomatoes
• Watching a high school soccer game with thousands of other people crowded along the sidelines of the field.
○ Shaking hands with over 30 guys from 1 high school who wanted to meet us...it was pretty ridiculous.
○ The girls team playing in just bare feet (no shinpads, no shoes, no socks)
○ Our friends asking us if we want to sit in the shade and a random girl asking "how are you affected by this weather?"→ we found out that everyone thinks white people can't be in the sun. This all happened about an hour before I got a little bit of a burn.
• Our soccer games every night! I am getting such an intense workout and every time I slip in cow poo I think of the children who aren't wearing any shoes on the field.
• Climbing up a ladder on the 4th floor of our hotel to a ledge where the water tanks sit. This is probably one of the highest points in Oyugis so we had an amazing view while dangling our feet over the edge and children yelling up at us "Mazungu! Mazungu" or some of them "Amanda! Amanda!"
• Playing cards with our new friends and the hotel staff. They call the clubs suit "flowers".
• SKIPPING! Again I counted out loud for a group of young boys (about age 4 to 10) the # of jumps they completed in a row. After a while they wanted me to count in Luo ...which got pretty difficult because I only know how to count up to 10. Whenever I made a mistake or my pronunciation was wrong these young boys, who are usually the bad kids misbehaving all the time, would burst out laughing and some of them fell down on the ground after laughing so hard. It was hilarious...and I loved being able to make them laugh, even if they were laughing at me :)

Life in Kenya:
• It is extremely difficult to try and stop kids from pushing, shoving, and hitting each other all the time (especially when in line for skipping). These kids never have any adult supervision and after I tried to stop the kids from pushing in line I noticed a mother approach her child and hit him with a stick to get up and go home.
• Mazungus→ something else Kenyans love about us is touching our skin and hair...they are curious and think it is so different.

*With love from Oyugis, Kenya
Amondi (my African name) or
Emelda (what a lot of people think my name is)

Friday, June 19, 2009

The Perfect Balance

Date: Monday June 15 to Thursday June 18
Quote of the day: How do we ensure we are doing more good than harm?

Over the past couple days it has been extremely challenging to balance having fun with the children now without harming them in the long term. We have started to bring out some small luxuries that we have: bubbles, the soccer ball, and our digital cameras to play with the children but the fascination in these items has been overwhelming. Our soccer game has grown significantly and we now have over 20 children playing every time. We are being a lot more careful with the toys that we brought for the children and I'm happy that my soccer ball is getting so much use.

The Project: Jen and I spent a significant amount of time at the Rachuonyo District Hospital going through hundreds of the study subjects' questionnaires to enter missing data. Although this process was very time consuming and tedious it was necessary for data analysis and the research portion of the project. Unfortunately we still have some missing information but the data is much more complete and we can now start to analyze and perform regressions on the subjects' information.

My friend and peer Rani Suleman has now joined us in Oyugis to work on the project as a third intern from The Richard Ivey School of Business. It has been a really great experience for me showing her around Oyugis and getting her adjusted to life here. This really makes me feel like Oyugis is home, and it is :)

Life in Kenya:

• A soccer ball is a bunch of plastic bags stuffed inside each other tied together with a string. This is the main reason why the soccer ball I brought attracts so many kids.
• It is extremely difficult for us to tell which children are using us for our soccer ball and bubbles and which children actually like playing and spending time with us. One child followed us on a walk for about 15 minutes and at the very end said "Give me money!" Many people and children are taught that white people have a lot of money and we are all wealthy.
• SCHOOL→ At Oyugis Primary there is 1,300 children and 28 teachers. About 3 or 4 children share a small desk and bench made for 2 at most and I even saw some children sitting on the ground. The children raise their hands and stand up when they speak. I was shocked and appalled when we arrived at the school and the Head Teacher was acting like a King sitting with his feet up on another chair beckoning the children to fetch us chairs and water for him to drink and wash his hands.

Most memorable moments:

• Finally meeting our neighbours→ the 3 girls who I always see doing laundry outside our hotel window. I absolutely love these girls because they are adorable, very well behaved, always happy, and always wanting to play with us. Tracy is 2 and a half, Sashabea is 8, and Evalyne is 10. Evalyne attends school at Oyugis Primary and Sashabea is at home with Tracy during the day. Sashabea should be in school at her age but I am guessing that she isn't because she has to stay at home with Tracy :( They are my favourite children!
o Tracy falling asleep in my arms on the walk home from playing soccer at the school
• Finding a pool table at a bar/restaurant....amazing!
• Photo shoots with the hotel staff. We really have to show and encourage them to make funny faces because they have no experience with that :)
• I saw a 6 year old with a 3 month old baby on her back in a sling wrap. Although we see young children carrying babies all the time I will never forget these two girls because they are the youngest I have ever seen doing this.
• Visiting two Oyugis Primary Grade 8 classes teaching them English and educating them about Canada. This was one of the most incredible experiences so far! I was so impressed with the children. Their questions were very intelligent, their English was really great and they were very well behaved. Many of the children do not speak confidently and tend to trail off at the end of their sentences making it very hard for us to hear what they are saying. I kindly encouraged them all to speak up and with confidence because they were all very smart. Some of the questions they asked about Canada which were very difficult to answer at times:
o Who is your President (of course we had to correct them)? How often are elections?
o What do the colours of your flag represent?
o What kind of transportation do you use?
o Food & industries
o Do you pay taxes? What is your health care system?
o When do people get married?
o What is a child's responsibility?
• Singing the Canadian national anthem twice and forgetting some of the words the first time! It was hilarious and all the kids were laughing at me.
• My neighbour Evalyne and I held the skipping rope for children to jump. I taught the children how to form a line so everyone could participate with equal turns and without pushing. I also counted the # of jumps for each child out loud to encourage them to keep going and to beat their personal best.


*Thanks so much to everyone who has been sending me emails and keeping up with my blog. I really appreciate it soooooooooooooo much!

Visitors no more

Date: Thursday June 11 to Sunday June 14

I am officially no longer a visitor in Oyugis! For the past couple days Jen and I have begun to do things without Roy and everything has been great. From the marketplace to the hospital to the internet cafe we know where everything is, what everything costs, and how to communicate with the people in Oyugis.

My favourite part of each day is when we go down the street to Oyugis Primary School from about 5:30 to 7 pm to run and play soccer with the children. Many of the children follow us as we walk down the street and many others now know exactly what time we will be there so they just show up every day to play soccer or watch us. The children seem to be doubling in numbers every time that we go and it is difficult to tell them to go home when we leave.


On Saturday June 13 we went to Roy's village Wire. It was absolutely stunning! Unlike Oyugis his village is very peaceful, serene, and there are a lot less people. We had a fantastic home cooked meal prepared by Roy's younger siblings who chased, killed, and cooked the chicken. We took a really nice hike up to the peak of the hill that Wire is on and the view was breathtaking. Unfortunately the photos that we took do not represent what we saw.


On Sunday June 14 we awoke to loud music blasting and people preaching for hours. We spent the day relaxing by reading on the balcony and playing with children in a grassy area behind our hotel. We made so many friends, yay!

Greatest learning experiences:
  • Learning and speaking the language of Oyugis called Luo. Everyone laughs when we speak Luo because the majority of white people don't know the language since they only stay in Oyugis for a very short amount of time. I love learning the language and it is really important for communication with the children and many adults.

    Life in Kenya:
  • People are either African or a Mazungu. A 'Mazungu' (white person) includes those who don't appear to be Caucasian to us: Indians, Asians, South Americans, etc.
  • It is a lot of hard work to live a simple life. Most people do not have fridges or freezers so the food that they eat is purchased in the marketplace or from someone on the street and prepared every single day. Roy's sister explained to us the difficulty of chasing and catching a chicken and I can't imagine how long it takes to remove all the feathers and cook on a small little stove called a 'Jiko'. We have it so easy.

    Most Memorable Moments:

    • An 8 year old girl ran and kept up with me for my entire jog at Oyugis Primary. Afterwards a group of about 12 - 15 children stretched and did yoga with us copying exactly what we did. It really didn't matter what we were doing it was just like Simon Says and they loved it! The children even started chanting with us "Warrior 1...Warrior 2...Warrior 3" as we did the yoga positions with them.
    • Learning how to make coal and mud huts
    • Buying beautiful fabric in the marketplace to make custom African dresses.
    • The sky is absolutely gorgeous! It is difficult to describe but there are so many beautiful colours and as I scan the sky it is so different from every angle.
    • Making friends with our hotel staff...I love them! They all think Jen and I are between 15 and 17 years old which is hilarious.

Friday, June 12, 2009

Keep on Running

Date: Tuesday June 9 to Friday June 19

Quote of the Day: "Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail."

 

These past couple days have been pretty relaxing which is nice and Jen and I have made some BIG steps forward venturing out on our own! :) Roy is still being a little overprotective stepping in as our worried parents but we finally convinced him to let us walk home alone from the marketplace (its less than 2 minutes away) and go to the Oyugis Primary School down the road (also less than 2 minutes away). We still get stared at all the time and the children still ALWAYS yell "Mazungu! Mazungu!" but besides that it is very safe, the people are really nice, and I really feel at home here now. 

 

Life in Kenya:

THE FOOD

Our lunch and dinner is usually: Chicken or beef with rice or chapati or ugali + pop (Fanta, Coke, or Sprite). Portions are HUGE and unlike us in North America no one is trying to lose weight or is on a diet. 

·         Coca-Cola is EVERYWHERE...they pretty much have a monopoly and are taking over Kenya.

THE CLOTHING

·         It’s really interesting how opposite it is here from North America and other parts of the world. In Canada everyone is obsessed with fashion and everyone judges people by what they are wearing from your shoes to your jewellery. In Kenya NO ONE CARES what you wear and fashion does not exist. People really like to wear graphic Ts with random stuff written on them. I found some pretty hilarious ones today. :)

·         Women do not wear clothing that shows off their best feature and Roy told us there is no "perfect body" for a woman...no one cares. This definitely results in fewer eating disorders (if any at all) and women never having to feel self conscious.

THE DAY-TO-DAY LIFE:

·         The marketplace is the busiest place in all of Oyugis. It is truly incredible and I love it! It is packed with people, Matatus, bikes, and shops. Many people are selling the exact same things side by side so competition is tough, everyone wants us to buy something from them, and I don't really think anyone makes that much money.

·         Sometimes straight men hold hands...I'm not really sure why, it’s random.

·         The life of a child is so different. Freedom to go wherever and play but also many chores at a young age...and by play I mean whatever they can find/do to entertain themselves (I haven't really seen any toys at all) which is why we are so popular with the kids.  A lot of them have extremely limited opportunities and I'm assuming very limited dreams as well since there is so much in the world that they don't even know exists.

Most Memorable Moments:

·         THE CHILDREN:

o    Bubbles with the kids across the street! This caused quite the scene...children were pushing and shoving each other to get their turn blowing the bubbles.

o    I helped a 2 year old girl out of a tree today. She was with her older sister in the tree but she was at least 6 feet off the ground and I have no idea how she got up there in the first place but she was crying. Of course her parents were nowhere to be seen.

o    Young children as young as 5 years old carrying babies. I also saw a boy about 8 washing his younger sister, about 3, in a basin of water outside my hotel window.

o    The youngest ones are usually NEVER wearing shoes...and they are all extremely dirty.

o    A group of about 12 children (ages 3 to 9) followed Jen and I running around the field at the school, stretching, doing yoga, jumping jacks, etc. THE ENTIRE TIME. It was pretty hilarious and they really didn't care what we were doing they just copied us like Simon Says until we had to leave. Some of the girls then grabbed our hands and we struggled to communicate to them that they had to go home. Eventually two young 8-year-old boys who knew the most English helped us tell the young girls that they had to go home.

·         Football! Or as we would call it...soccer! I finally got my soccer ball, which I had packed in my suitcase, blown up at a little bike hut down the road. The pump wasn't exactly meant for a soccer ball and didn't have the needle so it took about half an hour to get the ball pumped up.

o    The kids play without shoes on and some of them are really really good!

o    Today was our second time out playing, we got some kids back who were there the first day, and we're hoping they will continue to come back because they play with so much heart, they love it, and I love it!

o    The field we play on is on a slope with ditches, huge rocks, and cow poo everywhere and we used bricks for our goals

·         Seeing other white women for the first time in Oyugis! They were from the UK and stayed at our hotel for 1 night and they just kept saying "Blimey!"...it was hilarious.

·         Our adventure to Kisumu, the third largest city in Kenya. This was our first time riding in a Matatu, a taxi bus that can seat 15 people (5 rows of 3) but they cram AS MANY PEOPLE AS POSSIBLE into the Matatu so we had 20 people in there at one time. Ours was more like a pretty sweet party bus...music blasting on a TV screen with a music video of some Kenyan guy named ____ Basement who sang a song called "Obama". Many people got on and off throughout the trip to Kisumu and along the route every time we stop people come up to the Matatu selling different things (newspapers, candy, socks, watches, water, and the list goes on...)

o    The Matatus do get pulled over by police along the highway. Each time we got pulled over the driver/Matatu man would just pay off the police and we would drive away. That is how things work and no one cares.

·         Things I have seen women carrying on their heads: bowls of fruit & other items, potato sacks, pails of water, planks of wood, a suitcase + mattress on top. A lot of these items are extremely heavy and I am still so amazed by the women and their balance especially walking on these uneven rocky roads.

 

The Project Work:

We are still waiting for the Yogurt Mamas from Mwanza, Tanzania to arrive in Oyugis to train the Yogurt Mamas here. Until then we are preparing for the kitchen to be up and running so we can start production! There are still some necessary supplies we need to purchase and we are still waiting for some funding from KEMRI (it takes FOREVER!) in order to cover the cost of the raw materials for at least the next 3 months. Jen and I have really started to get this project moving and we are making some extremely efficient progress. Unfortunately we cannot move forward until the training is complete.

·         Made posters for the kitchen: quality control, the production process/steps, and milk tests for quality

·         I designed some marketing materials using Microsoft Publisher, my favourite! :) I created a poster, flyers, and the packaging inserts for the yogurt. We are hoping to distribute these materials to the advocacy group within the next 2 weeks.

·         The Data: established the intervention & control group (the control group will not start consuming the yoghurt until 6 months after the first group), assigned study subjects to the appropriate distribution centres

o    Unfortunately it will be very difficult to notify the control group about their status...they are not going to be very happy

·         Our adventure to Kisumu: Visited KEMRI and purchased necessary supplies for the kitchen

 

 

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Honoured in Oyugis

    Quote of the day: Life has no limitations, just the ones you make.


    Sunday June 7 was a very intense cultural experience and not the happiest of times. One of the Yogurt Mamas from the Orande Women's Group who was going to be working in the kitchen with us passed away last week at the early age of 37. Roy had to attend the funeral and Jen and I were invited to go and not only that but it was an honour for us to be there. We had nothing else to do and we thought it would be nice to attend. Jen and I rode on a motorbike together to get there which was pretty sweet and we got to see another area of Oyugis higher up on the hillside. Another incredibly gorgeous view.

     

    Two of the Yogurt Mamas from the Orande Women's group greeted us and it was really nice to see some familiar faces. They were all so kind to us and smiling the whole time. Again we were the only white people there and many people came up to us and introduced themselves. We were told repetitively that it was truly an honour that Jen and I were there as visitors.

     

    We were then treated as the guests of honour...before the ceremony started the Yogurt Mamas took Jen, Roy, a friend of Roy's, and I into one of the women's homes and served us a HUGE meal. A whole chicken, cooked liver, ugali (kinda like dry mashed potatoes), chapati (like a flour tortilla), and a HUGE pot of rice. When we asked if all the food in front of us was just for the 4 of us Roy replied "No...its really just for you two"...Jen and I! There was enough food for a table of 8 and we had to be respectful and try to eat it all! We sat on couches and ate with our hands. After we ate we were told to finish a whole bottle of pop as well. I felt so sick afterwards...o well, I'm fine now and will eat strategically next time in order to be respectful but not STUFFED :)

     

    A funeral in Kenya:

  1. Lots of people & lots of speeches. Even if you are friends with a friend of the person who died you should attend and you may be asked to speak.
  2. Politicians usually attend, make a speech, and blabber on about politics...HOW RUDE during a funeral! So disrespectful.
  3. Many people were talking amongst each other during the ceremony and even answering their cell phones!
  4. Groups breaking out into song
  5. Attire is pretty much everyday wear for them...you can wear whatever you want
  6. A teenage girl breastfeeding her child was right behind us
  7.  

    Most memorable moments:

  8. Eating the chicken served in a pot along with the head/beak and claws/feet. EWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!
  9. Feeling sick after eating so much food...my little tummy can't eat that much!
  10. Being mentioned in the ceremony twice by the Orande Women's Group and one of the men from the District Hospital
  11. Squeezing into a hospital pickup truck with 7 people + 2 in the back of the truck
  12. Finding out that the children of the women who had passed away are now orphans :(
  13.  

    Greatest learning experiences about Kenya:

  14. In general, relationships between a man and a woman do not involve much emotional connection and marriage is simply for convenience or if the women gets pregnant
  15. Cow poo mixed with mud makes a really good house...and its cheap! I learned this right after I stepped in cow poo...right after my shoes had been all sparkly clean from our hotel staff cleaning them.
  16.