One hell of a ride!

18 August 2011

Everyone woke up with sore muscles, even in areas where no one realized that muscles existed. That’s the result of 7 hours of African dance workshop and a full night of dancing! Despite these circumstances we went to our meeting with the Swiss embassy in Nairobi. It was a very interesting discussion which was dominated by the situation in the Horn of Africa and the work DEZA is doing there. The Nairobi embassy covers 6 countries in the region hence a very important hub. Following this meeting, we went to the UN complex in Nairobi where we had to wait to get the security clearance to enter the complex. After a satisfying meal in the UN cafeteria, we were briefed by UNEP and UN HABITAT officials about their main programmes. Our group was particularly interested about the resettlement programmes in the Kibera slums as they had seen the ground reality just a few days before. They were able to ask critical questions about the relevance of the programmes as well as the involvement of the local community in UN HABITAT’s initiatives. We watched different videos about their projects and got a tour around the UN complex. This was the official end of the Study Tour.

10 days and 9 nights – amazing how fast time flew by! I was very fortunate to have an amazing group like this! They were passionate in every possible way and we shared quite some adventures together: fixing a flat tire on the roads of Kenya, witnessing a pregnant mother being rushed into the operation theatre while we were in the room, Evan’s heroic rescue of the stolen bag, home hospitality the African way, warm dancing reception in local villages, a full day of African dance workshop, speed dating with African youth, encounter with two lions, and the list goes on! I discovered my maternal instincts and will be missing my “children”. It was literally one hell of a ride!

Surprise

17 August 2011

After many days of wondering and guessing, we finally found out the programe of the surprise day. Even though Suba gave us some hints we didn’t really find out what we would do until we all sat in the bus. Evans drove towards the Get Down Arts centre where we could attend a dance workshop! Many of us were very really looking forward to the day while others remained sceptical. Soon afterwards we arrived and got to meet our dance instructor Rogers and the other dancers. After a short introduction round we got started on dancing. Accompanied by drums we all started to shake our bodies which have been sitting and doing nothing for way too long. Soon everyone lost their inhibitions and just followed the sound of the drums. We then started learning a traditional choreography. Despite some coordination problems the whole group had a great time. As part of the introduction to the afro-fusion, Suba and Laavanja even performed their tamil classical dance. After a much needed lunch break we continued our workshop with some contemporary dancing. We were divided in four groups and were given some time to come up with a dance. The results were great and one group even performed the “almost stolen bag” episode. The day was very intensive with traditional, afro fusion and contemporary dance as well as introductions to different African instruments. After a wonderful professional performance by Jackson - which especially made the girls happy - our workshop ended. We then went back to our hotel to freshen up because later we would go out and dance some more! It was truly a great day!

Nairobi

16 August 2011

After an unusual long night of sleep we met at 8.15 am in front of the Parklands Sports Club in Nairobi. We met Eric Simba who grew up in the Kibera slums (one of the biggest slums in Africa). After a short introduction we made our way through one of the poorest regions we had ever seen. Half an hour later we got together with two member of the Kibera Youth Initiative. They showed us the toilets and organic farms that they had built with the support of various donors. They even allowed us to visit one of their homes. Two hours after we had set foot into the Kibera slums, we moved to our next meeting.
The afternoon programme was a visit to the Matare Youth Sports Association and the Football for Hope Center built by FIFA. MYSA staff gave us a presentation about their work. Afterwards, they gave us a tour around the Center and we had the opportunity to talk to some athletes.
Some of us were very positively surprised that the programme for the day was already over at 4.00 pm (this was a first!) but unfortunately for them the majority decided to go shopping some tea at a mall. We spent an hour there walking through the supermarket’s halls and had some coffee.
When we finally arrived at the hotel we decided to have a relaxing evening and some diner there but the food arrived two hours after we ordered it. All in all we still managed to spend a very entertaining evening together and went to bed.

Media briefing to Constitution

15 August 2011

After an individual Kenyan breakfast in “our” houses, we said goodbye to our Kenyan mamas - nearly in tears.
One of the two local Soroptimist groups of Kisumu supports women, who are widowed because of the post-election Violence in 2007, through microcredits they can build their own businesses. Therefore, we met two women at the local market selling their goods.
In Naivasha (near Nakuru) we attended a media briefing on our visit organized by the local Ngo bridge partners. Several Kenyan journalists and TV stations were present to listen to the partnership that brought Swiss and Canadian students to Kenya. Afterwards, we had fun in a shop bargaining for souvenirs. With the help of our hero Evans we achieved rather good prices - or at least the sellers made us believe so...
It was rather upsetting that we were late to our meeting with a constitutional lawyer and two youth activists, but Nairobi traffic is always crazy. The lawyer explained us the changes the new constitution shall bring. The changes are very ambitious and concern women, the poor, corruption, and many more urgent issues. The two activists empower the youth in the (informally) biggest slum of Africa called Kibera. It’s really great how active, creative and dynamic so many young people in Kenya are when it comes to improving their lives!

Kenyan hero

August 14 2011

Early in the morning we took off to Kisumu. The view of the tea plantations made up for the very bad road we had to take. The first stop in town took us to a nice hotel since some of the ladies wanted to respond to the call of nature. While we were gone someone used the opportunity of our open bus to steal Annina’s yellow bag. No one except for a security lady noticed and after she told our driver Evans, he ran after the thief. After a short while Evans came back, out of breath, sweaty and with an injured hand but also with the yellow bag in his hand! Once more Evans proved to be our hero!
After this shock we went to a meeting with the widow club of Kisumu. These women broke the tradition of being inherited by their brothers-in-law after the death of their husbands and built up a support system for themselves and other women. Later in the afternoon we visited the Murumba primary school where Suba and her Soroptomist colleagues inaugurated the water tanks and sanitation facilities, which they had sponsored. We were once again greeted with songs, dancing and even a self-written poem was presented to us. The classrooms were in very bad condition – small, dark and instable - where more than fifty students attend classes. Once again we were confronted with the extremes in Kenya. Within about 200 metres of the school and hidden behind high walls, we got to visit the Kisumu Winam club President’s house, which was about the nicest house we have seen so far. After delicious samosas we drove back and paid the beautiful Lake Victoria a short visit. We then met up with the Kisumu Soroptimist club. The lively music got us dancing and soon enough the whole group danced around the table and even the women joined us. After a delicious dinner we got to meet our host mamas. The greeting was very warm and we soon parted ways to our local home stays. Everyone got their own experience of home hospitality in Africa and the memory – some even received gifts - will last forever.

Spotting wild life and dancing with local population

13 August 2011

After having eaten breakfast, we departed at 7: 30 from Nairobi to lake nakuru national park. Surrounded by little cute monkeys who turned out to be trying to steal our food and passports, we entered the park for the game drive. Not only did we see zebras, giraffes, rhinos and flamingos, we were also - according to lonely planet - “very very lucky” having caught a glimpse of a lion. As we got off our bus, we were overwhelmed by the welcoming (imagine a huge dancing and singing group of young and old women hugging us and encouraging us to dance with them) of the Mwihko community. The lunch was followed by an introduction to the projects being done at the Mwihoko community rain water harvesting training resource center, theatres and poems presented by the local students as well as Suba’s handing over of 5 new water tank. After we were given a little tree to plant, we had the chance to talk with the local community, see one of their tiny clay houses they live in and see one of the water tanks that has already been installed. We were deeply touched by the stories we were told and the challenges the community faces. In the evening, we were invited in the president’s house (well, not THE president’s house, as some of our gruoup assumed in the first time). The president and other members of the Soroptimists offered us a sumptuous dinner (one of the best we had so far) and Suba explained the work Soroptimist were doing internationally. With mixed feelings and overwhelmed by all we had experienced we went to sleep.

Road trip the Kenyan Way

12 August 2011

At 7.30 am we left the Mombasa Beach Hotel to get a glimpse of Mombasa before making our way back to Nairobi. Our first stop was a Hindu temple. Getting the perfect cultural experience, we participated in a shivalingam pooja in Mombasa. We also visited the main temple premises and admired the statutes of hindu gods like Krishna, Ganesh and Shakt. The next item on the programme was a visit to Fort Jesus, a fort built in the 16th century by the Portuguese. It is located on Mombasa Island. It was fascinating to absorb the historical importance of Mombasa. Hereafter, we visited the Office of DSW German Foundation for World Population. The staff showed us their Office and presented their educational material which they give to young people to protect their health. It was very interesting to read the brochures. The time goes on and we had to move on because we had a long trip ahead of us to Nairobi. The trip to get back was then not so long, how we expected it to be because we played cards, sang, spoke, listened to music and slept during the bus trip. Even after the long trip, we went out to a club to enjoy the nightlife of Nairobi.

Mombasa

11 August 2011

Kenyan Speed Dating and Unforgettable Birthdays! The early birds started the day with a quick swim in the crystal clear Indian Ocean, after which monkeys stole bananas right off the table during breakfast. Then it was off to the seminar with the Kenyan youth, in which we exchanged photos, stories and opinions, and came to the conclusion that “we are all heading in the same direction, even though our vehicles may be different”! The speed dating with the Kenyan, Swiss and Canadian students' pictures were simply amazing! It was a very interesting workshop and one of my personal highlight of this trip. We had lunch with our new friends and then in the afternoon we had some free time - a lucky few ran into camels at the beach! In the evening we visited an ecological house in Kwetu, where Ulrike Neubert, Director of Development Programmes with a German NGO and our gracious host gave us a tour of her lovely home. She also explained the work the Kewetu Training Center did for the environment. The day finished with a delicious dinner on a floating restaurant, where Julia, the birthday girl, even received a surprise birthday cake. The day was certainly a memorable one, not only for her but for all of us.

Nairobi - Mombasa

10 August 2011

The first full day in Kenya started before sunrise, with some of us missing our wake up call….oops! Without too much trouble, we were on the road by 6:15am. There was a long drive ahead of us to Mombasa and we were aiming to be there by early afternoon. Sometimes things don’t always go according to plan! Over halfway there we heard a sudden ‘pop’ and sure enough, we had a flat tire! Luckily, we have Evans, our trusty driver, and a spare tire to solve the problem quickly. Arriving in Mariakani, we were greeted by George and Richard, two representatives from DSW, who lead us to Damview Hotel for a delicious lunch. We were then on our way to Kaloleni to visit St. Luke’s Hospital and had an informative and impressing meeting with the directors of the hospital. It was unfortunate to learn the hospital cannot be used to its full potential because people from the community can’t always pay for the services they need, even though they are offered. We also had the opportunity to visit the grounds and meet some students in the classrooms. It was a great visit! After 12 hours in the bus, we were happy to make our way to the Mombasa Beach Hotel. It was a wonderful day and we are looking forward to some warm weather in Mombasa until Friday!

Nairobi

9 August 2011

Arrival day in Nairobi! Four separate arrival times for 13 participants. The first group arrived around 7am but took a very long time to get through the line to get their visas, which had Suba and Alex a little worried! Finally, they appeared through the gate and everyone was relieved. Although it took some time to reach the Parklands hotel in morning traffic, our driver, Evans, got us there safe and sound. Some of the early arrivals went to explore Nairobi town, some slept and the late arrivals only had a few hours to be prepared for the long road trip to Mombasa. After a traditional Kenyan dinner, we caught up on our well deserved sleep!