"come in," she said, "i'll give you shelter from the storm"

Hey folks! Here’s an update of what’s going on in Kenya:
Yesterday was a free day for the students so we decided to visit an orphanage in Loitokitok. Many of us brought books to donate and we all chipped in 100 shillings (1.30 US dollars) to buy food for the kids. When I stepped out of the Land Cruiser, a young girl named Nankinyi took me by the hand and sat next to me on a bench. Every one of my peers had been “designated” a kid to hang out with for the day. The children greeted us with a song and dance and many of us were moved with a mixture of emotions.
The mother of the 20 children, Phyllis, explained how she and her husband started the orphanage back in 2003. She had each of the kids introduce themselves and share their class rankings. We were all very impressed by their intelligence. They were all at the top of their classes and Nankinyi had her report card to prove it. She also showed me a photo album which had a picture of her when she was found abandoned and pictures from each school year. When I asked her what she wanted to be when she grew up, she said she wanted to be the President of Kenya. I told her she had my vote.
Phyllis handed out papers with contact information for the orphanage and asked us to fill out a form with our addresses so the kids can write to us. The form also asked for institutions that may be able to contribute to the orphanage.
Then the kids gave us the grand tour of the orphanage, which was pretty disheartening. The kids have to share beds with one another and they didn’t have a lot of space to run around. Also, the structural integrity of their shelter was less than adequate. The kids are responsible for taking care of chickens, dogs, goats and a couple cows for which they sell the milk to make money for food.
A game of net ball (basketball but no dribbling) was rapidly arranged and we all enjoyed running around the kids and using our height to help our team. They were fascinated with our digital cameras and it was hard to take mine away from some of them! Looking at the pictures they took was pretty hilarious.
Before we knew it, it was time for me to say goodbye to Nankinyi. She said she would write me a letter and then asked me to send her money for a mattress and sheets for boarding school next year. After talking with my fellow students, I understood that nearly everyone had been asked by their kid for money. Some had been asked for their watches and jewelry. Our experience at the orphanage taught us a lot about how destitute Kenya is. Many students felt like the song and dance was not so much a greeting as it was a performance. That being said, there is no doubt in my mind that those kids are being well taken care of by Phyllis, who rescued and raised these kids to be polite, responsible, intelligent young men and women.
After we left the orphanage, we went to the VCT in Loitokitok, where people can come and get free HIV counseling and testing. We were introduced to some members of the support group for the VCT, who spoke about their personal struggles with accepting HIV positive status and how the VCT has helped them to cope with it. They all introduced themselves by name and the statement “I am living positively.” It was truly incredible for these people to open up to complete strangers and talk about something that comes with huge stigma. Many people don’t even know their status, which is why free educational counseling is necessary in an area like Kenya where HIV prevalence is so high. Another problem in Kenya is that many people do know their positive status but don’t know where to get support and are often in denial or don’t attempt to get treatment. One of the members, Nancy, told us that her friend was being buried that day because she had not been educated early on in her diagnosis about treatment. Another member, Joan, passed around a picture of herself from 5 years ago when she was in the hospital. She probably weighed about 90 pounds and she was paralyzed on part of her right side. The picture had hands coming from all directions, indicating people praying over her. I could barely look at it because the woman in the picture was not the Joan I saw before my eyes. The Joan that I saw was healthy, happy and living positively.
The support group also makes and sells BEAUTIFUL beadwork with a mission to help provide financial stability to its members living with HIV/AIDS, who often do not have enough money to pay for their treatments. The group is currently struggling with marketing their product and is trying to make their project appealing to investors. I have contact information if you or anyone you know is interested in helping this group with their very important cause.
Though this day shed some moments of despair, it also shone with moments of hope. Kenya is FULL of intelligent and willing people that can make a significant change in their country, but are not given the necessary resources to bring their vision to life. What makes Kenya unique to me is that even though it borders countries characterized by civil wars, genocide, rebellion, corruption, famine, and violence, Kenya has managed to outshine most of these evils. You cannot deny the hope that Kenyans have for themselves, their families, their neighbors, and their country. Kenya will always have a special place in my heart. I hope to see the day when the people of Kenya start influencing the countries around them, instead of those countries influencing the people of Kenya.