. Kibera - Day 21 .

Today Char and I were taken by Cross, one of the Marafiki boys, to Kibera.

Kibera is the largest slum in the world, home to 1.6 million people - 3/4 of Nairobi's population.

I'll start off by telling you a little about Cross. He was born and raised in the slums of Kibera, indulging in high amounts of crime and struggling to get by. He told us, as we stood on a hill observing the never ending outline of the slums, that he used to be a hardcore gangster - not because he wanted to, but because he had to. Most of his friends had been shot or were in prison - It sounded like he had a terribly hard life.Whilst he was living there he ran a few different projects, and eventually was introduced to Izzo, the Marafiki founder I have been talking about so often, who took a liking to him and eventually took him in, giving him a job with Marafiki. This completely changed his life - Cross is the most genuinely nice, gentlemanly and lovely guy and is extremely happy and thankful to have been saved from the Kibera life. Now he is determined to do the same and help young boys through the struggle. His stories were so touching I can't do them justice on here! Walking through Kibera we felt so safe protected by Cross, despite the scary stories we'd heard about the slums, as he's so protective and caring and can keep us safe.

Walking through Kibera was another heartbreaking experience. The sheer poverty this overpopulated community is experiencing is beyond anything I've seen - we bought food supplies to one family who lived literally in a tiny room the size of my toilet, the walls of which were made of cotton sheets. The man that lived there told us he was a construction worker, but the jobs were rare and hard to find. They have to wake up at 4am and walk for miles on end looking for building jobs. If they are lucky enough to find one they will work from about 8am till 6pm of hard labour, and get paid about 200 shillings. That's about one pound fifty for a days work, and that's if they're lucky to find it. He was extremely thankful for the rice and flour that we gave him as it should last a while - in Kibera it is rare for families to have one meal a day, let alone three.

Cross then took us to visit the school he attended whilst living there - and let me tell you if you thought the conditions in the Agape orphanage we taught at in the first week were bad, this school transcends anything I've seen. There are only 3 community schools and 2 governmental schools in Kibera - amongst the 1.6million people. As you can imagine, the school we visited was outrageously over crowded. Schooling over 900 pupils yet the size of an extremely small building. Each classroom had nowhere near enough desks or facilities, so children lined the floors and shared tiny desks. We had to duck and squeeze through the tiny, muddy hallways. We went into one class of children that were taking exams (unsupervised, we noted) and they all stood up and sang us an adorable welcome song, which was so heart warming! The kids are all so friendly and polite despite their difficult living conditions.

After chatting with the headmaster and finding out what we can do to help, we headed to the centre that Cross used to go to as a child. It was an orphanage as well as a day centre for the kids in Kibera, run by a lovely woman who dedicates her life to caring for the kids. It is run entirely by donations, so she was quick to ask us for money, which I don't blame her for at all. She showed us around and told us about what the centre does, and eventually Char and I decided that we should sponsor one of the little orphan boys, named Ogotto, to go to school - they spend their days at home as they cannot afford the fees. If we can change one little boys life at an early stage, maybe we can get him educated and keep him away from the violence and crime that awaits him in his later kibera years. We will pay his monthly school fees, which are no more than 200 pounds a YEAR, and buy him a uniform and school supplies to keep him going, which I cannot wait to hear about. Some of the donation money people have given us will go towards changing this boys life, so asante sana (thankyou so much) and we will keep you updated on him as soon as the paperwork goes through.

We had such an inspiring, fun day with Cross and really learnt a lot. My eyes have been opened even further to the harsh realities of Kenyan life, and again have learnt to take nothing for granted, count my blessings, and be thankful for EVERY little thing. I advise anyone that comes to Kenya to visit Kibera - not as a tourist attraction, but even spending a little time with the locals and making them smile will make a difference to them and open your eyes to another level. It's one thing to read it and something completley, unimaginably different to see it. 

Tonight will be spent quietly reflecting on the indescribable things we saw today.

x

 

. Safari .

What an amazing week!

Safari started off with a bang, quite literally... the bang of a stray dog against the car bonnet. Very sad times. After we recovered from that ordeal, we set off in our safari jeep to the Masai Mara. Izzo and David were the drivers and Myself, Charlie, Mama Bishop and a lovely couple from Australia called Keri and Nathan were the passengers. The journey into the Massai Mara was incredible and very long - as we drove deeper and deeper into the Savannah, away from civilization and roads, land stretching for miles and miles and random zebra and giraffes were just chilling on the side of the road, I began to realize how far away we were from ANYTHING. Then the truck decided to break down. Yaaay. Whilst David and Izzo began removing car parts, we all sat in the sun - it was so peaceful to be surrounded by miles and miles of nothing but incredible landscape. We set off again eventually, hoping for the best - we hadn't even arrived and we'd already broken down and killed an innocent dog! Nightmare. Things brightened up when we eventually arrived though, we went straight into the Safari  park and within the first hour we had already seen Lions and Leopards, and the entire Super Seven in one day which is aparently outrageously rare.

The Massai Mara is BEAUTIFUL. Stretching 1,500km² the view is spectacular. Driving around on the second day for the entire day gave us all some time to reflect, which I was thankful for - it's impossible not to in such a place! We stayed in large basic tents with beds and hot showers (hallelujiah) and had a 5am start on day 1, but it was so worth it. We saw e v e r y t h i n g up close from Hyenas to cheetah's to lions eating a giraffe, even the extremely rare Black Rhino, which there are only 6 of in the whole Massai Mara. I've been on Safari before but this one was just something else! Our car got stuck in a ditch in lion territory too and we had to get out and push, that's always a laugh.

Of my favorite moments was a golden Char moment - A zebra walked out in front of our truck, and Izzo announced 'quick everyone, take a pic! It's a Zebra Crossing!' We all chuckled at the joke and then carried on with our safariness. 10mins later, a Buffalo walks out in front of the car and Char excitedly screams 'YAY I got a pic of a buffalo crossing the road!' Literally had to explain the zebra crossing joke. 'Ohhh I thought we were just taking pics when animals cross roads.' She now has a picture of every animal crossing the road.

The third day we visited the Masai tribe. They live in mud huts in the middle of nowhere, hunting and herding their cows. At age 15 the boys get circumcised in a ceremony, then sent out to live in the bush for 5 years. They can't come back until they've killed a lion. Our chief leader showed us the mane of the lion he killed which he made into a hat, madness! They gave us a traditional Masai dance, showed us how they make fire, and gave Nathan a Masai tattoo. This consisted of burning him on the arm with a stick, then covering it in cow poo, which I wasn't too jealous about. They then set up a market for us which mainly consisted of beaded bracelets and jewelery, and again we got harassed to buy from every stall (tourism is pretty much they're main source of income) yet still managed to buy a few pretty things. Later we drove to Lake Nakuru, where we stayed in a hotel (with hot showers again WOOP) where we had a quick party and then the next day, headed to safari at the lake. Again, absolutely jaw dropping stunning. A huge lake sprinkled with flamingo's and pelicans, beautiful greenery and zebras and buffalo.The highlight of my entire safari had to be when I got to drive - I surprised everyone with my badman safari truck driving skills and ending up driving round the park for about 45mins, eventually coming across(and very, very close to) the rarest sighting possible - the Black Rhino. It literally walked out in front of the truck and I followed it along the road, such an incredible experience! I didn't even stall or have a near-crash-experience, which is more than I can say for my English driving. After lunch we headed off home, and now we are back in Nairobi. :)

xx

. Mombasa .

Last week we were in Mombasa, just returned to Nairobi today. The 2 places are SO different - Mombasa is on the coast but it is outrageously humid and hot (also extremely rainy - poured every day) with crazy amounts of mosquitoes and 'wildlife'. I use inverted commas as I don't count frogs and giant cockroaches as wildlife, just skanks. We stayed with a lovely lady named Asha, who has a spacious house (with real flooring which we were excited about) although no furniture. She cooked incredible meals - fried fish, green banana, pilau rice and amazing breakfasts of pancakes and chipattis, and an incredible hot milky tea with ginger, black pepper and mounds of sugar. OMNOMONOM. The town we stayed in is remote - you have to walk on dirt tracks through jungle like villages with houses made of mud and sticks for a good 30mins before you reach an actual paved road. Nairobi is a lot busier and built up, and there is the saviour that is 'Junction' - a shopping mall about 20mins away which is reachable via matatu. Mombasa is about an hour away from anything like that. Whilst we were in Mombasa we visited women and children suffering with HIV/AIDS in their homes and attended support groups. Defiantly some of the most difficult things I've ever had to witness.

Exert from Day 12

'We set out in the pouring rain and extreme mud to visit women from the HIV programme, just to check up on them, give them company, record their progression. The stigma attached to HIV is so outrageous that most women have been abandoned by their loved ones and left alone. People don't want to be near them, not even their family, as they believe you have been cursed by the devil if you are infected. They are therefore extremely appreciative of any company they get and were eternally grateful to have visitors.

Edu, the guy that runs the programme visits them every week, gives them food portions and records their progress. He has dedicated every day of his life to helping these women and improving their lifestyle - Char and I were in shock at how anyone could be so selfless and compassionate. Incredible man. We went round with Edu to the different women's houses (walked for hours and hours to each house in the rain!) and attended support groups where we shared stories and gave ideas. In the end we gave a large donation to Edu (to those who sponsored us, your money will go SO far, so thankyou) which goes towards medication, transport to hospitals - some of them have to walk for HOURS to get to the nearest hospital, and also the feeding programme. The problem is, whilst HIV drugs are free here, the diseases that come with it, such as TB as well as terrible side affects, are very expensive and difficult to get hold of.

I don't have time to share all of the women here on my blog however I can share one case that has stuck in my mind all week. Her name is Rebecca, a young woman of 25 who is suffering with HIV/AIDS. She has sores on her lips which look extremely painful, and apparently have spread down her throat and into her chest, and is most likely cancer. Rebecca used to live with her family and husband, but once she was diagnosed with HIV her husband ran away, and her mother banished her from the house. She now sleeps, eats, and lives in the cold, damp hallway of her mothers house. Her mother will not let her in the house or feed her. If Rebecca uses a plate or mug, her mother throws it out in disgust. Edu tells us that her mother is planning on chasing her out for good - the only reason she hasn't already is because she doesn't want the neighbours to talk. Rebecca, who is suffering from severe head and chest pains as well as her mouth sores, is in extreme need of care yet she is completely alone. She has 2 children, who love her, but they live in the house with the mother. She only eats when friends occasionally bring her meals. The only time her mother speaks to her is when she is blaming her and hurling abuse at how embarrassing and disgraceful she is! It's one thing reading this, but experiencing it in real life is just something else. Never in my life have I been so outraged and heartbroken, seeing Rebecca sitting there in the cold wet hallway of a tin house - the blood rushed to my head and my eyes filled with tears. Edu told us that her awful mother pretends to be nice to neighbours and visitors about Rebecca, but behind closed doors is a different story. When we arrived, the mother came to meet us and started ranting in Swahili - obviously we couldn't understand but from her foul tone I knew exactly what she was saying. Edu translated that she was lying about Rebecca - saying she doesn't feed her because shes too fussy with food. Ridiculous statement, Rebecca's condition means she can only eat soft foods. As her mother continued to rant, I looked at Rebecca who sat huddled in a chair,defeated and covering her mouth with a cloth in embarrassment and shame. She could hardly speak! The heartbreaking thing about this story is that there is very little we can do - Edu brings her food but her mother demands it and steals it from her. Rebecca has no money to move out, and even if she did she can't live alone as she needs to be looked after. We don't have many options, which is the most gutwrenching thing...

We saw many women that day with similar stories - all of their husbands had either left them or died of HIV themselves, all with equally emotional stories. After attending the support groups however, we hit  a  more positive note. The women all come together twice a week to share stories, socialise and give each other support, which was lovely to see such an amazing sense of community. They were all so so grateful and thankful to have us there, I felt almost unworthy of they're appreciation! '

Char and I are talking about organising a big fundraiser, to raise money so that we can potentially help women like Rebecca have a place to go to along with all the other women,  so that they are not alone. W a t c h  t h i s  s p a c e.

I have written about 100 pages but don't have time or power to write everything up, I assure you what I am posting is a TINY portion of what we have been experiencing out here. Tomorrow we are going on Safari for 4 days which we are very excited about! Then volunteering with street kids. So I'm sure I'll have lots to update you on very soon!

Lots of love xxx

. Day 4 - 7 .

Please be aware this is a very rushed post so my writing skillz aint the bestest.

Day 4 at Agape Orphanage:

A 4 year old boy tripped and fell in the playground today - covered his whole face and uniform in red dirt from head to toe, he was sobbing so hard! We were quite surprised that no one went to help him, so BECCA AND CHAR TO THE RESCUE we ran over and wiped the tears off his little face and dusted him down a little while he stood there all hopeless and sad. I took him over to clean him up with a bottle of water, attracting a large crowd of fascinated kids whilst doing so - they seemed so perplexed by the compassion I was showing him. Also the fact that I was using the luxury of bottled water (they usually drink water from the river but there was very little today) to wash him down was rather wondrous to them. Even the little boy stopped crying and froze in confusion - he seemed stunned to be getting attention that he clearly was not expecting! It's crazy how touching and humbling tiny little events like these can be - they obviously do not get a fraction of the care/ support we had as children. Can we adopt them all purleaseee?

Once the school day ended we decided to take a Matatu to the closest shopping mall to get some supplies. Unfortunately it's not a case of jumping on the bus with an Oyster card - Matatu's are MANIC. An old school minibus that somewhat resembles a 70s hippy van is filled to the brim and over flowing with local kenyans, blasting Certificate 18+ songs if you get my drift. Pick pockets run frequently on Matatus and they drive like mad men (usually they are drunk, we have been told) so Char and I were reluctant to say the least! Whilst waiting for a Matatu one man walked up to char and touched her leg, then ran back to his friends and they all high-fived. That's how rare white people or 'Mozungus' are!  It was defiantly an experience in the blazing sun, men sitting on each others laps, hanging out the windows - but once we arrived at the mall we had a nice contrast to the Kenyan culture with pizza and frozen Yogurt.'

Day 5:

'After a photoshoot with the Cutest African Baby 2011 (Sylvia) we helped the cooks prepare lunch by 'spicing' (peeling) small aubergine like vegetables - there were literally HUNDREDS - with the sharpest biggest knife known to man. I was slightly reluctant to get my hands dirty at first, but ended up with black stained fingers. Whilst preparing we had a really inspirational chat with the chef, Grace. She told us how most Kenyans give birth to about 5 or 6 children at a very young age, and that her youngest sister is age 4, but so is her daughter. She's saving up money to move into Nairobi for good, and aims to have just two children so that she can give them better lives and a good education; not like what she had as a child with her 6 brothers and sisters. She works so hard at the orphanage I genuinely hope her dreams come true... everything she was saying made my heart sink hard and heavily. The determination and dedication in her voice made me realise how fortunate I am. Later on in the evening we visited an Ethiopian restaurant for one of the guys birthdays. The food was... interesting. They then bought out 2 birthday cakes, and before I had time to work out why there were two cakes, it was being thrown across the room at high speeds and it was soon encrusted in my ears, eyes and nose! It was hilarious - Kenyan tradition is to drench the birthday victim in water or have a giant cake fight. If only someone had warned us!'

Since then, we have cuddled then killed a live chicken and eaten it (much to my dismay, we are never ever eating chicken again. Bye bye KFC!) ... Pictures to come. Char has been groped by a wild monkey and kissed a giraffe, we stroked baby elephants, and visited a really cool market in Nairobi. It was more of a 'come and harass the rich mozungus - they have money!' sort of place, very overwhelming being intimidated by too many shop keepers, but I got a lovely authentic Kenyan bag to make up for it. We are about to do an 8 hr drive to Mombasa now, ouchies! Catch up soon with Mombasa goss. xxxx

. Day 1 - 3 .

Hello there!

Want to start off by saying we are loving it here, feels like it has been forever already. It is day 6 now but I haven't had a chance to update so I'm going to type up parts of my paper journal that I have been writing in every day, to give a little taster of what we have been doing/ feeling.

We are staying in a local house, Mama Bishop is looking after us she is amazing and cooks us proper traditional kenyan meals. The power was out for a few days so no lights (and let me tell you the darkness here is overwhelming, NO external lights from the street, just pure blackness... we first witnessed this on our first night in Kenya, completely alone in the night!) And now the power is back, but we have no running water. Never been so greatful for the little things! Everyone in the Marifiki team is lovely, HILARIOUS, and very caring/ protective so we feel safe and very welcome... even though white people here are very, very rare. We feel like celebs - will feel so strange comining back to London and having not every single person on the street ask how I am.The music here is amazing, lots of reggae and dancehall but also lots of english music (they were blasting Tinie Tempah to our surprise) with an African twist. Also Char showed everyone the Glad You Came video within the first 30mins of being in Kenya lolz. We are clubbing on Friday which should be HILARIOUS, Kenyan nights out are supposed to be really, really wild.


Exert from my journal on Day 3:


'We arrived at the orphanage called Agape, and I have to say I was a little surprised at the conditions. I don't know quite what I was expecting but I wasn't quite prepared for what  I was seeing. Tiny classrooms were made of metal shacks, with a couple of wooden seats and a dusty blackboard - no lights or plumbing anywhere and the kids had cute, but often very ripped uniforms. Char and I had tears in our eyes as Maggie, the owner of the school/ orphanage, talked us through everything that went on. Most of the kids here have either come from abusive/unstable families or were picked up from the street, and before they enroll a child they have to go through various background checks to make sure the child is really in need of a home. Maggie told us of a heart breaking story, where one boy lied multiple times to get himself a place in the orphanage. The staff all grew really attached to him but then found out that he wasn't really an orphan, and that his 'uncle' was actually his dad. Reluctantly they had to ask him to leave - you could see the pain in Maggies face as she told us... it makes you question the severity of the boys home life if he lied out of his teeth to get a place at this tiny orphanage. She also told us that the funding is virtually non existent, which would explain the extreme lack of teachers, supplies, and text books. When I asked Maggie how they cope she said 'we just hope that we can make it okay till the end of the day. If we can do that, we are happy. Just take each day as it comes.' Heartbreak. You have to hand it to them though, considering they are not paid fees the place is running very well. Now back to teaching.


 Let me make it clear that when we agreed to teach, we did so with the understanding that we would assist/shadow the teachers first for a couple of days then perhaps plan a lesson or two together. THIS WAS NOT THE CASE. Within the 1st 15mins of being in the orphanage, the head teacher handed us a battered textbook each and said 'today you will be teaching science. Becca you have class 4, Charlie you have class 5. Lessons start in 5mins.' I can't tell you the sheer panic that struck over my body - he was being so serious! The huge teacher shortage meant they really needed us - deepend.com.Seriously imagine an unqualified fashion stylist/ model trying to teach a bunch of african children for whom english is their second language, about science that weve never been taught. OH DEAR. In the end we managed to share a class and it was actually fine - the children were so eager to learn and lovely so that made it easy for us! They actually chose to have extra class time over break time, never in my life have I seen kids so grateful to learn or show genuine affection - in break time they bombarded us with hugs and questions and one girl held my hand so tightly for about 30mins and did not want to let go. These kids have nothing yet i've never come across such friendly, happy children. '


(That diary entry was 10 pages long so I cut a lot out...)


We now have no power or electricity in the house, so better go now before battery runs out. I will update you on the past few days next time I get to a computer. We are off to Mombasa on Saturday to hekp out at HIV support groups for women and children, then we go on a 4 day safari. Lots to look forward to so will update ASAP!


Love and miss you allllll xxxx

. Time to go! .

As you probably now know, my bestie Charlotte and I are off to Kenya this week to volunteer. We will be Volunteering and exploring in Kenya for 7 weeks, so I will be documenting my thoughts and stories on here as much as possible! I can't keep messaging everyone separatley so it's looking like this is the best way to communicate. PLEASE LORD BLESS US WITH THE INTERNET.

The organisation we are going with are called Marifiki Community and are based in Kenya. The plan is to arrive in Nairobi and stay there for a week or two, helping out at an orphanage as well as working with street kids. We will then travel to Mai Mahiu which is just outside of Nairobi, where we will volunteer at a refugee camp. The last couple of weeks will be spent along the beautiful coast of Mombasa, where we will teach at a school and lend a hand at a support group for HIV positive women and children. We are staying with local Kenyan's to get a real feel for the lifestyle, even in a Massai Mara tribe mud hut with warriors, staying in the woods and cooking on open fires indoors! BUZZING. We will also be exploring the country, trekking on Kilimanjaro and enjoying Safari life.

For some reason people seem totally shocked that I am doing this, the first question asked usually being 'WHY!?'... fashiony people can be kind and giving too, I'll have you know! I'm therefore starting off this blog with reasons as to why I am undergoing this volunteering programme, especially as I find it easier to put it in text rather than vocally.

 So yeah. If the picture below doesn't want to make you get the hell to Kenya to spread the love then you're a heartless bitch. Jokes. But yeah the mood of this photograph sums up my reasons for going:

The appreciation on their little faces is just something else, I can't shake the smile off my face when I look at this picture, especially the little girl in the orange who obvs just really wants to care for her bear! Tooo cute.

I have to emphasise, as some people don't see the 'point' in my travels, that I am not setting out to save the world and cure world hunger. I know that helping out for a few weeks will change very little on the wider scale of things, however my reasons for going are driven by simply putting a smile on someones face. I feel I have had such an incredible, happy and lucky life already, and whilst I am so grateful there are so many things I take for granted, I really do need to count my blessings. Reflecting on my personal happiness seems bitter sweet to me when I think about those who are nowhere near as fortunate as I am. I may not be able to bring world peace or cure world hunger, but even if I am embarking on the smaller things that we all take for granted such as keeping children inspired and willing to learn, motivating and supporting HIV + women and children, providing care for individuals that have literally no one to support them.. the impact is unimaginable. People are quick to ignore 3rd world problems as it does not directly affect them, or just throw money at charities with no real compassion for the cause... however it's long term, first hand care thats really crucial, and makes a huge impact on a personal level. These are real people, not just part of an advert on TV! I am determined to make a difference, no matter how small it may be.

I randomly developed a very strong yearning to travel and see the world, perhaps inspired by my incessant documentary watching, and I just want to be everywhere/see everywhere/experience EVERYTHING. Life to me is very exciting at the moment and I'm not about just limiting myself to fashion.  I have been desperate volunteer in Africa for a while now, and as I have graduated and worked hard there is no better time to do it than now! So there are my reasons.

 I cannot wait for the experience of a life time.

Finally I just wanted to say a huge, huge thank you to everyone that gave us donations for teaching materials, I can't even tell you how much of a difference everyone's generosity is going to make! Just look at the picture above! I just can't wait to show everyone the impact we will be making, especially thanks to your sponsor money.

Love you all, the next time I'll be posting I will be settled in to Nairobi! Ahhhh speak soon :)

Becca  xxxxxx

P.S Be sure to check my twitter for travel updates! http://twitter.com/BeccaDudley