Apply Now

Annie writes...

...about her experience while volunteering in the Kenya Volunteer Program.

Diary Entries

· IDP Camp Program (7th November 2008)
· HIV/AIDS Program (20th November 2008)
· Final Update (27th November 2008)

IDP Camp Program (7th November 2008)

Dear Ali and everyone

Jambo from Kenya - hope all is well back home. I have settled in easily here again amongst my African family - I've been here for 10 days and it feels like a month already!! I was met at the airport by my two Kenyan "sisters" Irene and Alice - it was so lovely to see their beaming smiles - they were so happy to see me! Big hugs then off into the chaos of the smokey Nairobi traffic- four lanes (can't really call them lanes as there are no lines on the road) drivers push and shove and hoot until they get through on these dirty dusty roads. Then there are the matatus (small bus) drivers who I'm sure come from their own planet (they're all crazy!!) They overload their matatus way past the legal limit and drive like madmen - It's nothing for them to drive into the opposite lane and then on to the footpath so that they can get past stand still traffic!! Aaaargh!! I don't get how there isn't an accident every 5 minutes here!! In actual fact I've hardly seen any. And there is sweet Irene in the midst of it all with her mobile phone in one hand driving past "traffic" policeman - not sure you could really call them that, because a lot of the time they're ignored!!

Anyway my first day was spent doing various chores with Irene like shopping for the kids at the IDP camps which we visited on my second day here. We were picked up by our driver at around 8.30am - we drove to Camp Jikaze which is near Lake Navaisha - two hours drive from Nairobi. This is one of the five camps that have been set up to shelter people who were seriously affected by the political violence earlier this year. This camp has around 900 people. What the government did for them was give each displaced person 10,000 kshs (around $200) which they all pooled together to buy a plot of government land (5 acres). It was really sad seeing these people living there in tents (mostly supplied by the UN and Rotary) - these tents are already starting to tear and will almost certainly leak with the November rains. It is also a very windy area - they have no water and little food and two toilets!! I heard some really heartbreaking stories this day - I knew the violence was bad, but just how bad was relayed to me in many stories. One of them the following which was also highlighted in the daily press with pictures.

"The incident was the deliberate burning alive of mostly Kikuyu women and children huddled together in a church in Kiambaa on January 1st, 2008 who were seeking refuge after an attack on their village of Kimuri - mattresses and blankets were set ablaze with petrol and thrown into the building while mothers and babies who were trying to flee the inferno were pushed back into the church. Kikuyu men attempting to defend their loved ones were hacked to death with machetes, shot with arrows, or pursued and killed."

"The death toll for this horrific incident was 17 burned alive, 11 died on the way to the Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital, and 54 other were injured. One woman who lost her mother in the inferno captured the horror - "At around 10.00 am, I heard people yelling that some raiders were coming. I saw smoke coming from some houses in our village and the houses were burning. Everyone in the village started running away to the church. My mother who was 90 years old was with me at the time. I decided to take my mother into the church for safety. After a few minutes, I saw more raiders coming towards the church....We thought the raiders would not attack the church. Many people were being pushed into the church by the raiders. The raiders threw some mattress into the roof of the church and threw more into the church. They were also pouring fuel(petrol) onto the mattresses. All of a sudden I saw fire break out. I took my mother toward the main door to get her outside, but there were many others scrambling toward the door as well. We both fell onto the floor. I wanted to save my mother from the burning church, but one of the raiders prevented me. I saw the fire had reached where my mother was. I heard her cry for help as the fire burnt her, but I could not help."

So many people have been traumatized by these events. We visited a second camp that day which is the largest one. There are nearly 12,000 people in this one which is called Gilgil Camp in the Rift Valley, about 45 kms from Lake Nakuru - this is the lake that is home to an amazing flock of beautiful pink flamingoes. This camp made my heart ache and I silently cried on several occasions. The stories and reports continued..."Many had only the clothes they wore. - they were hungry, sick and tired, many sleepless nights without food and water in the open. Some had wounds inflicted from attacks, most women, girls and children were tortured and raped as they ran for safety. Some pregnant women miscarried, gave birth or got other complications on the way. Most girls had contacted STDs etc during the violence. All of them were traumatized and needed psychological first aid. There are critical health issues :- pneumonia, flu, anemia, malnutrition, STDs, asthma attacks, high blood pressure, typhoid, skin diseases, miscarriages, severe constipation etc. - there is not nearly enough food, firewood and stoves are needed to cook the raw food that is supplied" and so on it goes....

These are the areas where I will continue to put funds raised back home - we have already supplied mattresses, blankets, food, water, school supplies for the kids so they can at least have some on going education in the camps, sanitary items for the women etc. I am also so very grateful to the friends back home who donated all that second hand clothing which Irene and I loaded in the car and took to this major camp. They were so happy to receive them for their kids. I am returning with Irene to this camp and also another one I haven't visited yet which we have already donated to - we will be donating as much food as we can, and water, and I aim to build some toilets at the Jikaze camp as well - Food is the ongoing nightmare as the government seems to only give so much then it stops. We will be taking as many tons of beans, maize, green grams (which is another nutritious bean) and rice as we can.

As Irene was sharing more stories and information with me this morning, I was astonished to find out that she also had been traumatised when she was delivering the supplies that we had donated earlier this year. She was driving through Lake Nakuru to the camp when the violence started to escalate and she was trapped in the car. The police warned her to go back to the Inn where she was going to stay the night. She told me that she saw people's "heads" hanging in the bush - these people had been beheaded by the raiders. I am absolutely humbled by her courage and commitment to her people. I knew that I could absolutely trust her with our money to make sure it went to the right places, but I had no idea that she actually risked her life to get these supplies through to the camps. She told me that she felt compelled to go when she knew that they had had no food or water for 3 or 4 days.

She is such a kind and beautiful human being and she is incredibly grateful for what we are doing back in Australia for her people.

I have also been kept really busy working with HIV/AIDS infected patients in the AMKA group again in the slums of Ngando and Dagoretti - generally things here have worsened as well with more orphans needing attention. Kenya is really suffering at the moment - the political violence turned the country upside down and the cost of food has skyrocketed since I was here last.

I saw a particularly horrible case today of untreated cancer affecting a lady's face and neck. She tells me she had the first "growth" in 1996, then 2001, then 2005. She had "treatment" each time, and a couple of weeks ago she was given a diagnosis of "cancer". Oh my God, you don't say!!! Poor, poor woman - I can't begin to describe the enormous tumour or tumours that cover the side of her face and neck and weigh her down. Again I felt humbled as she thanked me for all I have done for her. I felt really teary when she said that as all I have been able to do is pay for her clinic visits basically to get whatever pain relief they'll give her and buy her bananas and Lucozade so she has a little something in her stomach. I so wish I could bring her to Australia to be attended to by some of our consultants. The next time someone in our clinics back in Oz complains that they have to wait a while to see the doctor, I'm going to punch them!!! This poor woman will probably die in horrific conditions in her tiny tin shed of a home because there are so few resources here and certainly no free medical care!!!

On a lighter note, it's been really interesting and very funny at times this last week or so to watch the people of Kenya and their reactions to the Obama campaign and election. They are so proud that his father was a Kenyan - they have been going crazy around town with stickers and billboards of him everywhere - you would think he was going to be the President of Kenya!!! I am so glad he won, because I'd hate to think what might have happened here especially in Kibera - I think riots would have erupted. After he was elected yesterday, Kenyan President Mibaki declared a public holiday today so there has been a lot of singing and dancing going on. When I was walking around the slums yesterday, locals kept coming up to shake my hand and congratulate me - they see white skin and think "American" I guess. Had quite a few laughs as I went along with it all, singing and dancing Obama, Obama, Obama. :)

One of my fellow volunteers Joe came home with a really funny video he took whilst on the bus yesterday. There was a local guy who tried to get on the bus with 8 live chickens in his hands. Joe said he quickly put his bag down on the seat next to him thinking "I'm not going to sit with all those chickens squawking their heads off". He said the guy was holding onto them by one leg each upside down, so of course they were letting it be known that they weren't too happy about it!! Anyway the bus driver ended up tossing the guy off the bus because there was just too much disturbance :) It was a pretty funny scene - he was just standing on the side of the road with this expression on his face that kind of said "what's all the fuss about?!" "Only in Nairobi!" has become one of our more favourite sayings.

I will be going back to the IDP's tomorrow at Lake Nakuru to take more food and water - and also other building supplies so the people can build those much needed toilets.

I hope all is well back home - Rest assured I am not missing any of my daily life back there at all. No two days here are the same and I love that.

Take care - more soon
Love Annie
xxxxx

HIV/AIDS Program (20th November 2008)

Dear Ali and everyone

I just wanted to let you know that I am perfectly safe in Kenya. I didn't mean to frighten anyone - the violence that I wrote about earlier was at the beginning of this year. It was quite horrible as reported and as things got out of control for the local police, the Kenyan army was called in and it took them two months to regain peace and order - people are now going about their daily lives as usual. The violence was precipitated by the election results and resulted in two tribes (the Kalenjin and Luo) trying to drive the Kikuyu people back to the city, and out of rural areas around Eldoret, which is about 6 hours drive from Nairobi. Many Kenyan residents are more aware of their tribal affiliation than of being a "Kenyan", but it's quite rare that their rivalries will spill over into violence. The people of Kenya generally have a "live and let live" attitude, they are quick to laugh and smile and possess a "happy go lucky" approach to life, despite the fact that many of them live in dire economic circumstances.

There has been a full report conducted on the violence called the 'Waki Report" which is talked about on the news most days and if the government doesn't act on its recommendations, they will call on international courts to deal with the thugs. It appears the man responsible for inciting the people who are responsible for the killings is a well known official. Irene pointed him out to me recently on TV.

Anyway things are continually busy here - I could write a separate email for each day really, so much happens!!

There has been quite a bit of rain recently which has made life particularly hard as overnight most of the dirt floors, pathways and roads just turn to thick slush - it is so hard to get around- had to invest in gum boots which has made getting around the slum areas much easier. Of course, the locals are so "ho hum" about it all- this is just every day life!! I'm sure they have a giggle as I walk along the edges where I can cling to a fence or wall so that I don't go face down in this gooey thick mud that seems to be so deep - meanwhile they fly across rocks that seem to be strategically placed so that they don't even seem to get their shoes dirty. Hmmm - it appears to be an art I will have to master.

There's always something different happening day to day - just the other day I was sitting in Sophine's (counsellor) office which is a tiny area with a small desk/table and two chairs, when a VERY LARGE rat popped up at the top of her desk! EEEEEK!! A whole family of them has come to stay and nest at Dagoretti Clinic which has been a lot of fun! NOT!! One of our helpers at the clinic spent most of Tuesday afternoon thoroughly cleaning, in particular the shed where the food is kept for distribution to patients. By the way, we have bought large supplies of maize, beans, and millet for the clinics to distribute to the really sick patients who are starving as they had run out of just about everything - hopefully to last the clinic for the next 4 -5 months.

I'm spending a good deal of my time doing "home" visits as there are so many really sick patients in need of care and follow-up. We visit Elizabeth every day (the woman who is horribly disfigured with the untreated cancer). She is finding it difficult to breathe now - There's not a lot we can do - I pay for her clinic visits (she is a patient at the Nairobi Hospice which is part of the Kenyatta Hospital) and medications and buy her mangoes and milk so that she has something in her tummy - and just continue to be her friend and show that there are people around who care. One positive thing is she has a loving family - her elderly mother has come from the side of the country to be with her and I met her early in the week. I had to jostle with the live chicken which she had on her lap to shake her hand. She bought it as a gift for her daughter. Elizabeth also has a supportive husband, whom I just met and her grown up daughter is so kind to her mum and accompanies her on the long and painful journey each week to the hospice. This whole family just oozes love and compassion and Elizabeth is constantly an inspiration to those around her with her quiet strength and courage.

I was thinking recently that there seemed to be an improvement with the stigma surrounding HIV generally until a lady told me her story today. Her husband died in 2004 - he didn't want to take the ARVs. She started taking the drugs in 2005 when she found out her own status and had been getting strong. She opened up a little Fruit and Veg stand to try and pay for her rent and food, but when the people around her found out she was HIV positive, they stopped buying from her and told others to keep away, so that eventually her little shop folded. This hit her hard of course and she has been really trying to get on her feet again. Another woman we visited (Milcah) was so down worrying about not being able to look after her children and was too embarrassed to tell us she had no food in the house so couldn't take her medications.

Some days are harder than others and the patient load doesn't seem to have diminished since I was here last and still with little resources! The staff at the clinics try their best and take every person's case seriously. Everyone is important!! They work really hard in the hot sun, and a lot of the time with little food and water themselves. We just go from one house to the next and all the stories are similar. It really does get down to "you can throw your arms up in despair or roll up your sleeves". I must admit I have moments of despair, but they don't last - I know that there is another way. Slowly but slowly we can make a difference in these people's lives.

Happy news!!!! Last Friday, Irene and I traveled back to the IDP camps to take more supplies. These were two of the best days I have spent here!! We left early Friday morning for Jikaze camp near Lake Navaisha - I was so surprised when we arrived and at first I thought we were in a different camp - I didn't recognise the place! In just 2 short weeks, they had built 4 small houses and were starting another 2!! I can't believe how strong the people of Kenya are, they never give up hope and are so hardworking!! These little homes have wooden sticks for the frame, a galvanised iron roof, mud walls, and wooden door. When they are finished building these quaint little homes, the people in the camp with their working committee, hold a secret ballot and pick out the names of families to go from the tents into the huts. There is a beautiful gentle spirit amongst these people which is so good to be around. We made a shopping list with the Chairman of the camp and then went shopping nearby in Lake Navaisha Town - a very long list which included enough supplies to finish building the rest of the toilets. Cement, lime, galvanised iron sheets, nails, posts, hinges for doors and windows, bolts, wire mesh.

It was a very exhausting day as everything takes so long in Kenya - people operate on "African time." Then the food: flour, maize, porridge (millet) for the kids, sugar, salt, cooking oil, toilet paper, tea, sanitary pads, etc. We went to one of the local markets in the town and bought big sacks of carrots and 300 cabbages!! Then we had to hire a truck big enough to take this load - we arrived back at the camp just as the sun was beginning to set. People slowly and quietly came out of their tents and formed a half circle around as the truck was unloaded onto a huge canvas which had been laid out on the ground. You could feel the emotion as the women started to clap and dance, and sing a beautiful gospel song of thanks. Bless you Lauro and Dante for keeping our fundraising dinners going!! We are doing a lot here as a result of them!!

There is more to tell but I am tired and the Cyber computer is playing up (as usual) - more soon.

Hope all is well back in Oz - stay well

Love and hugs
Annie xxx

Final Update (27th November 2008)

Hi Ali and everyone

This is my final update before I return next week.

Following on from my last email, I was telling you about the hard working people who are part of the IDP camps at Lake Navaisha where they are building little huts - they've done 10 since I arrived!!

The weekend when we took the main load of supplies (I've since been back) they had absolutely no water in the camp - so I arranged to fund this for them. The "committee" members went off to investigate the most practical and cheapest way of getting water to the camp. Some rip-off merchant tried to charge them 80,000 kshs. To bring 10,000 litres to the camp - I can't believe how there are always thugs around that will try and take advantage of people who have suffered like these people in the camps!!

Anyway, on the way back from the second camp where we took supplies on the Saturday, I had to drop off the money to pay for the water. We were absolutely amazed to find that they had hired a truck, placed two big 5,000 litre drums onto it, filled them with water and had brought them back to the camp - here they filled all the 20 gallon drums they could find in the camp with the first tank, then lifted the empty one onto the ground, and poured the water from the second one into it. This was 9.00 pm on Saturday night in complete darkness - they only had a few torches. Even the children were really active and were helping to carry the cans as well. And would you believe this whole exercise cost only 5,000 kshs! What a difference in price!! And this of course means that the drums can be filled many times!!

Last week I had another nightmare visit to one of the local hospitals, Kenyatta District Hospital. We had been going about our daily visit to dear Elizabeth - as soon as we arrived and saw that she was looking gravely ill and struggling for breath, a decision was made to take her straight to hospital. Her family had all gathered around her wondering what to do and how to help her as they had no money and were still thinking that she might get better. We arrived at Kenyatta around 1.30 pm - first we went to the Hospice who did a quick assessment of her in the car and told us to take her around to the Hospital Emergency Section. We did this and then the drama unfolded - as we pulled up out the front, there was no one to help us - no orderlies and so we had to find a spare barouche - we darted around corridors until we spotted one we could grab.

We placed poor dying Elizabeth onto it as gently as we could (of course it had no mechanism and was very high so it was a real struggle to get her on the bed). We entered the Accident and Emergency department which I believe was recently upgraded and someone motioned us to take her out of the corridor into a "one bed" curtained area which was the first assessment.

A "nurse" mumbled something at her, took her temperature and then inserted an IV line. Then she was wheeled back into the main waiting area!! We were handed a bit of card with some details scribbled on it in Swahilli and then pointed to another area - this was the Medical Records Man - note I said "man" - there was only one of him!! And the counter was packed with people!! I was stunned. I tried to push in because evidently a doctor will not see Elizabeth until we get a card from this man. Finally after 15 minutes, we were given another piece of paper and are pointed over to - would you believe, the CASHIER counter!! Another queue, and nothing will be done until I pay 200 kshs, get the receipt and take it back to the Medical Records Man!! ARE YOU KIDDING ME!!!! I looked frantically for someone who I thought might have some authority - I grabbed a woman (nurse or medico - don't know, don't care!) She was nice, I explain that our patient was dying, can't breathe and needs a doctor to look at her urgently. She told me to push in, so that I am next in the queue - I do this and notice that I'm not making too many friends around me today - pay the money, and back to the Medical Records guy and WHAT THE!!! again another queue to get the card with some details which we then take over to another curtained area, where oh my goodness, at last there is someone who looks like they may have some kind of medical degree. Hooray!!! They at least attach some oxygen which helps the, by this stage, very distressed Elizabeth to breathe a touch easier!!

She was then moved to the "Acute" area - another longish curtained room where there is probably room for 4 beds only. They assess her, attach some "wires" and then leave her!! The staff are called to the other end of the room where a young man is being wheeled in who has obviously been seriously hurt in an accident. They begin to try and resuscitate him which was just awful to watch. It all seemed so amateurish!! I must have been standing there with my mouth open as after a while a nurse came and asked me if I could wait outside for a short time. I could still see what they were doing to this poor guy through the curtain - after what seemed like a very long time, they had inserted a tube down his throat and he lay there semi-conscious, making gurgling noises. I pray that I never have an accident in Kenya so that I am brought to one of these hospitals! How scary!! But bless these people too because they are doing the best they can with what little knowledge, training, equipment, etc they have.

Elizabeth was in this room for around 4 hours - we waited for a "specialist" to come and assess her. One came after some time, looked at her, muttered in Swahilli that it wasn't his case and would send someone else. Then another long wait… We said goodbye to Elizabeth and left her with her sister and husband. We were told that after another 2 hours, two doctors came and had a disagreement about her care. Eventually she was taken to one of the wards.

Elizabeth died around 4.00 am the following morning with her husband by her side.

We were very saddened by her death, but relieved that her struggle was at an end. Elizabeth was a treasure - a good person and loving mother, wife and friend - I feel privileged to have met her - her courage and perseverance have been an inspiration to all those around her.

There are more stories to tell but I will save them for when I return. I intend to do more work here next year, particularly with the orphans as there are so many of these children that are going hungry, and are sick and dying.

The local paper has just reported "473 children under 5 die every day in Kenya due to preventable causes:- complications in pregnancy and child birth, pnemonia, diarrhea, malaria, HIV/AIDS, malnutrition - lack of safe water, basic hygiene and sanitation, inability to access health services due to poor roads, poor transport, low utilisation of health services due to lack of equipment, supplies, and qualified staff. Main underlying cause in 2/3 of deaths is malnutrition."

The good bit is I am meeting people here every day that are willing to do what they can to alleviate the suffering of these children - and I know that many of you back home are willing to do the same :)

I can't believe I'll be back at my desk next week - Yuck!! But reality calls for paying the bills and saving some more money so that I can return here again next year.

Love and hugs to you all.
See you soon - take care
Annie xx