A farewell to Kenya

A farewell to Kenya

It is soon time for Vionna and I to leave Kenya, although I don't know how this can be. It seems to me that we only arrived here a short while ago. The summer has just sped past leaving nothing but memory and an assortment of souvenirs. I have purchased baskets. We have discovered that I have a problem when it comes to baskets. They are so cheap and so beautiful here that whenever I see a street vendor with a pile of them I can't help but stop. I keep imagining them full of fruit and bread and yumminess. I have three so far, and I'm quite sure there will be another purchase before we fly off into the sunset.

We have been back in Nakuru since the beginning of August. It seems fitting to finish in the same town we started in. Vionna and I have developed a sort of a presence in the town. People here recognize us and the vendors don't try to trick us into buying nick nacks at outrageous prices anymore. I laughed when, on the first day, one of the market people thought he chould induce Vionna to buy a small basket for 3000 kenyan shillings. Vionna is a marvel when it comes to bartering. She got him down to I think it was 400 Ksh. Had it been me he would have taken me to the cleaners. I would be a great deal poorer if I didn't have Vionna to do my bargaining for me. I am horribly gullible when it comes to estimating an items price. The vendors I think must see me coming from a mile away and smile to themselves. They are always VERY happy to see me.

We have spent the past two weeks working at Rohi which is a privately funded charity school that takes in street kids, or kids that would have become street kids had they not been taken in. It truly is an amazing place and I am so fortunate to have met some of the students there. It astounds me the breadth of knowledge that these kids have and how polite and kind they are. In the context of their good nature, the life stories that come out of their mouths are surreal to say the least. One boy was telling me non-challantly that for the first 12 years of his life he lived off the streets and was addicted to opium and glue. Vionna and I have enjoyed working at Rohi so much and I think we have actually made a difference.

Rohi is a self sustaining school. The kids live on campus in dorms. They grow their own vegetables and keep their own livestock. Any extra produce is sold at the local market. Troy Sammons ( who we have been staying with) is the resident missionary veterinarian and we have been helping him in his work around the farm. I feel like I have learned so much from him since we have been here. Vionna and I spent the entire first day in study. It was clear that a wide breadth of knowledge would be required to look after the Rohi farm animals. I felt very ill equipped at first. We learned how to sort laying from non laying hens (the width of the pubic bones if anyone is curious), how to dehorn goats, how to castrate goats, spay and neuter cats, palpate cows, and how to raise swine properly. We have done all of these things since we have been here. It has been an eventful two weeks to say the least. However I think the most rewarding aspect of our stay has been the work we did with swine managment.

There is a community in Nakuru that squats on a very thin, rocky strip of land that surrounds the local dump. I probably don't need to say much more about the living conditions of these people. They are incredibly clever, however, in that they have capitalized on the food waste of the dump by raising pigs there. None of the farmers had ever had much formal training or education in swine husbandry however. The swine were allowed to roam at will amongst the refuse of the dump and their access to clean water was very sporadic. So Vionna, Troy, and I, along with a whole slew of Rohi students, put together a days worth presentations focused on how to raise and care for swine. Most of our first week at Rohi was spent in preperation for this conference which was set for the following tuesday. We had no idea how many, if any, of the farmers would show up. However, after setting up the chairs and having a delightful sing song to summon the flock, 50 to 60 people appeared and we had a very full house. The talks included: housing, nutrition, breeding, farrowing, water, disease mangment, zoonotic diseases, and record keeping. The talks were followed up with a quick field trip to one of the local farmers who started off at the dump with a single pig. He now owns a piece of land and raises more than 20 pigs. Quite a success story. However the real success story came a couple of days later when one of the Rohi social workers told us that the people at the dump had already started putting some of our tips into action. The farmers are not allowing their pigs to roam anymore, and they are also constructing more appropriate housing for their animals. I was blown away to think that change had been implemented so quickly. It was the crowning point of our summer for sure.

And now we are leaving. Tomorrow we will say goodbye to the Sammons and to Rohi for good. We have printed off copies of pictures taken during our stay here to give to some of the kids that we got to know quite well. After we make our goodbyes, we will spend the night at a lodge by one of the local lakes, and then return to Nairobi on thursday to fly out friday morning at the ghastly hour of 4 am. Thank you to everyone who made this trip possible. I know I can speak for both myself and Vionna when I say that it was truly life altering. We will miss all of the wonderful friends we made here. I now have a list of about 20 emails that I must add to my facebook account. To my family and friends in Canada, I miss you and I'll see you all soon!!

L

Round two, beginning in Nakuru…

So Laura and I are back in Nakuru for a week to begin our second sampling and hopefully, get to more farms that we didn’t get a chance to sample the first time around. We have discovered that the term ‘resort’ is used very loosely around here, as our ‘resort’ only consists of simple hotel rooms, a modest courtyard, and a regular dining room (where Laura and I are gawked at since we appear to be the only “muzungos” staying here). Most of them are also owned by Christian groups. However, I am more than satisfied as we have warm showers, spring mattresses, and most importantly, don’t have to pee in a hole. After having to do that twice in one weekend, I hope to never have to use a latrine again!

It’s great to be in the field again with the cows after the week-long break we have had. I was running out of books to read and words to play in Scrabble, as we finished our work early in Ichamara. The company there was wonderful though, as some of the nursing team from Farmers Helping Farmers (FHF)/UPEI joined us for the week to help with Carolyn and Dr. Van Leeuwen’s biogas project. Their visit also presented the perfect opportunity to go to Meru to check out what the nursing and nutrition students were working on.

Meru is located in the northeastern region of Kenya, the closest city to the Somalian border (about 400 km away). Being northeast of Mount Kenya, the climate and landscape is very different from Ichamara. It is much drier and hotter, with a lot less hills. There are also elephants that live in the forest just outside of the city, of which we were lucky enough to encounter, as one was just crossing the road! The nurses work at the St. Theresa Missionary Hospital in Kiirua (a town just outside of Meru) and regularly visit their children’s home/school. Laura and I joined them at the children’s home, where we assisted in feeding the children. The work that the mission and its sisters do for these children is simply amazing. They raise abandoned or orphaned children between the ages of infancy and three, and operate a feeding program and school for kids aged five and under. By providing the basic necessities for these children during such a critical life stage, the sisters are attempting to build a solid foundation for a healthy future. It’s unbelievable how two women can care for more than ten babies while I can barely feed one! That’s probably why I am only handling cows in Kenya and not little children.

The nursing and nutrition teams will also be working with some women’s groups, running blood pressure clinics and helping to build a more well-balanced diet. We were lucky enough to join in on the first meeting of two women’s groups, who have been long-term pen pals. Though I couldn’t understand a word of their local language, Kimeru, the excitement of these women was evident through their facial expressions, gestures, and apparel. The language barrier also prevented any of us from enjoying a speech intended to empower women, but at least food is universal, and we were treated to fresh, locally grown fruits, and traditional Kenyan cuisine.

While in Meru, Laura and I almost caught President Kibaki in action! We saw his personal helicopter (compliments of the taxpayers) take off for Nairobi just as we were returning home! He and other government officials were campaigning for the new Kenyan constitution, which will be put to vote in a national referendum on August 4th. The streets were flooded with people wearing green shirts and hats, which represent the ‘Yes’ campaign. And of course, what’s a national referendum in a developing country without the vested interests of foreign countries? The ‘Yes’ campaign is fully supported by the US and the UK, while the opposition is backed by various Christian groups. I have been learning a lot about the upcoming referendum from our fellow Kenyans and the newspaper, so I’m excited for the outcome of the vote (hopefully a peaceful one!). Controversial issues include abortion, the kadhi Muslim courts, and the status of Somali refugees. Could it be a new beginning for the Kenyan people? Not that my opinions really matters, but I’ll let you know as I learn more about the constitution! Stay tuned!

love always,
vi

July 4th at Ichamara

We have seven more farms to go to and then we are finished the first sampling for the Ichamara area. I can hardly believe things have gone so smoothly. Once we got a good system down with specific jobs assigned to each person rather than everyone trying to do the same job and no one being especially certain what had been done and what hadn’t been, we became much more efficient as a team. It also took awhile for us to get past the language barrier. Everyone here speaks such fluent English that sometimes I forget that there is a language barrier and that I have to slow down my talking and allow the people I’m speaking to time to process what I am saying. At first I found myself getting frustrated because I was having to repeat myself a lot just to get a simple point across. Usually its fine and we get to the point eventually but sometimes I’m just not clear enough and things go wrong. Like when I asked one of the grad students if he could put the milk samples in the freezer overnight. He certainly put the samples in the freezer, but he didn’t understand that the ice the samples are stored on during the day must also be placed in the freezer. In the morning we had no ice to collect new samples with as we went around to the farms. It was fine in the end as we were lucky to discover that lab at the Dairy we work out of had some ice blocks we could use. Otherwise we might have lost an entire days worth of sampling which could have left us five to ten farms behind schedule. All because I just assumed and didn’t properly explain myself. So my lesson for the past few weeks has been to speak slowly and to verbalise my thoughts because in fact people can’t read my mind.



We have been pretty much working non stop since we got here. The work is pretty labour intensive. Our day begins around 6:00 am and usually with a run. Our running route is along the tarmac heading roughly south west with Mount Kenya and the rising sun to our right and a little behind us. Usually the mountain is shrouded in mist but every now and then it can be seen peeking through the clouds. It is roughly 5500 ft and is the remnant of a once active volcano, now long dormant. It is the home of the Kikuyu god Ngai, which is one of the traditional deities of Kenya, although now it seems most everyone is Christian with a smattering of Muslim. Whichever spirit lives there, it must be laughing at us as we pant and wheeze along the foothills of its home. At home in Atlantic Canada, most of the landscape is barely above sea level in some places. In Kenya the average altitude is1500 to 1600 feet above sea level and boy can we feel the oxygen depravation while running. I now understand why Kenyans are able to run so fast. Although running for the sake of running isn’t at all common here. In the mornings we are the only ones out for exercise. Everyone else is sauntering along at a leisurely pace, on their way to work or dropping off their daily milk quota. The locals greet us cordially as we pass, but usually with a grin and a chuckle at how odd we look jogging down the road. However do not be deceived. These people are some of the most in shape people I have ever come across. In the rural areas of Ichamara and Murkurwe-ini where we are staying, the terrain is excessively hilly and all of the farms are nestled on the slopes which in some cases are nearly vertical. The farmers and their families walk these slopes multiple times a day, every day of their lives, to bring water and food to their family. All part of the daily routine for them. One lady took pity on us and decided to help us (typical Kenyan generosity) back to the combi with our crate of medical supplies. She took the crate (which is between 20-30 lbs and very awkward), placed it on her head and proceeded to walk the entire way back to the combi. It was easily a 20 minute walk and mostly uphill. I was in awe to say the least.

The rest of our day consist of as many farm visits as we can fit in before the sun goes down which I at 6:30 sharp. Dawn and dusk are not drawn out here like they are at home. They happen very quickly so that sometimes you are working away in the daylight and all of a sudden you are working in the dark and are not certain what happened. The farms are becoming increasingly far apart and so a good portion of our day is spent bumping along the Kenyan dirt roads. Some of the potholes are quite impressive and it seems sometimes like we drive into one and come out the next. The scenery is lush and green and everywhere you look is bananas. However the bananas are smaller than they are at home and much tangier and tastier I think. When we leave a farm, the owners will often send us away with a large bunch of bananas. We eat bananas with absolutely everything. Bananas in our cereal, bananas with our lunch, banana smoothies, bananas for a snack, banana sandwiches. I think I may turn into a banana before the summer is through. When we arrive on the farm, we have to ask permission of the people that we can carry out our research before we begin. We’ve only had one person turn us down thus far. It’s really in their best interest because they get free dewormer, free preg checks, free consultation, as well as any information we get concerning parasite load and mastitis in their herd. Everyone is very nice and very welcoming. This weekend we went to the Sweetwaters park and went on a safari. We just got back today. It was a wonderful and much needed break. The plains of Africa are just as beautiful as I’d imagined and just as full of animals. I find it incredible that all of these bizarre and exotic creatures can exist all in one place. We saw zebras, baboons, elephants, giraffes, gazelles, impalas, Elans, water buffalo, rhinos, and lots of different species of birds. My favorite was the maribu stork. He lives around the watering hole next to the tented village where we stayed. He is very social and will come right up to you to watch you eat your food. I suspect that he is used to getting for from people. He is about four feet tall and looks like he has a wing span of about five feet. The other girls thought he was incredibly ugly. His crop is red and wrinkly and hangs down over his keel like a deflated balloon. And he is bald like a vulture with a very large and impressive beak. I decided his name was George.

Now we are back at Ichamara to finish up our sampling. The end of the week will see us on the road again. This time we will be heading to Meru to stay with the UPEI nursing students who are also here in Kenya for the summer. Until we meet again!

Laura B.

Roughing it in Ichamara, Kenya...

If you consider a guesthouse for you and your group, a personal chef, a personal driver, a flushing toilet, and someone to do your laundry to be “roughing it.” Though there are definitely luxuries in Canada that I am missing here (I really miss my bed!), I really could not have asked for more. Our living conditions in Nakuru and Ichamara (a small village by Nyeri) have far exceeded any expectations Laura and I had. And after every farm visit, I am all that more grateful for what Farmers Helping Farmers and VwB have provided us with here. The homes of many local farmers are usually composed of a few small structures made from wood and packed soil (like clay?). One structure may be used for sleeping and socializing while another is used for cooking. Running water or electricity is found in some homes, but not very common. The bathrooms are almost always outdoor latrines (ie. a hole in the ground), of which I have managed to avoid using despite our eight/nine-hour days out on the road, going from farm to farm. Something about peeing into a hole in a space enclosed by sheet metal just doesn’t appeal to me!

As I mentioned, we are now in Ichamara. Our first week has gone by very efficiently, with over half of the designated farms completed. We still have two more weeks here, but it looks like the last week will be spent relaxing in the house and being tourists before we go back to Nakuru to complete our second sampling. Ichamara and the surrounding towns/villages are gorgeous! The landscape is beautiful, as hills are everywhere (which kind of sucks when we have to climb them carrying our boxes of supplies!), and they are full of various flowers and fruit trees. Growing up in suburbia, my fruits are from the closest supermarket. But here in Kenya, bananas, avocadoes, papayas, and pineapples are hanging off trees everywhere! I have also seen numerous coffee plantations and the beans are nothing like I imagined. I know, could I not sound any more like I’m from the city than ever?! That’s okay, at least I’m learning and seeing a lot! Plus, when I have a question about the plants, Laura has a Masters in botany!

The people here have been wonderful. All the staff at the house, from Sportsman’s Safari, and from Wakalima Dairy Co-op have been so friendly and helpful. Despite English being the second language for many of them, they make a huge effort in talking to us and teaching us new things about the Kenyan culture. I have also found that many Kenyans are very politically aware about their own country and surrounding nations, so I’m definitely learning a lot about that. The farmers have also been very grateful and generous – they are always sending us home with food! However, I do find it a little intimidating when we are stared at everywhere we go, especially by the children. I understand that it is because we look so different and ‘strange’ to them, so I am slowly getting used to it!

Though everything has been going great for the most part, I am experiencing some difficulties with adjusting to how things are done in Kenya, or Africa in general, as well as with the language barrier. Whereas in Canada, I am so used to tasks being completed immediately and efficiently, it is hard when I have to sit around and wait for instructions, since I don’t understand what is being communicated between the farmers and the vet students that we are assisting. Communicating our findings to the vet students for recording has also been challenging at times because we may be working on different parts of the study without realizing it. It is certainly no one’s fault, but I definitely have to develop a lot more patience if I am to continue our work without getting too frustrated or a head full of white hairs!

Since Laura and I have working so hard and efficiently this past week, we both broke out with fevers last night and today! It was quite a scare when Laura started to get a fever when we were on a farm. Our fellow Kenyans suggested we go to a hospital just to rule out malaria. It was certainly smart to err on the side of caution, but then talks of typhoid fever began, which really started to freak us out. After four hours of waiting, two blood tests and a doctor consult, she was diagnosed with upper respiratory tract infection and sent home with an assortment of drugs. Over the course of the night, her fever got worse, but then came down. By the next morning however, I was getting severe lower back pains, a headache, chills, and a fever. After lots of blankets, and four ibuprofen tablets, I am feeling much better now. Let’s hope it stays that way since we are now a day behind and we are to continue working tomorrow!

That’s pretty much what has been going in our great Kenyan adventure so far! Things should get a little more interesting as we plan to visit the nearby market in Karatina (a town outside the village) and go on a safari adventure in Sweet Waters. Thanks for all the past messages and comments, I really appreciate it! I will reply soon, but understand that internet just isn’t the same as in Canada. I miss home and you guys a lot! Keep me updated on your lives as well!

love always,
vi

PS. Erica, please be safe this weekend and return home in one piece!!

First Week in Kenya: Sawa Sawa

First Week in Kenya: Sawa Sawa

We are finally here in Kenya after many long months of preparation and anticipation. We arrived July 14th at 3 AM. We began our journey July 12th in the evening, departing from Toronto for Vionna and Charlottetown PEI for myself. We endured two red eye flights and many long hours in airport terminals, but the welcome we have received upon arrival very much made up for any discomfort we might have experienced.

We were greeted at the airport by our travel guide, Henry Macharia, who has arranged for all of our transportation needs during the whole of our two and a half month stay. I noted the stark contrast of his silvery curly hair to his dark skin as he took both my hands in greeting and said to me, “Do not look at your watch, night or day, no matter where you are, if you need me I shall come for you.” The warmness of this karibu, or welcome, has been a constant during the whole of our travels so far and I have come to associate Kenyans with firm handshakes and friendship.

We were delayed in Nairobi for the first two days on account of our luggage and medical supplies being held up in Cairo during a very tight connection. It arrived early Wednesday morning, and we were able to head out for the rift valley that same day. At the moment we are staying in Nakuru with Troy and Rebecca Sammons, and their three daughters Dakota, Kate, and Hope. Dakota and Kate are 4 and 2 years, and Hope is just 5 months. They are quite a busy house and have been very kind to keep us for the first week. The drive to Nakuru was overcast, but even so the views around the Ngong mountains (the same from Out of Africa!) as we drove down into the valley were truly spectacular. The mountain roads wound in and around the rock face and the African plains stretched out as far as the eye could see hundreds of feet below. We saw many beautiful acacia forests and, to our extreme delight, baboons, zebras, and gazelles along the roadside. Kenyans seem to enjoy a different sort of relationship with their wildlife than we have in Canada. Where we displace and convert, they seem to overlap and cohabitate in a way that seems very harmonious. And everywhere along the road you see young trees being planted by the Green Belt movement, an NGO started in the early 1908’s by Wangari Mathi who was the first African woman to win the noble peace prize.

Nakuru is a small town, and it’s farms tend to be in the range of 4 to 10 cows, although they may have as many as a thousand which is very large in Kenyan standards. The countryside is full of rolling hills which are still lush and green from the recent rainy season (March to May). All around are the huge mountains of the rift valley, their peaks long and worn compared to the Rockies of North America. The view from the Sammons house overlooks Lake Nakuru which is part of Nakuru National Park. The lake is in the migratory path of many species of birds and is the winter destination for many European species. An interesting phenomenon you can’t help but notice is the roadside farming. Because many small holder farms don’t have enough land to feed their animals, farmers allow their animals to roam free along the roadsides all day long to eat. In the evening they are brought in again. You will see all sorts of domesticated species grazing along the road including: Cattle, Goats (huge massive herds of goats! Hundreds of them!), donkeys, sheep, pigs, and chickens. The farms themselves are small, and in some cases require updating, but they are very charming. Each farm is a little walled in island all unto itself, and everyone has a garden full to bursting with produce. The most common crops are corn, beans, kale, and bananas. Fruit is incredibly prolific, and we have been eating locally grown passion fruit, mangos, and avocado on a daily basis.

We began sampling as soon as we arrived in Nakuru. The field study we are conducting involves us gathering data from small holder dairy farms in the Nakuru and Nyeri areas west of Mt. Kenya . We hope to visit over 100 farms and collect samples from around 700 cattle. So far, we have been to 7 farms and collected data from 44 cattle. The data is a tad convoluted because we are coordinating three separate projects from two masters students, and one PhD from the University of Nairobi. The topics of each study include GI tract parasites, mastitis, and abortion which requires the collections of fecal, milk, and blood samples respectively. The hope is to discover what factors and practices contribute to mastitis, the distribution of GI parasites, and the causes of abortion in Kenyan farms which can be as high as 10% per year in some cases. Some of the factors are stall proportions, grazing techniques, and stall/pen cleanliness. It was a little difficult to organize everyone at first, but we have a very efficient system now and can average about 30 minutes per 4 cow farm. Vionna and I have become masters of the CMT (California Mastitis Test) paddle. The two master’s students are Kabaka and Roiford, and Abuom is the PhD student. They are all great and we have become good friends. It is now Friday and they have gone back to Nairobi for the weekend. We will stay with the Sammons until Sunday at which point we will pack up and head for Ichamara, a small village outside of Nyeri.

That is all for now I think, the next post is Vionna's, I'll talk to you guys again in a couple weeks!


Laura

Preparing for Another Chapter of Life's Unknown Journeys...

Did my feeble attempt at an exciting title capture anyone's attention? Can't blame me for trying! But now that you're already here...

So it's only T-1.5 days until departure! I still cannot believe that I'm actually going to Kenya! I've barely left North America in my 22 years of life and now I'm embarking on a 10-week journey to a place that could not possibly be more foreign to me. Not only that, but I am to represent Vets without Borders and help the dairy farmers improve the health and reproductive success of their cows! Maybe I really shouldn't tell them that this year was the first time that I even touched a dairy cow...I may have to fake some confidence and pretend to know what I am doing. Thank goodness that I will have the support and supervision of Laura, Dr. VanLeeuwen, and local vets to guide me! I just really hope that I could give the farmers and villagers as much as I think I will gain from this unbelievable experience. Not only in terms of the knowledge and hands-on experience with cattle, but the insight into such a fascinating culture and people. I really hope I don't disappoint them! I think that fear of mine is greater than the fear of the health risks that I will be facing. It's just that participating in one of Vets without Borders' projects and being able to contribute to change (for the better) has been a dream of mine since deciding to pursue vet school while I was in undergrad (cliche, I know...). Maybe it's selfish in a way, but I guess I just don't want to feel like I've failed myself or those who have supported me so faithfully.

Speaking of my loved ones, this trip will be the longest time that I am away from home, by myself. No doubt I will miss my caring, teenage-esque mother, my immature, but super supportive brother, and the rest of my awesome family. Also, my wonderful friends, especially you ladies, who never fail to put a smile on my face. I am sure that I will have lots of unforgettable stories to tell you when I return. But don't forget to remember your stories and share them with me too! I will miss Toronto and the great summer festivities, but thank goodness I won't be here during the G8/G20 madness! I wonder if I will be able to catch any of the World Cup games while I'm there...I will be in the same continent!

Everything feels all that more real when I think about attending another friend's 'going away' party tomorrow, but I think I'm ready for my 'real' summer to begin...or at least ready for the four flights in the next two days until I reach Nairobi! See you in Kenya!

love always,
vi

The time approacheth! The Kenyan odyssey is drawing near. I can hardly believe it really. I think the best setting for this adventure is to describe my thoughts as they stand right now for posterity's sake. So that I can compare the person I am now with the person I will be when I get back. At the moment I feel like I know absolutely nothing that could possibly be considered even remotely useful to anyone, and I'm more than a little worried that when I arrive in Kenya this will be painfully obvious. So many people have helped me get to this point. My VWB support team, my Mum, and of course my wonderful family and friends. I know that I will not be alone in my travels or my work either. But surely at some point I must contribute something useful. Something in the way of a unique talent that could buoy and support my team. Now what shall that be I wonder? Hmmm... I have it! I'll make sandwiches! I make a delicious peanut butter and banana sandwich, and since both ingredients are plentiful in Kenya, surely this is a task at which I cannot fail? Brilliant!

Oh dear, the bar for personal growth has been set quite low hasn't it? I believe a wise person (likely of asian descent) once said that to learn something new, one must empty their cup (cup = brain) of all preconceptions and prejudice and allow it to be filled again with the truth of real life personal experience. Or something along those lines. Anyway, the point is that I feel as though my cup is as empty as it can possibly be. I'm hoping that my travels in Kenya will help me understand my world and the people who inhabit it a little bit better, and possibly fill my cup with something useful. Well, more useful than peanut butter and banana sandwiches anyway. I know this may sound selfish, especially when considering that my mandate is one where I'm to be a volunteer working to improve the lot of the farmers and dairy cattle of Kenya. I can't, however, deny the very real possibility that I will benefit from this experience more than the wonderful people I will be working with in Kenya whom I cannot wait to meet.

I think I will sign off now. It is late and I'm getting more foolish with each passing minute. I will write again soon with details concerning itineraries and flights schedules.

L