Apologise for the delay in posting. I was up country the last week and a half in three outstations where the Daughters have projects going on. Basically I had to see what activities were going on to get a feel for the areas/circumstances involved and review how big an operation it will be to fix their accounting systems (should be fun & challenging :) )
Anyway first stop was Thigio on Tuesday 14th last. Thigio is about 45mins drive with around 25mins by way of African Massage (i.e. gravel unfinished road,dirt road,bumps and potholes). Anyway up in Thigio the main areas for focus on helping the community are a hospice for mostly people dying of AIDS, but also their was a 17 year old boy dying with leukaemia there. It was an eye opener and would break your heart. Also, they have a special school for children mentally and physically handicapped, a community library, community development projects like providing Premiership games at weekends for 10ksh (around 10 cent), women's development etc. I got what I needed and headed back to Nairobi with Peter the driver and be up for 5.30am the following morning for the 7.30-8hr car journey to Kitale.
Kitale Day 1 Overnight Stay
On Wednesday 15th I headed off with Sr Mary Holland and our driver Alfred (who's the spitting image of the rapper Akon) on the journey to Kitale. This road was a little bit better but pot holes and bumps etc were evident in most places but because some of the road is a truck route for supplies we had duel carriageway and decent road for most of it. I saw my first footpath outside Nakuru town to my amazement as they don't seem to be in abundance here. We passed the town of Eldoret where some of the Kenyan distance runners train. Anyway after the gruelling journey we arrived in Kitale which can only be described as not the nicest of places with the biggest problem being people (mostly the men) in a permanent state of drunkenness (much like dole day in Don't Be Silly Drink with Billy 4 for 10 before 2)through the manufacturing on mass of home brew poitín from the molasses from the sugar cane and maze. Also, nutrition is a big problem with families as a good days work for the average person would earn you 100ksh (€1 at a good FX rate). Take this into account a bag of sugar 1kg in Transmattres or Nakumatt retails at that price. I set off with Sr Florence a bubbly Nigerian sister down to St Emmanuel Primary School and to check up on the progress of the nutrition programme families. Anyway in Kitale they aren't used to us Mazungos (white people) apart from the religious and the children get all worked up where as the older people just stare so I realised that abit of basic Swahili goes along way. So if someone says how are you, you say Mizurri which means fine/well and to say how are you in Swahili is Abarri. Thank you is Asante Sana and your welcome is Karibu Sana. Anyway this worked especially going down to the school. But first stop was a visit to a mud hut (the norm for living in Kitale) unless you have some money (no social welfare in Kenya or children's allowance). Visited this mother must have been in here 30's with a rake of children and about to pop another one out anyday. Looked over at the children and couldn't believe they were all hers and asked the nun they must be neighbours as they all looked around from 4-5 downwards and they were 7 there. Florence said the fella I was looking at was 8 and that lack of nutrition stumps their growth. You'd feel sorry for them bet before they start. Anyway went down to the school and the school consisted of two decent classrooms and a couple of huts. Biggest problem is getting the kids to school either by ignorance on the parents end or alcohol abuse. Met the principle signed the visitors book and left and couldn't wait to get back to the compound.
We were joined at supper by the local priest Fr. McNabb from Mayo and had Nile Perch (Fish) and Chips, tasty out but full of bones.
Next stop Chepynal.
The next day we set out for Chepynal. A mountain village in the region of West Pokot. Getting up here means traversing a mountain road where only one 4X4 can pass and if you mess up a turn in some places you're facing a 200-300ft drop to the ground. Needless to say when these issues arose I didn't look down and had all the confidence in Gabriel (who's James Toney's double (the world champion boxer who got submitted by Randy Couture in UFC 118) albeit abit shorter height wise as he goes up the pass everyday. Anyway we reached Chepynal and it is like being in another world in comparison to Kitale. Everybody is friendly, won't rob you, go near you harassing you for money etc.
From a project perspective up here is more education, women's empowerment i.e. learning trades, learning english,setting up small businesses like hairdressers,dressmakers etc. Went down with Sr Lemlem to see this she's a mad Ethiopian sister.
Forgot to tell you up here there's no electricity so either solar or generator power. Anyhow where I was staying next to the sisters house was a 3 bedroom apartment fitted with a galvanised roof,toilet which had to be flushed with a bucket of water each time and a bucket for a shower. Old school survival and Bear Grylls would be proud. I had the shower down to a tea by the second day i.e. boil 2 kettles of water and the bucket of cold water for optimum temperature and amount of water for a good shower. Inspector Morse on DVD kept me entertained in the evening but it rained every night I was there and the rain pelting on the galvanised roof isn't the May West to get to sleep with.
Spent my weekend working on their systems and advising on different aspects of keeping the accounts correctly and on Sunday evening headed back to Kitale with a Pokot blanket which is so warm and a kalabash(keep water or charcoal in it). Next time I'm up in Chepynal I'm going to Creech which is about a 3hr trek into the woods panning for gold with the locals.
considering she's $1,300 an ounce at the moment it might be a productive journey.
Kitale Take 2 (The joys of Petty Cash balance reconciliations)
Back to Kitale and on Monday got back into the accounts. Spent a day going through next years budget and on Tuesday evening started getting stuck in to the petty cash and spent all day Wednesday assesssing what shouldn't have been in there and on Thursday morning and 72 journal adjustments later I had it balanced (well I suppose that's what I'm qualified to do) but as corny as it is there's nothing like when something balances and reconciles both on Excel and in the accounts package. Thursday evening the 23rd (my 25th birthday by the way) I flew back to Nairobi from Kitale. Kitale airstrip is just a field with a strip of tarmac and things got off to a bad start when we had flat tyre and had to be changed. Credit to Fly540 they have more comfortable seats than KLM long haul and on the way back it was such a clear day I had great views of the Kenyan countryside and the lakes. One of the lakes don't know the name but from my view it is exactly in the shape of the continent of Africa. Got back to Nairobi and Bernard my driver was there to collect me.
First things back were to put on a wash 2 colours and one whites (PS Peggy will be so proud I'm domesticating myself and have figured out the complex functions of operating the washing machine and the clothes line.) A trip to Nakumatt on Friday was a priority.
Thursday night the sisters got me a birthday cake from our good friend Violet from NIC bank. It was lovely and had a bottle of Tusker which tastes nice.
NOW TO POSITION THE MACBOOK TO THE CORRECT ANGLE TO GET A WIRELESS SIGNAL TO UPLOAD THIS POST.
Asante sante for reading this post
Stephen
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