Team Mutomo: Wednesday, June 22

Hello, family and friends!  Please know how much we miss you and think of you. 

Thank you for your continued comments.  We desperately want to post pictures for you to see, but we're having a difficult time linking photos for two reasons:  1.  we are using someone else's office and don't have immediate or ongoing access to her computer and 2.  the connections are slow and posting the blog is already fairly time-consuming.  We try to blog after we return from our assignments and before the sun sets (which is 6:30 p.m.)  We'll see if we can't share some photos with you because we have taken hundreds, and they are wonderful, but if we can't do it now, we'll do it when we return.

And now some comments from our different teams:

From Joanne Mullen:
Today was a bricks and mortar day, as Philip, Kenzie, Jessie, Amanda and I finished painting the building at Athi, putting up the volleyball net and setting up the swing sets.  It was HOT and I desperately needed a Diet Coke.  Of course I found one, and Cadbury chocolate as a treat for the girls later.  Do not tell. 

Today most of us are exhausted so we are going to lay low tonight.  The village is quieter today because of the heat.  The donkeys are napping and the hens are running into the buildings to escape.  Only two more days in Mutomo.  It has gone so fast.  Love to our friends and family.  Praise the Lord for clean water and health. 

From Kathleen Ferraro (who was with Samantha Dumler and Elizabeth Arnstein):
Today the three of us, along with Kenyan youth leaders Joseph and Jocelyn, traveled to a primary school not far from Mutomo. We spent the day with a class of boys and girls ranging from age 10 to 13 in a one-room schoolhouse made of homemade clay bricks and corrugated aluminum. The day began with a lesson from Joseph, who taught the children about self awareness, self image, and self esteem. After a short break Jocelyn took over the lesson, teaching the children about growing up and the changes that accompany that growth.

Following that lesson was lunch time. All of the school children quickly gathered around us, and although the language barrier made it difficult to communicate, we taught the kids the Hokey Pokey! Several rounds of Hokey Pokey later, we went back to class. For the rest of the afternoon, Joseph taught the children about HIV, AIDS, and awareness and prevention. All in all, it was an amazing day--we made friends, experienced primary school in Kenya, and learned much on the subject of HIV and AIDS. The three of us finished the day with soda. . . it was delicious. Bye for now!

Kathleen Ferraro being silly with the students at a local primary school.

Kathleen and Samantha Dumler getting to know the students.

Inside a classroom.  There are no books and no windows here.  There is no electricity or running water, either.

From Elizabeth Arnstein:
We have switched the schedule around a bit today, so we might not get to hear from all the groups.  But we have created a list of things we are learning.  I'll share some of that list here:
1.  If students attend school, they will learn three languages:  their "mother tongue" or tribal language, Swahili (the national language of Kenya, which is used so people from different tribes can communicate with one another) and English, the official language of the various ministries.  There does seem to be a direct correlation between a person's English fluency and his relative affluence or status.
2.  People -- almost always women or children -- have to walk many miles to fetch water, typically using donkeys carrying several 10-liter containers.
3.  Many children suffer, are left alone, or become injured when their mothers need to leave them to fetch water or receive medical care for HIV or other illnesses.  Additionally, we are astounded at the number of young children who are walking along the roads unattended.
4.  When asked about their favorite animals, many children respond with animals that revolve around their survival (e.g., "I like donkeys because they fetch water," or "I like goats because they give meat.")  Not many children talk about cats or dogs or other animals.
5.  At some schools, children must speak in English on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday, and in Swahili on Thurs, Fri, and Sat.
6.  Often, the health levels (CD4 counts) of HIV or AIDS patients declines because they don't follow directions about taking their drugs.
7.  The infrastructure in Kenya seems non-existent in rural areas.  There is no electricity, no pumping from wells, no good roads, no medical facilities, no modern construction, etc.  When infrastructure is put in place, it often is not maintained, so it collapses over time.  The poor quality of the roads is a perfect example of this situation.  The roads were good at one time, but they have not been maintained and now are disastrously pitted and damaged.
8.  Men usually do not acceprt that they have HIV or AIDS and often don't seek treatment. 
9.  Children seem to have a notion that men do certain types of jobs (e.g., grazing of animals) and women do other types of jobs (e.g., cooking).
10.  Children are very joyful, happy, and well-behaved despite their difficult lives.

More observations tomorrow!