Through Amy’s Eyes: A letter from a friend - Explore Archived World Race Alumni Blogs

At training camp, my teammates and I decided to split up the countries on our tentative Race route to do a little research. By now, you’ve probably realized I’ve chosen to research Cambodia and Kenya. Well, as great as research is, nothing compares to the real deal-actual experience in the field. A good friend of mine, Amy, just returned from spending a month in Kenya where she did a variety of work. I could go on to explain it but really, that’d be dumb…she can do it so much better. These are her words. These are her pictures. This is her experience and I can’t wait until I get to have one of my own. Enjoy!

Hello Friends,

I just got back from Kenya and it’s hard to believe that my summer is coming to an end! I am writing this final letter to just say thank you for all of your support whether it was donating money or supplies or praying for me and the team that I went with. The trip was a total and complete success where we were able to bring donations and many smiles to the group. Here’s a little synopsis of the trip for you:

I started in Detroit where I flew to Chicago to meet with the group where we packed all of the donations and got on the next flight to Atlanta for a few hours where we then flew to New York and I called my family to say goodbye for the last time. We then flew over night to Ghana and had a 12 hour layover before heading to Nairobi, Kenya. Well Kenya is 8 hours ahead of Chicago so it was super tiring for a few days! Once in Nairobi Kenya we went on a few adventures learning public transportation and just immersing into the culture. When we felt like we knew how to get to and from places we were split into groups of 2 or 3 and sent to live with families in the city. I lived with a family of 3 in a 3 bedroom 2 bathroom apartment! It was super nice compared to the slum about 3 minutes away but we only had running water about an hour out of the day and the power was on and off. It was amazing to see the faith of this family, they may not have running water but they were so thankful when they did have it. The whole family and I visited an orphanage where they take in babies with HIV/AIDS, it was a beautiful place filled with love and the babies seemed like normal healthy babies! The team and I also partnered with an organization called ZanaAfrica for a few days where we learned about how girls are really punished for things they cannot control. ZanaAfrica supplies underwear and sanitary pads to women and girls in the slums so that they do not have to miss school or work. The organization also supplies “junior field officers” to the schools, in the slum of Kibera. The workers talk to girls about issues that they face like peer pressure and gender discrimination. The workers are like mentors to the girls and boys in the slums and take text messages and calls from the kids at any time for any reason. In a society where girls are seen as second rate citizens these empowerment groups are truly making a difference in the lives of the children. We also got to meet a young woman named Christine who is assigned to take pictures and write all about her experiences with the organization and let me tell you she has a true gift for seeing the beauty and skillfully writing her experiences.

After a week in the city we then took an 8hr bus ride to loitoktok (paved road about half the ride, not paved carsickness the other half!) which is right on the border of Tanzania and also on the foothills of Mt. Kilimanjaro (the view was amazing). We were there for almost 3 weeks working with HCI Kenya doing many things. We were broken into 3 groups, teachers, computers and storage. The teachers were all the people going into teaching and they held teaching seminars with the HCI ran school (kibo slopes academy). I was part of the computer group where we went through many old broken computers and parts and tried to figure out what would ever work again and we actually brought one back to life! The storage people were in charge of cleaning out the storage room and getting all the rats out then putting donations in more rat proofed containers. Everyone in the team became teachers for the weeks we were there and I taught 6th, 7th and 8th grade science to the kids. School is only taught in English but outside of school the kids also speak Kiswahili and their tribal language or mother tongue. We also gave 2 discussions with the kids including one on choices and one on HIV/AIDS issues. For the talk on choices we played games and gave different case studies to show how your choices affect where you end up. For the HIV/AIDS talk we asked the kids to write down any questions that they had on the issues of HIV, rape, sex, or relationships. The talk then went over each and every question which wasn’t exactly the easiest thing to do given the fact the questions touched on issues that kids their age shouldn’t have to deal with. But since we offered our true honest answers the kids listened intently and I really think it was a wonderful experience. We also had nightly devotions with the kids in their cafeteria/study room/kitchen where there was one light bulb for the building. The kids often led us in song after our devotion and to hear them sing Christian songs with such reverence was truly tear jerking. I have often had a hard time dealing with how in the US it is easy to believe in God because we have a structured government that can help us live in a bubble. But in an area where the rape numbers are upwards of 70% for girls under the age of 16 and there are people dying of starvation by the handfuls it seems harder to believe in a loving giving God, BUT when these kids were singing and thanking their God for all that they do have I had a revelation and realized how I was looking at it wrong. My view was tainted by what all that the Kenyans did not have where their view was all they do have. There were times we wouldn’t have power or water all day but the nightly prayer was thanking God for the times that we did have power and water and praying for those who may never have these seemingly simple amenities. Singing worship songs with these kids in a room with one swinging light bulb was for lack of a better word humbling.

The kids at this home have come from all different backgrounds from all levels of abuse, from physical to mental and emotional. There were brothers Jeffery (6) and Diodi (aka David) (4), Jeffery had no ears because his parents tore them off and Diodi had a very crooked back because when he was a baby someone stepped on his back and it was broken. There are also many Massi tribe girls who were taken from their homes because they were old enough to be circumcised and married off (early as age 8). HCI Kenya was able to take them from these horrible conditions and give them an education, food, and a place to lay their heads, but the truth is that after primary school (k-8), secondary school (9-12) may not be an option. There is upwards of 200,000 graduating 8th graders in Kenya and lower than 120,000 spots open for them. HCI is trying to address this reality and trying to teach different trades along with normal school because the chances of these kids going to high school let alone college isn’t very high. It is crazy to think a country is dealing with these kinds of issues when we come from a country where school is free and mandatory for all. Just imagine living where you not only had to pay for a uniform but also books, pencils, and even the chair you sit on (no payment and you stand). Kenya is truly a developing country and they are working hard towards it, the hottest talk of the town was that the road was coming which opens all kind of opportunities. HCI Kenya is a true example where Kenyans are helping Kenyans; they are the ones addressing the issues with realistic options for success. The western way is to throw money at situations, although money is an important part of their success, one has to get on the ground level and help these kids. These kids also need emotional support, they need to know that someone loves them and that is truly what we tried to do with them, alongside HCI workers. They were awesome kids and I will miss them terribly, but I know that we left them in good/capable hands. After our visit with HCI we went on a rough 12 hour bumpy ride to Mombasa which is on the coast of Kenya and we spent the last 3 days there debriefing and discussing how we were able to see God in so many ways while in Kenya. We then caught a flight from Mombasa to Nairobi to Amsterdam to Cincinnati to Chicago to Detroit and I was home sweet home!

Thank you for your support through this amazing journey, I hope you check out the websites because there is A LOT of awesome things going on in these ministries. A few prayer requests that I have for the people of Kenya are:

That Kenyans will continue to strive for a united nation
That HIC will be able to raise these kids in a loving environment
That HCI will be able to continue to feed and clothe these kids
That the teachers at kibo slopes will be able to be positive role models in the kids lives
That the police will become true to their mission and protect their people without corruption
That the kids at HCI will feel the loving presence of God
That the kids stay healthy

I could go on and on but those are the ones weighing on my heart. Thank you once again and feel free to contact me any time if you have any more questions or comments:

Amy

(Contact me and I’ll give you Amy’s info if you want to contact her)

Kenya pictures and videos: www.picasa.com
Login: KenyaGP2009
Password: kenyaphotos

Christine’s blog and pictures: www.worldnextdoor.org/2009/06/photo-gallery-zana-africa/

ZanaAfrica’s site: www.zanaafrica.org

HIV/AIDS orphanage site: www.newlifehometrust.org