The Mara

The ride to the Maasai Mara was great.  Except maybe for Richard who heard us yelling "Stop!"every time we saw a  different animal.  He stopped a lot - when we saw our first antelope and our first wildebeest and our first giraffe! 

Our first zebras!

 

 

Geographically, this is the Serengeti - famous for the annual wildebeest migration.

It is called Serengeti on the Tanzania side and Maasai Mara on the Kenya  side.

In June we were seeing the first small wildebeest herds.  The million and a half more would soon follow. We saw some Maasai men in their red and orange clothing herding their cattle and goats along the way.

 

When we arrived at the entrance, there were a lot of Maasai women crowding the van trying to sell us beaded jewelry.  They were very persistant - even  trying to open the windows of the van.  They especially like earrings  and they have very elongated ear lobes. There is a fee to enter the park and lots of rules to follow. As it should be. This is their home.

 

We stayed at Fig Tree camp, which was very luxurious after our humble Amani Center.





 

I've read about fig trees in Africa.  Where there are fig trees there will be water.

Our Fig Tree camp was separated from the Mara by a moat.  We crossed a bridge to enter our camp and were greeted by some Maasai employees with cool towels and a cold juice drink.  I was in Heaven. We would go on our first game drive later this afternoon.



 

Great Rift Valley

As the fundis were laying the new concrete floors at Unity Center School, the World of Difference team was heading out to the Masai Mara. I was going on a safari!!!!
As soon as we left Nairobi the landscape started to change.  More green. I started looking for animals.  The drive to the Masai Mara National Reserve would be about 5 hours.  I was glad we had Richard to teach us along the way.  We stopped to take a break at a scenic overlook. 

 

And of course they had carvings and art and beads for sale.

And then I found it - and I heard it - a drum!.

It had a nice tone.  It was not too big or too small.  I had to get this for the children and Josephat.  Even George saw it and called to me.  He agreed it had a good sound. 

I got the drum and a shaker and a happy heart.

 

 

The team from left to right - Sara, Brad, Brie, Chyrese, Angella,, Sue, Bonnie, Russ with Bubba on his shoulders, Kindee with Lucy, and Jared.

 

Hard Work

The floors were hard work. We chipped the old floors out and the fundis would lay the new floors over the weekend so they could dry. We also worked on the front of the  building with help from great people like Jimmy and Rosie and Justus.

         Jimmy is a student who came to work while the teachers were out on strike.  He hopes to go to college in the US.  He works with a youth group on community projects in his spare time.  What a great kid!  Rosie said "I haven't seen you in a while, Ray Charles".  The cool sunglasses work as safety goggles too.

These goats were not helping!

 

 

 

                                                               Lunch Break!

                                          I was getting tired and  looking forward to our trip to the Masai
                                                    Mara.

The Women

The women we worked with in Kenya are incredible.  They were all volunteers - and they all showed up every day in exchange for waiving some of their children's or grandchildren's school fees. 

On Thursday we began chipping out the old floors and the old mortar from the front of the  building ( without safety goggles) and the women worked as hard as the men,

We called ourselves the Bucket Brigade as we spent a lot of time hauling buckets of sand and water and ballast and rocks to the classrooms.  Never heard one complaint or bad word.  They went and got water from  the stream and they carried it back on their shoulders or their heads.  I never quite got the hang of that.  They sang and worked and cleaned and spoke softly and smiled and put their hearts and souls into Unity Center School.  We were blessed to have them on our team.

                         Sarah and some of the wonderful women of the bucket brigade.

 This is a "before" picture of the school kitchen.  Definitely needed an update. And a whole lot of love!

 

Fundi

I really enjoyed working side by side with the Kenyans.  They were patient with my limited knowledge of Africa and curious about my country. 

 

Bonnie, Angella and Frank

 

 

They let us try and fail and learn and never once got frustrated.  Fundi translates as "skilled worker" and I found them to be very skilled and very hard workers. 

Mortaring

 

I learned brick laying and plastering and a lot about building in general. If they did not have a tool, they made one.  When the donkey cart had a breakdown, ( the cart, not the donkey) they brought in the cement by wheelbarrow.  And they even used the paper from the bags.. They are very resourceful.

 

 





 

 

 

Note the ladder.

 

Frank learned all of our names and made a point of greeting each of us.  Sammy always smiled when I told him I was on break.  On Wednesday, my One Good Thing was how proud I was that they called me "Fundi".

If Only

I absolutely loved dancing with the kids in Kenya.  And they were very kind not to make fun of my dancing.  When I heard the music teacher talking about the children and how they just needed a drum, it brought tears to my eyes.

A drum.  The man just wanted a drum so the children could be happy singing and dancing.

I decided to try and find one in the next two weeks. Better ask George!

As the work continued, my wheelbarrow muscles were getting sore.  Fortunately, I had help.

The street kids, whose parents can't afford school fees, don't speak much English.
I just knew this guy wanted to help.!

                             Jared and Chyrese taught them how to play leapfrog. 

The Project

The project we were to work on was in the large slum area known as Kayole.  Unity Center School was in Soweto.  No running water. Electricity limited.  No paved roads. 

Unity is a private school that charges a school fee for each child. This covers uniforms, lunch and books.  The public school system in Kenya is overcrowded.  There is no school fee, but there are

 charges for uniforms, lunch and books. The teachers were out on strike while we were in Kenya. The vision of Unity Center School is : To Create Citizens Capable of Bringing About Positive Change in the Society and the Entire Nation.

Our plan was to build one new classroom, a new kitchen and repaint the other classrooms.
This involved tearing down the temporary classroom which was made of tin walls with a tin roof that leaked. 

We also tore down the kitchen - used to make the daily lunch of ugali - which was covered in soot with a sunken wet area as a floor.

We worked hard on our first day - Tore down and started to raise the kitchen floor and bring in  bricks for the new rooms.  Our team included a foreman, Sammy, and 5 or 6 skilled workers called "fundis" in Swahili. They received lunch and about $14  a day.  And we had 5 or 6 women who volunteered to help us in order to have their children's' or grandchildren's school fees waived for the year. We fed them lunch.  They all became our friends.

 

At the end of the first  day, I went out and joined the children who were singing and dancing.  I introduced myself to the music teacher Josephat Kilungu and told him I loved their music and had wanted to dance with the African children for a long time. 

He welcomed me and told me that the music made the children very happy.

If only they had a drum....... 

One Good Thing

Throughout our time in Kenya, we saw many heartbreaking things.  Poverty, garbage, orphans.  Those " starving kids in Africa" we heard about when our parents were trying to get us to eat - well, we met them. We know their names.

So to help ourselves and each other, we focused on One Good Thing.
Each evening before we split up for the night, we went around the dinner table to hear One Good Thing from everyone. Little things, big things, feelings, - something we learned or gained - something positive.  It ranged from things like "George made me laugh today"  or "I liked hearing the baby class count - Numba one numba two numba three" to "We got a lot done today. We worked hard. "

One Good Thing is something I learned in Kenya that I will keep with me always - wherever I go.

Maybe before we sleep at night, we should all be thankful for One Good Thing.

Shangilia

Shangilia Orphanage is a special place.  It's a home for orphans and street kids that uses the performing arts to build confidence and community.  These kids sing and dance and do acrobatics and they are good!  Some of their group actually travel to other places to perform.  They put on a great show for us and touched our hearts.

 

And after we performed our soon-to-be-World Famous Hokey Pokey for them, we got a chance to mingle.

Home Sweet Kenya

We stayed at the Amani Center.  It's part of a church and there are monkeys on the roof.

Sunday morning, I heard some men outside of church practicing their singing. I wish I could have recorded it!  I also saw a guy riding a camel down the road! When I asked George later he said "yes, it is Sunday"  (????????) Apparently, men with camels sometimes bring them out to parties and offer rides for a fee on the weekends.

The food in Kenya is.....bland. One of their staples is Ugali.  I have included the recipe in case you want to make it. 

4 cups water
3-4 cups maize meal
Bring the water to a boil in a pot.  Add the maize meal and stir to prevent lumps., Add more maize meal to make a thick porridge.  Keep stirring until the maize is well cooked.  Tip out on to a plate. The ugali should hold it's shape.  Bon Appetite.

Giraffe Center

Our next stop was the Giraffe Center.  Here you can get up close and personal with the local giraffes.  You can even go upstairs to meet them on eye level. I was surprised how gentle they were.

 

George and Richard

We had the best drivers in the world!  George is warm and funny and always said "Hakuna Matata"  - "no problem" when we asked him to stop or go back or take a detour. 

George Waiganjo

 

 

I liked to be ready early so I could talk to George while we were waiting. He gave me lessons in Swahili.  When I asked how to say "See you tomorrow"  he taught me
Tu ta o nana kesho.  He even wrote it on the van.  The kids loved it!  He answered and explained and translated and picked up supplies and pushed the wheelbarrow and played with the kids. He even has his own school called Little Giants.  It's bright and safe and happy - just  like George.  If you need a driver in Kenya, I give George my highest recommendation.  You can find him at www.geolyasafaris.com .AND he will make you laugh!

                                                         Richard Ireri
Richard is very smart and funny.  He has a "sense" about where to find the animals on safari.  When we had a close encounter with a cheetah, he said "do not move" and I didn't!  He said I was very courageous and I feel like he is family.  He believes that even if he has nothing, he can give you a smile for free. I give him my highest recommendation as a driver and a guide and I am honored to call him my friend. You can find him at
Good Hope Travel and Tours.

Elephant Orphanage

                                                   David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage

 

After surviving our ride through Nairobi, we visited the David Sheldrick Elephant Orphanage. These babies are special because many of them have been traumatized by seeing their mothers killed by poachers. Each orphan has his own keeper who sleeps in his stall and covers him with a blanket to simulate the warmth of the herd.

After they are stable and have regained their confidence ( this can take years) they are reintroduced into a  known herd at one of Kenya's National Reserves. These elephants are available for "adoption" to offset the cost of their care.

Nairobi

Nairobi is the city that money forgot.  The money stopped, the building stopped, the infrastructure stopped.  People walking, digging, slums, garbage.  Maribu storks by the road. Monkeys on the roof.  People walking everywhere and selling stuff everywhere.  The traffic is a nightmare.  Buses, matatus ( small buses) motorbikes, cars, trucks,  bicycles.  donkey carts.  Honking is encouraged.  Instead of traffic lights they have speed bumps.  George says red lights are "optional".  Richard said you do not need to stop at a red light at night...or on weekdays.  When I asked when he did stop, he said " we assess each one individually".

Beginnings

I first started this journey a year ago when a patient of  mine told me she worked for a foundation that did humanitarian work in Africa.  I started emailing and investigating and found Make a World of Difference  This group is well established in Kenya and builds schools. Seemed right for me. And I knew if I went to do good things with a good heart, God would send the animals.  Marilyn Sara jumped on board and great things began to happen. With the help of the Lindop retired teachers, coworkers, doctors at work, family and friends, I was able to see this dream come true.

Njoki

We arrived in Kenya early Saturday morning June 15.  I liked Kenya Airways because their flight attendants were all Kenyan and they played cool African music while boarding.

I am honored and blessed to receive an African name - Njoki- which translates to "she who has returned" .  ( Even tho my brother said it means "orange") In a Kikuyu tribe, when a child is born she receives the name of an honored relative - like an aunt.  If that child dies, the next child gets the same name. That is Njoki

Karibu

Welcome to Kenya - a heartbreaking, heart pounding, heartwarming,  heart and soul country in Africa.  This is my Thank-You note to all those who helped me Make a World of Difference in the lives of a small handful of children.  Asante sana.   ( Swahili for thank you very much!)