Households in the Heat

Much of my time since I have been back in Mombasa after my Christmas break has been spent catching up with work in the office. So instead of boring you with details of my days sat at my computer I thought I would share with you some of the work I was doing just before Christmas.

Most of November and December was spent conducting household surveys as part of the final stages of the PMTCT project. These involve visiting around forty households in each of the eight villages we have been working in to conduct a questionnaire which helps us to measure changes that have taken place in the community as a result of the PMTCT project.

At the end of a long day of surveys

Each day we would go to a different village and meet with the volunteers who helped us conduct the surveys. We split into pairs with each pair visiting eight to ten households. I know this doesn’t sound like very many but each village covers a vast area and the households are very spread out. We would sometimes walk long distances just to go between two neighbouring homes, with the midday sun beating down on us I soon copied the villagers technique of walking with a scarf wrapped round my head to provide some shelter form the hot rays of the sun. I found it very interesting to go into the villages, meet people in their homes and hear more about their lives and their thoughts on a range of topics including HIV. As with any community there were a few characters I met along the way, including a woman who offered me a marriage proposal on behalf of her son! One particular day that stands out is when we were conducting surveys while sitting under trees, the weather can change very quickly in Kinango and all of a sudden the sky opened and heavy droplets of rain poured down on us. Everyone in the village quickly gathered under the largest tree to shelter under its big protective leaves. Before long the women of the village were singing and dancing to pass the time and as a gesture to welcome us as visitors. I love to see and experience the spirit these woman have, even in the face of real challenges such as food shortages and walking miles to fetch water their spirit remains strong and their resolve firm. I was sad when the rain stopped meaning we could get back to work!



Dancing and singing  under a tree



The survey days were long as we often left the office at 7am and sometimes did not return home until 10am. But those days have proved to be some of my happiest in Kinango, having the opportunity to spend time with people and the privilege to have a tiny insight into their lives is a true blessing.

A Happy Reunion

A belated Happy New Year to everyone reading this. I have not written a blog entry for a while as I went home for Christmas and New Year. As I stepped off the plane at London Heathrow I think my body thought I had stepped into a freezer. It was 6.30am and I had left the UK in July so had no coat or shoes with me. As I walked down the steps wearing jeans and flip flops I felt the icy wind biting my toes. December through to March is the hottest time of the year in Mombasa, so arriving home to the UK snow was something of a shock to the system. A swift investment in some thermal vests and the loan of a pair of Ugg boots soon warmed me up!

It was lovely to see my friends and family after nearly six months away (the photo is of me and my mum on my arrival at Heathrow) and I spent lots of time catching up with loved ones and eating the foods I had been particularly missing (roast potatoes, salad and Chinese food in case you were wondering!).

My three weeks at home flew by and soon it was time to board the flight back to Kenya. I have been back in Mombasa for a week and it is lovely to be back. I am especially enjoying being back in Africa and in particular Kenya. I am as always so happy to be immersed in the variety of sights, smells, experiences and wonderful welcoming people and it is a privilege to be here. The temperature is around 92 degrees Fahrenheit which as with my trip home took some adjusting! I will post again next week to update you on what I have been up to since I got back.

World AIDS Day 2010

Last Wednesday (1^st December) was World AIDS Day. The HIV team and me took a break from our normal schedule and made the two hour drive to Kinango to take part in the community AIDS Day celebrations.

It was a great day full of dancing, singing and dramas, all performed by people from the local community. Each performance contained a message about HIV and AIDS. My favourite performance came from a men’s group who wore imaginative costumes and performed a number of dances, including one of a man playing a woman giving birth! There was also a drummer who was able to carry his huge drum using just his mouth!

It was great to see the topic of HIV being addressed with refreshing positivity and enthusiasm. People living with HIV in this community face an ongoing battle with stigma and discrimination so days like this are so important to raise awareness and encourage the community to support and accept each regardless of whether they are living with HIV.

Wednesday felt like a particularly hot day so I was grateful to have a seat in the shade to enjoy the performances and speeches. Of course one thing about the day was very ordinary; it ran on Kenyan time and as a result was four hours behind schedule. As we sat down at 2pm the speaker scheduled for 10am took to his feet!

Heat, Hearts and Hope

For various reasons (which I won’t bore you with!) my blog is not starting at the beginning of my trip. So you are joining me part way through this journey, but I hope you will still find my musings of interest!

I will begin where you find me....In Mombasa on a hot Saturday morning preparing to go to a wedding.

It is not often I get to put on nice clothes or makeup anymore so I was looking forward to attending the wedding of my work colleague named Kadzungo. As the wedding was an hour and a half’s drive away we were to leave at 8.30am so I dragged myself out of bed at 7.30am to get ready. I thought it was a good opportunity to wear some makeup-this was not a wise choice as most of it had melted off my face by the time we got to the wedding!

For the journey to the church we decided to see if we could break the record for the number of people you can fit into a 10 seater hardtop, the outcome-15 people packed in tightly like sardines in a can. It reminded me of the London Underground at rush hour, except that in this version at least we all had a seat!

In true Kenya style we arrived part way through the wedding ceremony, but I needn’t have worried about missing out as the service went on for at least another two hours after we arrived. This is the first wedding I have been to where people take a newspaper with them to read! We had a lovely day with lots of singing, dancing and good food. Then it was time to squeeze everyone back into the hardtop for the drive home.

On Sunday I went to Church, after the service I spoke to a lady named Joan who founded a Children’s Home about 10km from where I live, to ask if they ever need volunteers at weekends. And that was the start of an unexpected afternoon. Joan immediately said yes they always need help, she then asked if I had any plans for the rest of the day; I didn’t have the heart to tell her I had a hot date planned with a sun lounger and a copy of Hello magazine (kindly sent to me by my grandma). So before I knew it I was squashed into the back of a minivan with a lot of excitable children on our way to Tumaini (the name of the home which means Hope in Swahili).

As we drove towards Tumaini I found myself wondering how I was going to entertain these children with their seemingly endless amounts of energy. I needn’t have worried as the children soon took charge! We played games, read stories and played on the swings in the gardens. One little girl named Hope glued to my side from the minute I arrived until I left. As I sat with her looking through pictures in my magazine she became very animated at the sight of some of the pictures, it turned out Hope mistook me for a number of people in the magazine, including; a heavily pregnant Celine Dionne, a long haired Robin Gibb from the Bee Gees and Kate Middleton (I was secretly quite pleased by the last mistaken identity, now if only I could persuade Prince William of the same thing......). I unsuccessfully tried to explain to Hope that despite having the same skin and hair colour it was not pictures of me she was looking at!

The afternoon flew by and soon it was time for me to leave. All day I had a craving for salad so on the way home I get a Matatu (like a small bus) to a cafe I had spotted which I suspected would sell salad. To my delight I was right; I sat down to a lovely meal accompanied at last by a blissful hour with my Hello magazine!