So...are you ready to hear about Thursday? The morning was spent at the Raila Odinga Nyanya Pre-school Center in the Kibera slum which has two million people living in two square miles. The children were wonderful and it was hard to stop taking photos as they were all so beautiful, This center has been open less than a year and already several chidren have moved onto regular school because they had learned so much, The teacher, Elizabeth, is quite amazing and the children respond to her so well. In this case, a picture is really worth more than a thousand words, so I've given you are some lovely "words"...
In the afternoon, we went to Kaputiei village outside Nairobi, a planned community begun by Jamii Bora, a microfinance orgaization. The first residents, moved out from Mathare and Kibara slums, have been there for about 9 months, with a projection of 2000 houses to be eventually built there. There is a factory on-site in which the women make the bricks and roof tiles; electricity and hot water are supplied by solar panels; and the comunity will eventually be self-sustaining. I met Beatrice, better known as Shosho, who is the founder of the Kosovo Grandtoto Women's Group and one of the strong guiding liights of this fledgling community experiment. She is a woman of great heart, with the most beautiful smile and totally hospitable manner. Her determination and drive comes because she wants to see her 12 grandchildren educated (9 of her grands are AIDS-orphaned).
And now it's day three..yes, only day three! It began with oversleeping, then rushing to get ready to go to the airport in all of 10 minutes! Fortunately I had packed last night. Our flight to Manza, Tanzania, was smooth and ueventful, but the day has been anything but. First, this is a beautiful city on the shores of Lake Victoria the largest fresh-water lake in Africa. Mwanza is also know as the Rock City, aptly named for the incredible rock formations which are everywhere around the city- breath-taking! (My granddaughter can tell you that I love rocks!) The air here is so fresh compared to Nairobi's pollution, and the day was sunny and absolutely gorgeous.
After our arrival, we met with Asia Kapande and Magdalena of the Tanzania Home Economics Association, which has begun working with grandmothers here in cooperation and concert with the Nyaya Project. Magdalena has been training 4 grandmothers in business skills since May and already they are seeing a considerable increase in their small-business profits. After a lovely lunch on a second-floor patio overlooking the lake, we drove out to the TAHEA headquarters and met these four women: Devota, Rosa, Martha, and Angelina, who told us about what the business training is meaning to them and their families. Between them, they have 12 AIDS-orphaned grandchildren, meaning each of these women has lost at least one of her children to AIDS.
All in all, a very full day...which finished with
supper at a Chinese restaurant on the lake
where we watched a gorgeous sunset from our patio table, and then headed back to our respective hotels (Maddie and I are staying at the Treehouse Bed & Breakfast while MM is staying at Ryans' Bay. And all of us are happy with where we are.) I'll tell you more about our hair-raising taxi ride tomorrow and share some sunset photos But right now, though it is mid-afternoon for most of you, it is nearly 10:30p.m. here and I am really ready for bed. Kwa heri from Mwanza, with much love.
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