Water in Taru

Women in Kenya spend many hours everyday getting water.  A walk to the water catchment area is a frequent part of a woman's day. After getting water they return home with the jerry cans on their heads walking gracefully while chatting with friends often carrying a baby on their backs.  The African women make it look easy but trust me it is much harder than it looks!  And my can was empty!   

Each morning Agnes and Nancy brought us a jug of warm water so that we could shower.  Warm water in the yellow can, cool water in another, mix them in the red bucket, stand in the green bowl, lather up, pour the warm water over you and try to get clean! Can you imagine washing your hair?  Pretty amusing for sure!  I admit to feeling giddy joy in my warm shower every single day since I returned  home!

After a shower you pour the 'used' water from the green bowl into another bucket so that it can be used to flush the toilet. Of course 'flushing' is only allowed when absolutely necessary. No wasting allowed!  We had some interesting conversations concerning exactly when flushing was necessary! I may have felt even more giddy joy when I could sit on the toilet and flush whenever I wanted to without consultation with 3 other people!

Here I am using the 'washing machine' and 'dryer'!

 Drinking water had to be pumped through a filter and then have chlorine tablets added.

I hope I never take WATER for granted again!

La Liga in Kenya

Everyone who knows our family knows that we are absolutely crazy about Spanish soccer - La Liga!  We have one lone Real Madrid fan in the family but the rest of us are 100% crazy about FC Barcelona.  When I went to Kenya I had no idea that a Real Madrid shirt would have an influence on several lives!

During one of our first visits to a school I noticed a young teacher wearing a Real Madrid shirt.  I walked by him and made some joking, negative remark about his shirt.  Then I remembered that he might not even know who Real Madrid was since in Kenya you see people in a variety of shirts with things like "Glenwood High Cheerleading" or "West Side Baseball".  Later in the day I took a moment to talk with him.  As it turns out he is a huge Real Madrid fan and he has an intense dislike for Barcelona.  We joked about that for a few minutes and continued our 'debate'  on the drive home as we talked for almost an hour about the two teams.  Naturally he thinks that Madrid is the best team in the world, Cristiano Ronaldo the best player, Jose Mourinho the best coach....and on and on.  I feel just the opposite.  Of course Barca is the best team in the world, Leo Messi the best player, Pep Guardiola the best coach....we laughed and argued and went through every player on both teams ranking each one!  I think the American women I was with, as well as the African males, were totally shocked that this old American 'Moma' knew so much about European Football!   From that day on every time I saw this young man, Tsuma Jera, he had a question for me about football. "You don't really think Messi will win the award as the best player in the world a 4th time do you?"  "Of course I do!!!"  It was a fun diversion from the normal routine.

As I talked to Joseph, the Kenya Keys Director in Kenya, I learned more about Tsuma.  He graduated from Taru Secondary last December without any assistance from Kenya Keys.  His marks on the exams as he finished qualified him to attend a college or university but his family simply had no way to pay his fees.  In order to keep his mind sharp he was volunteering at the Primary school everyday.  During the weeks that Joseph, the head teacher, was working with Kenya Keys, Tsuma was teaching class 8 for him....all the class 8 subjects every day and he was doing this for no pay.  Joseph hoped a way would be found for Kenya Keys to help him attend college.  Up to this point the policy had been that only students who had been sponsored by Kenya Keys in secondary school could be in the program for post secondary work.   Still Joseph hoped that something would happen so that Tsuma could get his longed for education.

When Dr. Liz, the other Moma who was there with me, taught a class about the skeleton to the 8th graders at his school, Tsuma insisted that all the bones be given the correct name.  It was not a thigh bone, it was a femur!  We weren't surprised to learn that he hoped to do something in the medical field.  I was impressed with him and of course, there was still that Spanish soccer connection!  Tsuma invited us to come to his home after church on Sunday and I started thinking of a way to make his college dream a reality. Surely it had to be more than a coincidence that he happened to wear a Real Madrid shirt on the day I visited his school and that of all the American women that might have gone with Kenya Keys there would be one who had an interest in Spanish soccer.  The miracle continued as all the fates aligned just right and a sponsor came forward!  And I got to be the one to tell him this life altering news!

As we walked home with him after mass, I found out some other things about this rather remarkable young man and his family.  He is the oldest of 8 children.  His father is completely illiterate and his mother only went to 8th grade.  His home is a mud hut and they have 'one small chicken'.  When I asked him how his father paid his secondary school fees he said, "My father did odd jobs at Taru Secondary School and also delivered their fire wood.  He told the administration to keep his salary to pay my fees and only give him the money that was left over.  I also did little jobs when I could.  Some days we didn't eat but my father wanted me to get an education."  Can you even imagine how the father must feel?  He had sacrificed and worked so hard to get his son a secondary education (the first in their family) and now he is qualified for college and there is no way to help him.  It isn't just a matter of working and saving, there truly is no money....plus there are 7 other children to be fed and hopefully educated.

With great joy I shared the news with Tsuma and his family that he would be going to college.  As I stood there looking at the mud hut he called home while waiting for his mother to return from the water catchment bearing her jerry can of water on her head, I found myself overcome with joy as my eyes filled with tears.  Again Tsuma assured me that he would go to college and get an education but he would return and help all his younger brothers and sisters achieve the same dream.  When I told him that maybe he could play some soccer at college his immediate response, "Only after my studies are done".

I look forward to keeping up with my friend Tsuma and hearing of his educational successes.....now if I could only get him to cheer for the right soccer team!

Kenya Keys

I have mentioned Kenya Keys on my blog without much explanation of what they actually do.  This organization was started a few years ago by our friends Brent and Rinda.  They focus on the Taru area in Kenya which happens to be one of the poorest areas in the whole country. Although there are myriads of needs,  Kenya Keys emphasis is on education, including libraries.  100% of the money donated goes directly to help students in Kenya.  There are no salaries or overhead expenses.  Yearly sponsorship for a secondary school student is $350; for a college student $750; and for top students a year at the university is $1000.  If you would be interested in being a sponsor, send me a message and I'll get you connected with the right people. Here is the website if you are interested in learning more.
 http://kenyakeys.org/

I wrote this post for the Kenya Keys website and thought I'd share it on my blog as well.

Kenyan Starfish 

One day a man was walking along the beach when he noticed a boy picking something up and gently throwing it into the ocean. Approaching the boy, he asked, “What are you doing?”. The youth replied, “Throwing starfish back into the ocean. The surf is up and the tide is going out.  If I don’t throw them back, they’ll die.” “Son”, the man said, “don’t you realize there are miles and miles of beach and hundreds of starfish? 
You can’t make a difference!” After listening politely, the boy bent down, picked up another starfish, and threw it back into the surf.  Then, smiling at the man, he said,  “I made a difference for that one.” Original Story by: Loren Eisley

This story illustrates how I feel about the work being done by Kenya Keys. The problems in Kenya are like the starfish on the beach. They go on for ‘miles and miles and there are hundreds of them’.  Getting caught up in the multitude of problems might paralyze a person into inactivity with the sheer enormity of the task. Instead, by focusing on individuals, Kenya Keys is making a difference as they provide scholarships for secondary and post secondary students.

One of the most beautiful and hopeful things I learned in Kenya while interviewing students is that these sponsored students don’t dream of getting an education so that they can have new cars, the latest in electronic equipment or nice apartments.  Each student expressed the desire to receive an education so that they could in turn educate their younger siblings. To continue with the starfish analogy you would have to add that each ‘saved starfish’ then saves several more.  The ripple effect of education will eventually change the face of Kenya. 

Stephen, a recent graduate of the university with a degree in economics and statistics is the best possible example to the younger primary school students in his home village.  As he shares his story he is living, breathing proof that educational success is possible, that the university is not beyond reach and that even a child from an impoverished home can succeed. 

My trip to Kenya gave me first-hand experience with Kenya Keys.  Before my trip I ‘thought’ it was a good organization but after spending time there I ‘know’ the impact Kenya Keys is having on the lives of so many in the Taru, Kenya area.  This statement found on the website says it all perfectly: “Education becomes the greatest weapon against hopelessness, the greatest genesis for change and growth.”

Taru Community Library

What do you think of when you picture a community library?  If you are like me you see rows and rows of books in a bright sun filled room with colorful posters on the wall.  In Taru, Kenya the Community Library is in a small room with three bookcases and the only light comes through the open front door.  At least that is the only light until school is finished for the day and the room is filled with the light of happy smiling children waiting patiently for their time to come and select a book. Then with a book in hand they read and read and read!    

Although at first very shy with white people, soon they were laughing as they shared their reading skills with us.  The librarian is Halima -- a Kenya Keys secondary school graduate who is volunteering her time to work at the library while waiting to go to college.  Her four-year-old nephew reads books that a 2^nd or 3^rd grader might enjoy and he does it with confidence and ease.  A six-year-old girl stood and proudly showed off her English skills as she read aloud a book that is two or three years above her grade level.

Then there was Olga a sweet 4^th grader who comes to the library every day after school. A bit reluctant at first to answer questions asked her by this white Moma (the honorary name given to older women) she relaxed after a few minutes and shared her favorite story with me.  After chatting for a while, Olga felt so comfortable that we were invited to walk home with her to meet her family.  We gladly accepted the invitation and walked to her humble home.  Olga’s father came out to meet us with a book in his hand that he had been reading to a younger child.  Then he talked to us about his current library book, If I Had My Life to Live Over Again as he shared some of his life story.  Turns out that Olga’s father also frequents the Taru Community Library.

One last illustration of the power of books in this little community is the informal lending library we operated each time we were home.  Children came in a steady stream knocking on our door with the request, “May I have a book please?”  Sometimes they sat on the doorstep or under trees to devour the stories.  Waldo was identified and found over and over again.  Older children read to younger children. Those few that have lights at home asked to take books home and they were always returned the next day.  One evening we had a story session by the light of our lantern and headlamps. 

Maybe it isn’t at all like a typical American library, but the books provided by Kenya Keys are truly influencing an entire community.  

Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!  I miss my mother a lot but I mostly just feel so thankful that she was in my life for 56 years.  Not everyone is so lucky!  I also hope I have her good genes so that I can be just like her when I'm 88!  Mowing my lawn, doing water aerobics, walking, participating in church, enjoying family and friends, and in general loving life!  I have had a family life full of amazing women - grandmas, aunts, cousins, mother-in-law, sisters in law, daughter, nieces, and of course my mother!  

Lake Run

George signed us up for the Lake Run 5K.  Unfortunately he has been sick this week and couldn't participate so my friend Chris took his T-shirt and bib # and we ran/walked it together.  Beautiful sunny day!  Mostly flat course with a long downhill to the finish!  All around a great day and best of all it motivated me to start running again! I'd better train or next race my skinny fit husband WILL beat me!!!!

I wasn't fast but I finished!

Chris said that this was the most she had ever run in her life.  Way to go!

                                     

And most exciting of all....it is warm and sunny and is supposed to be that way all week!  Yahoo for SPRING!!!!

Sweet Jordana

Our time as dog 'foster parents' is coming to a close as Guide Dogs for the Blind have found a permanent home for our sweet Jordana!  I'm sad but also so happy that she seems to be going to a perfect place!  We sure love her and will miss her so much.  Hopefully we'll get another foster dog in the next few months.  Getting a retired guide dog is hardly like getting a dog at all.  She doesn't bark. She doesn't chew. She loves every dog and person she meets. She is housebroken and comes up to us and chatters her teeth when she need to go out....and that is only about 3 times a day!  There were 3 negatives about her.  #1 she likes to get up about the time the sun comes up.  We've gotten her out of that habit!  #2 She sheds but she can't help that.  And #3 ( Shhh, don't tell anyone at Guide Dogs!!!! ) But she will sneak a nap on the couch!  When I catch her sleeping so comfortably, I think she is smiling! We promise that if we get a dog in training we'll be tougher! 

I don't know why her eyes look so strange in this photo. This is after we got home from a walk in the rain and she was cold and wet.  Nothing like a nap wrapped in warm blanket after a chilly walk!  Great life this sweet dog enjoys!  And she's earned it for her years of guiding a visually impaired person.

Recently we took her to Barnes and Noble where Michael Hingson was signing his book Thunder Dog.  I recommend this book which tells the story of his escape from one of the Twin Towers on 9/11 with the help of his Guide Dog Roselle. It's an exciting story of trust and you get a great glimpse into the world of the blind and especially what it is like to trust a smart 4 legged friend with your life everyday.

There were lots of dogs there including this cute 'Guide Dog in training' with his puppy raiser. Jordana was a perfect role model of calm obedience and seemed to enjoy greeting this enthusiastic little guy!  The retiring guide meets the aspiring guide!