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Matau Cons

So a guy tried to rob me in a matatu today.  3 different times! Talk about tenacious!  Matatus are dangerous places- not only do the drivers drive like absolute maniacs, the roads are really just suggested places to drive- they'll drive anywhere to get ahead of the crowd.  But matatus are also prime robbery areas.  You are all crammed together, people are climbing in and out and over you- its so easy to snatch a phone or wallet or whatever- even a purse or bag. 

So today I got into the matatu and as soon as the door shut, the guy next to me tried to climb over me to get next to the door.  This isn't all that uncommon except you usually only do this when you are coming up to your stop and you need to get out in a hurry.  Plus you don't just climb- you signal or say to the person  you are climbing over that you are going to climb over them (there are some remnants of civility in a mat!) So it was strange that the guy just climbed over me with no warning when we weren't coming up to a matatu stop.  I thought it was weird but didn't  do anything (but I kept a strong hold on my purse strap and zipper- I always sit like that on a matatu).

Then the guy tries the most classic of all matatu cons- he puts a big folder on his lap so that it covers his lap and part of my lap- where my purse is (the trick is they can sneak into your bag and you don't see it because its under the paper/folder/whatever).  But I still have a hold of the strap and zipper- so he can't get into my bag.  Now I'm looking at him like "seriously dude- are you trying to get into my purse??? Really??"  

Since that didn't work, he tries another classic matatu con- the "the police are checking for seat belts up ahead- put your seat belt on!!!!!"  which usually makes everyone fluster and start looking for the seat belts (which are generally non-existant in matatus) and let go of their purses while they fumble for the belts.  Now lets be real.  The police NEVER check for seat belts in matatus!  So I looked for a belt in my seat- but held onto my purse and the zipper on it.

They guy finally gives up on me and tries the seat belt trick on the people behind me.  So this guy still hasn't gotten off the matatu (which means his climbing over me to get to the seat by the door so he could get out fast was a trick), we passed a policeman but he was directing traffic and didn't even stop to look at registration let alone seat belts- so the seat belt bit was a con as well. 

We finally get to my stop and I get out and Mr Con Man  gets out too.  I slowed up to see what he would do- he crossed the street and got into a matatu going the opposite direction- presumably to try his cons on someone new.  Nice.   At least I made it out with all of my personal belongings still in my possession!!

In the famous words of my boss "I may have been born at night but I wasn't born LAST night"- okay that only works if you say it in a deep, scary Nigerian accent.  My Midwest twang won't really pull it off very convincingly. 

Dadaab Pics

 A family staying in Dadaab Refugee Camp

Waiting for water in Dadaab

Horn of Africa Famine: Continued

The famine in East Africa is still continuing.  I've been out of town for the last few days so I'm not up to date on the exact statistics but here's what I'm hearing.  Dadaab (the refugee camp) is still being inundated with refugees.  The last number I heard was 1500 new refugees daily.  As I said before, the camp was already 3 times over capacity before this new influx of refugees.  Things are over crowded, difficult and dangerous.  Girls are being raped when they go out to collect fire wood.  Its bad. 

Here in Kenya, the drought is effecting everything as well.  The areas of Northern Rift and North Eastern are as devastated as  Somalia.  Couple that with the sky rocketing food prices and the rising inflation (and horrible exchange rate of the Shilling against the Dollar, Euro and Pound)- things are complicated. 

The front page of the paper today reports that the price of all major staples has increased drastically over the past year.  Cooking oil has gone up 47%, wheat has increased 55%, sugar has gone up 62% (not to mention I haven't seen sugar in the store in more then a month) and maize- the ultimate Kenyan staple food- has increased 84% in the last year.   In Kenya, its not a meal without maize in some form- maize flour makes Ugali (the starch that accompanies EVERY meal).  Families literally can't survive an 84% mark up. 

If you are interested in helping financially with the famine and the influx of refugees to Dadaab, send me and email and I can connect you to our organization's fund for the East Africa Famine Relief.  All funds raised are being routed to a local church we partner with who is currently working in the camp. 

For the next few days, I'm going to be posting pictures the situation in Dadaab.  I didn't take these pictures and as soon as I find out the name of the photographer from UNHCR, I'll give him his credit- he's taken some amazingly haunting pictures.   The picture at the top of the post shows some of the tents in Dadaab.  The picture below is of some new arrivals to Dadaab. 

Horn of Africa Famine: What's going on and what I can do...

I’m sure everyone has heard about the severe drought and famine in the Horn of Africa (Somalia, Ethiopia and Northern Kenya) and has seen all the pictures the media is putting out.  The situation here is serious.  Many experts are saying that this is likely to be the worst famine since the famine that hit Ethiopia in the 80’s.  

We are bombarded by pictures and stories of tragic events every day.  The internet, newspapers and the evening news are full of these stories and its often difficult to know how you could possibly make any difference at all.  The amount of need and pain in the world can seem too big to handle or change.  I don't know a lot about many of the crisis in the world right now, but I do know a lot about this one.  This one is happening in my back yard.   And in this situation, there are things I CAN do to make a difference. 

The hardest hit by the famine so far are the Somalis- who are not only dealing with the drought and famine but also with the war that has been raging in their country for the last 20 years.  Right now, Al-Shabaab, the militant group fighting the Transitional Government, is banning aid from most relief agencies in the areas it controls (which are the areas hardest hit by this famine). 

Our contacts say that at least 1,500 Somalis are crossing the border daily into Kenya and Ethiopia.  They are coming on foot, walking for days (one family I heard about walked for 20 days to reach the refugee camp).  It’s dangerous; many of the women are assaulted and raped on the way, not to mention those dying of starvation on the road.  Those refugees coming into Kenya are going to Daddab Refugee Camp located at the eastern end of the country between the Kenya/Somalia border.  Before this latest influx of famine refugees, the camp was already home to 300,000 people (it was built to sustain 90,000).  The current population counts at the camp are now close to half a million with more coming every day.  

While Kenya is dealing with the escalating refugee crisis, it’s also struggling to take care of its citizens, particularly those living in North Eastern Province and North Rift.  These areas have seen very little rain this year.  Compounding the problem is this season’s poor maize crop and the country’s runaway inflation.  In areas like Nairobi and Mombasa, some food items are being rationed.  The prices of basic staples have increased drastically in the last 2 months and fuel prices have shot up.  For a nation where more then 55% live below the poverty line, this is also resulting in an increased crime rate.   Families literally can’t make ends meet.  

                                           Last Month         Currently

2kg sugar                           180 Ksh                 250Ksh

2kgs maize flour                75Ksh                    160Ksh

2kgs rice                             250Ksh                  320Ksh

2 liters cooking oil             215Ksh                  454Ksh

Our response as a team has been to work alongside our partners who are authorized to enter the refugee camp. Due to the issue of security and the fact that there are just too many groups trying to get in to help, the Kenyan government and the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) are restricting access to the camp. So, we are currently collecting clothes, shoes, and food supplies locally that we will be handing over to our partners for transportation to and distribution in the camp to those who need them.

If you are interested in helping financially with this tragic situation here in Kenya, Somalia and Ethiopia, send me an email and I can hook you up with the information (I won't post that info online but it was included in the text of my update sent out by email- I just recycled that update for this post- minus any sensitive info).  

Earlier in the post, I said this is a situation I could actually DO something about.  And I can't do much but I can do something. I'm in a place where I can help and it doesn't even involve giving money.  Cash is tight, so I went through my closet and eliminated everything I could give away for the women in the refugee camps.  I'm finding ways to help my friends and their families affected by the rising food prices meet their most basic needs. As a team, we are talking about what can we DO.  What can we give. How can we help our friends who can actually get into the camps.  The local cell phone companies have banned together so average citizens can donate small amounts over their phones  to buy food for those Kenyans starving in the north- in one week 78million shillings were raised- by people giving what little they could.  Together it added up to a whole lot.  

Unfortunately, for people on the other side of the world, its more difficult to find ways to help practically that don't involve money.  Donating clothes in the US wouldn't be very practical (after the expense of shipping them to Kenya, etc) but having a garage sale and selling those clothes or other things to benefit the famine victims could work.  There are always creative ways to get involved.  If you are interested in ideas or have any ideas of low cost/no cost ways to make a difference let me know!

East Africa Famine

If you are trying to figure out exactly what's happening in East Africa with the drought, famine and everything, CNN has a great article that has the entire situation pegged.  Check out the link.   It explains the refugee issue (particularly the severe over-crowding of Dadaab).  It doesn't go into the latest developments of militants denying foreign aid, but it does give a lot of good info. 

Do Not Try This At Home

So while we were cooking lunch, one of the ladies handed me this can and this knife and said "open it"- all while I'm trying to teach the kids how to use a knife safely.  It worked in the end but not a great plan for can-opening....  I just keep thinking about all the homes in the US where moms are concerned about sharp edges on the cans. The moms cooking didn't seem too concerned about these sharp edges- as I'm repeatedly stabbing a knife into a tin can to open the lid (or their children's lack of safe knife skills).

Cooking Lessons

Some friends and I went to church early today to help cook lunch. A few of the little girls wanted to help out so we had cooking lessons.  I was determined that we would all leave with all our fingers intact, so we mostly talked about how to use a knife without killing someone...

Birthdays in Nairobi

Birthdays in Nairobi generally involve water.  Not water to drink- water that gets thrown on you.  I think this is a WONDERFUL tradition... until its MY birthday.  See my birthday is in the middle of our winter- its cold! I don't want to be soaked when its freezing!  I love to dish it out for all my friends on their birthdays- and I can take it like a good sport but its cold!!   But my friends were kind to me- I still go the traditional water tossed at me, but not enough to soak me all the way through! 

Birthdays also usually include blessings- people who pray for you or send you messages  of blessings.  All lot of really sweet people said and prayed a lot of really kind things. My favorite was my friend Belinda who wrote to me and said "Happy birthday! May you live to be toothless!!" I'll take it!!

So thanks to everyone all the birthday wishes! 

Best Birthday Present EVER

 You all know I'm a little weird.  There's no denying it.  I live in strange places and do crazy things and not much about my life would qualify as normal.  So you may not think this present is as amazing as I do.  But I'm really into accessible, clean drinking water for people.   Everyone should have the right to clean, affordable water- but that's not always the case.  

A few months ago, a friend of mine found out about this amazing (and cheap) filtration system- specifically meant for families in places like this.  Its effective, affordable and simple.  Perfect for the families we work with.  So my teammates and I started using the system in our own homes. All it is is a regular 5 gallon bucket with a hole drilled in the bottom of one side.  A hose with the filter is connected and it uses gravity to push the water through the filter. We like it- but the buckets get bulky and they are kinda slow.  Effective and faster then my old filter but I'm still from a world of instantaneous results... 


But for my birthday, my friend got me the tap attachment we had heard about. It uses the same filter that I have been using but now it hooks right up to my tap and the water pressure pushes the water through the filter.  I tried it out- it filters 1.5 liters in 52 seconds (the old way was a good 5 minutes or so)!  I love it!  No ugly, bulky bucket taking up counter space! This just connects to the tap and presto! Clean water! No bacteria, no sediment, no parasites or viruses!!!  I've been filling up every available container with filtered water just to try it out!

South Sudan- The World's Newest Country!!

South Sudan get's its independence at midnight TONIGHT (EA Time)!  Amazing.  There has been extreme fighting and civil war there for five decades.  Extreme fighting, extreme poverty, extreme everything. This doesn't completely end the fighting or solve the poverty issues but its a start.  I was reading some stats about this new country and right now it meets the requirements of a failed state.  "A majority of its people live on less than a dollar a day. A 15-year-old girl has a higher chance of dying in childbirth than she does of finishing primary school. More than 10 per cent of children do not make it to their fifth birthday. About three-quarters of adults cannot read. Only 1 per cent of households have a bank account."  (taken from the Sydney Morning Herald-click on the quote to read the full article).   That's a tough way to start a country but I guess you have to start somewhere.  The odds were stacked against the US when it cut ties with Britain but look at what happened.  Its possible.    


Happy Birthday South Sudan!

PS- I've been watching the news coverage all night- listening to the commentators, watching the dancers. But now, 30 minutes before they are actually independent, the TV station has stopped covering it and has turned on Jaws.  Not cool NTV, not cool.  I wanted to see the big moment when it happened in Sudan!  Plus they started Jaws in the middle! Come on! 

Favorite Things

One of my kids was resettled overseas this week and he called me today to tell me how everything was going.  I asked what was his favorite thing in his new home- he said "I have a HUGE fridge- with food in it!!!!" 

This is his first fridge.  He's gonna love this new place! I just know it!

Teenagers

Just when I think they may just be the death of me, they do something surprisingly sweet!

Happy Madaraka Day!!

Its Madaraka Day!! I didn't get Memorial Day off but this will work!

Madaraka Day is the day we celebrate the first step in Kenya's independence from Brittan.  Most online resources say that June 1, 1963 was when Kenya received its "internal independence" (whatever THAT means- considering Kenya received its official independence on Dec 12, 1963 and officially became a republic on Dec 12, 1964 or as both are now known, Jamhuri Day).  Maybe the "internal independence" means they were independent "for all intents and purposes"???

But its a holiday filled with speeches and stuff like that (I'm definitely steering clear of Downtown today!  The parks will be FULL!)  All my friends say Madaraka means "freedom" but the dictionary say it means "obligation" (which is similar to a class I took in college but that was about the books of James and Galatians, not Kenyan history...)  so I'm a little confused as to the meaning.  The holiday, however, is all about national pride. 

So for all of you who wish you could have extended your Memorial Day weekend a bit longer and spent the entire weekend regaling all of us on facebook with your stories of rest and relaxation... HA!!! I have today off!!  Rest and Relaxation here I come!!

Team Retreat

We are all back, safe and sound from our team retreat!  It was a wonderful time of team-building, planning, resting and enjoying time with the other members of the team!  There were swimming lessons (as always- but the water was pretty cold!), a Pit death match (its a card game we always play... to the death) and a lot of discussions about why we are the way we are and how we all think or in other words, learning about the motivations behind our teammates reactions.  We have an incredibly diverse team- not only ethnically but personality-wise too.  And so much of our perception of things are colored by our cultures that even those of us with similar personalities express and interpret things different ways.  So it was so interesting to sit down and figure out how we all tick.  And how the things I say and do can be so easily misinterpreted.

We acutally got back more then a week ago, but as it always seems to do when you take some time off, life was insane when we got back. Not only were there all the things we needed to do that were waiting for us, new situations crept up too.  I love taking a break but why is it always so crazy when you come back??

We had a double memorial service to host the day we got back- that was amazing by the way.  And a ton of work was waiting but I think we are now back in the  swing of things and have caught up on all the other stuff we missed when we were gone.  I hope.  We never seem to completely catch up but that's life- particularly life with refugees.

Giraffe

My teammates and I are in the Rift Valley for our annual team meetings.  Each year we get out of the city, away from our ministries and spend time evaluating our jobs (the work we do, budgets, etc), spend time together, and take some time to rest- and learn to swim.   I usually end up teaching swimming lessons to a few of my teammates. 

I was walking in a field right outside my room yesterday and this guy walked right past. I mean RIGHT past- like 15 feet away at one point.  I saw him coming, so I just stood off to the side and let him go by. I've never been this close to a giraffe without a fence, car or something in between us!  But giraffes, water bucks, hippos, zebras and monkeys roam free on the land we are staying on.  I love to watch giraffes- they are so stinkin' graceful! And they totally shouldn't be!  But I think I like giraffes because I love acacia trees- and giraffes are usually hanging out around the acacias. 

I'll post more pics when I get back...

Mosquito Invasion

 

I don't understand why mosquitoes seem to love my mosquito net (who's sole job is to keep the mosquitoes OFF me) but they do.  I wake up most mornings to find mosquitoes ON the net- and sometimes INSIDE the net (how they get in still alludes me- there aren't any holes).

This was my Picture of the Day on my other blog but I think its a cool pic and deserved to reposted here! 

Why do I live in East Africa?

The World Map- countries in proportion to their war-related death counts in 2002.  

THIS is why I work with refugees where I do. 

Update Sent Out Today

I just sent my  bi-monthly newsletter (well SHOULD be every 2 months but it gets stretched out sometimes depending on how busy I am).  Its all the pictures, stories and information that I DON'T write on this blog :o) 

If you want to be added to my mailing list, send me an email or comment on this post and I'll add you. 

Amefufuka!

Amefufuka kweli kweli!

(Translation: He has risen!  He has risen indeed! (well the exact translation is "Truly He has risen", but same difference).

I've had a wonderful Easter holiday (and I still have a few days off to look forward to!)  Good friends, time to rest, new life in Christ- so much to be thankful for!