IDP and Mum

Mamma J as she is affectionately known here says to say she is having a ‘very different time and learning a hell of a lot – we live like millionaires in Australia’. She is everyone’s mamma, lastly mine!

We are LOVING IDP – we were only in Nairobi for 2 nights before coming back and we already don’t’ want to leave. It was 4 weeks on Friday before mum and I fly out. It was a wee shock to the system when I realised. I will have to make myself ready to leave. :-( We have alternated from staying in Kamua’s teeny cement house and camping outside – it’s been a tossup between the cool air outside or mice inside. :-) It’s also a world away from mum’s special ‘private’ room back in our home stay in Nairobi. Gee she’s been spoilt here!! Wandering the lanes of the camps, it reminds me of growing up in the country the way the kids entertain themselves here – especially the 3 we discovered playing amongst the hay stack, it absolutely frightened the pooper out of me walking by before seeing them.

Every day, Mum is getting better accustomed to the food, walking everywhere, people grabbing for her attention on the streets, stinking slums, the funky hairdos, kid’s yelling ‘how are you, how are you…’, bright clothing, nauseating toilets, risking her life on public transport and new volunteers every day. It makes me laugh every time I think of my friend, Heath, who warned me about how everyone passes on blind corners, barely going 2km faster than the vehicle they are passing with either a cliff or mountain either side should you be unlucky having to avoid collisions. It’s exactly how it happens!

Last Monday we had another Medical camp at IDP which was, again, very busy. The morning was HIV testing all the school children and the afternoon was treating and testing other camp members. The kids were strong, damn strong and boy can they scream! Unfortunately the rooms were not sound proof, so the screaming started even before they walked through the door. We had 6 testing stations and mum was busy consoling the kids, holding them down or dragging them in from outside. Having a mother figure helped a huge amount (that and the lollies!).

This visit we have started giving out the donated clothing and school gear. Mum couldn’t get over the fact that most of the students and teachers still use razor blades to sharpen their pencils, so to see the joy she brought when she took out the numerous pencil sharpeners and went between each child and either sharpened their pencils or hand to them a new one, was fantastic. Massive thanks to Jill Downs and Karoonda Newsagency for donating those. And to Mission Australia Maroochydore who, as a cheerio gift to me, gave various useful bits and pieces for the kids, including books and the posters and colour pencils shown in the picture, colouring in was the highlight of their week. Mum actually graded and commented on each coloured picture, the kids were wrapped. Thank you so much guys, miss you and see you soon! Oh my gosh, Mum also has a stack of clothes from a Carol and Kung, the yellow outfit I am giving young Julia is the only one we have given out so far. This week we will purchase a stack more clothes and shoes for kids and teenagers with the money donated by the Karoonda Lions Club (thank you!!!) and hand them out with all the other donated goods in equal parts to each of the camps. I CAN’T WAIT!!!!

They have a new volunteer orientation here every 2 weeks – on the 1st and 15th of every month. The last couple, I have been asked to stand up and talk about IDP – not a good idea, I bloody cried at the last one in front of 52 new starters. I felt like an idiot, but they were cool about it. On Thursday they have another intake and 74 new people are starting!!! I cannot believe the numbers, they are getting from people all around the world – not sure if I have it in me to talk again, if so, perhaps I’ll drag mum along – how can I not be stronger 4 months in….

I am so impressed with how mum has been coping with everything here, she really has taken everything in her stride, she is so strong and I love that she is here. Each day she can walk that little bit further; I am constantly scolded by locals for making her walk, sorry mum! There really are limited choices to transport out here. This morning we profiled more than 30 children and hearing mum struggle with the difficult surnames they have was funny.

On Sunday, Mum, Jane and I joined the local IDP families for church. It was a wonderful experience. Their mass is held under a large tree in the front of Eldoret Camp, to see them come together and celebrate life is wonderful. The faith these folk have is very powerful. Each mass last between 3 and 5 hours, there is a lot of singing and dancing which has the time passing quickly.

We have almost finalised a way in which people can donate, I can’t believe the work involved, I am glad mum is here to help. We have more than 300 children in school who need assistance, but through research with other people and organisations, we have decided to sponsor the school as a whole – something I will explain in more detail soon.

Above is a photo of the children we currently have at the Southern Cross Academy, we are very proud to boast that we are now in our 4th week of operation. We can only currently fit 270 students, so this weekend we are in a position where we can start building an additional 3 classrooms to accommodate the further 60 or so children currently missing out. Another very exciting step.

You should see the kids with mum – they see her from a mile away and race to meet her to be the first to hold her hand and if she sits down, they literally jump all over her. With a bit of luck this will cure her of wanting more grandchildren for a while! :-) Last night we toasted marshmallow’s with a few of the kids, they were very hesitant at first, but it was a massive hit – they’ve never had anything like it and to see their faces eating the squishy sweets cold was also fascinating. As a thank you, their mother (having known we had already eaten dinner) served us another full meal of rice – it’s considered a privilege to have Mzungu visitors, so they also do what they can to have you in their home as long as possible. It’s rude not to accept or finish good food, so we stuffed ourselves and rolled out almost an hour later. We shared the living room with a goat, chicken and log or empty tin to sit on.

We have been watching most of the soccer games in the local little pub which has been brilliant and even shouted a round of soft drinks when Ghana was playing - it was incredibly well received and cost me less than $10AUD. Although the locals didnt' seem to mind, Jane and I felt uncomfortable having a drink, when we knew they couldn't afford it. I have also cooked most of our meals on their tiny gas stove which has been fun - there is no electricity here, so it's either done by brail or head torch - I love Kenya! Even though I've been here some time and have a pretty tough stomach, I was a little concerned that the rice I served was brown from the water - I boiled it well. :-)

On the weekend, mum was part of a new group who visited one of the poorest tent camps of IDP. They sat in a plastic home that housed 12 family members. It was a great experience and she still cannot comprehend where they sit, let alone cook and sleep in a tiny 3 x 4 metre space. She then handed out food to the families while I sat with the mothers shelling peas and beans. With each visit, I greet the families members sitting outside their tents and have noticed their handshakes change. I adore the fact we are becoming familiar.

I look forward to posting another update soon - hopefully from mum! :-)