Globally Free: Our Last Day in Kenya

I woke up at 5:30am to spend one last morning with the older 6 as they left for school at 6:20am. I am really going to miss them. Then on to the 8:30am feeding with the infants and play-pen time with the toddlers. Back for one last feeding at noon while mom packed and then Timothy (our driver) arrived at 1pm.

If you remember Megan from our safari, the one who knows Alex Grant, we decided to visit her project before we left this beautiful country. Of course, Rachel accompanied us on our last day. When mom gave Timothy the address, he intensely questioned her. Advising mom this is not an area we should visit, I think he actually thought he could change her mind. Obviously it didn't work. On to Mlonogo we went.

Megan met us outside her apartment and here is where you need to pay attention; she introduced us to Kate, Kate, and Kate. Yes, she lives with three Kates! Her house mom is British Kate, she came to volunteer 2 years ago and never left. Kenyan Kate is a social worker for Living Positive, Megan's project, and Aussie Kate is a GVN volunteer whom we met on orientation day. Their apartment was very nice but their town is definitely rougher than Roysambu.

British Kate and Aussie Kate started dinner as the rest of us left to walk to the slum that Living Positive has been working in. Living Positive is a social organization that works with HIV positive mothers, providing them emotional support, educating them on health care and started a day care for their children. After a 30 minute walk you could see the tin roofs of a large maze of shacks as we passed a beautiful new condo complex. It was very ironic seeing these two drastically different living conditions so lose to each other. The first set of shacks were hand painted with bright, beautiful colors, announcing Karibuni Shule!

I was not prepared for what we saw. Twenty-five beautiful, happy, children cramed in a 20x16 room. I'm calling it a room but it was a dirt floor, tin sides and tin roof. They were beaming at us! So excited to sing us songs and show us their work. They spoke beautiful English and enjoyed talking with us.

After visiting all three classrooms, we met with Peninah, a woman who has been living in this slum with her husband since 1997. She felt ill in 2001 and got tested for HIV. The result was positive. Instead of hiding from her diagnosis she did a very brave and unusual thing, she told people of her status. Living Positive provides weekly meetings to discuss, educate and support women with HIV. This support is also teaching these women how important education is for their children. The Living Positive daycare provides a school environment until the child is old enough to attend regular school. But now here comes the problem. Although education is "free" in Kenya, the fees for a uniform, books, and supplies are often to expensive for families to afford. I want Globally Free to provide the money that these families so desperately need.. I want this generation to have the choice of an education and escape from the slum. If this generation is educated the living conditions in the slum will surely get better. This was by far the most amazing experience in my life. I loved meeting these women and children and gained so much energy and spirit from their outlook on life. They see the future as bright and beautiful!! They see the need for their children to embrace education and to break out of the boundaries set in place by poverty.