Kenya 2015 – #8

Thurs Oct 22 2015
Up at 7am ready for pick up at 8 by a Primary school head teacher Francis.. Francis has 7 orphans-relatives seven kids he and wife Catherine care for in their home.. caring couple. Francis took me to his school to talk to the kids who almost rioted as they wanted to touch the white guy.. wow… then to a high school called form 1 to form 4 those grade 12 (form 4) students were really sharp .. and then to a boarding school for grades 5 thru 8.. very smart well behaved kids from wealthy families.. The contradiction of the poor kids in grades 1 to 6 vs the rich in the boarding school is so enormous as the wealthy have sharp clean new uniforms and the poor in primary have worn, ripped and tattered dirty uniforms… so obvious
then in afternoon with friend Stanley working on sponsor proposal

Friday Oct 23” got a ride to a wifi free place to work on proposals, there was a meeting planned for 10am but the other two people arrived at 11am.. they said they met friends on the way! We talked about the group setup and the proposals.

Then another Francis came and he is an area that needs a water source as he needs a pipe to go almost 2 miles TWO MILES at more than 20 cents a foot wow…. but the estimate is $15000 o $20,000… wow, too much. there are sooo many things needed here.. so many.. he will ask those in his village to look for water source answers.

Then Stanley and I met with Juliah who runs the Methodist sponsored save the street kid program.. same work I did two years ago but their staff and funding are wonderful… their property is 6 acres which is huge is so nice I thought I was in Canada.. they save street kids and take them home after cleaning them and rehabilitating.. great to see a successful program

Sat Oct 24 my shower hot water heater was not working so I asked Julius the compound mr. fixit to help-thought it would take days but I had a nice warm shower this morning

BTW we have a new grandchild LIAM PATRICK GARRITY born yesterday all are healthy.

great day today.. again at proposal design… have a book called The International Donor Directory for Africa so thick. i must find donors…

beautiful sunny about 24C day here nice breeze…

Sunday Oct 25 up at 7am showered breakfast at 8am 2 eggs YES, Not a church goer but attend Mass here as its singing and dancing tho quite loud and 2hours.long . the sound system is loud but the echo rules out clear hearing cant understand a word…

Bummed a ride to a service station in Mokutano area of Meru where I was to meet two people and then go to visit a head teacher and wife. They were late of course! got to Francis and Catherine at 2:30pm and waited for Stanley.

When we arrived we all chatted and it would be a while for a meal was to be ready so Stanley and I went for a walk – nice day for a walk. We went under a elec fence in to the FOREST FOREST like hell it was JUNGLE. but no elephants spotted but mary birds and dozens of monkeys it was so cool

At 6pm we had dinner spagetti and rice and chicken and chapati and pop.. lots of food. The lady just spent 2 years in Texas and Kent and Tenn.. but was loving cooking outside with wood for fire.. They were all very very religious…

Back to my room at Cathedral.. met an Indian priest and talked for hours about Kenya and India
NOTHING BORING ABOUT KENYA
Love to all
Bruce in Kenya

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Kenya 2015 – #7

Oct 18 2015 SUNDAY

up early water came on again and showered kinda cold water as the water heater does not always work

at 9am mass which lasted 2 hours with great singing and dancing, Ann‘s 22 orphans there and so well behaved.. their newest boy is 2+ and sat in my lap and quietly spoke swaheli to me so I just kept nodding! very funny,

after Mass at 11:15 I looked around parking lot for a ride of 1/2 mile up a steep hill and I pant and sweat walking it.. so I asked a man in a nice car for a lift and they did in their big clean lexus. he sells insurance and has some wealth. was nice to me.

Stanley and I chatted for 2 hours on how to revise and organize the WELLS OF LIFE SEEKERS group with new life to get it to a level where we can apply for sponsoring donations.

Then Stanley and I visited a rabbit “farm” where two very good young women have a small farm and cows and goats. Stanley thinks a rabbit farm can get funds for needy kids.

Later I skyped Maureen with Ann and 3 of her orphan girls the girls were thrilled with the skype (never before)

Been raining a bit at nite sounds nice on the roof

Called Dr. John who I met last week. trying to arrange an animal park visit with his brother ( maybe in a helicopter WOW)

there are police and army and security everywhere all will AK 47s am Ok but they fear terrorists.

Oct 19. Monday. kinda upset stomach so the bathroom came in handy that’s too much info! but have been healthy as horse and eating in local Kenyan places,… love their rice

Spent 4 HOURS with Mary the chair of our group which they named WELLS OF LIFE SEEKERS. quite the title. anyway it took 4 hours to amend a registration form for each child. but we got it done. Now all the unpaid volunteers/field workers will get a form for each child and we can have a good base to start sending proposals for donations.

BTY to clear things up my best friend and very smart adviser is a local Kenyan named Stanley. Smart as a whip and he will be THE KEY in getting the WELLS group functional And ANN is the lady with the 22 child orphanage. she is also smart and loves her orphans. she runs a bookstore to help fund her and kids… these are Angels helping locals.

And Ann’s staff of 2 women at the bookshop make chicken dinner and rice sooo tasty.. the cook at the Cathredral is not in today or tomorrow so the food came in handy.

Back at my room at 8pm… boring there alone though reading a lot

 

Oct 20 Tuesday slept late til 7:30 no cook today a national holiday

old friend Fred a teacher visited and we chatted for hours- he has good advice he teaches at a boys catholic school and make 9$ a day livable but very tight as he pays rent, elec. taves.. the public school has much better pay, at least double so all teachers want a position in the public system

skyped Maureen and it took quite a while to connect.. internet can be slow or off like the water supply

Oct 21 wed woke up VERY ill.. very dizzy and nauseous and diah. Ann and cook and Stanley came to help and a MD friend sent anti Diahr pills,, all thought I had food poisoning. was flat from 6am to noon but with cooks porrage and mashed potatoes I got well, am better now.. while lying on bed and the couch Stanley and I discussed reorg of the helping group for 3 hours..

And Ann cleaned my room and toilet wow nice to me

Later to Nkumatt dept store restaurant where wifi is free.. met 2 guys who chatted too long but ya gotta be social..

At 6pm Ann made supper at her bookstore mashed potatoes and goat meat delish

going home soon to my room tired

peace to u all

Bruce

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Kenya featured on CBC PEI

CBC PEI ran this story today:

Kenya a calling for former city councillor Bruce Garrity

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Kenya Questions

Kenya people dont seem to worry about malaria and most don’t use mosq netting but they should

• I was in the US Peace Corps in 60s in India (but got drafted after that for Viet Nam) and after 30 years in PEI tourism I wanted to try again so a friend knew a guy here, I emailed and this is my 3rd 3 month trip to Kenya.. it’s usually satisfying though it is a slow process in Kenya and very challenging as all the grammas I meet are SURE that MR BRUCE will be successful in helping them.. tell them I am not salvation but they hug and dance with me anyway
• Kenyans are survivors truly
• I am not religious.. my father taught me 50+ years ago to help orphans by visiting a local orph. in Springfield, Mass. and taking a bus load on annual trips.. so I have this kind of ingrained in me..am doing this because I want to.
• My wife Maureen has not yet accompanied me but she knows the need.. maybe some day.. guess she thinks I am a lone wolf here.. I enjoy being the only white guy around as it can be an ego booster but there are times I like being alone in my room kinda hidden away..
• thanks goes to my Kenyan friend Stanley who is my tutor, friend, “protector” and all around great guy.
• most people know English but Swaheli (and 43 local tribal languages ).. I am not good at languages and I so wish I could understand swaheli.
• most Kenyans speak softly and even in English its hard to understand so they must repeat often for me.

like all your interest and questions,
Bruce

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Pictures from Kenya

good simple lady    pennyless

compare that to Canada and USA!

wonder if this little girl can grow to be a leader if she survives

I use the saying often “I wish u enough” and i wish them enough
my group here is trying to solicit funding and donors to feed these kids

thanks  
good day
Bruce in Kenya

 

More photos:

Bruce talking to gramma guardians

grandchildren with morning porridge

the porridge line up that lady serving is nursery teacher and gets about $1 a day ( plus a little porridge)

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Kenya 2015 – #6

FUN
Ya meet interesting people   like Paul Huk  from Poland, helps build schools for kids  he is from Poland and hitch hiked here 3 years ago   yep hitches and couch surfed.. he does not know the meaning of NO  and he is 38, married to a local Kenya lady and a small baby.. he is a whiz on the comp. and he will be helpful to me I am sure. Met him last visit 2 years ago.  He knows how to get donors … hmmm
Stanley… cannot praise him enough.. He works as a field worker with a NGO ( non government org.) and helps street kids.. he is irreplaceable on the new  Wells of Life  group we are working on that helps grammas and their grandchildren  soo needy..

 GREAT—Also me Juliah a local Kenya lady about 38 or so who works as a manager of a  Methodist NGO (via UK) and gets street kids off the street.. She is terrific with her staff of 8 and is doing what I tried to do 2 years ago but I had no staff and little funds. Think I was a bit successful but Juliah group is what is truly needed. Things r getting better.

Yesterday  hmm interesting… Stanley and Ann and I met and got a Matatu a 14 pass. van that is usually packed with 22 to 24 people  PACKED. Our matatu was almost full when we arrived and I was not getting in as too crowded so the conductor asked or told the lady in the front to get in back.. she did and I got the uncrowded seat.hmm not fair but? ( the ugly Canadian?  hope not)

On our 10 km drive costing $1.20  we saw TWO BULL ELEPHANTS just off the road.. I was soo excited that all the pass. in the van laughed,… it was so cool..am just a little kid so the animals are a bit hit !!!

We got up the tar road and were told to walk down the very very muddy road to the Italian sponsored  AINA  the orph for 106 hiv infected AIDs kids  but lucky again as a 4 wheel van drove by and gave us a lift thru the mud..  we went to AINA for their 5th anni party. And we got there on time at 9am hmm but the party started at 1pm,,  of well. There was cake and dancing and great fun. Marak the AINA manager is a pro at getting all levels of sponsors.. big money– he convinced local Kenya contractors to donate  3 million ($37,000) to the AINA site  wow  and much more from the Italian sponsors .btw, there are usually  4 or 5 Italian women visiting  AINA taking care of the children.

At 4pm we walked the now dry dirt roads to the main tar one, then  got a  UNCROWDED matatu back to MERU . Back to my room at the Cathedral but no shower as the water was off .  Heavy rain again… Tired and sleep,
love to all
Bruce

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Kenya 2015 – #5

Hi all… no rain last nite   cooler and very comfortable in shirt and shorts this morning

yesterday as we left our meeting with the older caregiver grandmas, Priscella a volunteer field worker asked if she could carry my gym bag that i carry everywhere toting my computer etc.. she said its proper for the lady to unburden the man … hmm btw , I said yes and she carried it til we we were alone on the street and I asked for it back.

Sure is novel but roosters walking in and out of homes and meetings is interesting occurrence.

We took taxi to a 40 min away site where the kids never saw a white guy before and were scared of me.. .. a older couple use their land for kids  who are 2 to 6 years old and of course hike it to and from,,,the little kids live with poor grammas  just like the ones  i met a few days ago in Meru town,— the little nursery school is very  dilapidated    wow  great needs to help all these..  they are not starving but are  not eating well either…

GREAT NEWS   met a lady  today  Oct 15  who is in late 30s who is one sharp cookie,, she has  Methodist sponsored program  and staff of 9 who take and clean and feed and take home street kids  its EXACTLY what I was  doing with no staff 2 years ago but she has  great $$ backing and support staff..  sooo pleased that is  happening  one for the good guys !!
Weather is perfect tho a bit on the warm side at noon… the weather guys say great rains are coming but we will see..

Last nite I got back to my residence and met a 35 yr old cool priest just back from DE Paul univ in Chicago .  we talked basketball and he took me in the nicest car I have been in — his brothers car  who is also a priest..  we went to store an I bought  a cold lite beer    sooo good with supper, My point is the priests are good guys .. their cars are 1st class !!
Last  nite I had piles of rice and chapatis  with 6 priests  and its a secret I am not religious,.
should be  busy  the next few days. I put the word out I am available anytime for  big animal park visits
peace to u all

If u know anyone who may be interested in this blog  and may want to be generous  PLESASE pass it on  
Bruce

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Kenya 2015 – #4

Yesterday was Monday  Oct 12 and I met Mary who is trying to regenerate a small org. that has caregivers/guardians  …   200 mostly very poor grandmothers who care for 1 or 2 or 3 grandchildren as their mothers and fathers are deceased from AIDs.  Mary and a 5 other men and women are trying to identify donors to help these people. One man in the group has a rescue center where 20 kids ages 2>5 to 6 years live with their grandmoms but go to his centre for food and school and then return to their homes.. very terribly poor situations but this man and his wife help the kids..there are warm – hearted and caring  people here. On wed. we will visit his center to see it first hand.

In the evening yesterday Ann the “Thelyn Orphanage” lady for 32 kids..  runs a bookstore  and she and two store “clerks” made us all  supper   .. hmmm the live chicken was bought and veggies prepared and the chick was
done in and cooked  … 5 of us ate a big dinner for $5… good food   good deal  all cooked  in the back of her store.

Its kinda lonely when I return to my room… so I read and do the internet and puzzles.  It’s warm here so sweat a lot so a good shower helps. The Kenya people have NO airs.. if there is a small bug on a glass  no one goes snaky.. they just let life go on. And so social here.. everyone stops to talk to it seems like everyone knows each other..

Tues. am   up at 6am with  the loud  Muslim call to prayer over loudspeakers !!! Breakfast with young kenyans who are studying to be priests/brothers in Oblate society. Had a long chat with Fr Alfred who gave me  a room for 3 nites.. a good  and smart man.

Off by taxi with my big bag in which I took way way too much. So I arrived at the cathedral and left my bag since my little room was not cleaned yet.. things a bit slower here.

Off at 10am to meet people and we walked to meet 100 mostly grandmas who care for their grandkids..this is where we hope to get new sponsors to help these women raise those kids.. they meet on Tues. mornings and each tries to bring  30 Kenyan shillings  (21cdn cents) each week for a meeting kitty   21 cents  and many struggle to save that weekly.. hmm

Rained last nite   a bit muddy today   but sunny and warm by 10am
have a GREAT day
Bruce

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Kenya 2015 – #3

Hi to all again,
hope I am not too wordy but I am Bruce and am wordy…
on Sat I left the coffee plantation and was driven to Meru town finally after 5 days…

I met Ann who runs a 30 child orphanage and Stanley who is a orphan field worker…we stayed together for 2 days talking about what is a priority,,, we decided to upgrade her orphanage and move to another site. Its a big undertaking but the kids deserve  a better place so where better to allocate our time and money…  They helped me find a small room with  a  WESTERN TOILET at an Oblate society compound for a few days – my contact there is Fr Alfred  from Edmonton, Alberta– truly nice and good man.

Met a lady Mary who operates a group of mostly grandmothers with grandchildren — the mothers have died of AIDS.

Mary wants me to work with her for 2 months trying to organize the grandmas and try to get some financial support for them – THE GOVERNMENT WILL NOT PROVIDE FUNDS FOR THESE PEOPLE AND NOT FOR ORPHANAGES.. the govt taks caring but just does not deliver… so we will apply internationally and nationally for help– Did I tell u that unemployment is about 60% and 80% of Kenyans survive on $1 to $2 per day.

Mary and her friend showed had showed me a place they want me to live in but it had an asian/ african toilet   and was not clean so I politely thanked them but declined.

I did visit the Catholic chancery Bishop office and asked if I could use the room i used two years ago and FR David agreed so I move there tomorrow   WONDERFUL   ..  the donation I plan to give Fr David is $4  a day for room, shower, toilet and meals..

So I am settling in.. I feel good and have been having tea and toast   and lots of RICE.
I wish u all a great day..  its 10:30am here and 4:30 am there   dream well
btw its 24C and very nice here- no rain yet but its coming soon
Bruce in Kenya

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Kenya 2015 – #2

2nd Kenya blog  Friday  Oct. 9,2015   8am
Arrived here late Monday night and my hostess Lois (Mama to all) insisted I stay for two days so here we are on Friday ready to depart for her plantation home in Kanjai about 4 hours north of Nairobi. For a guy who wants to get down and dirty with helping orphans, it is quite the contradiction to be living on  a wealthy estate. We will overnight in Kanjai and on Saturday I will finally get to Meru town to search for a room and food supplies.

This weekend I plan to visit Ann Mugwe a lady I know who operates a small (28) child orphanage and Stanley who is a street kids field worker and Mary Sinbuwie who is new to me but promises I will be busy at her small orphan rescue centre.

Nairobi is busy, chaiotic and at times it is just bedlam. White people are a little common here in Nairobi but its business centre is full of Kenyan men in suits and women sharply dressed just like every other bustling large city corporate area. James is Mama,s   driver and he is an excellent one– the traffic here is beyond our imagination. Yesterday James and I walked around a lot of downtown Nairobi… it was about 30C but we did the tour…he showed me the street that is the invisible divider of the upper class business area and the more working area… bus and van conductors yelling where their vehicles are going, prostitutes advertising their work, vendors selling just about everything under the sun,, crowds of people like in New York City.. I stood back and drank it all in.  Never felt scared or unsafe..it was a 10am to 3 pm walk about…

As I got warm and sweaty, James guided me to a nice 2nd floor  open bar overlooking where he had a cola as he was driving and I had a cold malt beer ($1.60)that was sooo good…

I had breakfast at 7:30 and thought we were leaving at 8am… but the cook said we will depart at 9am and first we will first visit mamas husband in a 1st class Nairobi hospital..he is a very successful businessman and banker who is 85 and had a minor stroke…  so guess we actually will travel north at about noon. I am trying to slow down and accept the much slower pace here.

Now woke early .. 5am Saturday Stayed here at Lois country home in Kanjai where they have 20 acres of coffee planted. She is a very smart very successful and generous lady..   been eating lots of rice  ….we will see later how well I eat living alone. SECURITY here is remarkable. Last nite we locked the courtyard gate with lock and chain, then locked two outside doors  THEN locked two inside hallway doors that lead to our bedrooms.
The drive yesterday was kinda scary but James the driver is a pro…passing other vehicles is iffy as the center line is missing a lot..we seemed to JUST miss vehicles coming the other way,,    we drove through the elephant path but did not see any…just like my last two Kenya visits I see  there are women and men everywhere in towns and along the roads selling fruit and clothes and I admire their survival techniques

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