I’m Baaaack/How You Can Help

I know, I know, you’ve been reading my blog for the past three weeks, checking it constantly, disappointed every time I skipped a day and all the while thinking “What can I do?” (hopefully not followed by “to make this stop showing up in my newsfeed…”)

Come and Volunteer!

Jambo Volunteers’ motto is “Sharing Knowledge” for a good reason.  You come, you learn a lot, and you share what you know with the people in the community where you work.

Jambo needs people with all different backgrounds, expertise and experiences. You’ll have a comfortable place to stay while in Kenya, rewarding work, beautiful scenery and amazing wildlife! We need people who enjoy getting their hands dirty, educators, doctors and nurses, farmers and gardeners, accountants, caretakers, proposal and grant writers, therapists, nutritionists, event organizers, electricians, paper pushers, mechanics, inventors and anyone who is interested in helping and educating people and learning about sustainability and renewable energy.  

Buy Jambo Jewelry:

All hand-crafted by Maasai Women’s Groups (I watched them/ tried to make a ring and it took an hour, it’s for real) and purchased by Jambo at above-market prices, this jewelry helps these women and their families to expand their homes, buy food and clothes and pay for their children’s educations.  The profits from the sales all benefit Jambo Volunteers’ projects in Maasailand.

Donate.

The maintenance, supplies (including food and water) and teacher salaries of both the Kimuka Pre School and the Iyarat School are always Jambo projects, as is the maintenance and student support of the Kimuka Primary School’s Shamba (small farm) that USA’s Greenheart Travel helped to create two years ago. Jambo also sponsors several girls from the Maasai Rescue Home so that they can attend secondary schools, as free public education is not provided after age 14 in Kenya. With less regularity, but still rather frequently, Jambo sponsors groups of nurses and doctors to come and provide medical “camps” where people can come a receive needed medical care at no or very low costs. Jambo is also involved with the legal/financial support of several local women who have been sexually assaulted. The list goes on and on!

Current NEW Jambo projects include: finishing a 2 classroom addition to the Kimuka Pre-School, getting electricity connected to the Maasai Rescue Home for Young Women (which Jambo Volunteers wired but has yet to find means to connect), beginning a shamba for the girls in the Rescue House to manage and finding sponsors for many of the needy students at the Iyarat school.

NEXT project on the horizon (and my personal passion): Opening a Children’s Home this year! The proposal for this home includes a place for at least 30 children and their caretakers complete with a kitchen and bathrooms.  This home could give stability to many children who currently live on the streets or are being passed around the homes of family members or local chiefs who do not have the ability to provide for them. It would also provide emotional support, medical care, clothing and supplies for these children.  This will be Jambo’s largest undertaking and is so needed in the community. Sweet Samoreah, who is currently living with my cousin, needs a permanent home to call his own where he can belong, have stability and routine and receive proper meals and care.  There are so many more children in need of this in the area.

Help. Help me think of ways to sell Jambo jewelry, fundraise and increase volunteer interest in the US.

As you can see, I had a wonderful trip and an amazing experience.  I look forward to finding my way back to Jambo Volunteers Kenya in the near future and am excited at the prospect of helping to develop the role Jambo Volunteers USA will play in the future!

If any of this interests you, please comment below or email me! jacquelinesherry@gmail.com 

Last days in Kenya

For my last weekend in Kenya, we took a trip to Nairobi.  After a few Tuskers at a bar, we headed to the Carnivore.  Carnivore is one of the most famous restaurants in Nairobi and is modeled after a Brazilian style carniceria. They carry many rare meats.  I was able to try ostrich meatballs and also some crocodile.  They normally also have camel and buffalo, in addition to the standard roast beef, chicken, pork ribs, lamb and turkey.  It was a really cool place and a wonderful meal.  Afterwards, we went to the club next door where they were having a cultural night for a local tribe. We got to see some traditional singing and dance performances.

My last few days in Maasai land were filled with some small projects and some partying as well.  We added rocks to our foundation for the water tank.  Hopefully, the rest of our volunteers crew will finish it up this week without me and send along pictures.  We got a great estimate on finishing up an addition of two classrooms to the Kimuka school- the foundation has been done for a couple of weeks now but we had been looking to negotiate the rest of the construction and got that finalized and hopefully they will deliver the supplies this week and begin to build next week. We also spent some time working outside at Luis’ place/Jambo headquarters. It is a great model for sustainable agriculture in a semi-arid area and many people come to see it to learn more about permaculture and renewable energy as well. 

My last night in the Terry house was spent partying with my new friends.  We killed Luis’ largest rabbit.  By we, I mean Patrick did it while I stayed in my room until it was skinned and no longer recognizable.  I think it was the first time I’ve seen an animal alive and then been eating it a few hours later.  Mario made a version of what he claims is the original paella- with rabbit, peppers and peas over a huge open fire.  We continued to sample some of the best (?) liquors Kenya has to offer and had a huge Skuma dance party- Pedro and Patrick really stole the show. Hopefully I'll have visitors soon from Kenya, Spain and Columbia!

Teacher Workshop and Water Tank Installation

On Thursday and Friday of this week, we wrapped up and began some new projects.  On Thursday, I gave a workshop to 2 teachers with another volunteer.  The workshop focused on Montessori-based activities they could consider including in the curriculum at the Kimuka Pre-School and also literacy instruction ideas.  We also recommended the teachers begin splitting the students up more frequently because there is such a wide range of ages and maturity within the class.  Another volunteer, a nutritionist, has some special breakfast mixes she will be cooking for the students and she has volunteered to weigh and measure all of them so we can begin to monitor their growth more closely. Other volunteers collected our money and went out to buy all of the supplies so that we could install a water tank at the Iyarat "Pre" School.

On Friday, we dug and laid the cement foundation for the water tank.  If you see the photos of the water we are collecting to mix the cement, this is the same water that they were/are using for drinking, cooking and washing hands! After a long morning of manual labor, we took a long ride to a mall outside of Nairobi to do some shopping and get a late lunch- such a different world!  In the morning, in a place of extreme poverty and then the afternoon in an expensive shopping mall, complete with KFC!  While there, we bought a selection of different Kenyan liquors and took them all home to have some chupita taste tests and a lil dance party.

Maasai Rescue House and Volunteer Planning

We spent the early part of this week familiarizing ourselves with all of Jambo’s projects.  At this point, I’ve gotten to see most of them and had met people involved in all of them, but I had not visited the Maasai Rescue House.  Luis brought all of the volunteers to see the rescue house and meet with the director, whose wedding I got to attend during my first days here.  This rescue house was built by the Maasai community with volunteers from different groups.  It is for young women who are escaping forced marriage, female genital mutilation (FGM) and teenage girls who become pregnant and may be abandoned by their families.  Jambo has helped to build a kitchen for the rescue house and install all of the wiring for electricity to run to the building, which is the next step.

Currently, there are 26 young women ages 12-18 living in the house.  It is kept neat and tidy.  They have a cook to make their meals and have firewood and other necessities delivered so that the girls can really focus on their studies and earn scholarships to secondary school and beyond.  The director’s hope is that these girls will become professionals and then return to the community to help others. He invited us to return to spend time with the girls and talk to them about their experiences.

We spent a good deal of time there discussing FGM, one of the darker parts of Maasai culture.  It is explicitly illegal in Kenya, as is forced marriage, but there is little to no enforcement of these laws.  The director of the home shared with us the strong beliefs this practice is tied to and the need for education to prevent the practice.  I am not going to go into further detail about this issue, but if you wish to read more, I recommend: http://www.womenaid.org/press/info/fgm/fgm-kenya.htm, http://womensenews.org/news-fgm-female-genital-mutilation-female-circumcision?gclid=CPCr1NOXlLECFcZV4godhBXWew.

The next day, we had a group meeting, where everyone got a chance to share the things they have enjoyed thus far and what type of work they envision for the rest of their time here.  Our group has BIG BIG plans! Ana, who is also a teacher, and I will be giving a workshop to the Pre-school teachers on some curriculum development ideas we have. We are going to build swings at the Kimuka school and implement a system to weigh and measure the children every six months to monitor their progress.  Our group decided to split the cost of the water tank for the Iyarat school and install it ourselves.  We also are going to plant a garden of skuma (kale), corn, potatoes and tomatoes for the rescue home. This group also finished the fireplaces in the Kimuka Pre-school kitchen the morning we visited the rescue home, so they are not afraid to get their hands dirty. I doubt I will be here to see all of this work get completed, but I will have to have some of my new friends send me pictures when it is finished.

I highly recommend that if you are going to come to Kenya and share a living space with 7 other adults, do it with a bunch of Spaniards and Columbians- they know how to eat! We have been having great meals here, and I get to wake up with pan con tomate, which I had somehow forgotten how much I love. 

The Iyarat School

This weekend brought the arrival of 3 new volunteers from Spain- Ana, Rosa and Pedro.  On Monday, we took them to both school to meet the teacher, greet the students and distribute the MANY supplies they carried with them to Kenya. The amount of shoes and clothes they brought here for children is incredible and we were able to give nearly all students enrolled in both schools a new pair of shoes and a clothing item or two.

It was my first opportunity to visit the Iyarat school, which is in a more remote village and is more impoverished than the Kimuka school where I spent the last week.  The Iyarat school was built by Jambo volunteers who came in 2010, saw the needs in this community and went back to Spain to fundraise to build them a school.  It is a two room school house, with classes of 17 and 25.  While we were there, I got the chance to speak with one of the teachers about some of their struggles.  In this area, the primary school is very far.  Many of these children walk for over an hour each day to come to the Iyarat school and the primary is much further.  Therefore, they currently have students 3-15 years old attending school there.  She explained to me that they would rather admit the students than turn them away, knowing they otherwise will not continue their education.  She told me students are very rarely absent and really enjoy coming to the school.  They also receive meals there twice a day very consistently.  This teacher feels one of their biggest needs is an addition of 2 or 3 classrooms so that they can create different levels and hire more teachers.

Luis then took us with a few other Jambo employees to show us what he considers to be the biggest problem this community faces.  They took us to the local dam a little ways down the road and showed us the brown, still water.  While we were there, cows walked away from having their morning drink.  He took some and poured it into a metal bowl and you could see all of the clay and iron in the water- it was completely brown.  This is the only drinking water this area has access to and the water that is used to cook the two meals a day these children get.  I had noticed many of their teeth were very brown and assumed it was from decay, but he says it is from this water.  His most immediate concern is putting in a tank to have fresh water delivered and collect rainwater.  The more expensive, but certainly more permanent, solution would be to dig a well for the community, which is about $20,000 and at this point seems a totally unrealistic goal for this community.  Luis is also looking to see some monetary investment made by the people in the community so he can be assured that they are committed to this school’s success.

The other volunteers and I are committed to going to this school more this week- my last full week in Kenya working with Jambo volunteers! Can’t believe it is going by this quickly! 

Maasai Fair

On Friday, schools were closed for a special fair that the local Maasai villages held.  There were many people selling different traditional foods, jewelry, music and other items.  There were fun things for the kids like face painting and rides on 4-wheelers. The local schools and men’s teams held soccer and volleyball tournaments that carried on through Saturday.  There were also clubs from the schools that showed off their traditional Maasai singing and dancing, which was wonderful. Luis helped to invite Dominic to display his biogas system at the fair and many interested people came to see a demonstration and expressed interest in the system.  Many people from the community are waiting to see how Luis’ system works out.  Last night we connected it and cooked with the gas in his home! I got to meet many people from the community and also some other volunteers who are here working with other organizations in the schools and the local medical dispensary.

Day 7: Week 1 wrap-up

Wednesday brought two new volunteers: Mario and Elly from Espana! I spent the morning in the school and then the afternoon running errands and going to Nairobi with Luis and Alejandro to pick them up from the airport.

This week I have:

-learned SO many things about Maasai culture and the good work Jambo Volunteers and partners are doing here in Maasailand

-seen giraffes, antelope, miniature deer, ferrets, baboons and more!

-visited a traditional Maasai home

-learned a lot about permaculture and sustainability

-conquered my fear of lighting gas stoves with matches

-met many wonderful people

-eaten goat

-learned that things in Kenya happen poli poli and to slow down

-handed out donations of clothes from my friends back home that made so many children happy

-really returned to my Irish roots and have had potatoes at nearly every meal

-felt dirty enough to relish a freezing cold shower

All in all, a great first week!

Day 5 & 6: Jambo Projects

On Monday I was able to visit the Kimuka Preschool School yet again, this time to observe the class all morning and assist the teachers.  They have asked me to plan some lessons to do with the students over the next few weeks.  I got a chance to get acquainted with many of the 35 students and have them get used to me.  They are fascinated by new people- especially white people, and want to touch all of the volunteers and hang on them.  Communication is very difficult as most of these children come to the school only speaking Maasai.  Learning English is part of the curriculum.  When they move on to primary school, they study Swahili and English, so many students know 3 languages (including that of their tribe) fairly well if they attend all the years of school.  I spent the morning there, observing the students practice naming the parts of the body, singing songs, writing some a few letters and reading vowels sounds. The teachers do a wonderful job of keeping a warm safe learning community for the children and are very positive with all of them.  Building up self-confidence and placing a high value on education are a large part of the curriculum.

Since everyone knows I am on the lookout for cool animals- while I was walking home I saw a very small, but very bright blue snake.

On Tuesdays Jambo holds their weekly directors’ meeting where everyone reviews what is on the agenda for the week, budgeting, account management, planning and discussion of future projects.  Currently there is a man named Alejandro living in the volunteer house who is working on his thesis, which in part will focus on the Maasai and their land. To assist Jambo, he has been training several employees about how to write proposals and grant applications and now he is going to assist in helping to set up a more formal framework for how this will happen in the future. At this meeting, we established that I will go to one of the two preschools each day. Many of the students at the Kimuka school have sponsors in Spain through AIF, so now we are going to begin work to get sponsors for some students at the – school, where the teachers say the students are actually much needier. So in the afternoons, I will work this week to create student profiles for each student at that school to try and help find some sponsorship.  Please e-mail me if this might be something you are interested in. By the end of next week, I plan to put together some workshops Luis has requested for the teachers at both schools. I am also going to help Luis begin the formal proposals for the children’s home.  Now that word is getting around that Jambo plans to open a children’s home, Luis is already getting calls about orphans in need.  Trying to keep up with Luisito and Samoreah also fills much of my afternoons.  They are fun to watch, they run around and play like crazy.

Three tired kids.

BUT, before I even went to the meeting I saw a bunch of baboons running alongside the road- lots of mamas with the babies on their backs.  Great way to start the day!