Which hat are you wearing today?

As Jennie's previous entry indicated, we have already been involved in working with a number of organisations since our arrival in Kisumu. I think describing one particular day - Monday 25 July - may serve as a good example.

Jennie and I spent the morning at the KAG (Kenya Assemblies of God) Junior Academy working with the teachers and students. The school has 28 children, aged from 3 to 6, who are needy children, many being fostered by their extended family. We began with some drama work - involving the children in telling the story of Sleeping Beauty (Kenyanised somewhat!) by choosing children to play the characters and incorporating their songs and dances into the narrative. We followed this with games using skipping ropes, footballs and balloons brought with us.

At first the children were incredibly shy of us but after some warm up games they really opened up and enjoyed the experience. Sharing ideas with the teachers was lovely too.

After dropping in on the Port Florence Youth Initiative for a courtesy call to find out about their work in peer mentoring youths and developing entrepreneurial skills, we took a boda-boda (bycycle taxi) over to the other side of town.

In the afternoon we changed from teachers to marketing consultants when we met with the Kondele Poultry Women Group. This co-operative of women supply high quality chickens raised themselves to local people and have a shop in the local area. They use their profits to assist the needy within their community and have won annual awards for their outstanding chickens. With the help of Volker, from CADIF, we were able to discuss ideas for developing their business further and marketing themselves. Alan Sugar eat your heart out! After buying some necklaces made from recyled paper to sell in the Global Footsteps shop and arranging a time to return and share a craft workshop on necklace making, we left for our host family, in a different part of town.

The evening was spent learning how to make a Kenyan supper: matoki (a stew made from green bananas) and ugali (maize) and watching a Kenyan favourite TV soap, dubbed from Mexican which was so overly melodramatic and hysterical that Jennie and I couldn't stop laughing.

One day of many hats for two tired muzungus!

Rosalind Camp

Shaping Communities

From urban to rural, we have been warmly welcomed by many different organisations over the last few days who are working with CADIF (Community Aid Development Fund International Kenya).

We have learnt about the schooling system in Kenya which is in many ways similar to the British system; however the main difference is that parents must pay for their children to attend nursery and secondary schools and college. This is a major challenge, especially for families and orphans living in the slums or rural areas. CADIF and CDF (Constituency Development Fund- Kisumu Rural Constituency) have worked extremely hard to support less fortunate families. Over the past few days we have been lucky enough to work with them and their project leaders sharing ideas for possible business ventures to help support their programmes, teach literacy and drama and promote links between Cheltenham and Kisumu.

So many people in Kisumu, Kenya, Africa and the world are needy but that does not mean it is impossible to make a difference. CADIF and CDF have taught us that starting out small and working hard to progress is incredibly rewarding for all involved and that volunteer work is vital in building and shaping communities.

Oreetee (goodbye in Luo)

Roz and Jennie :)

Jennie Warriner

Jambo!

We have been very warmly welcomed by everyone we have met so far, especially Mikidadi (the global footsteps volunteer placement coordinator).

Today we hope to meet with some other charity representatives and the hosts we will be staying later on during our trip.

Although we have lost out on a lot of sleep over the last few days, we are both very excited to be here and are making the most of it!

Kwa heri (bye),

Jennie and Roz :D

Three days to go!

Just three days to go before Jennie and I set off for Kenya!

We have both spent this weekend visiting our respective families to enjoy some time with them. I took loads of pictures of my nephew and niece, mum and dad and enjoyed a massive sunday lunch - I'm sure mum thinks I won't be able to find anything to eat once off British shores! (It's never yet been a problem!) Alex, my ten year old nephew, kindly went through his collection of toy cars and chose a selection for me to take to Kenya to give away. I took a picture of him with them to show the beneficiaries and promised Alex that I would photograph the recipients, so that he would be able to see who would be playing with them in Kenya. It's never too early to begin the process of making global connections!

Roz Camp

Nearing the end of my visit

It is nearly at the end of my visit to Kisumu, in fact all that remains is to have a farewell meal with the hosts this evening and then tomorrow morning I will be off to Nairobi, I am spending a day there, hopefully visiting some kind of wildlife park, before I leave on Friday morning for my 10 hour flight home.

It seems to have gone by quite quickly as the programme has been quite packed with research and meeting community organisations and GF contacts, I have also bought some crafts made by community groups to try and sell in the shop.

I look forward to reporting on my experience, at a GF meeting in the future. I would also definitely recommend a global venture with global footsteps and visiting Kisumu and Kenya if you can!

'The Muzungo is a Luo'

I have been able to learn a little bit about Luo language (well some basic greetings) and culture whilst I am here. Luo's are often named after the time of day in which they were born. So as I was born in the early hours of the morning my Luo name would be 'Omondi'! Also I have shaken so many hands that I think it is going to take some time for me to stop doing it every time I meet a friend when I return home! The Luo language often involves a heavy pronunciation of the 'r' with the tongue touching the roof of the mouth, making greetings including good morning, and 'I am good' to be difficult for an English person to pronounce. It really is worth trying to learn just a few words in the language though before visiting Kisumu (and North Nyanza more generally) as it is a pleasant surprise to the locals when you greet them in their language.

Saturday was my last day at Margaret's place, (the leader of Kosimbo CBO). Having been out clubbing until 4am (which was an unusual experience!) I woke up late but in time to be able to interview the coordinator of a group called Nyalenda Women Concern Group.

Margaret and the woman I was interviewing explained that in the past Luo (the tribal/ethnic group which are predominant in Northern Nyanza province – where I am), culture dictated a less coercive approach to re-marriage/inheritance of women and that in the past it had been for the woman to decide whether or not she wished to remarry. Whereas in more recent times the 'culture' had changed towards a system where often a widow is expected to remarry to the relative 'inheriting' her soon after the death of her husband. I thought this was a really interesting example of how it can be problematic to cite 'culture' in defence of controversial practices, when culture is constantly changing and being redefined and presents the question of who is given the chance to define ‘culture’.

Thursday 7th July - Courageous peacebuilding work and potential for tourism

On Thursday I visited members of the Amwoth Women’s Group CBO at their office near the centre of the city. For the focus group they had kindly managed to assemble the leaders of their various sub-groups and their deputy leader. I later learnt that one of them had travelled from Western Province just to attend it!

Amwoth is effectively an umbrella organization comprising of a number of groups including women’s groups, youth groups and a group for assistance of people with hearing difficulties. It was inspirational to hear of the work that they have done and continue to do to help rebuild people’s lives and work towards a sustainable peace. Some of them told me how during the violence they hid fleeing Kikuyu’s in their homes until they could gain safe passage and how they headed to the stadium where IDPs had arrived from further West fleeing violence there to provide food and clothing to the people they met. They now have been holding regularly meetings with youth from different tribal/ethnic backgrounds and create opportunities for them to take part in sport and entrepreneurism together.

After this we headed to an area near the beach of Lake Victoria for lunch. This area has so much potential for tourism, you can take boat rides from here but the restaurants serving lunch are all unattractive temporary structures, hawkers continually try to sell you their goods and there is a lot of rubbish. We also encountered a lot of ‘street boys’ who were of various ages. I am told that they are often addicted to a kind of narcotic gum, and tend to use what money they can get to feed this addiction. It was sad to see how much potential one of the children had, who spoke English very well for primary school age, who is spending every day begging to restaurant customers to pay for drugs.

We also visited a conservation project in the afternoon which had reclaimed a section of former wasteland and was now growing a variety of plants a providing a suitable environment for different varieties of fish and other fauna. This project aims to create some lodges for tourists and develop a restaurant on the river. It seems to me that this has much potential and can link to other areas of untapped potential that Nyanza has for attracting tourists including Lake Victoria itself, Kit Mikaye rock, the Impala sanctuary and a national park. Margaret from Kosimbo is now involved in a government effort to realize this potential.

'Chief Guest' (representing Global Footsteps) at the Opening of the Adult education resource centre at Mireri Primary School

I was the 'Special/chief/honourable guest' at the opening ceremony for the new Adult Education library and Resource centre at Mireri Primary School near Kirindo, which has been led by Kosimbo.

This was definitely a first for me, I am used to people using the word 'special' to describe me but not 'honourable' so much.

I gave a small speech about Global Footsteps, our partnership with Kosimbo CBO (Community Based Organisation) and the importance of adult education and education generally as well as the need for the community and authorities to support the centre. I cut the ribbon to open the centre and planted a tree to commemorate it too. The full text of the speech is available below:

`I am honoured to be given the opportunity to be the invited guest to this occasion, in which I am acting as an ambassador for the Charity 'Global Footsteps'.

Global Footsteps is a charity based in a town called Cheltenham in the UK. We are a small but ambitious organisation. This year we are sending a number of volunteers, to various countries, with specific skills in education, health and environmental protection to assist in community projects. Next month we are pleased to be able to send two English teachers to teach in some schools in the Kisumu area and hopefully in Kirindo.

We also have a small shop in Cheltenham which sells fair trade produce and some products made by partner CBOs in the Kisumu area.

Global Footsteps is aiming to develop and strengthen the link between Cheltenham in the UK and Kisumu, exploring the ways that we can co-operate for mutual benefit, particularly with the Kosimbo organisation.

In this respect we are honoured to be partnering with Kosimbo, who have worked so hard and achieved so much for Kirindo. From hearing what people from the Kirindo community have had to say, the difference that Kosimbo has made and continues to make is clear.

The opening of this library for adult education is an important step forward for Kosimbo, and for the community generally, given the fact that education is essential for improvements in health and income-generation.

I sincerely hope that this facility is enthusiastically supported by the community and the relevant authorities, and that when other visitors arrive in the years to come they will find this library functioning and thriving as a centre of learning for the community.

This library is another way that Kosimbo is demonstrating its commitment to it's motto of 'Changing Lives'. So it gives me great pleasure to attend this opening ceremony.

Monday 4th July

Today I went to Kirindo Primary School, the school was funded by Plan and has a link with a school called Notley Green Primary in Essex. It currently has a teaching staff of 7 whilst ideally it would have 9. I visited the Early Childhood (ECD) class and spoke to Form 7 and Form 8 classes. I was the first Muzungo some of the ECD children had seen. I introduced myself to forms 7 and 8, asked what they would like be when they are older and answered some of their questions. One of the students guessed that I was 31 years old and another asked me 'What is your talent?' which I have never been asked before! Margaret asked the girl students to visit her home so that she could talk to them about why there are no girls in Kirindo that have reached Form 3 (roughly Year 10 in UK terms).

They had their first meeting later in the day and it was good to see a large number of girls from Form 5-8 turn up and take part in a discussion. Margaret intends to make into a group that meets regularly and tries to address the causes of the worrying drop-out rates, largely due to early pregnancy and early marriage in the area.

Saturday and Sunday 2nd and 3rd

On Saturday I moved to Kirindo, which is a small village in a very remote area. It is an amazing experience to be in such a quiet and isolated area, the children of course are fascinated by the Muzungo (white person) and given that there is no light pollution the sky at night is so different to what I am used to. I am staying with a new host, Margaret, who runs Kosimbo widows and orphans project. Under the umbrella of Kosimbo a number of community groups have come together and have achieved some remarkable results. The success they have had is evident from the way that the residents discuss what a difference it has made to their lives. They have brought a bore hole so that the community no longer has to drink from the River Awach where farmers take their cattle, they have built a local clinic and managed to secure the school fees for about 40 children to complete Secondary school, when previously nobody was able to attend secondary school and run an adult education programme. They also operate a women's enterprise fund and a 'table banking' scheme for the widows group which has increased the ability of the widows to undertake income generating projects. Whilst they have achieved a lot they still have many goals and concerns. The widows group's priority is to fundraise for a greenhouse to grow tomatoes as this would be a more reliable source of income than the cereals which are currently suffering in the drought. I have also learnt that early pregnancy and school drop-out from girls in particular is a major issue for Kirindo as is lack of awareness about HIV/AIDs which is claiming many lives despite the availability of ARV drugs and condoms. This led to the Youth group of Kosimbo in discussion with Margaret discussing a campaign to address the lack of awareness. They settled on the name 'Operation Save Kirindo'!

One of the best parts of my programme has been the chance to stay in a wide range of areas from Nyalenda, a low-income 'Informal settlement' on the edge of Kisumu, to the middle class Tom Mboya estate and now to the remote Kirindo. Combined with being given a tour of the city and passing by the affluent Millimani suburbs with its massive houses complete with big walls and security. It emphasises the massive inequalities that exist in Kenya, which has been rated as one of the 10 most unequal countries in the world.

Until my visit to Kirindo I did not appreciate the challenges in getting communities to use resources such as a bore hole. In a community where only a small minority have attended secondary school, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that there is a lack of awareness of the need to use for example the new bore hole than to continue to use the muddy river Awach for drinking water. I am told there was sensitization/education about the importance of using water from the bore hole but there are still some who decide against it. The price of a bucket of water from the bore hole is just 1 shilling, the same price as a text message (and everybody has a phone). I am noticing some similarities between community development in the UK and here, given the difficulty that can be faced in trying to change attitudes.

Friday 31st July

On Friday I visited the Eniga women's initiative in the Reru community in a rural area outside the city of Kisumu. It is the home community of my host at the time, after conducting interviews with some of the members of the initiative they kindly gave me a tour of some parts of the community. Before showing me to these areas they introduced me to a woman who had moved to the community after being displaced from Naivasha. I think that they thought that she would be useful for my research owing to her experiences. This was a difficult discussion as I couldn't really use the questions I had been using for my research yet after being introduced I still had to think of some questions to ask her. I asked her whether or not she could imagine ever returning to Naivasha. I regretted asking it as soon as I had! There are obvious ethical issues in arousing painful memories and this is something I have tried to avoid in my research questions, but here I had to think of some relevant yet sensitive questions on the spot. She answered a definite no, understandably given that Naivasha was the scene for some of the worst violence of the period but did not seem too upset by the question, according to the people with me.

The majority of people in Kisumu and the surrounding villages (including Reru community and Kirindo) are from the Luo tribe. I was introduced to some of the traditions of the Luo culture. It is, more so in the past, but still today, a polygamous culture. There I was shown to a typical plot where the father had two wives, the first wives' house was positioned in front of the gates and the second to the side. Then after growing up each male child had built their own plot in a specific order, with the first and third building to the left of the first wives' house and the second and fourth to the right.

Thursday 30th June

On Thursday I went to visit an organisation called Bafope – Baghad Boys for Peace – this refers to a militia group known as the Baghdad boys, who are being transformed through this programme, involving teaching in conflict resolution, peace meetings and the arts. It was an impressive project. I also interviewed the leader of WIFIP Women in Fisheries Industries Project, which has empowered women from the nearby fishing community through income generation projects. An interesting way that the organisation raises funds is through the sale of goods made from the Water Hyacinth weed which is damaging to the fishing industry as it tends to clog up fishing beaches around Lake Victoria.