<![CDATA[Project Kenya 2008 - 2009 - Diary of a volunteer]]>Tue, 17 Mar 2009 17:41:56 +0700Weebly<![CDATA[The final countdown]]>Tue, 26 Aug 2008 05:05:44 +0700http://kenya.weebly.com/1/post/2008/08/the-final-countdown.htmlWith less than 7 days to go, this time next week I will be on the plane. On the whole I am mostly prepared. My flights are booked, my insurance arranged, injections had and the first of many malaria pills taken. If only it was as easy to mentally prepare.

Having visited Kenya before, I am in a fortunate position in that I know the best and the worst to expect and that, whatever I am faced with, I can deal with it. But the excitement and the anticipation and the not knowing make these final few days a bit of an emotional rollercoaster. There are times when I am so excited that I think I might burst and it feels as if these last few days in England are the slowest in the history of all mankind. Like someone has sneakily added a few extra  hours to the day without telling me. Other times I question my sanity when I think of all my home comforts and my friends and my family that I am leaving behind in order to spend the next few months working unpaid in a third world country.

It's hard to pack your life and your possessions up into a suitcase trying to abandon the materialistic mind frame you inadvertently live with in this country. Trying to tell yourself that you don't actually need half your possessions is quite a challenging process. As a result I have packed. Unpacked. Packed. Unpacked. And finally thought "Sod it. I'll do it later!"

]]><![CDATA[New Beginnings]]>Thu, 17 Jul 2008 12:15:04 +0700http://kenya.weebly.com/1/post/2008/07/new-beginnings.htmlLast weekend I received a phone call from Rachel Muiruri who is the director and founder of Rachel's Development Program. It was really good to speak to her and hear, in her own words, about the extraordinary NGO which she has established in Kenya. The projects I am to be involved with all sound so worthwhile and I am really excited about my ever closer departure.


In the meantime thankyou to The Mildenhall Charitable Trust, The David Cutforth Charitable Trust and The Wychwood Charitable Trust for their donations and support. I am only a few hundred off my target now!

]]><![CDATA[Increasing Funds and Awareness]]>Sat, 28 Jun 2008 14:05:26 +0700http://kenya.weebly.com/1/post/2008/06/increasing-funds-and-awareness.htmlThis week I had another article published in the local press, this time the Chorley Guardian. These articles are great not only for targeting potential donors but to raise awareness of development as well. Sometimes its easy to see stories in the news and in the media but feel powerless to help. Or perhaps we feel that attempting to help is futile. How many times have we felt, "I'm just one person; I can't make a difference." Or even that no matter how much we help, the problem is unsolvable. I think that trips like mine highlight to others that one person can make an important difference, that change is possible and that you don't need to be rich to help solve the problems of the third world.

However, volunteering does incur costs and it is for this reason that I am most grateful to my new sponsors: Express Yourself Trust, The Ann and Christopher Fielden Charitable Trust, The Riakanau Foundation and Sir Hanbury-Tenison. Your kind donations are most appreciated :o)

 
 

Please click the picture below to view a larger version.

]]><![CDATA[Rachel's Development Programme]]>Wed, 11 Jun 2008 10:39:39 +0700http://kenya.weebly.com/1/post/2008/06/rachels-development-programme.htmlUnfortunately, due to unforseen circumstances 2Way Development will no longer be placing me with the host organisation ICROSS. Instead I will be working for a very credible Kenyan NGO called Rachel's Development Programme.

RDP’s main focus is on fighting AIDS/HIV, and the consequences of this on communities and individuals. It does this through awareness, education and capacity building, and has the following key objective areas:

• Food security, nutrition & income generating activities
• Orphans and venerable children support & care
• Health - Malaria, Tuberculosis, Aids prevention & control
• Cultural activities and community empowerment
• Development programmes
• Advocacy and human rights
• Micro credit
• Water and sanitation

Rachel’s Development Programme believes in participatory approaches to community development and empowerment for sustainable development, community mobilisation and development. A selection of donors that have funded Rachel’s Development Programme include United Nations and the Red Cross Society, foreign embassies and international pharmaceutical companies.

 My role within RDP will be very similar to that which was planned for ICROSS and a detailed description can be found here.

If you have any questions or queries please do not hesitate to get in touch.



]]><![CDATA[Chorley Citizen Article]]>Thu, 15 May 2008 11:36:23 +0700http://kenya.weebly.com/1/post/2008/05/chorley-citizen-article.htmlThis evening there was an article in the Chorley Citizen about my trip to Kenya and the voluntary project I will be undertaking.

To view the article online please click here or, alternatively, you can download a pdf version by clicking the icon below.

chorley_citizen_article.pdf
File Size: 2001 kb
File Type: pdf
Download File
]]><![CDATA[Thankyou to...]]>Fri, 09 May 2008 10:00:14 +0700http://kenya.weebly.com/1/post/2008/05/thankyou-to.htmlThe Allan and Nesta Ferguson Charitable Trust, The Duchy of Lancaster Benevolent Fund, Peter Whitey and The Greenbelt Trust for their kind and generous donations to my project.

]]><![CDATA[Laptop - Can you Help??]]>Sun, 04 May 2008 07:38:01 +0700http://kenya.weebly.com/1/post/2008/05/laptopcan-you-help.htmlDo you work for a company that is in the process of replenishing it's IT resources? Do you know of anyone selling on an old laptop? Are you aware of someone who has an old laptop gathering dust in their house which they may be willing to donate?

Having a laptop to take out to Kenya would be an invaluable resource. Working as an administrator for a charity here in England, I am all too aware of the importance that computers play in today's world. Despite Kenya being a third world country, it is vital that we recognise their need to change and move forward in keeping with the western world.

Not only will it allow me to aid the administration and organisation of the NGOs, it will serve as an educational tool for members of staff. Basic ICT skills are valuable skills for people to have and can help them get ahead in their working life.

A laptop would also be fantastic for use in my project, The Invisible People of Kibera. Having a laptop for my use would allow me to upload photos and videos whilst in Kenya and show them to the people involved. This allows them to see positive results from their work, creating a sense of achievement and, in turn, improved self confidence. Having a laptop to upload material on to also reduces the need for large numbers of memory cards to store data.

If you think you can help....please get in touch.

]]><![CDATA[Letter of Confirmation]]>Sat, 03 May 2008 06:08:59 +0700http://kenya.weebly.com/1/post/2008/05/letter-of-confirmation.htmlPlease find below a pdf file which shows a letter from the director of 2Way Development. This letter confirms my volunteering placement through 2Way Development and gives contact details should you wish to get in touch with the agency itself.

letter_of_confirmation_from_2way.pdf
File Size: 978 kb
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]]><![CDATA[The Invisible People of Kibera]]>Sat, 26 Apr 2008 04:34:30 +0700http://kenya.weebly.com/1/post/2008/04/the-invisible-people-of-kibera.htmlThe past couple of weeks an idea has been formulating in my mind. It involves an artistic project which, mentally, I have named "The Invisible People of Kibera".

The name stems from the ludicrous fact that the Kenyan government has, on several occassions, tried to deny the very existence of Kibera. Anyone who has ever laid eyes on the sprawling slum, which dominates the outskirts of Nairobi, will know how absurd this denial is. However, many of Kibera's residents are not registered citizens and therefore, in theory, as the government claims, do not exist. As a result they have no rights.

The name ‘Kibera’ is a Nubian word for ‘forest.’ The original settlers were Sudanese soldiers who settled there after fighting for the British in World War One.

Kibera is the largest slum in Africa and the second largest slum in the world. It is home to an estimated population of 1 million, housing more than one quarter of Nairobi's population. Despite this, it is just one square mile. There are no residential buildings over a single storey. The average home size in Kibera is 3 meters by 3 meters, with an average of five persons per dwelling.

Urban services such as water or sanitation are minimal. There is an average of one pit latrine for every 50 to 500 people. Drinking water is pumped through plastic pipes, alongside sewage trenches, to standpipes. These trenches carry refuse and human waste to the river at the base of the valley. The river then runs into Nairobi Dam. Both the river and the dam are used for recreation (e.g. swimming) and resource (e.g. bathing; clothes washing). The plastic pipes are brittle and exposed, often breaking, to be repaired with little care for sanitation. That is, these pipes are jammed or taped back together often without being cleaned, creating a suitable habitat for water-borne diseases like cholera and typhoid.

Health Services and Sexual Education are minimal. Fifty-Four percent of people living in urban areas in Kenya are either HIV positive or have AIDS.

However, despite the demanding lifestyles which the people of Kibera face, they have created their own community which is sound and functioning. Stereotypical images of Africa which are portrayed in Western media are the basis of many people's perception of what life is like for "poor Africans". We have all seen charity adverts which show malnourished children drinking dirty water and suffering severe illnesses. But is this an accurate portrayal? 

Through my project, "The Invisible People of Kibera", I want to use creative methods such as drama, photography, film and song to give the people of Kibera their own voice. I want them, in their own ways and means, to tell the western world what life is like for them. These people are individuals, not statistics and I want them to be able to say, "This is my existance. This is my life." I want them to capture the good, the bad, the ugly; their friends and families; their homes; their work; their faith; what makes them happy and in turn what makes them sad; what gives them hope; what are they thankful for; what would make life better.

The potential results of this project are not only allowing people to see a more realistic, all rounded portrayal of everyday life in an African slum, but to increase confidence, enhance communication and improve community spirit within the slums itself. People in the slums have live material possessions but the majority treasure their pride and their faith. Projects like mine, help to nurture both and play an important role in the sustainable development of the slums which involves people becoming the instigators of their own success.

I am currently in the process of drafting a letter to companies who manufacture digital cameras as I'd like to have a few to take out with me. My own personal interest in drama and my academic qualifications in this area will aid me in this project and I hope to seek advice from a friend who is studying film production at university. 

This is a project I'm really excited about and determined to do through the charities I will be working with or on an independent basis. Hopefully you will see the results on this site in the coming months!!

To end with, I'm going to post a video I found on YouTube which shows some more typical images of Kibera. 

]]><![CDATA[April showers]]>Sun, 20 Apr 2008 03:32:23 +0700http://kenya.weebly.com/1/post/2008/04/april-showers.htmlAs 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)

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