As the grey and dismal weather drags on here in England, I eagerly await the blue skies of Kenya. Things have been relatively peaceful the past couple of months, with defeated ODM candidate Raila Odinga being sworn in as Prime Minister in accordance with the power sharing coalition. Read the story here.
Here in Chorley, I have been endeavouring to save towards the cost of my project and have been applying to grant making trusts. Thankyou to Vista Print for printing my business cards free of charge and to my Auntie Cass for buying me a large supply of postage stamps! My sincere thanks to The Lawson Bursary, Roger Penny, The Kenneth Biggs Charitable Trust, Peter Hill and the Chorley Lions Club Charitable Trust for their donations and support.
Just before Easter I held a quiz night in order to raise funds for my project. Thankyou to all who helped and came along on the night. I raised £75 which I was very happy with and I hope a good time was had by all.
As for the sponsored walk... still pending dependant on weather! But if you would like to sponsor me, get in touch or use the "Donate" link on the homepage.
That's all for now :o)
This video isn't connected to the organisations I will be working with but I felt it highlighted some of the ongoing problems which Kenya continues to face. The situation has all but disappeared from our news here in the UK but life continues to be a daily struggle for the hundreds of thousands of Kenyans affected by the post election violence. Despite the power sharing coalition agreement, the aftermath of the violence continues.
The boy in the video, who was a victim of rape, is one of many Kenyans who were assaulted during the turmoil. You can read the BBC's report here. However, unlike in England, victims of abuse and trauma are offered no counselling or support following their ordeal. They are expected to carry on with life as normal. Rape is a taboo subject in Kenya and some victims refrain from reporting their attack at all.
The problem of the lack of trauma counselling goes beyond the increased number of rapes. Kenya now houses thousands of civilians who have seen family, friends and neighbours tortured and killed at the hands of rival tribes. Without effective ways of coping with these events, how is true peace to prevail? How are people expected to return to their home towns and carry on with life as normal?
At the Kenya Institute of Social Work and Community Development a year long diploma in counselling costs £500, a certificate in counselling costs £315 and a basic short course costs just £60. These are not unachievable targets and it is my aim and desire to assess the call for a counsellor within the organisations I will be working. If it appears that there is a desperate need for a qualified counsellor to assist people in dealing with the post-election violence, I would like to be in a position to help fund this qualification. I believe this will be of invaluable benefit, creating a ripple effect of improvement, firstly by increasing one individual's education, secondly by helping people to manage their emotions regarding the post-election violence and thirdly by those people then serving as a role model to their peers within their respective communities.
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