Kenya: The Challenge & Inspiration

{ March 6, 2010 @ 2:16 pm } · { Uncategorized }

Kenya: The Challenge

A mother awakes to the sound of her young child’s cry. Food and potable water are scarce. It’s the dry season, but the unexpected rains have caused flooding, creating a rise in cholera and malaria counts. The young one is feverish, with sullen eyes and parched skin from days of thirst. The only available water from the neighboring lake and streams has long been infested with human and animal waste. 

Scenarios such as this one is played out everyday within the thatched huts and corrugated steal shacks of Kisumu, Kenya. Children are dying of diseases which have long since been combated in the industrialized world, through effective hygiene and sanitation programs. However, in the third world, simple bacteria plague the fragile immune systems of the young, causing grave diarrheas, dehydration, and subsequent death. Simple soap and water could wash away 80% of the bacterial infections that are killing the children of Kenya. It is these unacceptable facts that drive my burning desire for change. My secondment is officially complete in 6 weeks, but Kenya is in my heart forever. I will remain committed to efforts which will provide potable water and soap to the children of this region. I will champion programs which will bring water filters, soap and education as well as improved health care to the people of this region. We are a global brotherhood, and this needless suffering cannot be ignored.

Kenya: The Inspiration

 Among the sickness, poverty, starvation and filth there exists bright rays of hope, which can be seen in the darkest moments. The people here are accepting of their daily struggles and find an inner strength that few of us in more privileged circumstances will ever acquire. It is the rare stranger that will pass you on the street without a warm greeting or kind word. A visit with local friends will typically end with a small gift being bestowed upon you. There is much joy and inspiration which, like a seedlings struggling to survive between the cracks of a sidewalk, will preserver with an unmatched tenacity unknown in the developed world.  It is this strength that keeps Kenya alive.

The Wedding 

There is a fine, almost undetectable line between friends and family in Kenya. Ed and I have developed an extended network of close friends who have accepted us as one of their own. When word grew throughout our close-knit community that an American wedding was in the works for us back home, our Kenyan friends quickly offered up their services for a Kenyan style affair. Before we knew it, Ed and I were in tow as our good friend Francis made all the arrangements for Kenyan nuptials. Kenyan weddings are something to behold. As in the States, they are centered around good friends, good food, and most importantly a public affirmation into a holy covenant. Ed wore a traditional Kenyan top, and was given the opportunity to thoroughly look over the bride to ensure his high standards were met. This is an old Kenyan custom which guards against the bride’s family from switching the betrothed to a less desirable sister or cousin. Upon his approval, and roars of laughter from the audience, we stated our vows, and then held each other’s hands up high in the air as we placed handmade wooden rings on our fingers. After a formal signing of the wedding certificates we were finally announced ‘Husband and Man…’ err ‘Husband and Wife’ (I guess the Pastor was a bit nervous too). After the ceremony we feasted on traditional fare of sukuma wiki, pilau and rice. After the wedding we took a few days respite to Kakamega Forest, the only rain forest remaining in Kenya and home to a variety of monkeys, birds, and beautiful foliage. It was the perfect get away for us, full of great hikes followed by afternoon teas on the veranda. It was difficult to say our goodbyes for another 6 weeks, as Ed headed back to the States; but we know in our hearts the importance of this project. His love and support as been the keystone to my achievements here and I’m so blessed to have him in my life. I look forward to our lifetime of love, hope, and rewarding adventures.

 Hygiene and Sanitation Project

 “Just because you can see the station, doesn’t mean you have arrived.” Maya Angelou

I am down to a mere 40 some days before I must prepare to board a plane and head back to my life in the US. There is still so much to be done but with the gracious help of my GSK colleagues, friends and family I know this work will carry on long after I’m settled in my life in the States.  Many thanks to my GSK colleagues, Rebecca Harvey and Tom Whipps who sponsored an additional hand wash station at the Joel Omino School (this school services over 1500 students from a nearby slum area). With the support of friends and family back home a hand washing and fresh water station was installed in Osani Clinic, a very remote clinic about an hour south of Homa Bay. We also are preparing to install 5 more hand washing stations in Ombeyi Clinic, a clinic that services a remote village, which due to recent rains, travel to and from the village has become almost impossible.

Sustainability Program:

The sustainability side of the project is still growing, and networking seems to be the key. It is my hope, before I leave in April that we will have put together a business plan for a soap factory in Kisumu. Proceeds from this factory would support the OGRA Hygiene and Sanitation Program.

Knowing nothing about factory development, soap manufacturing or establishing a business in the developing world, I have successful pulled together an expert team who has offered great guidance. The synergy from our various talents to date has been amazing. I hope within the next month to meet with Kenya Industrial Research Development Institute (KIRDI), and an expert from the University of Nairobi. I have had a brief meeting with a board member from the Kenya Manufacturing Association, and he has agreed to donate his time and expertise as a consultant. With the help of Sud Bar Soap in the US, I have been able to take a local soap recipe and develop it further. It is our hope this recipe will soon be put to use by soap making groups established within schools and clinics; thereby  making soap available to those most at risk for high morbidity and mortality due to bacterial infections.

To mirror the soap factory efforts, we are also developing plans for a local filter factory. I’m working with Thirst-Aid International who has established 8 successful filter factories in the Middle East. PATH International will be doing a marketing analysis of the filters in the Nyanza Province throughout this year. SWAP (Sanitation Water and AIDs Prevention) has offered to market the products. I met with a local pottery group who may have the available land. Clay samples have been sent to the US for analysis. Now the final piece is to complete the overall business plan and seek funding for the building of 3 kilns, which will enable the manufacture of 20-30 filters on a daily basis, which will be sold at low cost to those in need throughout the Province. Together the filter and soap factory will make locally available those critical elements that we in the industrialized world take so much granite; fresh water and soap.

A Final Note;

 So many of you have expressed an interest in taking a hiatus from your day-to-day life and take the leap into nonprofit work in a developing country such as Kenya. I highly encourage you to follow your dream. Although this work comes with its share of steep learning curves, if you find this type of work to be your passion, the rewards can be endless.  

“Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path, and leave a trail “   Ralph Waldo Emerson

Pictures:

Ed’s Second Visit : ) http://picasaweb.google.com/researchrn68/February2010EdVisit#

Wedding : )

http://picasaweb.google.com/researchrn68/Wedding#

Women of Rabuor: OMEGA Foundation Soap Making Group http://picasaweb.google.com/researchrn68/OMEGASoapMakingWomenSGroup#

Advertisement