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Josee writes...

...about her experience while volunteering in the Kenya Orphanage program.

Diary Entries

· Back to the Orphanage (8th August 2006)
· Jambo! (13th August 2006)
· Blog from a 'mazungu'! (16th August 2006)
· Xmas in Kibera (20th August 2006)
· The realities of life (23rd August 2006)
· Sponsorships (30th August 2006)
· My last day (1st September 2006)

Back to the Orphanage (8th August 2006)

I have returned to Nairobi and to the orphanage. I was looking forward to seeing the kids and they were also happy to see me which was nice.

It has been cloudy and rainy here, therefore it makes the time at the orphanage that much harder / depressing. Here was our routine today. At 9:30 am, they drank a big glass of porridge. They were in class from 9:45 am until noon. I taught a few classes - spent most of my time teaching English. It is hard with some 30 students in one small area, little supplies and a very small chalkboard. However, I managed to teach them a few things (I think!). They are like little sponges... they want to learn (anything you can show them). I showed a little girl how to hold a pencil and draw. No one had ever showed her.

At noon, the kids played (with barely anything). I brought skipping ropes and a few balloons (they go crazy... lucky if it lasts 30 seconds!). We hold the smaller kids and change their pants (as they have no diapers), they play through our hair (they think it is soft compared to theirs), and they tried to teach me Swahili - they found that really funny!

They did not eat anything until 3:00pm at which time they ate a large bowl of rice and beans for lunch (nothing to drink). Can you image that many kids offered me some of their lunch? I could not believe it! After lunch, I went to the market with one of the older boys (Carlos) to buy some food for those kids that stay for dinner / overnight. They eat much of the same therefore the volunteers "chip in" to buy some extras (eg. tomatoes, eggs, flour, fruits). I bought the older boy a used radio cassette player ($9!) which he can use at night. They went nuts! Oh yeah... I am thinking of sleeping at the orphanage one night before I leave with another volunteer. Apparently, it is an experience and the kids just love having guests!

For those that would like to get a glance of Kibera (where orphanage is located), I suggest that you rent the movie Constant Gardner. As I said, there are 1.2 Million people living in absolute poverty, like I never thought existed (eg. you have to watch as you walk through the roads as they throw their faeces in little black bags outside their windows... they call it the flying toilets!)

The train track (you can see in movie) runs right outside my bedroom. The area that I live in (2 minutes walk from Kibera) looks like a war zone however I am in a nice apartment (security guard outside with some serious fences). We cannot walk outside at night - it gets dark by 7:00pm making the nights a little long. Last night, we rented Hotel Rwanda.

PS. The cook at the orphanage told me that they manage to run the orphanage (60 kids!) on $6 a day! Does that make any sense?

Gotta go... getting dark.

Cheers!

Jambo! (13th August 2006)

Jambo everyone,

I am having a great weekend in town. I am getting to know my way around which is nice.

I got a reality check on Friday morning. On my way to the orphanage, I saw a dead man on the side of the road. He was killed overnight. Made me realize that I cannot get too comfortable here.

Not sure if I told you but we are starting to paint the orphanage tomorrow with some bright colours. It is a real dive. Anything will help. I took a 'matatu' to get the paint across town. What an experience! They are old vans (can't believe they can still run). I was told that there is major theft going on in these vans. Well I took my chances and guess what? I got robbed! They took my roommates cell phone from my bag. I did not feel a thing! They are real pros. It is really weird 'cause in Kibera, they will kill someone if they see you steal. They will stone you to death! One of the volunteers saw it happen. They say they must do that to 'protect' their community. We were told not to scream if we get robbed, as they will get killed (nothing is worth that much!).

I am off to bring Carlos, one of the boys, to the theatre. He wants to see Superman. He has malaria and has not been well. He is taking really strong medication and therefore he needs to eat well. That is not going to happen at the orphanage?! I have been bringing him to a local restaurant (if you can call it that) to eat. Yesterday morning, this is what he ate: 2 eggs, 2 sandwiches with jam, 1 orange, strong Kenyan tea, a bottle of coke, and a protein bar. They are just dying of hunger (they very rarely ask for food). Carlos says he is 14 however I am not sure (many kids do not know their birthdays, thus their age...). Isn't that sad?

As part of my journey, I am trying to find out why these peoples are / seem so happy despite the poverty and misery. Well yesterday I came out and asked a local. This is what he said: "I am so fortunate because I can breathe and because I can see the sun shine". Food for thought everyone!

Gotta go. Wishing you all a great week, especially those that are hard at work...

Cheers!

Blog from a 'mazungu'! (16th August 2006)

Hello all. Hope everyone is well!

I have been busy over the past few days.

On Sunday, I spent the day with one of the older boys (Carlos) from the orphanage. First, I brought him to downtown Nairobi. I was completely stunned by his reaction. He was pointing at high rise buildings and elevators in complete amazement. I had to take him with me to the bank and he could not believe his eyes. He is 14 years old and has never seen an ATM machine. I tried my best to explain to him how the banking system works and why there was money coming out of that machine - his English is not very good so not sure he understood. Then I brought him at a nice restaurant. He ate the salad with his hands. I showed him how to use a fork and a knife. We then went to see the movie Cars at the movie theatre. He really enjoyed his day and it was really hard to bring him back to the orphanage. I wanted to bring him back home with me. That night, I had mixed feelings about the day and taking him out into our "world". I am worried that he will get a better understanding of his realities and what he is missing. Not sure yet if that was the right thing to do. Your thoughts are welcome!

On Monday, we started painting. The orphanage looks a lot better already! I am so happy. We painted the walls bright yellow in the main area and coloured the doors in aqua blue. The kids kept on saying "It's too beautiful, it's too beautiful". They are so cute. The older ones helped us paint. We also cleaned the garbage from the roof. There must have been 5 old smelly mattresses, shoes, bottles, etc. We filled up a truck. We are getting a bunk bed made for the bedroom. Would love to buy more beds but there is simply no room.

Last night, we went out in a local bar in Kibera to send-off one of the volunteers (she was really sad to leave). It was quite an experience. They played popular music from back home. There were many local men in the bar - some feeling much better than others. Apparently, it is unheard of to see local women in the bars. Not sure why, but it is ok for us "muzungu" women. We were the hit of the night. Unless you are working / volunteering in Kibera, you do not see any tourists here (not surprising!). We always go out with Peter (a local Kenyan that we met and works for GVN). Not sure we would have survived the night without him! He is the best!

Tomorrow, we are bringing the younger kids to an orphanage for elephants. Apparently it is world renowned. Some volunteers will continue painting. Friday, we are planning on bringing the kids swimming (they have no bathing suits thus they will swim in their clothes). We found a pool close by. The water is dark green!! I am worried about them swimming in this water but apparently, they are used to it. They must have really strong immune systems!

PS. For those who are wondering, a 'muzungu' is a white person. That is what locals call us when we are walking down the street. Kinda gets on your nerve after a while.

A little over 2 weeks left. Yikes, I need more time!

Cheers!

Xmas in Kibera (20th August 2006)

Jambo!

I would like to start my journal by sincerely thanking everyone who was able to contribute some money to the Mama Tunza orphanage. You have given me some homework to do over the next 10 days as I want to make sure that your money is spent wisely. I have made many contacts here over the past few weeks and you can be sure that your money will be invested properly and will change the lives of many children. Education is a priority if you ever hope of getting out of this place and therefore my focus right now is on getting proper education for as many kids as I can at the orphanage. They need sponsors / guardians that can pay for them to access proper schooling (public schools). Funds cover basic fee plus school clothing and desk. I am meeting the Director of a local school on Tuesday to see what can be done. If any of you have special requests on how you want your money spent, please let me know asap. Again, THANK YOU, THANK YOU! Kids will be forever grateful.

Tomorrow is a big day at the orphanage. I mentioned that I wanted to do XMAS in August (inspired by my hero, Oprah, of course). Last night we wrapped 68 gifts, carefully chosen for each child. Party starts at 1:00pm. Room is decorated. Music and electricity has been arranged. We hired a puppeteer / face painter that will 'entertain' the kids for 1 1/2 hours. We ordered pizza (they have no idea what that is! Hope they like it 'cause I cannot look at anymore rice or beans) and pop. We bought 8 cakes - we still need to cover with chocolate icing and smarties. I mentioned to some kids on Friday that we were doing a party on Monday - they never heard of a party before!? Also, I was told that they never unwrap gifts (birthday, xmas or any occasion). Can't wait to see their faces!

I spent the rest of the weekend at the medical clinic and running around getting some food. We are at the clinic at least every other day with sick or hurt kids. Saturday morning I brought a 2 year old boy, Mike. He was weak, was coughing and had a fever - not good. Doctor did some blood work and he was diagnosed with malaria, again. He was given 4 bottles of medication that he must take with food (?) 3 times a day for 5 days. We must pay 200sh ($3cdn) for a visit at the clinic, not to mention cost of medication, which is 'sometimes' free (eg. tb shots). Given 50% of Africans (acute in Kibera) earn less than $1 a day, not sure how the parents / guardians could afford bringing their kids to the doctor. Well they can't. Can't stop but think that we might of saved Mike's life on Saturday.

Also, we have been having major problems with the supply of food at the orphanage. They are running this place one day at a time. When we ask them how they will feed the kids the next day, they look at us with a blank look in their face. They are literally living one day at a time (makes me chuckle at how we plan for retirement 30 years in advance). Becky (a volunteer that I work with a lot from Australia) and I went to the GVN office to get some money for food and hopefully find a sustainable solution.

Short term, we filled the trunk of a taxi with beans, rice, sugar and maze. That will keep them going for a few more days. We have to find a way to make them self sufficient before we go. Mama Tunza has a big heart but has no skills, education, contacts, making it hard for us to help her on a long term basis. Her role as the founder of the orphanage is to get sponsors (eg. church, government, organizations) to ensure there is a continuous flow of food, clothes, etc. We are bringing her to a government agency on Wednesday to register the orphanage and try to get this resolved before we leave. We are doing our best but it is not easy.

One more thing. We brought the kids swimming on Friday in that dark green pool - thank god I did not have to jump in to save anyone! Last time they went swimming was in December (so twice a year). Never saw them so happy since I arrived - will definitely bring them back before I go. They don't own their own / individual clothes (aside from their old dirty shoes). They wear whatever is available at the orphanage (for their age group). It was a major challenge getting them ready to go swimming. They ran around looking for underwear (clean? or dirty), shorts, anything they could get their hands on so as not to get left behind. Everything worked out. It always does.

That's it for now... I could go on forever.

Hope you are all well!

Cheers.

The realities of life (23rd August 2006)

Well, the party on Monday was a huge success! We were so happy. The kids just loved the puppet show. They laughed so hard it was great to see them smile. Unfortunately, the show was in Swahili therefore I did not understand anything but it was interactive and educational (consequences of stealing, importance of education, etc). They are coming back to the orphanage tomorrow - for free! The kids did not understand why the gifts were wrapped. They had a real kick out of that! Also, I found out that nobody will deliver pizza in Kibera (too dangerous) therefore we had to pick them up by bus / matatu. I was sure we were going to get mugged on our return. Locals were shouting at us, tried to take the boxes... I soon realized it was not a good idea to walk around with 7 large pizzas in the middle of a slum.

On a sad note, there were two young boys that were shot by the police on Saturday. They were caught stealing. They were in their early 20's. Every morning on my way to work, I walk by their 'home / tin roof hut'. I have been seeing the father sitting outside on a wooden stool. I asked somebody what he was doing. I was told that he is waiting for donations from the community to pay for the funeral. They cannot have the funeral until they have collected enough money. Therefore bodies are preserved until the necessary funds have been collected. Apparently, this could take weeks if not months! It is particularly difficult for them to raise money given the kids were caught stealing (not good!). The families are already going through difficult times without having to worry about money. I offered to help pay for the funerals with the funds that many of you have contributed. I am going to buy two caskets tomorrow. We will also cover the transportation to the cemetery. Families are 'very' grateful.

Back to the orphanage. We are still painting. A few more days to go and we will be done. I hope. It is difficult with 60 kids running around not to mention the walls are made out of clay / cement / dirt / dust... It's really looking good. Locals are dropping by. They call it the NEW Mama Tunza Childrens' Centre. Also, we bought 3 more bunk beds (converted a classroom) and mattresses which means there are no more kids sleeping on the floor! Yeah! We changed 2 bathroom stalls (old rusted tin doors - kids were cutting their hands on them). Also, fixed the roof over the wood burning stove... water was leaking.

Today, Becky and I brought Mama Tunza and head teacher to visit ChildLife Fund, an organization that is 'supposed' to help orphanages. I got a glimpse at the bureaucracy and the realities of life here. First, they had no food or clothes. They are constantly seeking donations from churches, locals, etc. We left with 10kg of cooking fat. That will not feed 68 hungry kids. The hunt continues. We will try to contact someone from Feed the Children. I am running out of time. I still need to visit school to pay for the kids' education. Should have some news by end of week.

PS. On my way to town yesterday, I sat beside a young boy with a cardboard box. After a few minutes, I heard some noise coming out of the box. I asked him what was in there?! There were 3 hens. He went to a rural town to get dinner for his family. He laughed at my reaction. Would not see that in downtown Ottawa!

A swahili proverb that made me laugh... "A man without a donkey is a donkey".

Cheers!

Sponsorships (30th August 2006)

Jambo!

Wanted to share some good news!!

We have 2 boys from Mama Tunza's that will be starting school next Monday (Ayana School)!! There are over 500 orphans attending this school. They estimate there are some 300,000 orphans in Kibera alone. This is just stunning.

The boys names are Wallace (Carlo's) and Dennis. They are both 12 years old. Carlo's lives at the orphanage. He lost his parents when he was a baby, thus does not remember them. He lived in a church for years until Mama Tunza found him. Says he is the luckiest boy in the world. Dennis has 7 siblings and they live in rural Kenya thus he goes to Mama Tunza's during the day and lives with a guardian at night.

We spent the day getting them ready for Monday! We brought them to town and bought them their school uniform. I did not recognize them in a shirt and tie! They laughed. Got them leather shoes (compulsory), pencils, pens, geometry set, socks, sweater, a watch, running shoes (when they play sports in school), cap, etc... Also, we got them soap to clean their clothes, shoe polish, toothbrush / paste and the list goes on and on (they have nothing). They were in total shock! I will be communicating on a regular basis with the chairman of the school (also owns a local store) once I return home. He will be our contact (will send us regular progress reports) and will act as the kids guardians in Kibera. I have great pictures of them to share with you! They were so proud. Tomorrow they are going to get their hair shaved.

Finally, got a letter from a parent this morning that brought tears to my eyes. I spoke to a little girl (Elizabeth) this week and told her that I would try to sponsor her to go to school. She was so excited! However Mama Tunza refused saying she wants me to pay for the orphans (she lives with her parents however they have 8 kids and cannot pay for their education - not on $1US / day). She was devastated when Mama Tunza told her she could not go. Her father wrote to me begging me to help him and his daughter. Given I received more money from some of you today (thank you, thank you!), I will do my best tomorrow to set her up for school as well. I just wished I had one more week..

PS. Mama Tunza gave me a CD today which has the profile / picture of every child at the orphanage.

My last day (1st September 2006)

Hi!

I wanted to write one more time to describe my last day at the orphanage / Kibera.

I am currently at the airport waiting for my flight for Cairo (5 hour flight). Did not have time to write yesterday.

The day started at 7:30am at Ayana School. We found Elizabeth's father the night before and asked him to meet us there. Mama Tunza arrived with Carlos and Dennis as they needed to do admission tests to determine what level they will be in. It was not a pretty sight. Mama Tunza was NOT happy to see Elizabeth and her father (as I said she wanted to choose which kids we should sponsor and she did not see how this was helping her!?). I sat and listened to them discuss in Swahili. Peter and John (chairman of school) finally convinced her. They are the best! It was really difficult for me, as you can imagine, choosing among 68 kids. However these 3 kids are special and it was just the right thing to do.

The three kids completed their tests. Elizabeth and Dennis were very strong (over 80%) however Carlos was a little weak (50%) - I have complete confidence, that with guidance and coaching, he will do well. They tested their writing skills. Dennis wrote a page that he titled "his best friend". It is just too cute. I brought copies of their tests to share with you.

Spend the rest of the day shopping for Elizabeth... school uniform, shoes, etc. She made us laugh at the supermarket. They buy Vaseline to apply to their skin. When we asked her if she had some at home, she said no (like everything else), indicating they use cooking fat as they have no money.

I returned to the orphanage at 3:30pm. Many kids had already left which was a real bummer. Carlos was gone to play soccer (not sure where), which meant I could not say goodbye. It was really difficult to say goodbye to the kids, even Mama Tunza - took all my strength not to breakdown in front of the kids. She took me aside as she wanted to share a few words with me that someone needed to translate. Amongst other things, she said that she was sad that she was not able to give me anything in return for the work that I did at the orphanage but that God would take care of me. They are very religious!

I called for a taxi to pick me up at 7:00pm. When I got to the door, Carlos was standing there with 8 other boys from the orphanage. I was shocked. They walked 15 minutes in the dark to say goodbye. It was too much. I cried, Carlos cried, the others were really upset. Poor taxi driver, he did not know what to say. Kept saying "that boy loves you too much and to never forget him". I won't forget any of them.

I want to thank all of you for your support and words of encouragement over the last few weeks. And more importantly, I want to thank those that were able to contribute financially. As you can see from my journals, we have changed the life of 3 kids not to mention have improved the living conditions of many other.

Finally, I wanted to share a few travel quotes from my journal that inspired me during my journey here (hope they will inspire you as well).

1. Stop worrying about the potholes in the road and enjoy the journey (Babs Hoffman).

2. When you travel, remember that a foreign country is not designed to make you comfortable. It is designed to make its own people comfortable (Clifton Fadiman).

3. Travel not only stirs the blood... It also gives strength to the spirit (Florence Prag Khan).

4. Do not go where the path may lead; go instead where there is no path and leave a trail (Ralf Waldo Emerson).

I feel very fortunate to have been able to live this experience. I would encourage all of you to live a similar experience. It is truly life changing.

As I said, I am now signing-off from this journal but will continue to communicate via email. I will be meeting Christine in about 7 hours! Can't wait.

Happy back to school everyone and I will see you soon!

xox