Transition in the air

Facilitation, transition has been in the air. These past few months have been a movement in a different direction. Instead of meeting with kids, skipping, holding hands, and drawing pictures in the dirt. I meet with women, women with working hands, creased smiles, and babies on their backs. Women from communities 5 hrs away and women from communities 2 hours away, distance doesn’t matter, because we are all women meeting. We are meeting to talk about the future, and partnership. We are meeting to design, to learn from eachother and to help eachother. We are meeting to work together as Artisans.

My transition into Me to We Artisans has been a welcome one. Every day I learn from women who are older and wiser than I. I went from having 1 mama to close to 600 mamas, 600 mamas who collectively work hard to provide a better future for their families through Me to We Artisans.

Me to We Artisans is an initiative that works with women from rural communities in the Maasai Mara region and Kajaido. We are able to provide a market to these women to sell their hand-crafted products that they are so skilled in making. With this initiative women are able to have a sustainable source of income, making two and a half times more than before. To learn more about Me to We Artisans check it out at http://www.metowe.com/aboutartisans

Let me tell you about some special people...

So many things have happened since I got back to Kenya in January. I have met many amazing people coming through to help work on Free the Children projects, as well as, many amazing local kids that have stolen my heart, especially from Sikirar primary school. Let me tell you about a few:

I met a boy named Jospat. Jospat is an older boy who works very hard in his studies. He has an uncle that loves his school. He loves to play soccer and throw around any ball that he can find. Jospat comes to school on Saturdays to study. He is very dedicated to his school and his studies. Sometimes on Sundays I can see him taking care of his cows. Jospat is the head boy at his school. He teaches the younger boys traditional dances during their breaks. He is a role model and will one day be a leader in his community.

Maxim is a boy that lives in Sikirar community, he is in class 5. He is a really smart boy, he loves to play soccer. He comes to school on Saturday to finish his homework. Every time I see him he says hi and is smiling.

This is Maxim....

Gracie Anne is Maxim’s sister. Many of you might know her, she is a special girl. She likes to sit with people and she likes watching people build up her school. During the day she sometimes sleeps under the trees near the school. She enjoys filling up the smaller kids bowls of clean water. She also likes to drink this water. One day she locked me in the latrine. Gracie Anne tries to communicate with people through hand gestures, she can’t speak at all.

From time to time there are people that I meet in my life that I know I won’t forget. I’m sure this is the case for many people. Most of the time when I meet people in Kenya I don’t want to forget them at all. These are examples of a few people that I know I won’t forget and whose story I promised to share.

Addicted to Surf!

It’s hard to believe Christmas has come and gone and so has 2011!! I feel like time is flashing before my eyes.

I had such an amazing time at home seeing old faces and some new ones. Canada truly is an amazing place, but I seemed to have forgotten how cold it was during the winter months, so the only solution was to take a small trip to some where hot. Costa Rica.

The sand, sun and surf in Jaco, this small surf town located on the pacific coast of Costa Rica was a vacation that I desperately needed. The atmosphere was calm and relaxed just like Kenya, no one is in a hurry. People from all over the world come to stay at School of the World. A wicked hostel like place that offers a “learning vacation” to those interested. I choose to do double surf class, but other options include yoga, photography, and Spanish classes. Any combination works. School of the World is a very short walk from the beach and really has attracted the most talented of people. From amazing graffiti artists to wicked surfers you can’t go wrong. Needless to say I think I’m addicted to surfing.

To check out School of the World http://www.schooloftheworld.org/

I was lucky enough to have two great friends in Costa Rica at the same time as me. None other than Jared and Saira. It was super nice to have some familiar faces around, since I’m more used to travelling alone. We all ate some amazing food together and spent some quality beach time, where I mostly ended up passing out from a late night or an action packed morning. Nonetheless they were amazing and it was nice to finally catch up after years of not seeing each other.

I'm itching to get back in the ocen, can't wait to find another place to enjoy the sand and surf. As much as I got beat up by the waves, it proved to be the beating that I needed. The question on my mind is where to next!?

Meet Jane

---------------------------------Jane at the Mara River------------------------------

Jane is a leader in a community that FTC works in called Emori Joi. She is a role model in her community not only for being a strong independent woman but for creating a home, 6 years in the making as an example of hard work/dedication. She is a mother, and supports her kids’ education, through the women’s groups’ she is a part of and her entrepreneurial endeavors. Not only does she participant in a woman’s group of her own but she is the chair lady of the amalgamation of all the women’s groups’ in the area. She is the leader of around 546 women. These are women who have just bought the rights to their own piece of land so that they can have a big enough space to continue to empower their children and their community around them. Jane inspires women around the globe, she has touched the hearts of many guests that have visited her home, and she is the epitome of strength and perseverance. I often look around and see the powerful women around me, but I rarely take the time to tell them how inspiring they are to me. Women like Jane are the catalysts and like the women before them they are changing the future for their daughters. Today I give a shout out to mothers, grandmothers, aunts, female sports figures like the Williams sisters, or Misty Bass, and heroin’s like Wangari Maathai. Thanks for being the catalyst!

Bogani

Luxury tents, paved paths, cottages, wine, trees, monkeys, magi moto, hash browns, hyrax, goats, guests, friends around every corner, Kevo, Mary, Issiah, Sammy, Jackson, Wilson. This is fall. Bogani has turned into an enjoyable experience. Conversations flow around the dinner table. Friends laugh, and cry about the day. A day where a chimney was built, water was collected, kids were visited, bricks were laid, Kisaruni helped us learn, and hands were held. The Mara has become more green but the heat pours in.

---------------------------------Kids from Oloonkerin Primary school----------------------------------

Bogani is a place where we host adult groups. A place that is more comfortable that allows families to reflect on the day by a fire. It is an experience that encompasses all the makings of a magical vacation but will put you to work during the day. It has been a real pleasure to host the groups I have this fall, and I’m sure the pleasure will continue.

Between this, painting has helped me pass my time. Finally being able to breakdown the inspiration I have gathered throughout the past 9 months is refreshing. Finally being able to paint at all has been a breakthrough.

I can only imagine the next few months will pass by quickly with too many memorable moments. I look forward to getting back to the snow but I can only imagine it will be short lived. Nonetheless Canada here I come, can’t wait to see you old friends and new!

Knowledge is Power

What can I say, life has changed! So much has happened, from hosting two or more trips to committing to stay on into the fall. Kenya is good. The Mara is good.

But drought is apparent.

As I’m sure many of you know Northern Kenya and Somalia are experiencing the worst drought in 60 years. 300, 000 people are in the refugee camp, Dadaab, northern Kenya, probably even more now, in a camp that is meant for 70,000. Last time I checked World Food Program wasn’t able to provide food for all the people that the camp was holding. At least 3000 people are dying daily from malnutrition.

I recently had the pleasure to meet actress, and human rights activist Mia Farrow. She speaks freely about the real problems plaguing Dadaab and other African regions. She is a great resource to follow www.miafarrow.org , she paints a picture of despair but gives YOU an opportunity to help. So there is a light at the end of the tunnel. I urge all of you to get informed, watch the news read the papers.

Free the Children has been doing its part. Although we are development organization, it is obvious that we can’t turn a blind eye to the struggles in the Horn of Africa. One of our mobilizers, Justice, spent 2 weeks in Dadaab recently. He was able to place 15 metric tonnes of food and non-food items to new refugees arriving at the camp. The only reason FTC was able to do this was because of the help from overseas donors and fundraisers.

Please check out http://www.metowe.com/shop/products/rafiki-friend-of-east-africa and support our efforts in Dadaab.

Drastic times call for drastic measures. I once again urge you to spread the word. Hope lies in the efforts of us all. I just recently received an e-mail from members of a school that I hosted in May. The students and teachers that were on the trip are currently in the midst of educating others as well as conducting enormous fundraising efforts. I shout out to these students and teachers from the bottom of my heart. Let us all be the hearts of compassion like they are. Knowledge is power.

This is a sign that is present at one of Free the Children's primary school's called Pimbinet

Seychelles

On a whim I called my good friend Paddye since I had some time off to see if she would accommodate me at her home in Seychelles. I was in luck. Instead of spending another week in Nairobi, I booked a ticket, and headed down to the islands.

Paddye greeted me at the airport, first time we had seen each other in a year. Paddye and I not only were roommates throughout university, but played ball together since we were 13. It was extremely nice to see a familiar face after such a long time in Kenya. She was a piece of home.

We spent the first day on the beach, eating banana chips and drinking local beer, followed by a Creole meal cooked by her new man Hendrik.


The rest of the days were mostly spent lounging on the beach catching up, getting to know Paddye’s life and friends. Overall Seychelles is a dream, beaches that go on for miles; water the color of aqua, and people that are way too relaxed. If you are a beach bum or a diver these are the islands for you.

So that’s what I became, a beach bum that dove and relaxed. After a few games of basketball and seadooing at Beau Vallon, it was time to head home to Nairobi to face the next trip coming in. However Seychelles hasn’t seen the end of me yet.