Ripples

Rebecca here- Friday we took a tour of a facility called Ripples International. They have an orphan babies & children rescue center and a rescue center for children who are victims of rape and other abuse. The latter struck pretty near my core, since most of my work has been in Residential Treatment Centers working with girls coming from similar abusive situations. 

They have about 30 girls with 3 of their babies (2 or more of the other girls are currently pregnant). Most of the abuse is incest and in some of the tribal communities, when an unwed girl is found pregnant, she is banished (despite what the situation is surrounding her pregnancy). One of the girls there had been rescued from a forced marriage to an almost 40 year old white man (she was 13). The youngest was 3. Some rape is due to a belief (among some) that sex with a virgin will cure aids. Many of the perpetrators are never arrested and sometimes the girls cannot return home due to the abusive environment.*

We were welcomed into a common room where all the girls sat down and gave us some chairs. Most wore shy smiles. They each introduced themselves and told us their age. Then these beautiful girls sang us some African songs, the first about being saved by Christ. One song required someone to stand up and dance when their name was called, so Krystin and I obliged when called on. This was answered with much clapping. Auntie Agnes (the social worker) told us the history/story of the center then asked if we had anything to share. 

As I looked at all those beautiful young women, I told them how I work with girls in similar situations back home. I told them to always remember they are loved, to be strong, and to keep going. I surprisingly shed some tears as I realized the pain some of these girls have experienced already in their young lives. I saw in their faces, the faces of the hundreds of girls I've worked with since 2006. I felt a deep love for them. 

If/when I get to come back to Kenya, I will plan on spending more time with those girls at Ripples. To all my friends/colleagues working with similar clients, keep at it! You do make a difference! These children need us fighting for them in a world so full of dark and horrible things. They all deserve to feel safe and loved. 

*I have no proven sources, this is just what we have been told by those working with these children. 

Recreation Therapy

Rebecca here- Since my profession is a recreation therapist, I am always interested in people's leisure participation. 

Kenyans have a much different perspective towards recreation than Americans- which is to be expected. 

I'm not so sure my job would exist here, well it would definitely be different. 

At the children's home, for example, there were always "duties" to perform: sweeping, mopping floors and sidewalks, cleaning dishes, taking care of the animals, taking care of younger kids, painting a new building, etc...  I was so impressed with the work ethic. I never once heard a kid complain about their responsibilities! It was simply what they did. 

But they are still kids, and they always enjoyed playing! We took a group of 20 kids to the beach one day and played in the waves, we had a spontaneous night soccer game on the slanted rock driveway, the two teenage boys taught us a hand slap game (hilarious), and I was happy to see them playing futball at the school! They also love dancing! 

So I have learned that our choice of recreation may differ, but all people seek and find ways to play, to laugh, and to connect with others.

And yes, this kid is hard at work:)

And today we helped with a retired group at the Thiiri Cultural Center in Meru. This is what my Great Aunt has been creating, so cool: www.thiiricultiralcentre.org

Kenya...wow!

Kenya is amazing. I love it here. I love how our tripped has worked out and the order of our adventure. We left malindi and the children (tore my heart out) almost a week ago and went on an amazing safari (separate post later) and then headed up to meru to visit Rebecca's aunt. 

The countryside alone on each part of the trip has been so different. Malindi is very coastal with lots of coconuts and banana's and flat land. The drive to the Maasai Mara through the great Rift Valley was breathtaking and very much how I imagined Africa and finally the drive to meru we came back to mountains and hills and forest like area. 

It all just changes so fast in a short distance. I feel so lucky to be experiencing this place and know I can't do it justice in writing or pictures but I love it!

All along any drive you pass through so many small towns with markets selling fresh produce and other miscellaneous items. People hanging around all day, there is so much poverty here but so much beauty and kindness as well it has been inspiring! 

Rebecca's aunt has been a fountain of information and it has been great to get to talk to her after being in kenya for 6 weeks. I am learning so much about this place. 

Malindi

Maasi mara (near border of Tanzania)

Meru area (terrible photo out the car but the only one I have)

Children are adorable

While we are here in Meru I have more downtown to write and get caught up on blogging. :) I want to write random stories from the children's home because I miss them daily! 

All the kids go to school but there are 4 different ones they attend. One school is within walking distance of the home. The kids were always trying to convince us to come and visit them, during the day (I was concerned that we would be interrupting but they always tell me it is "no problem") 

Finally we figure out they have a break from 11-11:30 and we could go then. Well we show up at 11:00 and no one is outside so a little nervous we enter the school grounds (people start shouting hello from classroom and now it is a little embarrassing obviously we are interrupting the school day) finally I ask a random student where the headmaster office is so we can check in with him. Mr. John is such a nice man and we have a nice long chat about the school and America and his life and we ge a tour. Anyway by then it is lunch so we go home with the kids and promise to come back for sports at 3:00pm. So we don't interrupt learning.

We come back and children are everywhere. Quickly our Imani kids find us and take us by the hand and lead us on a grand tour. Now, just for reference these kids are probably 7-8 and we have a bit (major) of a language barrier. They speak to us only in Swahili and we respond in English saying we don't understand, very productive ;). After saying hello to everyone we could find two little boys motion they are going with us!! Now usually the kids have to wait for the older ones and don't come home until 5:00 and it was only 3:30 but the children were insistent. After another lap around the school we find one of the older children who speaks English and he says it's okay! So off we go!

We have to walk about 1/2 a mile to the main road and then another 3/4 of a mile from there to the home. While we are walking the kids keep talking in Swahili and Rebecca and I do not understand, but we kind of pretend too a bit. Before I can stop it little M flags down a Tuk-Tuk looking so proud of himself. And starts to get in. I about die of laughter, I can't explain that we should probably walk, te driver is looking at us expectantly for a ride! So we just climbed in!! Both boys were so proud of themselves and smiled at us the whole way. I just love these little rascals.

The proud little culprit!

Farewell Imani Malindi

We are still in shock that today actually arrived- when we had to say goodbye to the kids we have come to love the past 6 weeks! 

Since we know you are sad that you all couldn't be with us at Imani, we want to give you a glimpse of our lives here:

We brought a lot of stickers with us, one of our best purchases- huge hit! Every time we hand them out, we are swarmed by children saying "auntie, sticker?" Once they get a sticker thy hide it and come back for seconds. We even found stickers in one of the girls arm pits! 

Today as we were packing, Krystin found the rest of our stickers and gave them to a girl named Nicole to be in charge of distribution. She's 9 years old and so responsible. She sat all the kids down and one at a time had them stand up and come to her, she would then take a sticker and slap it on their forehead, and then send them on their way. Due to dirt and sweat, the stickers only stick for approximately 2 mins, so they fall to the ground. Other children hijack the stickers at this point. This leads to mug chaos and sad pouty faced children saying "auntie...?? Sticker??" While other kids proudly walk around tattooed with 10 stickers all over their forehead, hands, chest, legs, etc...

We can't wait to come back!!

On our flight to Nairobi this afternoon we saw Mt. Kilimanjaro out the window!

These children are beautiful!

No time to write- we're busy loving kids! But here are some pictures!

Giant spiders!!

Jambo from Becca! This last week has been busy! And time is running out! We leave Imani Malindi in less than 2 weeks- and we are getting so sad already. Today we went to church in Mtwepa again and loved it. But being gone from the kids all day made us so excited to go "home" to them. We are currently driving back in the most comfortable matatu we've been on so far! 

Krystin had to save me again this week from the BIGGEST spider I have seen yet- it scurried into the kitchen one night and I literally climbed on the counter (as I visualized my leg falling off from a spider bite)! Seeing as how Krystin and I made a pact to not take each other to an African hospital, I felt as though the spider needed to die. Her and Njogu found and killed it successfully. 

Krystin got attacked by safari ants this week too! But she survived and fougt them off heroically.

We did randomly find ourselves front and center in an African funeral on Saturday! I'm still getting used to everyone ushering us around and introducing us to people.