Pokot Tribe

We are on our way to the middle of no mans land! I have a lot of mixed emotions about this trip. I am not a huge fan of camping by any means however, we will be making a huge impact on them- more than we could for anyone else. There will be no electricity, running water, shelter, or even food. The Pokot have a drought and usually do not have enough food to eat. So basically we are living in tents and bringing our own supplies. This is a real tribe- I'm talking about loin cloths, cow's blood, and eating tree bark. The whole nine yards! I will try to update the blog as much as I can.

Simba's Village Orphanage

On our way to the orphanage we stopped at Java house for Lunch. The food was delicious- great milkshakes, guacamole, quesadillas, and basically everything on the menu. Afterwards we took a taxi through Ngong, which is a little town where everybody knows everybody. We saw some of the Masai tribe tending after the goats. We even saw a spider monkey crossing the hilly dirt road. It was very lush and green- opposite of the savannah we traveled through yesterday on our way to Mount Kilimanjaro. We finally arrived at the orphanage and met the staff. When we went outside to play with the children all you could see was a group of kids running towards us. Especially Brandon and Cory, the children remembered them from last time. The kids guided us through their garden which had cabbage, tomatoes, carrots, and other vegetables growing. They even had a water system which UBC help set up. There were these two little boys who always wanted to be carried, Dupert and Otieno. Dupert was this adorable little toddler who was at first very shy. Slowly he would take a step towards me…one by one. Finally he came to sit on my lap and wanted me to pick him up and swing him back and forth like a rocket ship. The girls decided they wanted to braid my hair while the boys played soccer in the cow fields with Alex and Brandon. Afterwards we played hide and go seek and this game similar to dodge ball. It was almost impossible to leave, we had gotten attached to the children. I hugged and carried Dupert all the way to the taxi. When I put him down he stuck his thumb in his mouth and looked like he was going to cry- that made me want to cry. I just wanted to take him home with me!

-Sophia

Genocide Museum

Towards the end of our workshop in Kigali we went to visit three different museums. First we saw the King's hut, second we went to the National museum where we bought many souvenirs. Lastly we visited the Genocide museum. It was very emotional hearing the stories and reading the articles of the murders. It first started with the Belgiums who separated the Tutsis from the Hutus. They said that the tutsis were more intelligent, lighter skin, taller, and treated them better than the Hutus if they were loyal. This was a stereotype because for generations the Hutus and Tutsis have been intermarried.
The plan backfired and the Hutus wanted revenge so they shot down the President's plane and started the mass killings. They showed no mercy- using machetes to cut off various body parts of people, raping women, killing babies, and many other horrendous acts. There was a room in the museum where Rwandans brought pictures of those killed in the genocide. There were pictures of children, teenagers, parents, and grandparents. The next room had bones and skulls in a display box. The skulls looked so tiny I though that they must have come from children. The upstairs was dedicated to the babies who were killed. There was a picture and a description of the baby's favorite thing to do, favorite food, and how they were killed. It was definitely the room that effected me the most. It is disturbing to know that people could do this to little innocent babies. Outside we saw the mass cemented graves which is said to have over 250,000 bodies buried.

If you ever get the chance you must read Left To Tell by Immaculee Ilibizagia- it gives you an account of the history as well as her own story about the genocide.

OLPC Workshop in Kigali, Rwanda

The workshop in Kigali, Rwanda was amazing and very eventful. The first day we arrived we met all of the other teams deploying in Africa. There were people from all around the world- Ghana, Zimbabwe, Singapore, Paraguay, and various states in the U.S. We were able to learn about their deployment sites, their ideas on implementing the programs on the laptops, teacher workshop ideas, and much more. It was great to connect with intelligent, motivated, and diverse people. After the workshop we retreated back to Bethel One Hotel on Nyamirambo. The dinner the hotel provided was delicious. They make great pasta and fish dishes. I have also tried a lot of tropical fruit such as the japanese plum and passion fruit.
The next day we had a conference with different prime ministers in Africa, the director of KIST (Kigali Institute of Science and Technology,) Nicholas Negroponte, and not to mention the guest of honor, the President of the Rwanda Republic: Paul Kagame. He is a very extraordinary man. He was a general in the RPF (Rwandan Patriotic Front) during the genocide in Rwanda in 1994. I even got to shake his hand! Afterwards we were able to see traditional Rwandan dances. They were wearing traditional clothing, had head dresses, bells, and staffs. Our team mate Brandon even jumped in! I will try to post that video as soon as I can, it is hilarious.
We had some very productive workshops on the XO's. We first updated the computers which doubled the amount of programs. Secondly, we got to fix broken laptops that children sent in from previous deployments. We took them apart, used spare piece to fix them, and put them back together. Afterwards we got to drink some traditional Rwandan tea and coffee. Lastly, we got to explore a new program called Scratch. Basically you create your own animation and make it move, speak, and basically anything else you wanted to do.
In other workshops we were able to find out how to connect a server, internet, use access points, and how update several laptops simultaneously. We used another program called E- toys to create story books and animations using pictures we drew using the paint button.

I will continue talking about the workshop in another post, this one is getting too long!

-Sophia

Kibera Slums

These slums are the second largest in the world. It is hard to imagine what life is like for the Kenyans living here until you walk through the slums yourself.Everything here reminds me of Slumdog Millionare. The stench is very strong because there is no plumbing. In Kibera they use the restroom in a plastic bag and throw them into the streets aka "flying toilets." We went to visit the KTDP (Kibera Transformation Development Program,) which is one of our laptop deployment sites. The KTDP is a little slice of heaven in comparison of the rest of Kibera. The school actually use to be a huge bar. This bar would tear families apart because the husbands would get out of work and go to the bar and use all the money they earned for the day. When they got home their wives and children had nothing left to eat. When the Pastors first approached the bar owner he said he would not sell the bar to them. So they prayed and prayed. After a few months the bar owner approached them. Business was going bad so he decided to let them rent out the place. The school has a small courtyard with a room to the left. The upstairs is basicaly a huge tree house. When we went upstairs we saw these big holes in the walls. I asked them what happened and they told us it was because of the "Big violence." When the election went bad 2 tribes started fighting over who should have won. Thousands and thousands were killed because of this result back in 2007. On a happier note, the students and teachers are very excited to receive the laptops. When we came into the school they call us Muzungos (or white people) because we have light skin. The children shout out "How are you, how are you" all over again. They sing us traditional kenyan children's song while we teach them Old Mac Donald had a farm and also the chicken dance. We even got to feed the children at the school. The only way I can describe them is by this- precious gifts from God. We also ate the beans and rice that the children ate- it had a very interesting taste. When we got home our water was turned off because it is rashioned in Nairobi. We had to get buckets of water just to use the bathroom. We also had bathed with water bottles! This is something that we Americans have to get used to.

South B Slum

We arrived in Kenya Tuesday June 2nd. I was sick for two days with jet lag and unable to get out of bed. The elevation is also 8,000 feet higher also we forgot to drink water which made Brandon and I dehydrated. I also lost my luggage. But everything turned out fine Brandon and I feel better and my bag was found. Today we got to meet Pastor Edward who is in charge of the City Harvest Ministries. He has started many programs such as Micro Financing, an HIV/AIDs clinic, education programs, and so much more. He told us his amazing story on how he answered God's call and to spread his word. His life's story has been amazing and inspiring. At first he doubted himself. He said that he kept on praying and God told him that he was meant to preach the gospel. He ran into a problem- no speakers. He kept praying and praying and then a voice told him to sell his family car. How can he tell his wife? This is the car that takes him to work, his wife to work, and his daughter to school. He was sleepless for 3 months. Finally he worked up the courage to tell his wife. She said okay without a word. He said he was in shock that she was so calm! When he finally got the speakers he needed to take the next step and tell his CEO. He was just a Pastor's assistant however, this is what he felt he needed to do. Well his CEO came in and asked him what the big boxes and his office were for. Edward told him they were speakers and what they were for. His CEO said he wanted to pray for him. After about 3 months the Pastor realized he now needed a car to get around. One day he recieved a phone call that a return missionary set aside some money for Pastor Edward to buy a car. He got a car and started his journey. People would walk hours around the surrounding city just to hear him preach. Pretty soon people around the country would request that he would come and visit him. He has done a lot for Kenya.

After visiting with the Pastor, his receptionist Cynthia took us to Taidy's to have lunch. It was pretty good, they had hamburgers, fish, sandwiches. Nothing compared to good old American food haha. Afterwards we went to the South B slums. I have never seen such extreme poverty in my life. They have these shacks made out of tin and use a piece of cloth for doors. Little children walk around everywhere, even pee in the streets. They sit in front of the shacks and sell fruits, meat, clothes, shoes- anything they can to survive. We visited the beauty school that City Harvest micro finances.It is basically 3 small closet- sized rooms without electricity pushed togther. The girls are about 18-24 years old, my age range. They braided our hair. They are very sweet and told us to come back and they will give us braids, corn rolls- anything we want.

After this experience I felt sadness. They do not look sad because this is their home, this is what they are use to. However- just because they are use to these conditions it does not make it right. I realized I take everything for granted- water, food, shelter, family, and friends. We are so lucky to live in America with so many resources and options. We should all try to make a difference and help people in poverty because it is the right thing to do.