Adventures and Experiences from Kenya
By Mark Howard
Introduction:
My name is Mark Howard. I am twenty one years old and
I am living in Ireland. I am a student of University College Cork (UCC) and I
am studying International Development and Food Policy. In its simplest form
it’s a course which looks at developing countries and developed countries and
finds ways how the two can interact with and help or benefit each other. I am currently
in the third year out of four years in total.
As
part of third year we get to go on work placement for five months. It is
advised that you go to a developing country because it is in these areas that
you will benefit the most from when it comes to a learning experience related
to our course. This is because it means being in the centre of development and
seeing what a developing country is like from a ground level. However there is
the option of going to a developed country such as staying in Ireland and
seeing how development work is done from here. But I love to travel and see
areas which are the polar opposite of what Ireland is like and to experience
the different people, cultures and customs. Therefore from the start I knew I
was going to a developing country far from my home.
The college gives you a list of
development organisations and foundations for you to choose from. This list includes
a description of the work they do and where they are stationed so you can get
an idea of what type of work you would be doing with them and which country you
would be travelling to. Some of these organisations, students from our course
have previously done their placement with and some of the organisations are
new. If there isn’t any organisation that fits your preference you can try and
find a different organisation yourself.
One organisation that really appealed
to me was called Africa Direct. Its description seemed to be everything I was
looking for. They are a Non Governmental Organisation (NGO) and they are Cork
based, which is where I live. They work with the vulnerable and deprived people
who are in most need of their help. Most of their overseas work is centred in
Kenya. They have projects in the capital city of Nairobi and in the rural area
of Kiltale in North West Kenya. A lot of this work is done to benefit the
street people and slum dwellers in a number of different ways. For example
feeding those who are hungry, educating children and empowering women are just
to name a few. I was very satisfied with their vision so I signed myself up to
do my placement with them, but first I had to be accepted by Africa Direct to
be the person they wanted to represent them in Kenya. This involved having to
meet with two of the members and do an interview with them. The interview went
very well and they told me a lot more about the organisation such as the work
they do in Ireland to benefit those overseas and also the different projects
they have in Kenya which I would be working with. I got a call later that day
and luckily they had accepted me. From then it became a reality that I was
going to Kenya.
Before Departure:
The college wanted people to be leaving Ireland around
the 17th of March which is St. Patricks Day, but Africa Direct had
organised that I would have a pre departure course for one week before I left
to get me prepared for what I would be doing in Kenya and what to expect there.
Therefore I booked my flights for the 24th of March. Even though
that was still a few months away the time seemed to be slipping by quicker and
quicker every day as it drew closer to leaving, so I had to move quickly to get
prepared.
Firstly I looked up what
vaccinations I would need before going to Kenya. I needed a vaccination for
Hepatitis A, Hepatitis B, typhoid, yellow fever and malaria. So I contacted my
local G.P and we sorted out dates for when I would get the vaccines. All of
them were done by injection apart from malaria which I needed to take tablets
for. I had to start taking these 48 hours before I left, taking one a day, and
this would continue for the duration f my stay and for about 10 days after I
came home. To take them before and after I came home are just as important as
taking them when I was there so it is very important not to miss them. It is
advised to take them after a meal so I made a time after breakfast to take them
and I found this a lot easier because generally I had breakfast at the same
time every day so I would take them straight after. My doctor gave me a yellow
book which has all the vaccination recorded in it and it is very important that
I take care of this and mind it because I need it when entering the country and
when leaving it. I also visited the dentist for a check up to make sure there
was nothing I needed to get done before leaving because the last thing I wanted
was to get a tooth problem in Kenya and have to go to a dentist there, luckily
everything was fine.
But
these were just the first step of preparation before leaving. The college and
Africa Direct gave me a pre departure check list of things to do and bring before
leaving so I used these. The initial things were sorting out insurance, this
meant travel insurance, health insurance and getting insurance for anything of
value I would be bringing such as my laptop and mobile phone. Next was
contacting my bank and phone company to tell them that I would be leaving the
country. This involved telling them what dates I would be gone for and to which
country I was travelling to so there can be no confusion for when I landed.
When I was at the bank I took out Kenyan money so I would have a little bit
when I landed and I wouldn’t be stranded with nothing, I also took out some
English money so I could get some food during the stopover in London.
Next
were all the physical things I would need to bring with me. One of the first
things I got was lotions. I looked up the temperature forecasts for the months
I would be in Kenya and from them decide what sun tan lotion I should bring
with me. Kenya is almost on the equator so I knew these would be a high factor
ranging from factor 50 down. I then got all the things such as deodorant,
shampoo, and shower jell, toothpaste and a new toothbrush. If you have
preferences when it comes to these things you should get them before you leave
because they mightn’t have them where you are going. I also got a lot of pocket
sized hand sanitizers because if you are travelling and stop to go to the
bathroom there mightn’t be any water in the sink or any soap.
I
bought a lot of light and bright clothes to wear. It is very important to make
them light because the last thing you want is to be weighed down by heavy
clothes when it is really hot and also they should be bright because they
reflect the heat from the sun but dark clothes absorb the heat. I mainly bought
cheap clothes because I would be working a lot outside so I knew they would get
dirty and there was no point in spending a lot of money on clothes when I had
many other expenses. I also got a lot of socks because in Kenya it would be rainy
season and socks can get ruined very easily so I brought many of these, also
because I knew I would be walking around a lot so spare socks is a great idea.
For the electrical things I brought a torch
because if you find yourself on a country road with no street lights a torch is
needed and also if your area is prone to blackouts a torch is very useful
during the night. I looked up what sort of plugs they have in Kenya and this is
very important for if you need to charge your things from home, the sockets may
be different. Luckily in Kenya they are the same so I didn’t need to buy any
convertors. I brought a lot of batteries as well so none of my non rechargeable
things would run out.
Lastly
were other things such as electrolytes. This is a powder you put in your water
if you are feeling dehydrated. In hot countries you don’t realise how much
quickly your water levels can deteriorate so these are very useful if you start
to feel a bit weak and dehydrated. I brought sun glasses and weighing scales
for weighing my bag before I left to make sure it wasn’t over the weight limit.
I got many books and downloaded a lot of television shows and movies onto my
laptop for travelling and if I had free time to spare when I got there. A money
belt is very important for thieves when you are walking around. I got one that
goes around my neck so it cannot be pulled off me. Luckily I have never had a
problem with thieve or muggers.
The week before I left I had my pre departure
course. This was very good because it was done by a former UCC student who did
the exact same placement as me a few years ago and she is now working for
Africa Direct. Therefore she knew what type of situation I was in and so was
very helpful. She gave me a lot of information such as the different partners
and projects Africa Direct work with in Kenya and the type of work I would be
doing with them once I got over there. She introduced me to the different
customs and culture that they have in Kenya so I knew what was ok and what
wasn’t ok to do. This was very important to know before leaving because some of
the things we do in Ireland might be frowned upon in Kenya. She also helped me
with many of the things I should bring with me that I mightn’t have thought of
myself. This was very beneficial and I had a much better idea of what I would
be doing in Kenya and what it would be like to live there. I now felt a lot
more relaxed about going there and I was a lot more excited.
Lastly I
get into the mindset of the country I would be going to I went onto the
internet and looked up many things about Kenya. I looked up the history of the
country and found some very interesting things such as that it was previously
colonised by the British Empire which is similar to Ireland and that the oldest
remains of a human were found in Kenya so it is believed that humans first
originated from there. I then watched a few documentaries on Kenya to see what
it is famous for and what type of things are of a high interest to people in
Kenya. I also looked up videos on YouTube that people uploaded showing them
walking or driving around different areas of Kenya just to get an idea of what
the country and the people there look like. I only looked up videos in Nairobi
and Kitale because they are the areas I will be doing most of my work.
When packing I
emptied my whole room of all the shelves just to make sure there was nothing I
hadn’t thought of that I would forget. It turned out there was a few things I
would have never thought of that I would need so I am very glad I did this and
would advise anyone else to do the same. So now I had done my pre departure
course and my bags were packed. The next stop was Kenya.
Travelling: the 24th of March
On the 24th of March I travelled from Ireland to Heathrow Airport in London
with Air Lingus. From there I took a plane to Addis Ababa in Ethiopia and from
there in Nairobi. From London I travelled with Ethiopian Airlines. Over all I
would say that they are a very good airline to travel with. The service was
good and the entertainment onboard was great with many different new movies and
shows ranging from the Hollywood movies I was accustomed with to the African
version called Nollywood which has many African made movies. We also got food
aboard both the flights and it was very tasty. Overall the journey from Ireland
to Kenya took about 24 hours including stopovers and travel.
For travelling long distances I would say
to bring a change of socks and mints or chewing gum to help keep yourself
feeling fresh. A money belt which I talked about earlier is also very useful to
keep your passport and boarding card at the ready. When you are through customs
I always buy a bottle of water as well to keep hydrated. Apart from that it is
good to have a laptop or book so you won’t become bored. Mostly it’s about
trying to relax and enjoy yourself as you are brought to the country you are
visiting.
Arriving in Kenya: the 25th of March
When I landed in Nairobi on the 25th of March before reaching the baggage
area in the airport we first had to go through a health check area. In this
area we had to fill out a health sheet which asked many questions such as “have
you been to any of these countries in the past six months” and there was a list
of countries such as Sierra Leone and Liberia. This was because of the recent
Ebola crises. All the questions were easily answerable but you would need your
passport at the ready for a few of them. Also you need to show you yellow
booklet with all your vaccinations so have this at the ready. In case there is
a chance of something similar to this I would advise you also have a pen because
it is a struggle finding a pen when many other people are also waiting to get
one. After filling this out we were made walk through a scanner which showed
your body temperature and it checked to see if you were carrying any diseases.
After I collected my bags
I went outside and a man who worked for Africa Direct was waiting outside for
me. He was holding a sign with my name on it so I could identify him. He then
took me to his car and drove me to the B&B I would be staying in for the
meantime. I then rested there for awhile because I was exhausted from the
travel and also I was a little bit jet lagged.
First Impressions of Kenya:
My first impression of Kenya when I made it out of the
airport and on the drive to where I was staying was the heat. It hits you the
minute you step out of the plane. I would imagine that it is very warm compared
to most countries but compared to Ireland it was roasting. In some areas when
there is a breeze you mightn’t notice how hot it actually is and this can be
very dangerous. Therefore I cannot stress enough how important it is to make
sure to put sun cream on all areas where your skin is exposed before leaving
the house. You should also bring the sun cream with you because you might be
out for a long time without thinking you would be outside for this long and you
find yourself trying to make it from shaded spot to shaded spot to avoid the
sun. An umbrella is also useful in this situation so you can stay protected
from the sun. It is good to open a window in the car you are travelling in a
few minutes before departure to cool the car down before you get into it and
also to watch out for exposed metal objects such as the metal area of the
buckle of the seat belt because these can heat up a lot.
Another thing I noticed first was the amount
of people there is. There is way more people walking around than you would see
in Ireland. I said this to the man and he reminded me that it was a Tuesday and
that during the weekend these numbers increase. You have to let go of your
personal space a little bit because there will be people passing you or pushing
past you, depending on where you are, almost constantly. This makes it easy for
someone to pickpocket from you so you have to be careful. If you try to avoid
making physical contact with everyone you come across however it is going to be
impossible for you to get where you are going. You have to get used to the idea
that there is a huge amount of people cramped into a tight space so you have to
get through crowds of people and sometimes this can be a little bit hard to get
used to.
The levels of poverty are very clear. When
driving from the airport there were many people lying on grassy embankments or
even just on the side of the road. There were children wearing dirty and torn
clothes that were begging or scavenging for food or things to sell. Some people
wore little clothes at all. Like I said previously the amount of people is
huge, therefore the amount of poor people you will see is also very high. If
you are coming to a developing countries such as Kenya this is to be expected.
For me the reason I came here was to help people such as these but for those
who are simply travelling to the country you will have to expect to see this as
well, even if you aren’t going to be visiting any of the slums because you can
see impoverished people in almost all outdoor areas of the city. This takes
possibly the most getting used to. It isn’t easy to see people who are so
vulnerable and who have so little. It can be quite upsetting for some so I
would highly advise you to try and mentally prepare youself for this before you
arrive. Watching documentaries on poverty and getting used to see what it looks
like can be helpful.
Another thing which can be very hard
to getting used to is the fact that if you are like me then you are a white
person in a country where you are now the minority. Many people in Kenya have
either never seen a white person or it is very rare for them to see one,
especially if you go to the rural areas. Therefore people are very interested
in you and most of them will stare at you while you walk past. This can be very
off putting and it might seem like they are giving you a dangerous look because
most of them are not phased if you look back at them but they continue to lock
eyes with you. Some people will come up and say hello to you and ask you where
you are from or start a conversation with you. This can be good and it is a way
to make friends, but you must be careful because many people see a white person
as somebody who has money. Therefore they might be trying to ask you for
something or trying to rob you. Again I have never been robbed so this has
never happened to me but I have of it happening to other people so you just
have to be careful.
There is a
local word which means “White man” called “Mosungu” and many people will refer
to you as this. Even if you are just walking down the street you might hear
people shouting mosungu at you or saying it to your face as you walk past. This
can be annoying but try not to let it get to you because it isn’t meant as an
insult it is just a way people can try to get your attention because they are
interested in you. Sometimes you can feel like a celebrity of sorts because a
lot of people look at you and are interested in you but just try to get used to
it as soon as possible because it’s probably not going to stop for the duration
of your stay depending where you are.
Introduction
to Nairobi:
The man who collected me from the airport came to show
me around Nairobi. We started off by going to a local supermarket and getting a
Kenyan mobile phone and SIM card, so I could contact other people in Kenya. I
went in and literally bought the cheapest one there because I only needed it
for texts and phone calls and nothing else. Also I knew I wouldn’t be keeping
it after I leave Kenya so there was no point in spending a lot of money on one.
I will give it to someone as a present before I leave.
He showed to the
different projects around Nairobi. All of these seemed very good and the people
who ran them were really nice. Everybody would greet you and shake your hand
and after giving you a place to sit down they would send for someone to get
some tea and possibly something to eat. All of them had a clear focus of
wanting to help people and to do anything they could in order to achieve this.
Some of these projects were for disabled children, whether mentally or
physically, some projects were for children who had ran away from home and some
were there to educate children. For example we visited a primary school which
was set up next to a slum in Nairobi in the area called South B. This school
was set up to educate those who were disadvantaged and possibly couldn’t afford
any of the local schools. All the children here gave me a warm welcome and were
very happy to see me.
We then went
for something to eat. He offered to take me to the supermarket because in the
food court they have Western food but I wanted to try traditional Kenyan food
so he took me to a place which does this. He ordered for us and we got Indian
style bread called chapatti, there was also cabbage and beef in a sauce. You
would dip the chapatti into the sauce. The meal was really nice and chapatti
has remained one of my favourite food to get in Kenya ever since. The meal was
very cheap compared to Irish food and it cost around the equivalent of 2 euro
which was very good for the amount of food we got.
Some of the
time I spent just walking around the area I was staying in and taking in the atmosphere.
Most of the people I came across seemed very nice. Many of them would great you
on the street which is very different to Ireland. It does take some getting
used to that a lot of these people will look at you as you walk past but most
of them seemed friendly and that they didn’t mean any harm. I noticed that you
have to watch your step when walking the streets because there can be many
cracks in the footpath or pot holes as well as rubbish and if it has been
raining then the roads can get very muddy.
I only stayed in Nairobi for 3 days
because I had to be on my way to the rural village of Kitale. But I will be
returning for the month of June so I will get to see a lot more of Nairobi
then.
Travel to
Kitale: the 28th of March
I got a bus from Nairobi to Kitale on the 28th of March. I bought my ticket
a few days in advance to be sure that I had a seat. The bus was very big and I
put my large suitcase in the undercarriage compartment. I kept my camera,
laptop and book on my person so I wouldn’t get bored. The journey was long and
it took about 8 hours of travel to reach Kitale. However I enjoyed it a lot. I
got to see a lot of the Kenyan countryside. Most of this went through the Rift
Valley which is known for its good scenery, which it does have. There are huge
fields and sprawling landscapes with large hills and mountains in the
background. There was also some wildlife on the side of the road such as
warthogs and zebras. It was good because I made friends with two American
people who were sitting behind me and they were staying in Kitale as well, they
had just visited Nairobi. I got one of their numbers and we arranged to meet up
some time.
My First
Day in Kitale:
I got off to a rough start when we reached Kitale
because when I looked for my suitcase in the undercarriage compartment I
realised it wasn’t there. When I said this to the driver it dawned on me that
we changed buses at one point and I forget to get it, I only brought the bag I
brought on the bus with me when we changed buses. I said this to the driver and
he informed the people in the bus station of what happened. They found out
which bus I left it on and they contacted the driver of that bus giving them a
description of my suitcase. I was really worried because most of my stuff was
in that suitcase including all my clothes. They said it would be delivered to
the bus station in Kitale the next day and I could retrieve it then so I was
very relieved. I wasn’t fully relaxed until I got it the next day but luckily
everything was there so it was great.
I would be staying with a convent of Sisters
in Kitale called the Good Sheppard Sisters. A few of them met me at the bus
station in Kitale and they took me to where I would be staying. It was only
about a ten or fifteen minute drive from the town. When we got there I was
introduced to everyone and then I rested for awhile. They called me for dinner
so we ate and got to know each other a bit. For food we had chicken, Sorghum
Wiki which is a Kenyan green vegetable and a cereal called Ugali which is made
from maize, or corn as it’s called in Ireland. They had what is a traditional
Kenyan table which is a perfect circle so everyone faces each other and there
is a wooden circular platform in the middle which all the food sits on. You can
rotate this so nothing is ever out of reach. I thought this was a much better
table than in Ireland which is you traditional rectangle and you have to ask
people to pass you things if they are out of reach.
After
dinner they brought out a cake they had baked and we did a Kenyan tradition for
celebration which involves everyone dancing around the table as the sisters
sing and then you stand around the table in a circle and one person feeds a
piece of the cake to the person on their right and this continues around the
circle until everyone has had a bite. When then each got a slice and ate them
before going to bed. When I got into my room I realised there was a welcome
card on the table I hadn’t noticed before. This as well as the cake really made
me feel welcome and at home. They really put in an effort to do this and I was
truly grateful.
Kitale so
far:
I have now been in Kitale for one month and I love it
so far. At the start I was thinking that this mightn’t be the case and I might
become bored after a few weeks. It is true that there is a lot less going on
than in Nairobi but I actually really like that. It is much quieter at night so
it is much easier to get to sleep. This is partly due to the fact that not only
are we in a rural area but we are also off the main road so it is good. Because
of this there is less people walking or driving past our house. However if you
go into town during the middle of the day there are loads of people. I wasn’t
expecting there to be so many since it’s a rural area but it is still
overpopulated so the crowds are large, especially during the weekend. This is
because hundreds of people fled their hometown which is North of Kitale due to
conflicts and they settled here. So now the area is vastly overpopulated and
many of the people are impoverished.
The countryside is beautiful. It is great to
just be able to look out across the garden at a wonderful sight and it is like
this whenever you go in Kitale. The land stretches so far filled with fields
and then there is Mount Elgon in the background. Also almost every day so far
has been sunny with little clouds in the sky so it makes for great scenery with
no pollution in the air so you can see for miles. It really is a much better
chance to simple looking out at another building, a street or traffic like it
is in cities such as Nairobi.
Work I’ve
done:
For the first two weeks or so I was mostly been shown
around the area and to the places I will be working, being introduced to people
I will be working with and getting to know the people I am living with so I
haven’t been doing proper work for long. However it is very important not to
rush into getting started with work straight away because it is very important
to get yourself acclimatised to the new area and the atmosphere. For example
Kitale is much higher above sea level than Ireland so the air is a lot thinner
and for the first few weeks I could get tired or weak very easily and getting
up to quickly would cause me to get a head rush. Also it is a lot hotter so
this mixed with the thinner air can make you tired very quickly. So it is very
important to get used to these changes.
The Good
Sheppard Sisters do a lot of work in a primary school and day care centre
called Hekima Day Care Centre which is in the area of Kipsongo. Here I spent
some time playing games with the children and getting to know them, but shortly
after I arrived they went on their holidays and they haven’t returned to school
yet. But we have still been going there because the Sisters have meeting with
some of the children to encourage them to stay occupied during the holidays.
Some children spend their holiday time going to a local dumping site to
scavenge for food and things to sell. We went here one day to get all the children
from there that attend our day care and bring them back to the school to then
encourage them not to return there again because this is very bad and can cause
them to lose interest in education. We brought back about 12 children and there
was another 30 or so people there who didn’t go to our school, some of them
were adults, some were other children. It is very sad to see this type of thing
going on so it is important to try and help them.
Another place I visited was a slum in
Kipsongo. Here Africa Direct had done a lot of work with and it has been
improved greatly. Their houses have been improved from domes made of rubbish or
shacks made of plastic sheets to mud houses with one or two rooms. These mud
houses are sustainable and waterproof. Africa Direct has installed public toilets,
drinking water and even electricity as well but only a few people can afford
electricity. It is good because Africa Direct only came and thought the people
how to make these improvements and they gave them the resources to do it but it
was up to the people living there to actually do the work. This allowed them to
do something for themselves and make a huge improvement in their life. Now they
can maintain the houses and keep them in good condition because it was them who
made them. Also it brought the whole community together because they were
working with each other which is great.
We visited another slum in an
area called Bidii. This slum Africa Direct is thinking of applying the same
formula they used in Kipsongo to improve it because this slum hasn’t had any
work done to it. There is a huge difference between the two slums and Bidii
makes Kipsongo look like a paradise. In Bidii slum the houses are still made of
rubbish and plastic and they are not waterproof. These means that in the rainy
seasons the water flows into people’s houses and they are lying in ankle high water.
This is a huge contributing factor to the spread of disease, mostly malaria.
There are not toilets here so people are forced to relieve themselves in a bush
or out in the open. There is not clean drinking water so the chance of people
becoming sick is extremely high. There is not electricity so many people cook
over an open fire in their house which fills it with smoke and causes lung
problems, also this can cause the house to set on fire.
It can be very hard to see how these
people live because they have so little. It can be painful to see adults and
children who are malnourished and do not have adequate clothing. Things to get
used to are that if you are a white or even a foreigner many people might ask
you for money. It is important not to give it to them because if you give it to
one they are all going to want the same thing, I have been warned to not even
give anything it to anyone even if it is just the two of you and nobody else
can see, because they will go back and tell the others who will then ask for
the same when you next visit them. Many of the people are drunk and are
stumbling around the place, this includes women and children.
I have also been asked by many
people do I have a wife and if I don’t would I like to marry them. This can
happen whether you are a man or a woman and it has happened to me in the town
as well, but it is more common in the slum areas. I tell these people that I am
married but some of them then ask can you have more than one wife to which I
reply yes, so if you are to try this be prepared that they might ask you the
same thing. For women I have heard this is a lot more common and that it is a
good idea to get a rake wedding band which might deter these people. The
hardest thing I have had to deal with in the slum areas is people coming up to
you with a baby in their hands asking you to take the baby home with you. Some
of them will really try to get you to take the children by pushing it into your
hands or saying that it will have a much better life with you and if you don’t
take the baby it will die in a few days. Be careful not to hold the baby though
because there is a chance that even if you are saying you can’t take it home
with you the parent will walk away leaving you with it.
Trip to
Nakuru: 4th of April
Two of my friends from college are also doing their
placement in Kenya and we arranged to meet up for a trip to a town nearby
called Nakuru. It was about a 6 hour bus journey which I took by mini bus or by
a matatu as they are called here. We stayed here for two nights and it was a
great trip because it was nice to have a change of atmosphere and to be with my
friends. One thing I noticed was this was one of the only times since I left
Nairobi that I talked with white people because there isn’t a lot of them in
Kitale so that was very strange. It was a great break from what I had been
doing so I am very glad that I went on it.
It was good to see a different part of Kenya. The main reason we went
down was to go on a safari trip in the Nakuru national park. This was really
good and we saw loads of wildlife such as water buffaloes, monkeys, astringes,
flamingos, tortoises, zebras, giraffes, antelopes and even a lion which are
meant to be very rare here. There was also great scenery because it was land
which had been left preserved and untouched by humans so it was so natural. The
only thing I will say for anyone thinking of going is that you have to pay a
fee for the driver who will take you around and you also have to pay a separate
fee just to get into the national park which goes to the government of Kenya
which was about 80 euro. But I would advise anyone to do it. It was a great
experience and was very memorable.
No comments:
Post a Comment