Hustle and Bustle

I have now arrived back in the busy city of Nairobi... On Saturday I took a matatu (small volkswagan van) from Kisumu to Nairobi arriving late in the evening... The bus takes approx 7 hours and it is on rocky roads that are sometimes not paved so it can get hot and dusty! The friday before I left Kisumu they threw me an african party and took me dancing to a Luo tribe place which they call ohangler where music is made with simple man made instruments like a few bottles... In Kenya guys just stand up individually and start dancing alone which I don't think I've ever seen happen in Canada... and they are good dancers... and everyone dances with their bottoms lol... It was a great time and they showed me how to dance the Kenyan way... The only complaint I have from the night is how aggressive guys are here I have a bruise around my wrist from a guy grabbing me and telling me to come dance with him and when I refused he would not let go of my wrist... A little too persistant! On Sunday I was able to visit the Westland suburb of Nairobi where my sisters friend Sonya lives. You should see the stark contrast between where I am living and the majority of the blacks live in Buru Buru and Westlands it is nuts. The roads are nice in Westlands, everything is painted, beautiful scenery it is like being back in Vancouver... large malls etc... No garbage littering the ground very few beggers... it is amazing the difference and sad as well as it is like two different countries in one city! Sonya and her friends showed me around their part of Nairobi and treated me to a wonderful bbq which was tasty after eating Ugali the majority of the time here! Tomorrow Sonya will be taking me around as a tourist and we will be visiting the animal orphanage and other areas that she says are must see tourist attractions. She said I have hardly seen the tourist attractions since I've been in the field volunteering so much - she says I need to see the beautiful parts of Kenya too before I leave! So I will post some more pictures when I return home which is on Friday :) I am very excited and look forward to a warm shower and comfy bed! I am starting to dislike showering with a cup and bowl of freezing cold water for obvious reasons :)

Wish me a safe journey home and I can't wait to see you all upon my return!

Love from Kenya,
Kristy

A step forward!

So a lot has happened since I have had a chance to sit down and write...

I headed to Nakuru last weekend and saw Lake Nakuru and visited some other NGO's. Some of the pictures of the trip have been posted below or above. The trip was amazing I was able to visit the Gabriel Learning Centre and see the programs in action they teach the very very needy that live in the slums adult english education, the children from ages 4-6 primary class, and also teach 48 individuals how to tailor so they can start their own business. The school is amazing and the individuals who run it are inspirational. During the Friday Chris, one of the organizers, took me into the slums to meet a family. To get there we had to duck through a small passage and were greeted with lines of hanging clothing. Children were seated on the bare ground playing. We entered a two room home where a family of 8 were living. Prior to the election violence here in Nakuru this family owned several properities and businesses but during the violence all were burned down leaving them with nothing. To make matters worse the father who is in his seventies had just retired and invested all of the families savings into the businesses! So not only did they watch their home go up in flames but they also watched their years of savings. In Kenya the Luo tribe can marry more than one wife and this family had two wives. During the violence one of the wives was killed leaving three children for the second wife to take care. The second wife who greeted me was young, early 30's at most. She now has the responsibility of not only taking care of her four kids but the kids of the wife that died. Now the father is not working because no one will hire him due to his age and she is left to cleaning clothes to feed all 7 children, her husband, and herself. The two room house was small in size approx 6x6 feet, the first room had three make shift chairs and the second room had two children sleeping on a tarp next to a make shift kitchen that consisted of two large serving bowls. It was a sad sight to see and my heart just broke. I wanted to scoop the family up and give them a hug and tell them it was all okay and that I was shipping them back to Canada with me but I know that I couldn't do that nor could I tell them it would be okay because I just don't know if it will be for them. Chris gave the family some money and food and then we were off to another house. The second house was also a two room home. The children were the only ones present, a picture of them is posted above. The children had 8 siblings and two parents living out of a two room home similar to the last. The father is also not working but this time due to alcohol and the wife is washing clothes to make a living. These kids grow up so fast - they were all rushing around doing errands as Chris and I sat talking to the girl in the white dress. The hardships here are vast and I saw a large root of the problem when visiting - an old man followed us around the entire time I was in the slum muttering every so often or getting into violent rages and shouting at us - Chris explained that this is common of men living in the slums it costs them 10 KYS to get drunk (approx 15cents CAD) since the alcohol is self made and very potent and then they leave their families suffering while they run around the slum drunk. It was hard to ignore. I left there knowing that at least Chris knows about these families and are working towards helping them.

Lake Nakuru was beautiful - I was lucky enough to see a lion while I was there which is not often found at Lake Nakuru as they are very timid and only a few remain! I have posted a picture of him above. It was a great trip seeing all the animals roaming in their natural habitat. That evening Rose, my homestay here in Nakuru, took me out because I hadnt been out at night since I had come to Kenya so she took me to a close night club called Taitey's where an Arsenal and Manchester game was airing it was so crowded we couldn't even find a seat and boy do the Kenyans like their football! You could almost feel the place shake when someone scored.

When I arrived back in Kisumu I was greeted by Omondi, who is the organizer of my entire trip, who had come from Nairobi to facilitate a business planning seminar for the week. Time was running out as I now leave in a week and I needed to sit down with Omondi privately to let him know about the raised funds and to explain what I have learned while being here noting the area I think the money was needed most - keeping in mind that this money was raised to help the very very needy individuals to start up businesses so they can provide for themselves. After a long discussion Omondi and I decided that I had identified a gap in community banking when I was visiting. I saw people in the slums being helped by small loans but only really those that have a business existing or a source of income to be able to start saving to then start borrowing which helps existing businesses but not the really really needy that want to start a business to provide for themselves. I explained to him that the really really needy - single moms, orphanes, and the disabled often don't have an income source or haven't been taught a skill to run their own business. Due to the discussion we are establishing a new program! It is program for those aged 18-40 that are very needy and are often single moms, orphanes, or disabled. We will be taking in 12 individuals at a time to teach them a trade (ex tailoring, jam making, etc) and then we will provide them with a 10,000 KYS loan which is approx $170 CAD for business capital start up once they have completed training. They will then have a grace period of 3mths to set up their businesses and start a profit and then within 9mths the loan needs to be repaid in full with interest and then we will start the entire program over with 12 new individuals. During their training they will also be provided with not only technical training but also business training with the help of the organization I am volunteering with Omondi Okoyo Consultants (OOC) where Omondi or one of his associates will come and teach them the basics of starting a business. The teacher will be volunteering so we will pay for their stay and meals while teaching. With the apprenticing, business training seminars, and a small loan these individuals will be able to work themselves out of poverty and provide for their families. We will be identifying these individuals from existing groups that have joined Kolwa Community bank because those groups know the very needy in the community because they are often the ones that cannot even afford to join a support group to pay the small few shilling membership fees. We will be implementing the pilot of the program in Kisumu at the Kolwa Community bank where I have been voluntering and then will expand to all other community banks in different regions as it grows. I am super excited about this venture and I feel this is one step forward in the right direction! I am so happy that we could identify a new need when I was here and that we are doing something to address it - even if it is as small as 12 people it will grow from there! This will take time to establish as this is Africa lol and slow in process - so Omondi will be giving me quarterly updates by email with pictures and stories of successful individuals as we go. We are hoping to have it started by the fall this year. I will keep you all updated everytime I receive an update. I'd like to thank each and every one of you who contributed to this new venture this will truly change peoples lives for the better :) Now the only problem I have is establishing a name for the new program! If you have any ideas let me know :)

One more week till I am home!

xoxo Kristy

They may not be able to afford lunch... but they can afford a smile :)

Hi Everyone, I want to thank-you all that left messages or wrote emails to me in response to the past blogs. It was really touching knowing that others care and are behind me when things feel insurmountable!

I have a lot of good news stories since my last blogs and I can't wait to share them. Today I don't have much time plus I have caught the flu here and I am not feeling well so I will write a longer blog in the next few days. I was hoping to post some pictures for you to view but for some reason it isn't working. Next time!

A week and a half left - trying to soak it all in!

A small update:
During my stay here I have realized that there is a disconnect between micro-credit community banking and skill development. To be part of a community bank you usually need a source of income even as small as 1 CAD dollar a day but many people living in the slums and rural areas may not have any source of income and was not privileged enough to be educated or skilled in any area. Therefore people need to be first taught a skill to earn money and then they need to be able to sell their skill to those who are in need of it, for example tailoring. As a result of being able to sell their skill they can then earn enough money to start saving and borrowing from a community micro-credit organization which in turn will allow them to grow their business and provide a better life for themselves and their family. So I am trying to connect the two better while I am here. The community banking micro-credit organizations like the one I am working with are trying to help those that are really really in need in the slums but sometimes miss them because they need people who are able to save so that the micro-credit organization can function properly. Plus the organization I am working with wants people to learn the skills of saving before they just give money (loans) away to people - this shows discipline from their members - earning them the ability to borrow. I see a lot of need for skill development NGO's here like the one that Chris, Rose, and Susan have created in Nakuru which teaches 48 students how to tailor for 6 months and then provides them with a sewing machine at the end of the term so that they can start a small business. From there those individuals can form a support group and join a community micro-credit bank to save and borrow to expand their business and support their families. The two uniting together can change a lot of third world countries! The only problem is that it takes aid for this to happen and therefore is not self-sustainable!

Since my last blog I have linked Chris from the Gabriel Learning Centre in Nakuru who teaches those living in the slums how to create a business in tailoring to the community non-profit slum dwellers bank called Muuguano in Nakuru so that they can work together to improve the community. I am hoping it is a long sustainable relationship :)

Due to this founded need of skill development I have used a portion of the donations raised to buy a new sewing machine for the Gabriel Learning Centre so they can add another individual to their training group - helping touch more lives! (Total cost $170.00 CAD for the machine and desk)

Sending best wishes from Kenya,
Kristy

Journal Entry from Monday August 24

Warning: This was from one of my hardest days here in Kisumu. I warn you that it may be depressing to read and that this is only one small part of my trip which I struggle with. There is a lot of good happening here but there is also a lot of hardships which is voiced below.

I used to think that anything was possible. Actually I still do but I realize that there are constraints on what you can fully accomplish in life here in Kenya. What is possible is tightly restricted. I believe that anything is possible most likely because being from the west I have the resources already in play to be used. It is easy for me who has been feed, clothed, educated, a roof over my head and in addition money in my pocket from a good job to work or save towards my goals. I have been given the critical resources needed to feel like anything is possible. It also helps that I have an extremely supportive family and group of friends. But here it is different. Like home in Kenya it takes money to make money. But this is hard to do if you don't have any resources to rub together to make even 1 KYS which is less than 1 cent CAD. I could sit here and say that my volunteer experience has been all sunshine and roses and at times it has but it has also weighed down on my soul emotionally. I am finding it harder to believe anything is possible for anyone when I see a single mother that has not had access to full education who depends on others to feed and cloth her child or keeps a belief in God that she will one day be okay. She has no sense of a future plan ahead of her, she can point out what she is good at but has no means to make it a profession. She still owes money for last months rent on a small one room cubicle where she sleeps with her son. When her Mother tells her it isn't even conceivable that she thinks of visiting Canada one day and that she shouldn't even bother hoping my heart sinks. It sinks because her mother is right unless I can help her or someone else can help her. Otherwise she will stay in a state of stagnation hoping for a better world while watching her son be brought up in the same corrupt poverty stricken town she has never had the chance to leave. I refuse to give her money because unless there is a plan in place the money will do no help and is only a short term fix. I am lost in finding a solution to this poor girls' problem which is frustrating because I am a solution finder. The problem is that Winnie the single mother of 23 years of age I am speaking about is not alone. She has hundreds and thousands of fellow sisters in the same place as her. I constantly am going through community bank registration forms with the words widow or single next to their name. Some like Winnie have fallen for a man who promised to be there for her but left her pregnant for another woman. Others have lost their husband to disease such as aids. This is an all too common sight in Kenya. These women are struggling to feed, cloth, and keep a roof over their families head - things that I have never really had to think about. Despite the fact of Winnie's struggles she still has a beaming smile and is willing to help others with no expectations that it will be returned. It is humbling to see and also heartbreaking.
I still believe anything is possible but I am left wondering if that is reserved for those of us living in the West or at least those who have had the initial resources to allow them to believe?

The other problem for Winnie is that to join a community bank you need an income to be able to a) pay for the passbook fee 100KYS ($1.50 CAD) b) continually be able to save. This is hard to do without a business or employment. So in a sense we are missing a bottom part of the poverty group - those that have not been able to find a source of income. How do they or we help them to rise to the level where they could at least join a community bank to improve their life?

While all this is going on I am really missing home today which makes me feel super selfish after realizing what Winnie struggles with everyday. I am trying to figure out why I miss home and maybe it is because part of me is feeling hopeless. I see a seemingly never-ending cycle of corruption, disease, poverty, and aid dependency here. I want to believe that one person can make a difference - a step even if small is a step forward - but how can that be done fully? Is it education? Money? Mutual exchange of knowledge? Volunteering time? Donating goods? What will make the most measurable difference? This is a constant thought that streams through my head along with where I am going to donate the money raised? Who should receive it? Why some and not others? All these questions and thoughts way down on me. They are important questions and thoughts that I know can make a difference even if small.

Any thoughts you guys may have would be wonderful to hear! I'm struggling with finding the right answer.

xo Kristy

Updates galore!

Pictures above from Left to Right Top to Bottom:

1. Winnie and I at Koboko Bay Resort a 10 min walk from my homestay sitting on the side of Lake Victoria
2. Kids from the community walking water they have taken out of the lake back to their home
3. Me cooking Chapati at my homestay house!
4. Diana and I working on the start up on the financial systems for Kolwa Community Bank
5. Winnie and I in front of a Tuk Tuk before going into the Sunday Market
6. Me explaining the importance of the car that I am giving them because it was from my nephew Ty who is six years old. One little one in the yellow jacket already has his eye on it :)
7. The children lining up waiting to receive a toothbrush each - Thankyou Josephine and Justin!
8. Giving the soccer balls out to the rural boys youth group
9. Judith's son who is trying on his new sunglasses - this was the first time I had seen him smile since I arrived :)

So I just finished my second week here in Kenya... first week in Kisumu and it has been a whirlwind! Each day seems to go slowly probably because it takes forever to get something done here but now looking back the time has passed quickly! I also find that I speak in broken english here and I think it is affecting my writing so bare with me :S
After my last blog I was able to finish giving out the 140 pounds of donation clothes, hygenie products, pens, pencils, crayons etc. First we went about an hour out of town into the rural part of Western Kenya and met a new community group that is in the process of setting up. These individuals never see volunteers - almost all NGO's are found in urban settings. I was given donations of soccer balls and soccer jerseys from Langara College that I wanted to donate to a girls youth group that played soccer here but that was not possible so we made sure to give it to a rural boys youth group that plays soccer. During the visit I was able to give out the soccer clothing/items, youth and adult clothes. The community was so thankful and appreciative the organization I am volunteering with explained that rural settings often never receive donations and almost always are in more need than urban groups. I have posted a picture above where I am giving the soccer balls to the youth group.
After we left that town we drove another hour to where Omondi, the organizer of my stay, grew up - in another rural setting. It is very green where Omondi is from and you will find coffee farms surrounding the area. We visited a school, picture posted above, where a lady probably in her 80's is taking care of 30 orphaned or single parent children aged 2-7. She takes them in daily from 7am to 3pm - feeds them, washes them, and teaches them. The children were so adorable. Half weren't sure what to do with me and a few ran crying because they have never saw a white person in their life before. Others came up to me with large smiles and wanted to shake my hand immediately. It was very touching! While we were there we handed out a toothbrush to each and every child - you can see them lining up in a picture above. Thank-you to all of you that donated hygenie products and childrens clothing as this school had NEVER received donations since its existence. The community helps keep the school running. An experience like that makes it all worth while. I have posted a video of the kids singing to thank us for the gifts below.

This past Sunday I had my first free day since arriving! So Judith, my Mom here, and her daughter Winnie took me to the Sunday market which was sooo busy - full of clothes and food for sale. It was an interesting site all the used clothing that had come from all over the world to Kenya for resale - it is big business here! On the way to the market I took my first ride in a tuk tuk which is a covered motorcycle that fits about 3 people. I have a picture of Winnie and I standing next to it above. After we headed to Tusky's supermarket where I treated all of us to a drink and ice cream. We also bought bread for the entire family. In total it cost 370 KYS which is approx $4-5 CAD. This is very expensive to them and I don't have the hear to tell them that it is very cheap in CAD terms.

Later Winne and I walked to Koboko Bay resort which is a beautiful resort sitting on the edge of Lake Victoria about a 10 min walk from my homestay house. The resort has little huts to sta in, a pool and lounge area. We sat and each had a coke which was 70 KYS which is very expensive in Kenyan terms because we usually buy them from a store at 30 KYS. Winnie grew up in this area but has never visited Koboko Bay Resport before because she has no mone for such things. When we were at the market the last 5 KYS she had she gave to a begger which I told her not to do because it was only reinforcing the begger to do it more. Winnie is a single Mom and needs the money just as much as the lady begging but she has such a huge heart that she would give it to someone she thinks is poorer than her!! My heart sinks when I see this happening.

I learned how to cook Chapati the other night and I can't wait to cook it at home! It is like a pita that they eat with almost every meal here! Hopefully I will learn how to make a few other things too before I leave - however I am definitely missing our salads from home!

Yesterday, I worked on the start up of the Kolwa Community Bank in the Nyalenda slum here in Kisumu - everything is done super slowly and simply. We even create the ledger books for all the transactions that take place in the bank! It can be a complicated process for the bank ledger so I am surprised it is kept straight without a computer system! But that is unfortunately what happens with little resources! Alright until the next story! Love from Kenya, Kristy

In Kisumu... slightly missing home...

So I don't know what it is but I think my body and mind have an automatic time clock that says "okay Kristy, you have now been away for about a week it is time to come home now!" :) I think it has to do with most normal vacations taking about a week off. Or maybe it has to do with that I am completely out of my ordinary comfort zone.

Last time I wrote I had just returned to Nairobi from Kitise. Since then I have travelled 3 hours north of Nairobi to Nakuru where I met a lovely Aussie named Susan who has set up her own school to educate children that live in the slums that are approx 3-5 years old. She also educates adults from the slums that are 18+years of age teaching them English. In addition she teaches women to learn to tailor so that they can start their own business to support their families. It is an amazing venture that has just been started up because last time she came to Kenya to volunteer she felt that her efforts were not being maximized. I met some other volunteers from Britain which made me feel at home during the over night stay. During my time in Nakuru I was also able to meet the Muuguano group which is a slum-dwellers organization that promotes advocacy and community banking in Nakuru. The management of this group is amazing, they all live in the slums but you wouldn't know it by just speaking with them. I will be returning to visit Nakuru to see Susan's organization in action and to meet Moses who is part of the management for the Nakuru slumdwellers organization. In addition, I will visit Lake Nakuru wildlife park which should be a great adventure. During that time I will take a million and one pictures so you can see what I am seeing here! I have great news that I was able to fix my camera; however, I was a bit upset because I know that they are charging me a lot just because I am Myzungo (sp?) which means white person. Either way I guess it is better than paying to replace my camera.

I am now in Kisumu, which I believe is three hours west of Nakuru. I am staying with a lady named Judith who has 7 children!!! They are all wonderful and treat me well. She says she is going to find me an African husband but I keep telling her it is okay and that I am fine lol. Her children range from age 23 to 5. Two of her daughters already have children. It is so hard to see children raising children but it is so normal here in Kenya. Her son Michael and granddaughter Grandi are scared of me as they have never really seen a white person at such close proximity. I also found out that I am the first professional volunteer to help with OOC. They have had a ton of volunteers previously with a group called CIVS but never recruited by OOC. I feel special :) like I am part of something bigger than myself.

So far in Kisumu I have visited a lot of places two community banks one that supports slumdwellers urbanly only and another that is a community bank that covers rural and urban and that you don't necessarily need to be part of the slum to join but need to be in the poorer part of the population. The reason they help support rural is because there is a big problem in Kenya of those living in the rural setting not getting the same education as seen in the city, they also often earn less than what those in the city slums earn which I wasn't aware of before visiting. Those that live in the rural area like Kitise say that they are often losing their children/friends to the city because they feel they are able to earn a better income in the city - thus the city slums have grown exponentially. The community banks that deal with rural are hoping to stop this migration from the rural area to the city because of the problems it is causing with the growth in city populations. They also need people living in the rural areas to help produce agriculture. Community banks in the rural setting often have field farmer schools to help teach proper farming techniques to the population. They are in desperate need of volunteers who have agriculture backgrounds!! *hint hint
I have also met a wonderful youth group (age 18-29) that are trying to start a business enterprise. They are currently make everything out of recycled products like banana leafs, papaya leafs, used paper products. With this material they will make frames in the shape of the country or in the shape of Africa to sell, bags, cards, and journals. The profits from these products help them save and provide for their families and I would say 90% of the youth already have families at this age. I also have learned about the different structures with the community micro-credit non-profit banks but to explain it all on here would probably be boring for most of you to read. If you are interested I will tell you all when I am home - I find it super interesting. I honestly feel that integrated micro-credit programs that allow individuals from the slums to save 1 or more kenyan shilling a day which isn't even worth 1 CAD penny will save this country. The integrated micro-credit programs not only help individuals with savings and loans but will also work with the community on advocacy giving those that live in the slums a voice, because lets face it the government here doesn't even acknowledge them for most part. The programs also help with housing, water sanitation, HIV/Aids awareness, etc. The groups that are formed when joining these community banks help individuals work together to improve their living standards but they are also their closest friends and confidants whom they can rely on for support. We are missing these close community ties in Canada. The circumstances here in Kenya bring these people together making a positive change. It is so refreshing to see people try and work out of poverty and come up with their own business ideas. These individuals are the true entrepreneurs!

So today I will be going to visit a slum just out of Kisumu where I will be distributing some of the donated items and clothing. I am happy to note that I have given a few of the donations away already and the families were so thankful. Brian (my neighbour in Vancouver), donated some eyeglasses and I wanted to let you know that one girl who is currently in Grade 8 was not able to see the black board at school previously but one of the glasses you donated is helping her be able to see the blackboard from a far now!! Which is so wonderful because the family could not afford glasses :D So they wanted me to especially thank you!

Until next time! xoxo Kristy

Hello from Nairobi :)

Hi Everyone,

Thanks for all your encouraging emails! This is the first time I have been able to use the internet since I have arrived. When I arrived Wednesday evening it was very late and I woke up Thursday morning at 4:30am to start driving four hours southwest of Nairobi to a small deserted rural town called Kitise. We were in Kitise for three days where I had no access to a phone or internet which was definitely hard for someone who has a blackberry attached to her hip.

In Kitise we were working with a community organization called Kitise Rural Development Program (KRDP) which helps individuals from the community with housing, water sanitation, HIV/Aids awareness, and a variety of other services. They are looking to grow their membership in the community and start a community bank to increase the savings and financial independence so Omondi and I were working on a strategic plan with them. As it stands now they are partially funded by dorcas aid international which they explained to me that if they decided to withdraw their funds from the program the KRDP would completely shatter - this is where a community bank set up could be VERY beneficial! Each individual would a) be able to save for the future b) borrow to promote a business c) use the interest profit towards building new programs/services at KRDP.

To get to Kitise, we had to drive 15 km down a red dirt road which during the rainy season is not even driveable. When you drive down the road you will see children playing and taking their donkeys with water pails to the town to fill up water. In some villages Omondi was explaining that it can be a four walk to water. In Kenya currently there is a major water shortage and if you look at where rivers and lakes used to be you will only find dirt. Families need to dig on this land to eventually reach water and fill their pails up with (usually) dirty water. This is ridiculous in my mind when Mount kilimanjaro (sp?) is a few hours away and all the water from their glaciers go to a flower plantation to help irrigate the flowers to then export to places like Europe and North America. People here are struggling to have water but flowers are still important for business reasons - this is so shocking. What is even more shocking is that one of the government ministers owns this flower plantation, a person in that area of work should be helping his civilians and not hindering them. Anyways I could rant about this for hours so I will stop.

I arrived back in Nairobi at noon today, on our drive back I was able to see wild boars, ostridges, zebra's, bamboons, and camels in the forests/fields next to the highway. Omondi says that zebras and giraffes are often hit by cars because they live in such close proximity.

Now that I am back in Nairobi I can happily load my phone and use the internet :) The number I sent out in my first email no longer works so I have sent a new number to contact me if you'd like by email.

I have great news to report - I was able to take almost all of the clothing donations with me to Nairobi which was in total 140 pounds! The airport staff at NWA were super kind and let me bring it all with only a $50 charge which is normally a cost of $300 or more. Omondi and Ken who picked me up at the airport were astonished at the amount of donations I was able to bring. I haven't given them out and will be doing that in the upcoming week so thank-you for all your donations!

On not so great news, my camera broke today as I was showing one of the young girls that I am staying with how it worked and then I dropped it on a tile floor so I am not going to be able to update any pictures today! I am hoping to get it fixed in Nairobi tomorrow before I head off to Nakuru where I will be visiting a small school and disbursing some of the donations. I really want to capture that on camera so I guess if I am not able to fix it I will need to buy a new camera which is super unfortunate :(.

Anyways I have a ton of things to tell you all but it will have to wait as my internet is running out!

Hope all is well at home! Definitely starting to miss it!

xoxo

The beginning...

Sunday August 9, 2009

It is hard to believe that I will be leaving for Kenya on Tuesday. This last month has been a whirlwind. I have many people to thank - those of you who attended the fundraising boat cruise July 24, those that donated clothing/supplies, and those that generously donated money - I am eternally grateful and cannot thank you enough! I am so appreciative of your support and I can assure you that the donations will be a pleasant surprise to the families and children for whom they will benefit.

(Above: a portion of the clothing donations received that I will be taking with me to Kenya)

Over the next couple of weeks I will be posting stories and pictures of my experiences and travels in Nairobi, Kisumu, and Nakuru. I hope that you will be able to enjoy my trials, tribulations, exciting adventures, and the life lessons of my journey through this blog.

I am very excited, anxious, and nervous for Tuesday to come. Thank-you to all who have been supportive and for those that encouraged me to take this leap of faith to accomplish an enormous life goal. I will miss your company on my journey but I know you will all be there in spirit.

With love,

Kristy Todd

"Although fearful, she did it anyways" - Anonymous