today we said good bye to a school full of children that we have been helping with many things..it was sad and fun..a day of mixed emotions...they thanked us by doing a few performances..dances, songs and skits.....we gave them food, material things-books, school supplies, hats, beanie babies, clothing , chickens, a garden a working kitchen...and most of all we gave them HOPE.....we took pictures of each class with their teacher...many had never even seen their own picture..even the teachers followed us around for photos...i gave each of them their own picture and then made doubles so that they could have a school photo album......they loved it! the teachers cheered to have been given money and gifts and school supplies....such beautiful people..we made many new friends
then later today,,,we went for tea at karen blixen tea garden....where they shot the "out of africa movie" http://www.karenblixen.com/coffeegarden.html
we went here today as well...saw them make kazuri beads..and then went in the most amazing store where they sell themhttp://www.globalmarketplace.org/kabefrke.html
tomorrow we are going to the masai market....
http://maasaimarket.vstore.ca/
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Tuesday, March 15, 2011
Kiberia
Yesterday- we had the Kiberia experience...wow...dangerous, smelly and sad ...no pictures taken there except the outskirts...because they will take your camera....
sewers, garbage and people crawling through the garbage for anythng....the slum there consists of 3 groups..the poor, the very poor and the very, very poor.....they convert everything to something...guys were revamping old bus seats, sawing wood, sawing? metal without eye protection and not caring tht we were walking by...with out heads turned so at least we didnt get burning by sparks in our eyes....
http://www.google.co.ke/images?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&q=kibera&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&sa=X&ei=-luATcvBCsiWhQfU662pBw&ved=0CEcQsAQ&biw=986&bih=560
sewers, garbage and people crawling through the garbage for anythng....the slum there consists of 3 groups..the poor, the very poor and the very, very poor.....they convert everything to something...guys were revamping old bus seats, sawing wood, sawing? metal without eye protection and not caring tht we were walking by...with out heads turned so at least we didnt get burning by sparks in our eyes....
http://www.google.co.ke/images?oe=utf-8&rls=org.mozilla:en-US:official&client=firefox-a&q=kibera&um=1&ie=UTF-8&source=univ&sa=X&ei=-luATcvBCsiWhQfU662pBw&ved=0CEcQsAQ&biw=986&bih=560
Friday, March 11, 2011
Kitchen under repair.....
Please check out my friends blog.....once again no time to type my own...coming soon...she has amazing picturesand a start of the stories from things we have seen and done...
http://lisadoesafrica.blogspot.com/
http://lisadoesafrica.blogspot.com/
Monday, March 7, 2011
Dorothy's blog ..Jambo
A team members blog is below...so much happens every day...its hard to remember it all...its so amazing here.....i'm finding it hard to get near a computer...so to save time..someone is waiting to use this....Here's Dorothy's blog....
JAMBO,
Our first day in Karen...
We had a slow start today, dealing with jet leg and getting to know everyone in the group. After breakfast Lois organized us ladies into groups. This week we will all be at the Compass School for 280 children. Heather, who is Lois's niece has been here for five weeks already building a relationship with the teachers and students at the school. Its is a school for orphaned children, they don't sleep there but for most of them the lunch that is served at the school is their only meal. Irene, Marlene, Linda, Ursula and I are the Kuku (chicken) group. Others will be creating a lockable cabinet to store the books we brought, renovate the school kitchen, music/crafts with the children and we have 4 nurses in the group they will be doing "check ups" for all the children that are identified as sick by the teachers. There are apparently some very ill children that have not received medical attention. That group will identify what children need further medical attention and Lois will have them come to the University Clinic to see the doctor here. The kitchen is in very poor condition, they don't have proper pipping for the kitchen oven and the whole kitchen fills with smoke everytime they cook, they also don't have any kitchen supplies.
Everyone took out our donated items and layed them out on the lawn. I could not belelive that all that was jamed into our bags...pictures will come later.
Most of the ladies went shopping today for supplies they will need tomorrow on projects. The Kuku group however went to the school to scope out the situation. We were told by Heather that we could reuse a rabbit cage as the rabbits died from a fungal diesease. We were sceptical about reusing the area in the fear of transfering the disease to the chickens. So Heather took us to the school with Anthony our driver. Compass isn't very far from the Univerisity...we drove past markets and passed a donkey that was pulling a wagon without a driver. He was on the right side of the road just walking along with looked like a barrel of water on the wagon.
Once we pulled up to the school and walked passed the classrooms you could hear the excitement from the children. I watched as one little boy stood outside his class room and with his fingers counted the number of white women that were walking by. The shed is mostly tin and wire mesh and the rabbits were housed in cages made of scrape wood, tin and wire. We decided we could reuse the main structure, its very sturdy and large (~ 2.5meters wide and 6 meters long). The head mistress of the schools, Anastasia, informed us that her in-laws raise chicken. We asked if we could go see their set up and off we went. James and Grace were very helpful and asked us to come in for tea...however we had to graciously decline as we had 40 minutes to get to the giraffe park to meet the rest of the ladies (30 minutes away).
We kissed some giraffes and went back to the University for supper. Tomorrow we will need to get an early start on the day to get this project done in 2.5 days! PS chickens arrive on wed and we are getting adult chickens YIPPEE
Kwaherni
JAMBO,
Our first day in Karen...
We had a slow start today, dealing with jet leg and getting to know everyone in the group. After breakfast Lois organized us ladies into groups. This week we will all be at the Compass School for 280 children. Heather, who is Lois's niece has been here for five weeks already building a relationship with the teachers and students at the school. Its is a school for orphaned children, they don't sleep there but for most of them the lunch that is served at the school is their only meal. Irene, Marlene, Linda, Ursula and I are the Kuku (chicken) group. Others will be creating a lockable cabinet to store the books we brought, renovate the school kitchen, music/crafts with the children and we have 4 nurses in the group they will be doing "check ups" for all the children that are identified as sick by the teachers. There are apparently some very ill children that have not received medical attention. That group will identify what children need further medical attention and Lois will have them come to the University Clinic to see the doctor here. The kitchen is in very poor condition, they don't have proper pipping for the kitchen oven and the whole kitchen fills with smoke everytime they cook, they also don't have any kitchen supplies.
Everyone took out our donated items and layed them out on the lawn. I could not belelive that all that was jamed into our bags...pictures will come later.
Most of the ladies went shopping today for supplies they will need tomorrow on projects. The Kuku group however went to the school to scope out the situation. We were told by Heather that we could reuse a rabbit cage as the rabbits died from a fungal diesease. We were sceptical about reusing the area in the fear of transfering the disease to the chickens. So Heather took us to the school with Anthony our driver. Compass isn't very far from the Univerisity...we drove past markets and passed a donkey that was pulling a wagon without a driver. He was on the right side of the road just walking along with looked like a barrel of water on the wagon.
Once we pulled up to the school and walked passed the classrooms you could hear the excitement from the children. I watched as one little boy stood outside his class room and with his fingers counted the number of white women that were walking by. The shed is mostly tin and wire mesh and the rabbits were housed in cages made of scrape wood, tin and wire. We decided we could reuse the main structure, its very sturdy and large (~ 2.5meters wide and 6 meters long). The head mistress of the schools, Anastasia, informed us that her in-laws raise chicken. We asked if we could go see their set up and off we went. James and Grace were very helpful and asked us to come in for tea...however we had to graciously decline as we had 40 minutes to get to the giraffe park to meet the rest of the ladies (30 minutes away).
We kissed some giraffes and went back to the University for supper. Tomorrow we will need to get an early start on the day to get this project done in 2.5 days! PS chickens arrive on wed and we are getting adult chickens YIPPEE
Kwaherni
Day 1 and 2
We made it!!! ....such a long journey to get here....our bodies were numb from traveling so long on those huge airplanes with no room to breathe in your seat let alone eat without elbowing the people on each side of us....very few of us got any sleep on the way here...so needless to say but I will we were completely exhausted last night after 27 hours. Our beds felt wonderful!!!!
Our first day was fabulous....getting set for our projects tomorrow...8 hour time difference....its 9 pm here....and 1 there? ....we went to see giraffes today....and shopping for projects stuff after we sorted all of our donations....what a task that was...so many great pics...will post later!!! Our Leader Lois was overwhelmed by our donations of money and supplies no group that has come through has ever brought as much as we did....Thank again.
The giraffe experience was fun ....giraffes will kiss you if you feed them and head butt you out of the way if you do not.
For those with inquiring minds that know my eating habits....lol...I am surviving....actually the food that we are eating here at the University is delicious.
We met many women today that will be future leaders here in Africa...They consider themselves very blessed and our giving back for their opportunities given here at the African International University. It became chartered last Friday and the Kenya President and Vice president visited here to acknowledge the accomplishment. One of the women who spoke today said something touching....with regards to women becoming the future leaders here...."It's women who hear the children cry".
Off to bed...busy day tomorrow....wait til you hear what we are up to next........
Our first day was fabulous....getting set for our projects tomorrow...8 hour time difference....its 9 pm here....and 1 there? ....we went to see giraffes today....and shopping for projects stuff after we sorted all of our donations....what a task that was...so many great pics...will post later!!! Our Leader Lois was overwhelmed by our donations of money and supplies no group that has come through has ever brought as much as we did....Thank again.
The giraffe experience was fun ....giraffes will kiss you if you feed them and head butt you out of the way if you do not.
For those with inquiring minds that know my eating habits....lol...I am surviving....actually the food that we are eating here at the University is delicious.
We met many women today that will be future leaders here in Africa...They consider themselves very blessed and our giving back for their opportunities given here at the African International University. It became chartered last Friday and the Kenya President and Vice president visited here to acknowledge the accomplishment. One of the women who spoke today said something touching....with regards to women becoming the future leaders here...."It's women who hear the children cry".
Off to bed...busy day tomorrow....wait til you hear what we are up to next........
Friday, March 4, 2011
Our Team -" Victoria's Passion"
Here's a couple group pictures that include most of our team members. The first group is from the Sault and the second from Dryden and area.
Wisdom and Courage
As much as I weigh, I feel today like my skin isn't thick enough to be going to Africa. I was told a story by Jane from her daughter who is there all ready and it has had me crying off and on all afternoon. I'm hopeful to go and help make a difference BUT I know I will feel awful about the things I can't change....YET! :)
"GOD grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference."
"GOD grant me the serenity to accept the things I cannot change;
courage to change the things I can; and wisdom to know the difference."
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