december 6. Going to Church.

A lazy sunday morning. Then we go to church together. Four boys walking through the sunny streets of Kayole with bibles under their arms. I feel it would make a good picture, and it also reminds me of the... Beatles.

In the afternoon I decide to work in the cybershop to tell my friends in such far away places like Holland or Germany that I am alright. Electricity had broken down that morning and they had closed the shop. Despite power being back again, we find it still closed and wait for a boy rushing in on a light motorbike to open it for us. I work for five hours straight and still feel like nothing has been done.
In the evening we are invited at the pastor's place for a traditional Kenyan meal which I enjoy very much. I can eat Ugali with my hands now and scoop up the meat with a chunk of the white stuff. I can feel my fatigue though and have a hard time suppressing a yawn. It is great to feel the hospitality of this family and I am really happy to be here. We decide to do the more serious talking with the pastor (about my project) later.

december 5. One thing involved.

In downtown Nairobi there are several coffee places offering wifi. I find one after a quest in which I fail to show patience. I get my stuff done anyway.

This is a variation to an HIV awareness talk for adolescents:
If you sleep with someone, there are two things involved: either you protect yourself, or you don't
If you protect yourself, you are safe. If you don't, there are two things involved: either your partner gets mad at you or he/she doesn't.
If he doesn't get mad at you, you are safe. If he does, there are two things involved: either he kills you, or he doesn't.
If he kills you, you are safe. If he doesn't, there are two things involved: either he takes you to court, or he doesn't.
If he doesn't, you are safe. If he does, there are two things involved: either you get frenzied, or you don't.
If you don't, you are safe. If you do, there are two things involved: either you get sedated with a pill, or you get sedated with a needle.
If you get sedated with a pill, you are safe. If they use a needle, there are two things involved: either it is HIV infected, or it is clean.
If it is clean, you are safe. If it is HIV infected, there is only one thing involved: YOU ARE GONNA DIE!

december 4. Clubbin'

We are all lazy. We get up late. We have a long breakfast. I borrow the book "enduring love" by Ian Mc. Ewan and start to read it. I also manage to write the stories of the last few days sitting at home with my laptop in my lap. I again apologize for the English sentences that are not smoothed to suit a glossy reader's eye, alas.

At night we hit the club. Yes, it is the first time for me to dance in Nairobi and I like it. Clubs are free to enter here, a gentle searching (leaving out the perineum) is all that it takes to get up the stairs and dance all night amidst a wild crowd of friendly people. I buy a round and dance about, exhausting myself to the viral beat of "I know you want me.. you know I want you-u. Uno dos tres quatro..." and genuinely having a good time. I must say something about the way some people are dancing. Sometimes it resembles dry copulation. It's big time rubbing of the vital parts.

We get home safe and sleep with smiling faces.

December 2. Joy Valley. Famined orphans.

After a good night's sleep, we start right away, sensitizing in an orphanage called Joy Valley in a slum called Soweto after the South African province. What is the difference between a slum and the house I am living here, at walking distance from Soweto? Slums have semi-permanent buildings made of iron plates, no electricity, no water, no sewerage, in some cases like the infamous Kibera slum "flying toilets". Where I live there is a toilet and one of the neighbours even has a tap so stocking up the water supply means only a 150m walk. And we have a tv so we can follow the news.

We walk to the orphanage, and I see real poverty there. The children have not eaten for two days, the dormitories are not plastered and I see a rat in one of the beds, the common room is not larger than a Western toolshed, they cook on woodfires since they can't afford stoves or paraffine. The director guides me around the orphanage (see
http://charitytravel.blogspot.com/2009/12/joy-valley-orphanage.html)

From my donation they prepare chapati bread, which comes as a big surprise for the children. Of course I want to do something more sustainable than just feeding those kids on one occasion. And I hope that we can achieve just that with our sensitizing program and the publicity I can give them through my project.

When we are done telling the children about their rights, we invite them to watch a movie, which is a great success. 87 Children fit in the small community room, where I build up my pocket projector and start the movie Ice Age 3. The kids love it! A friend translates parts into Swahili and relates the action on the screen to the fundamental values we have told them about. I think we might have created a lasting memory for the kids. We have done so for ourselves, that much is true. Doing this is so rewarding!

December 1. Touchdown in Nairobi.

The plane touches down in Nairobi. It's a new month, and a new continent. Immigration issues are swiftly dealt with; I learn they lowered the price for a visa to 25 dollars to attract more tourists. In the entrance hall the first thing I do is talking to a stranger, and after I made him clear I am not exactly here for tourism he gives me the number of a minister operating a school for the underpriviledged in one of the shantytowns here. I offer the stranger a cup of coffee and call Willys, my contact in this city. He is already on his way to pick me up. On a bumpy busride to the humble dwelling where he is living with his two friends Pony and Geoff, we explain each other about our activities - it turns out our concepts and sentiments are more than compatible and I am looking forward to working together. But today is for sleeping. Willys shows me the bed and I dream away, happy about my more than successful arrival here in Kenya. Tomorrow we'll do our first sensitizing program in an orphanage.

November 30. Caritas Egypt.

In the morning, after a good Egyptian breakfast, we visit Caritas Egypt as planned, and I ask a few questions about a center they are running in a more modest neighbourhood of the city. It sounds like they are doing real good work there so I decide to focus more on it and shortly after, we're on our way to the  caritas center in Mataraya. The director of the center is willing to guide us around, and shows us the different activities and services. Today is the last day of the festival so there aren't many people around. The atmosphere is good though and we get a nice insight in the role of caritas in this community.
First, we see a group of women sewing and smiling. They are making patchworked Christmas tableclothes. It's one of the programs the center is offering in the field of adult education. In a second room we are introduced to two mothers who are here with  their mentally disabled children. The children learn how to write and handle daily tasks in a coordinated manner, and their parents learn how to deal with their kids when they are at home with them.

We are also shown the clinic, that offers all basic healthcare services for free to the very poor, and for only seven pounds for others. Social workers assess the level of poverty by home visits. The clinic has won a prize for its level of hygiene.
We continue to see the workplace where professional craftsmen manifacture artificial limbs. They are glad to show us their work.

After work, Mohammed kindly brings me to the airport where I work on my writings while waiting for my 23.25 plane to Nairobi. There are long hours to kill, but I manage to do that successfully and update my internet presence from an overpriced coffee place after security.