I'm volunteering to help those in need in Kenya, you can help.

I most definitely came to Kenya to help people, those living with HIV/AIDS or displaced by the brutal post 2007 election violence. But I wasn’t going to come to Africa without seeing some of the amazing animals it’s so famous for. On the second day of orientation we went to an animal orphanage and saw some of the animals which had been rescued in the wild. Most of them we’re now fully grown, and would live out their days in the orphanage, they would most likely die if let back out into the wild, as they would never have learned how to hunt or not be hunted. We did however get to see, and hold some very young cheetah cubs.

The one month old baby I’m holding in the photo was a bit timid reminding me of my own cat when we got her as a kitten, her little (non retractable) claws digging into my shirt. The other two are four months old and were abandoned by their mother when they were two months old, They played with us and each other (a little rough), they liked to lick and chew on your finger. I really hope to get to see other animals both in parks like this, and in the wild, but this was an amazing experience.

More photos after the break. [Read more →]

After one day in the suburbs I moved out to Lenana where I will be staying with Martha and her family and working in the slum area with the HIV/AIDS program. It’s a small apartment building surrounded by the slum, a large gate and electric fence separate the two. The community seems very self sufficient, farm animals such as cows, goats, sheep and chickens wandering around producing eggs, milk and of course meat for the families of Lenana. The walk in from the main road passes by a little butchers hut with a animals strung from the rafters, customers choose which section they want and the butcher carves it up. There are little “stalls” setup on the side of the road, with people cooking and selling food, some of it looks simple like grilled corn, others crazy black sausage which is probably good, but looks scary. Other more established stores in little huts act as the bodegas or convenience stores of the slum. They sell anything from pre-paid topup cards, sodas (20KSH/$0.25 for a Coke), charcoal etc. There’s a small bar/shack where you can have a beer and watch the European soccer matches
There are dozens of the cutest little kids running around, rolling car tires, or pretend dogs they made out of wire. Some of the girls have afro braids with coloured beads, but they all say the same thing when they see me, a Mzungu they shout “How are you… How are you…” I don’t even think they know what it means, just that you say it when you see a white (non-African) person. They all seem very happy running around, I don’t think their parents told them not to stare, since that’s all they seem to do, but I don’t mind since I’m staring right back at them.

More photos after the break.

[Read more →]

• One last day of running around prepping before I fly. Trying to stay busy and save the freaking out for the plane ride/point of no return. #
• Boarding plane one. Kenya here I come. Big thankyou for all the donations and well wishes. Stay tuned 4 updates. http://ping.fm/kqWtC #
• Just leaving LHR for second flight. 8hrs to Nairobi. Feeling good, but tired. The adventure begins. #
• Have arrived in Nairobi at night, staying w' a host family on the outskirts of town for the next few days. Can't wait to see it in daylight. #
• Moved 2 Lenana today, new home overlooks the slums, goats & chickens roam. Host family likes 1 republic & watching east African idol equiv. #
• Checking out Nairobi City Center, pretty small for an est 10mil city. Helped a family to buy rice which felt good I'm definitly in Africa. #
• Tried goat for dinner 2nite, mmm tasty. There are lots of animals roaming about, sheet grazing, cattle being herded & baby goats are so … #
• Went to church today (Kenya is very Christian). Great singing, lots of believing, many cute kids. Then some crazy gangsta matatu adventures. #

Arriving to Nairobi from New York via London at night, there wasn’t too much of Kenya to see under the cover of darkness. I was greeted by a VICDA driver who took me to meet the host family where I would be staying. The house was in a gated apartment block secured with barbed wire fences and security guards, security is a major concern as the disparity between rich and poor is so great. I was staying with Pamela and her family, she has two bright boys 9 & 10 who were both very curious about absolutely everything. The younger one, wants to grow up and be a pilot. I also met another Aussie girl Katherine who was staying there, she’s will also be doing the HIV/AIDS program, so it was good to have someone to share stuff with. During the day. the boys’ cousin took us to the local shopping center where we checked out the movies, and had a coffee at the Nairobi Java House, which I was happy to discover make a great Latte. The shopping center was much like that of a suburban western city, supermarkets, cafes boutiques, banks etc. Walking around the neighborhood, there are little make shift cafe’s selling street food for lunch, cooked corn, grilled meats. I haven’t been game enough to try them yet. It’s clear that there are many poor people here, but it’s also good to see industrious people, working and creating businesses however small and basic, rather than just asking for handouts.

Over a dinner of beef stew, rice, cooked spinach and chapatti, Pamela’s husband Peter and I discussed how the global financial crisis has effected Africa, also how the public services such as electricity have not been able to cope with growth in the Kenyan economy. The people of Nairobi have experienced a doubling of power costs and electricity rationing, where power is cut during daylight hours every second day. The lack of rain has had a major effect on the countries hydro-electric dams which provide most of the power.

• Got details of my first month's assignment in Kenya. Tumaini HIV/AIDS community project in Lenana, an urban slum area outside of Nairobi. #
• What to get the mother and three kids who will be my new family in Lenana, Kenya? Wanna make the right impression. #
• T-Minus 1 week today. Received some generous contributions from unexpected donors the last few days. Show ur support. http://bit.ly/FL95V #
• Looking at some old photos to show my host families in Kenya, woah, the memories are flooding back. Good… good times. #
• http://ping.fm/p/ExnKe – This is what four months of Malaria pills looks like. One little blue pill each day for the next 120 days. #
• http://ping.fm/p/hFbMZ – Start Malaria pills today. 120 days of this little blue guy @ breakfast. Here come the crazy dreams. #
• New York's weather of late is good for acclimating to cold showers. #

So the countdown begins, in a matter of days I’ll be boarding a plane to another world. Excitement and nerves are certainly starting to rise. I’m really excited about seeing new things and meeting new people and helping those suffering in Kenya. But I’m also nervous about the enormous shock to my system everything will be. I got my last round of shots last week, picked up my yellow vaccine card, apparently most people in the states have one, but this is the first I’d seen of it. This week I’ve been prepping, getting a little first aid kit together in case anything happens, grabbed some of the generic cold and flu stuff in case I catch something and picked up my daily Malaria pills which apparently give you crazy dreams.

My first month in Kenya I will be working with the HIV/AIDS program and I’ve been finding out more about what I’ll be doing from some of the previous volunteers. Most of the HIV/AIDS work is centered around the massive slums in Nairobi, it’s a city of over 3 million people, about half of them live in extreme poverty in slums like Kiberia, the largest of the slums where it’s estimated over 1 million people live. The slums consist mainly of one room huts made of sheet metal built on top of piles of garbage. Those living there are exposed to dire conditions, the lack of running water, or any sanitation means sewage flows down ditches in the streets making spread of disease and illness near impossible to stop.

The sort of work I will be doing based on previous volunteers experience is working with the local clinics and local volunteers who know the area and language helping them deliver food and medicine to those living with HIV. Checking up on their health etc, giving counseling and encouragement for people who need it and massaging or bathing those who are weak in their beds.

There will undoubtedly be some sad stories and I will see others suffering from a situation far beyond their control. I hope I can help them in some way, how this will effect me, and how these eyes see the world, only time will tell. But I go with an open mind and compassionate heart.

Everyone knows that Africa has it’s share of diseases right? Well it does, and many of them are preventable and some of them are curable. So in preparation for my trip I’m going to a travel clinic to make sure that all my immunizations are up to date. In fact they won’t let you into Kenya unless you can prove that you’ve had all the right shots. My appointment is this Thursday, the doc is going to jab me a few times, and give me some prescriptions for common virus’ that might get me. But before I go get stuck, I’m going to get sucked.

I give blood at the New York Blood Center whenever I can, you can only donate whole blood every 56 days. I’m lucky enough to not be afraid of needles (unlike some people) so that’s not a big deal, and I see it as a great way to help the community. It only takes about 30 minutes to give whole blood, 15 minutes is a quick interview and health check which they have to do each time, then for 15 minutes I lie watching whatever day time movie they have on, while squeezing a little ball to help the red stuff flow. Part of the very thorough interview are some questions about travel, and one of them is about Africa. If you’ve been to Africa, especially for an extended period of time, or had certain immunizations, you can’t give blood for a few years. So I’m going to give one last time before I go. I’m a bit sad that I wont be able to contribute to my New York community in this way for a while, but I’m glad to be off to help another community.

The Red Cross accepts blood donations in most places around the world, except in New York where it’s handled by the New York Blood Center. Blood is needed by hospitals in communities everywhere all the time, I would encourage everyone to donate a little of the red love to their community, you never know when you’re gonna need to make a withdrawal.