On the Subject of Babies....

Aside from the fact that everywhere we go small children come sprinting from every direction yelling "Mzungu! Mzungu!" meaning white people or foreigners in Swahili, it seems that everything we do here is in some way directly or indirectly related to babies. For example, this morning we woke up to some strange sounds that we hadn't heard yet...and there are A LOT of strange sounds here. When we were leaving for the day I noticed some small furry figures huddled under one of the goats that lives in our compound. I thought at first they were cats which seemed odd, and as I got closer I realized they were baby goats - newborn baby goats!! They must have been born last night as they have adorable rolls of excess skin and stumble everywhere because they are just learning to walk. That was a great morning surprise after another day waking up to a power outage lasting from the night before.

 

Once we could finally pull ourselves away from the newborn members of our compound, we rode "boda bodas" (motorbike taxis) to a school. This school only has about 30 students, all of which come from families with at least one HIV-positive member; 8 of them are living positively themselves. This school was started by WOPLAH (and is one of Edwin's "babies") because this community was identified as having many vulnerable children who could not afford school. They were able to secure a small, one-room, mud school house and opened the school in 2008 with Edwin teaching full-time. They now have two volunteer teachers, but Edwin still goes to the school about once a week to teach and play with the kids. 

When we walked into the little room, the children greeted us with a song and spent the next 20 minutes of their morning lesson half-heartedly reciting various english words, letters and sounds but mostly focusing their attention on us. The students' ages ranged from 4-11, with the smallest children sitting in the front and the oldest in back. Soon it was breaktime and we went outside to play games and hand out stickers and lollipops! Although it was hard not to think about the level of education each child should have theoretically attained at their respective ages, I could also clearly see the importance of giving these children an opportunity for early-child development when they would otherwise be sitting at home or getting into trouble; it is amazing WOPLAH has been able to provide these children with valuable skills, socialization and a safe harbour that is no doubt better than any alternative.

After inviting Edwin to our house for a lunch of eggs and rice (scrambled eggs was the only semi-American food we could conjure up to share), we hopped on the "boda bodas" again to attend a self-help group where Edwin would be lecturing. He began by asking one of the members to do a recap of last week's lecture: a demonstration of proper female condom usage. Although we were all admitedly a bit uncomfortable watching a man literally use hand-motions to show how the condom should be inserted, it was a valuable and interesting experience to learn that people are taking these measures seriously and are willing to learn. Edwin proceeded to give a lecture about disclosure of one's HIV status. It is fascinating listening to him lecture about this, as he takes great care in elaborating on the care one should take in disclosing their status. He explained that it is a process; one should carefully choose who they tell first as well as the timing of the conversation and how to go about unfolding the story. He also highlighted the benefits to disclosing one's status: family members can help by picking up meds and being generally supportive, longer lifespan, eradication of self-stigma, more easily able to succesfully integrate into society etc. My favorite part about listening to Edwin's educational lectures is that he always has his audiences laughing and smiling; and the amount of passion in his voice cannot go unnoticed. 

So, each of our activities today was, in some way, related to babies: there were the newly born goats that greeted us as we left for our daily activities, the children in WOPLAH's school who were babies of HIV-positive parents, and Edwin's talk which concerned birth control methods and the effects of disclosure on family members (including one's children). 

Monitoring and Evaluation

After our first real weekend in Mumias  - which included judging a high school debate tournament, missing church because of a terrential downpoor, meeting one of WOPLAH's soccer teams and grabbing a drink at the pub - I was excited to begin our second week. Today began the monitoring and evaluation process. While we are here, one of our key objectives is to interview all of WOPLAH's beneficiaries and Community Health Workers in order to compile valuable data to help guide WOPLAH and GlobeMed at Colorado College's future partnership agreements. 

Today we attended the Township Community Health Workers meeting held at one of the CHW's houses. The group meets once a month to discuss their accomplishments and issues; together they participate in and benefit from a community kitchen garden and a community loan system called Village Banking. Village banking is a new program that WOPLAH implemented beginning in February. We found out from a group interview that these programs have been extremely beneficial for the community at large for things such as empowering the communiting for prevention against malaria and other diseases, bringing the community together when it would otherwise be very separated and for creating methods for proper sanitation. They also shared with us that they are able to use loans from their Village Banking system to boost personal businesses, purchase shoes for children in the community, pay school and land fees, and support their parents. It was amazing to see the pride on the CHW's faces as they recounted to us the various ways in which they've been able to improve the lives of their community members due to WOPLAH's programs. 

 

After interviewing the CHWs as a group, we began interviewing some of the beneficiaries who also have personal Income Generating Activities (IGA's) for themselves and their families. Mary, pictured above, is 37 years old, a single mother living positively with HIV, and has 3 HIV negative children. Mary explained to us that she joined the group of CHWs because she wanted something to give her hope, help reduce stigma and work with fellow members. She has her own kitchen garden and 2 goats; through these IGA's she has been able to eliminate all costs of purchasing vegetables and makes 270 shillings per week. I felt a sense of gratitude and pride for WOPLAH when we asked Mary if she is benefitting from these projects and whether the work she puts in is worth it; she smiled with a sense of dignity and said "sana", meaning very much in Swahili. 

Mary also recounted to us that although one of her two goats was attacked and died, she has been able to replace it and is benefitting greatly from them. In addition to providing sufficient funds to cover school and book fees, her goats also provide fertilizer and pest control for her garden. She and her family consume about 70% of the milk produced, while they sell the remainder for profit. 

Mary showed us her healthy goats and various gardens which all employ different methods. The second one pictured above, for example, is called a Mandala garden; it has a special irrigation system which allows it to be very low maintenance and survive during periods of drought. 

Although the CHWs did tell us about issues they still face, such as insufficient funds to transport clients to health facilities and thieves stealing their harvests, it is incredible to finally see first-hand how people are benefiting and prospering because of WOPLAH's admirable and selfless work. I am excited to continue the interviewing process and translate these responses into numbers which can help WOPLAH increase their reach, find partnerships and increase funding. 

Treating Jiggers

The Western Organization for People Living with AIDS/HIV (WOPLAH) aims to provide services for people living with the disease through community support groups, income generating projects, microfinancing and free health services. I am also quickly learning that perhaps the organization needs to reconsider their name as they deal with a much larger scope of issues than just those for people living with AIDS. Some of WOPLAH'S projects include kitchen gardens, goat and poultry rearing, village banking (a loan system) and access to anti-retroviral treatment (ARV's). 

Today we visited a school which needed help treating children for infection of jiggers. Jiggers is a flea size bug which is attracted to skin (especially dirty skin), and burrows itself inside the host. It eventually lays eggs and quickly spreads causing dehabilitaing effects for the host. It can be a life threatening disease, as often people are left without means to eat or make a living if they can no longer walk. 

The school we visited today was identified as needing treatment for jiggers as they had several students who were already severely affected and it is likely to spread to more students. It was extremely difficult to watch and help with the process of treating jiggers. The children had to soak in a special solution and then community health workers would literally cut off the infected parts of their skin. Several kids screamed and cried because it is so painful, and it was heart wrenching to know that they had no means of preventing such a terrible disease. 

After cutting out all of the infected areas, we helped apply petroleum jelly to their feet and hands. The

 principle told us many of these students have to walk over 3 miles to get to school and the thought of them doing so with their painful, open wounds was disheartening. 

We also learned that the children were supposed to inform their parents that they would be treated and that they should come to school that day. There was only one family who showed up; every family member, including the baby who looked around 2 years old, was severely infected. We found out later that they do not even have a house, so it is no wonder they cannot afford to worry about proper sanitation. WOPLAH is hoping to do a follow-up with this family and others in order to assess the feasibility of beginning an income generating project for them. 

Unfortunately, most of the kids who are treated end up getting jiggers again because they cannot afford to clean themselves with the solution. Jiggers can be prevented with shoes and proper hygeine. It seems that the only long-term solution for this issue is to ensure a means of income for these families. Providing them with shoes may provide a temporary fix, but it is not likely to solve the problem. 

Although WOPLAH and the other community health workers are doing amazing work to reduce this problem, we were concerned about some of their practices. Multiple children would soak their feet and hands in the same tub; after being treated they would return their open, bloody wounds into the shared water which is obviously a risk for transmitting HIV and other diseases. It seems senseless to heal one disease and spread another. 

Overall this was a very difficult experience, and I left feeling extremely helpless with regards to this issue. I hope to brainstorm with WOPLAH sustainable ways of preventing and curing jiggers. I will at least hope that the kids we cured today stay jigger-free and can learn what it is like to run and play with the other children. 

Mumias First Impressions

We arrived in Mumias, Kenya on Saturday night. After a typical frightening taxi ride from the Kisumu airport we [the other 4 CC interns and I] arrived at the house we are staying at for the next 6 weeks. We are staying in a "compound" where there are 3 houses, some resident goats and cows, and lots of children! When we arrived several members of WOPLAH (the organization we're interning with) were waiting for us with dinner prepared! We sat around a small table and ate traditional Kenyan food which consisted of chicken, a potato and beef dish, chapati, and ugali. Ugali is commonly eaten at every meal in Kenya and is made out of cornmeal and water. It is quite heavy and filling - a good staple if you're trying to get very full very cheaply.

A lot has happened in the first few days we've been here. A goat showed up in our kitchen, we took our first rides on the back of motorbikes, we watched people casually eat termites, we were invited to a neighbor's house to watch the World Cup final, and I watched in horror as a rat ran across my bed. Let's just say I haven't slept on it ever since. It has been very eventful and a bit uncofortable at times but the people we've met already have been some of the most welcoming and kind people I have ever met. 

Gladys, for example, has been hanging out at our house pretty much since we arrived (she even slept here the first night with us); she has made us food, showed us how things work and called us her daughters. I might add that she likes to laugh at us for doing things like screaming about rats and accidently freezing our eggs - oops. Amina has also spent quite a bit of time with us; she has brought us milk in the mornings and also stayed with us the first night. Both of the ladies walked us to the market and helped us buy things like a mop, dishwashing supplies, and lightbulbs. Mark, a local intern our age currently working with WOPLAH is like our big brother and enjoys explaining things to us and showing us around. Finally, there is Edwin, WOPLAH's program coordinator, who we have been skyping with for months. He picked us up at the airport, has taken us to the market to buy fruit and vegetables, took us to three banks in search of one which would allow us to exchange our Tanzanian shillings which no one wants and helped us get our internet setup. I can't even imagine how lost we would be without all of these hospitable people. I am excited to continue spending time with them and learning more about their lives and positions with WOPLAH. 

Here is a photo from our first meeting today with all of the AOH (Ambassador's of Hope) who organize the various projects associated with WOPLAH!

Ramadan in Zanzibar

I was excited to go to Zanzibar for many reasons such as the beautiful beaches, the seafood, and the spices I'd heard so much about. However, as a religion major, I was also excited to be in a Muslim Majority place during the month of Ramadan (fasting). I knew that since Zanzibar relies fairly heavily on its tourism the normal daily functions would most likely not be interrupted, but I was curious as to what might be different, if anything at all. 

It turned out that hardly anything at all was affected by the act of not eating during daylight. The locals simply ate early in the morning (before we were even close to awake) and we would see people on the streets as soon as the sun began to set, setting up small fires to cook their fish and ugali on. There were certainly more "local restaurants" which did not open during the day due to Ramadan likely because most of their customer base would not be eating and other restaurants opened a bit once the sun had set. 

Due to my excitement of being able to experience firsthand such an important religious practice, I was eager to ask all our taxi drivers as many questions as possible. I learned that often children will start "training" for Ramadan around age 13 or 14 but the typical age to start was around 18. One time, we were driving from Stone Town to a beach on the north of the Island during the midday prayer time and we had to swerve several different times because mosques were overflowing with people so much that they had kayed mats in the street and were prostrating right there. I wish I had asked whether this was a normal occurrences or whether more people attended prayer due to Ramadan. Once we also had to slam on the brakes for a couple of little boys running across the street; our driver said they were running because they were late for prayer. He also told us that boys often start attending prayer from 5-7 years old. This seemed impressive to me as I remember the trouble I sometimes gave my parents trying to get us to Sunday school for an hour once a week let alone 5 times per day everyday. 

All in all, I did not feel like the presence of Islam in Zanzibar was as strong as in other Islamic countries, as daily practices seemed mostly to fall under the raider rather than disrupting the flow of the day. For something that to me seems very difficult (I can't even imagine not eating for an entire day since usually I eat every two hours), it was interesting to see how easily all these people could be so devoted to such a seemingly difficult practice. 

Arriving in Africa; Embracing the Liminal

Wow, I've already been in Africa for two weeks now - I guess I'm a little behind on starting my blog. I decided to name my blog "Liminal Living" due to the strange phase of life I recently entered. As an unemployed recent college grad, I am attempting to make the most of this unique time where I am not part of any group, not bound by any commitments and not categorized as anyone in particular (except American and tourist maybe). Fittingly, my last block at CC was a religion class called "Conversion" and we spent 3.5 weeks discussing the implications of "liminality". Although there is nothing concrete or clear about this topic, and I still feel a bit confused about what we were ultimately trying to accomplish in the class, what I did learn was that we spend our entire lives going through conversions - whether intentional or accidental, conscious or subconscious. Each conversion we undergo is preceded by a stage (or many) of liminality where one is not marked by any boundaries or associations but exists in an alternate state of liminality. Each of these liminal stages and their resulting conversions build upon each other making us who we are. I am, therefore, attempting to soak up this odd, liminal state putting off my next conversion rather than searching for it. 

On my first night while hiking Mt. Kilimanjaro, I began reading a book my mom gave me before we parted ways in Paris called "Tales from Nowhere", a collection of travel stories. I was stoked to read a quote in the introduction which perfectly described what I was seeking to do this summer. It read, "Nowhere is a setting, a situation and a state of mind. It's not on any map, but you know it when you're there."

So here's to embracing the liminal and searching for the comforting nowhere of travel!

1st night in Africa- Regional Hotel in Nairobi. Had to take a selfie for my first time in a mosquito net.