Mikinduri Children of Hope

Written by Phil Handrahan, a member of the Mikinduri Children of Hope Tour Group, November 2006

Sweetwaters…Toilets, hot water, nice pillows, hot water bottles, safari drives, gourmet food, wildlife galore, spectacular scenery, cold beer…wow!!!

We arrived at Sweetwaters late afternoon and quickly turned the corner to enjoy the many luxuries and hospitality of the resort. A great deal of time was spent in the washrooms within our tents and many were seen providing warm hugs and cuddles with their porcelain fixtures. For those who know little of Sweetwaters, all rooms are within tents and come completely furnished with toilets, showers, comfortable beds, and a patio sitting area off the front zipper so that we could sit and watch the wildlife on our front lawn approx 50 feet away. Mt. Kenya sat immediately in front of our tents so we had to wait a little later than usual to see the morning sunrise come over the peaks. Oh what a rough life.

After enjoying happy hour with drinks of choice; we had a wonderful dinner that would match many of our favourate dining experiences. Late evening we enjoyed relaxing around the resort and had to get used to the loud sounds of wildlife, stampeding animals, and cold drinks. Climbing into the tent was different from any other camping experience I can remember. I cannot recall getting into my bed in the tent, and sliding into a warm bed and having to move the hot water bottle before turning off the lamp lite.

The next morning after a full buffet breakfast we headed out on a Safari drive in a private safari reserve of approx 125 acres. Sweetwaters is considered relatively small in comparison to the safari park in Lake Nakuru, which is ten times as large. Once again we got to see a wide variety of wildlife but the lions and elephants remained elusive. Afternoon was spent touring the local shops, including purchasing more drugs and medical supplies for our upcoming clinics in Mikinduri. While we have enjoyed our relaxing and comfortable time in Sweetwaters, we have also had many discussions around our continuing interest to provide assistance to as many people as possible in Mikinduri. Our group went out again for a Safari drive around supper hour in hope to see the lions and elephants to complete our quest of seeing the “Big 5” Once again a nice drive but where are the lions and elephants. Determined to see the “Big 5”, the young people Maureen, Suzanne, Cindy, Jane, Aldo and Phil went again for a night safari drive and we were successful. We were able to find the elephants and enjoyed watching them under a spotlight as they grazed in the open fields. We spotted a pride of lions and spent time with them as they stalked a herd of zebras for approx 45 minutes. The lions are very patient and I am sure they did not go hungry before the end of the night. We also spent time with another pride and witnessed another stalking situation where the lion missed getting a young impala. Apparently lions generally do not chase, they will stalk and pounce but do not appear to want to get into a chasing game.

After morning breakfast we are back on the road and heading back to Mikinduri. Weather reports seem to be on our side so hopefully we will have an uneventful drive to Mikinduri. Jane and Joan have struggled with whether to travel back to Mikinduri given the difficult traveling conditions. They are wanting to be part of our mission in Mikinduri but have found the traveling to be a rough and uncertain experience. They have decided to spend the next couple of nights in Meru. We will meet up with them on Monday when we make tracks to Nairobi for our return.   

We hope to be in Mikinduri by noon where we will resume our medical clinics. We will institute a new plan in hopes that those most in need and sick will be helped, as well as managing implementing more vision teams to handle the significant numbers. We also plan to meet with the various development committees so as to assist where we can for them to carry on the various projects in their community after we leave. The Catholic Church has asked us to attend an appreciation night on Sunday where we too will also look to extent our appreciation to the many local volunteers that worked with us. Ted, Phil and Silvanos are continuing efforts to make application for NGO status in Kenya, which should assist future initiatives of MCOHF.

I expect the next report will not occur before next Monday, the day we drive out of Mikinduri and begin our journey for home. We miss you all so much and have many personal stories to tell. We continue to trust that all is well on the “home front” and send our love to all. We are rested and anxious to return to Mikinduri for our final sessions of this tour and we continue to be safe and healthy! Take care. 

Written by Phil Handrahan, a member of the Mikinduri Children of Hope Tour Group, November 2006

Today we have loaded the vans and are on our way to Sweetwaters. The lack of infrastructure (power, internet, well everything) has made it impossible to communicate back to you at home. Hopefully this will be emailed later today.
 
Pleased to report that all remain safe and healthy and our mission has been a very rewarding experience, but not without very interesting challenges. We are all looking forward to Sweetwaters as the last couple of days have been very long and demanding. The timing of having a chance to layback and rest for a day or two is very much needed.
 
Weather continues to complicate our mission. For the most part you can count on heavy rain (Emphasize again!) at night and periodic showers throughout the day. In between it has been sunny and hot. The roads in Mikinduri area are generally compacted topsoil, which I expect are at best ok during hot dry weather, but during or after heavy rain travel on the roads has been an incredible challenge. The mudfest has continued, so we have spent considerable time traveling, and pushing our vans out of the ditch, arriving muddy and trying to catch up on our schedule.
 
We have held three clinics to date, and we have seen hundreds of people in the medical clinic and the vision clinic. Many people have left the vision clinic extremely happy and appreciative of our efforts. All are provided a pair of glasses, a hat and/or sunglasses. It’s been very satisfying to us to see the numerous smiling faces. The medical clinic has seen numerous people as well and everyone wants to see the “white doctor”. The vast majority are very healthy but they make up the majority of those lined up. Each day we stopped at sundown, approx 6 pm and unfortunately many people still remained outside waiting and hoping to get inside the clinic. Last night things seemed to get a bit rough outside in the line up as people kept jockeying in the lineup hoping they might get inside. We tried passing out the hats to those that did not get in but people became very unruly. It was unfortunate however when you wait several hours waiting in the sun to get inside the clinic, then the doors close and you know the white people may not be back for a long time…perhaps your behaviour becomes desperate
 
With the heavy rain, we lost the power at Mikinduri Hilton so the candles were out creating a rather ambient atmosphere…ya right. The good news is that Mr. Ted was still able to pour the rum without spilling any. He only had one drink. Speaking of the Hilton, showers have proved to be an experience that is different every time it works, at least for those that have been inclined. Sometimes lots of water and warm water, sometimes only cold water, and sometimes nothing…the town apparently rotates the water being shut off in various sections of the town. The Water Manager must not have gotten thru the lineup into our clinic. Safe to say again though that the group has jelled and all are very helpful to one another…. I had Greg fetch some water for me when I was stuck in the shower all “suds up” and not a drip. Thanks Greg.
 
The toilet facilities provide two options, both requiring a free standing squatting action. Perhaps I will leave this to each participant to provide details at a later date.
 
Yesterday we officially opened the Marega well, first of eleven wells. This was recently constructed and became operational this past week. The level of excitement was incredible. After seeing what the people of Mikinduri have to endure to obtain water let alone the condition of the water they drink, I think all of us have a much better appreciation for quality water. To witness first hand the fresh clean water being pumped out of this water well was very satisfying and a true indicator of the benefits provided from the efforts of MCOH.
 
In addition to the clinics, we have had various meetings with the Community Development Committees. Volunteerism is not something that comes naturally for those in Mikinduri, however it is evident MCOH is making progress in this area. I believe we owe a lot of credit to our consultant Silvanos as well. We are very fortunate to have someone as capable as Silvanos working with the people in Mikinduri and guiding our projects. Silvanos has been rooming with Mr. Ted for the past week so by the time we leave, I think we will have “Americanized” Silvanos.
 
We have also toured various school facilities and been hosted by many of the students and teaching staff. It is no surprise to their facilities are sadly lacking. Several meetings with the youth have occurred as well and the students have a strong desire to pursue their education. Unfortunately many are removed from school throughout the year, as their fees have not been paid up.
 
We arrived at Meru around 1 pm (three hours to travel 20 kilometers) after having a farm tractor tow us thru the muddy roads in various areas, until we finally reached a paved road. Unfortunately the four Internet cafes we went to were closed…so the morning report will be delayed. This report is certainly different than The Guardian with regard to meeting deadlines. Mary MacKay left Mikinduri yesterday and travelled to Meru so that her report could be filed. We picked her today at Meru and we are now off to Sweetwaters…. ahh.

Written by Phil Handrahan, a member of the Mikinduri Children of Hope Tour Group, November 2006

Off we go for another day. Everyone continues to remain hearty and healthy, and as we get a little closer to nature (waterless toilets….ugh) we are becoming a rather close knit group with few secrets.

We are off to visit an orphanage to participate in an official opening and assist at the feeding clinic. We set up the vision and medical clinics for the afternoon.

Yesterday can only be described as extraordinary. The mudfest was an incredible experience. While there are numerous stories to be told, they will have to wait and be described by each of us to yu when we return. I was struck however during our journey ass we passed a local who kept yelling, “this is not Kenya, this is not Kenya”. In discussion with Silvanos, our consultant, he explained that many Kenyans are of the opinion that their Government only seems to spend $$ within Nairobi and does not spread the wealth to the outlining areas and develop. Another local along the roadside was visibly upset as we drove by and complained yelling at our driver, “you should not take visitors here at this time of the year”. The driver explained that Kenyans are proud people and this particular local likes visitors to see the best side of Kenya. Traveling through Kenya after heavy rain was not the most positive perspective of Kenya. One reminder was the manner of the locals when we would get stuck and they came to our aid. Picture the van in the ditch in mud beyond the axel and ten locals surrounding the vehicle all yelling and “conversing” in Swahili how best to get the van back out on the road again. As one of our fellow travellers said, “it may not seem very effective, but it seems to work”.

When we drove into Mikinduri, the welcome was overwhelming. As stated yesterday, it was like a Stanley Cup parade with everyone gathering around us to say hello and shake our hands. We participated in a very official ceremony loaded with speeches, singing and dancing. Mr. Ted brought greetings from our group, and there is no doubt he is their hero. We feel fortunate to be able to be part of MCOH and to be working to assist such kind people.

After the ceremonies we were hosted for lunch and then we were off to set up our clinics. Lineups for both the medical clinic ad the vision clinic were incredible. We kept the clinics operational until approx 7 pm and had to kindly encourage those still in the lineups to come back to see us the next day. Many people were administered by our team and we were all very satisfied to see the smiling faces when our friends of Mikinduri walked out with a new pair of glasses, a hat and able to see much better with their new glasses. The medical clinic was extremely busy as well and many people provided with much needed medical advice, treatment and drugs for various conditions, etc however frustration as well given the limitations of what can be provided during one single visit.  

We then went to dinner in what is considered to be the restaurant for the elite or high class. This facility is not available to anyone and is reserved almost like a private club.
After dinner we went to the site of our accommodations. We are not at Mother’s Choice…not sure what happened but it is something like Kenyan time, accommodations were arranged at another site. While it is no Hilton, it is upscale relative to Mikinduri. Perhaps a bit of culture shock, but all are content and accepting of the circumstances. Again we are all safe and healthy.

Hopefully this is the type of info that you would like to receive, however if anyone has any questions or concerns, perhaps a reply to Michelle can be re-directed to us and we can answer your questions. Until the next time…

Written by Phil Handrahan, a member of the Mikinduri Children of Hope Tour Group, November 2006

The drive to Meru was “smooth sailing”. We arrived in Meru within approximately two hours. We are also getting very used to the bumps, and potholes and we have come to better appreciate Kenyan time. Ten minutes or ten hours is relatively the same timeframe providing the event occurs within the same day.

Weather has remained constant as in changing every ten minutes from sunny to overcast to rain to sunny. The luggage discussions continue. Ted reported that he had good news in that we could change clothes…Phil reported that we simply had to decide who we wanted to change with.

We settled into the Blue Towers Hotel, which is relatively new hotel in Meru. As we get closer to Mikinduri, the standard of accommodations is declining slightly. The Hotel also had souvenir shop where someone was able to purchase an African dress shirt and leave his shirt standing in a corner. Our group went out to enjoy “happy hour” in Meru so as to to experience traditional African music and dancing. The local bar was certainly a popular spot for local men and there was a two-man band playing with several locals dancing. Some of the women in our group were quick to get on the dance floor and the men followed or were dragged up . Some felt we blended into the crowd very well. Everyone enjoyed the African experience.

Following our “happy hour” we went back to the hotel for dinner and then a local drama group entertained us. The youth group was very talented and included a skit aimed to broadcast the issues and challenges of Aids in their community. The evening came to a thunderous close when the skies opened with heavy rain.  Heavy rain continued throughout the night.  

On the morning of November 20, we met for breakfast and reviewed our agenda. After several very enjoyable days, everyone is very excited at the thoughts of reaching Mikinduri later today to begin our work with the people of Mikinduri.. We will hold our first medical clinic, a vision clinic as well as hold meetings with the community Development Committees regarding our projects. Everyone is anxious to get to Mikinduri.

Travelling out of Meru after heavy, heavy rain is certainly a very interesting adventure. We are literally sliding thru the muddy streets of Meru trying to keep the van in the middle of the road so we don’t end up in the ditch. We just received a valuable tip from a local who was watching us slide downhill…”don’t use the brake!”. We are certainly very lucky to have two experienced drivers in Benson and Paul. Thankfully, Mikinduri is only 20 miles away so hopefully we will be there without too many troubles. In some cases we are having to stop on the street and wait for the locals to pull the vehicles up the road, as the vehicles do not have enough power to drive the hill without the manual labour on the tow lines. Speaking of manual labour the women in our group have noticed that it is good to see the men hard at work, because usually it is only the women that you see lugging wood and water to keep the home fires burning. The men in our group are pleased that Ted has equitably distributed the women in our vans in the event we get stuck. It seems to be though, as vehicles experience problems, the locals are very willing to help to push and pull wherever required so traffic continues to move along.

As I prepare to conclude my report, our other van in front is unable to drive to the top of the hill and locals are assisting our male passengers to push the van up the hill. This concludes the morning Kenya Report on November 20, 2006 of our activities of the past 24 hours or so. The mood of our group is very positive and everyone is enjoying our travels through Kenya. We miss everyone at home and trust all is well.

Footnote – I just had to add this piece before sending it off with Mary to Meru. Our total travel time from Meru to Mikinduri was close to four hours. Mary has titled her story for The Guardian as the Mudfest. By the time we arrived (safe and sound) we were covered in mud from head to toe. Needless to say we got stuck many times and had to get out and push, pull, and tow. There were many locals along the roadside to offer assistance and while many were very helpful, many also saw this as an opportunity to cash in.

We arrived to Mikinduri and we were paraded down the street. I thought we won the Stanley Cup. With clothes and feet muddy we were ushered to the front platform and participated in an hour-long ceremony of area dignitaries.

Well it is November 21, time to finish this and get it to Mary. We are off to breakfast and then commence a full schedule in Mikinduri. Oh yea, we are supposed to receive the rest of our luggage tonight. At this point others and I have done our laundry so luggage is a mute point at this time. Happy Birthday to Christine!!!   

Written by Phil Handrahan, a member of the Mikinduri Children of Hope Tour Group, November 2006

After leaving Lake Nakura, we traveled to Nyahururu where we had the chance to spend some time at an Internet café. Following our brief stop, we went to Thompson’s Falls which is a popular tourism spot. In addition to the Falls, there were many entrepreneurs seeking to sell a nd provide goods and services to all visitors. Many of our travelers had the opportunity to pose for a picture with the people of Kikuryu in traditional tribal dress. This is dress during special occasions and not typically worn day to day. Obviously given the number of tourists stopping here, they have made it part of their tourism program. After posing for a picture, there would be a small fee expected. Others were walking along the pathway and had a chameleon placed on their shoulder / arm which some found enjoyable but others were pleased to see it removed.

We enjoyed a picnic lunch at the Falls in what is considered a “safe area” where the entrepreneurs respect your privacy. Once outside the “safe area” you were fair game and quickly approached and coerced to visit their booth where they sought you to “Promote” (buy) their products. They are professional and aggressive. Not being a shopper (sorry Frankie), I toured the market and observed how our group was doing. Some were very experienced and met the match of the locals and walked away with a number of purchases at very reasonable prices. Some brought food from our picnic as a peace offering only to find out later she paid 5 to 10 times more than others had. Despite paying more than she bargained, she was pleased to get back to our van unharmed. Others brought “muscle” along just in case things got rough. It was fun and everyone enjoyed the experience, but some did not like the aggressive selling tactics. We were surprised that you purchased something in one shop but were then escorted along to the next shop to obtain wrapping or a bag, only then to be cornered by the next shopkeeper.

We then left Thompson falls and continued our drive to Naro Maro, approximately two hours. The roads continue to be rough, but we are happy to have great drivers with us who also pass along some great information and stories of their country. I was surprised to see the red soil in the Rift valley area, which is very similar to home. Paul, our driver described the soil as being very fertile and excellent for their coffee and tea plantations. As we left the Rift Valley area we entered the Central Highlands, which was once owned primarily by the British who had huge farming areas. Unfortunately as we approached Naro Moru, we were unable to see the peaks of Mt Kenya due to the rain and cloud cover. The weather to date has been a combination of heavy showers, clearing, warm, showers again. Just like home, if you don’t like the weather, just wait 5 minutes and it will change.
We reached the Naro Maro Resort and traveled some very slick mud roads. Naro Maro is a resort that is often the camp base for people climbing Mt. Kenya. Once again, we enjoyed a very nice facility with excellent food buffets for dinner, breakfast and lunch.

After breakfast on Sunday, several people went to church where we received a very warm welcome and were invited to the front o f the church to individually offer a word of welcome to the congregation. Again the children continue to warm our hearts with their friendliness and warm smiles. The congregation was very engaged throughout mass and very active singers and dancers as part of the mass.
After mass we are back to the resort, lunch, check out and back in the van for a two-hour drive to Meru. In addition, I have asked everyone to provide his or her comment to include which are noted below;

Joan – “I saw giraffes!” I will see Helen & family today, and if all goes well I may get my luggage. Love you all.
Jane – Wonderful scenery, flowers, birds, … songs of doves. Bargaining a lot like old Barbados. Every thing is going well.

Cindy – I am in love with Africa. I miss you especially Hal, Madeline, and Ginger! Still don’t have my luggage but everything is great. I love you.

Suzanne – Hi family! I’m having a wonderful time in Africa. The people are so nice! I’ve bought many souvenirs! I love you! I miss puffin!!!

Maureen – I miss my Roo, oh and Mom, Christine and Nick. I have mastered the art of cutting and eating passion fruit. I love Africa, and may not come home… just kidding miss you. Hakuna Mattata!!

Phil – Hi guys, miss you lots. Frankie, you would love Africa, especially the Safaria. Christine, you’d love the shops in the airport, no traffic jams in Africa but the drving is just like Barbados and Jamaica. Nick you should add Mt. Kenya to your list of places to climb. We’re having a great time but I look forward to a second set of clothing…whew!. Loved watching Maureen bargain with the locals.

Aldo – Wish you were here …back in Africa. Definitely like to make more trips with the kids. Hello Esme and Marika

Karen and Greg – Hi! We are having an awesome time! We send our love to everyone! How re my dogs? Jess and Sarah…please phone some of the family and relay this.

Marilyn – The land and people are lovely and I’m having a grand time. It’s great to be traveling with our smaller PEI group.

Written by Phil Handrahan, a member of the Mikinduri Children of Hope Tour Group, November 2006

Kenya believe it! We’ve finally arrived…safe and sound.

On behalf of the group I will attempt to provide a brief over view of our travels. So this is the morning report, I will give you the long and the short, bet you guys are glad you can’t hear me sing (Lion King…did you get it?) It’s Saturday and we are on the road to Naro Moru, however I will start at the beginning of our journey and try to bring you up to date.

As most of you recall, we had some interesting discussions at the Charlottetown Airport particularly with regard to luggage. Well safe to say the luggage issue continues to be part of our discussions. Approximately half of our luggage arrived in Nairobi, a combination of suitcases, and cardboard boxes. Some of us are still with any or our personal luggage and toiletries but all are willing to share. We are expecting the rest of our luggage to arrive tonite (Saturday). When we were looking to clear Customs, Ted had to sweet talk the Customs folks and after a brief episode of ripping and tearing the duct tape off some boxes we proceeded to leave the airport with all of the boxes and suitcases that arrived with us.

In regards to our travel, many of us were dog tired when we arrived in London at 8:30 am local time. We wandered around the airport, back and forth between terminal 3 and 4 trying to settle into a Lounge, but we were unsuccessful. Several people traveled into London on the “Tube” and got to see the sights of London. The Queen was not available for tea. Security at the airport was relatively uneventful, and Ted and Phil traveling in the wheelchairs were treated like royalty both by all airport personnel and their fellow travelers.

On the flight to Nairobi from London, most everyone slept on the plane, either British Airways is more comfortable than Air Canada or we were simply exhausted and could have slept standing up. 

After leaving the Nairobi Airport, our first stop was the Keserin Orphanage. Fortunately the suitcases that we planned for the Keserin Orphanage arrived with us so we were able to bring those to the children during our visit to the orphanage. What a wonderful program. Leah gave us a tour of their facilities, and we met many of the children. The children were very interested in meeting us and were very appreciative of the small toys and gifts that we brought to them. We had the opportunity to see the benefits of the Threads of Hope and are keen to have Mikinduri partner with this program as well.

After leaving the Orphanage we traveled to Lake Nivasha for a late afternoon lunch and then onto Lake Nakuru Lodge for dinner and bed. Along the way there were many small villages with roadside markets to sell their goods. We had brief stop at one place and quickly learned that we will have to hone our bargaining skills if we wish to purchase local goods.

Lake Nakura Lodge was a very nice facility and we all went on a safari tour at 6:30 am for a couple of hours. We were on the look out for Kenya’s Big 5…lions, leopards, elephants, rhinos, and buffalo. Well we were fortunate to see leopards, rhinos, and buffalo. The elephants do not exist at this park. Leopards are considered to be the most difficult to see as they sneak and slink thru their habitat whereas the lion cares less about where he is or who may see him. We also saw giraffes, hyena, water elk, pumba, impalas, gazelle, zebras, pink flamingos, eagles, …wow!  

Weather has been nice with some clouds and pleasant temperatures. Apparently it is still raining in Mikinduri. We have just left Lake Nakura and now travel the rough roads of Kenya to Naro Moro.

At this point we are well rested, well fed, and have enjoyed an incredible stay at lake Nakura. Knocking on wood…all are healthy, and hearty. We just received a call from our travel agent who advises that more luggage arrived but not all.

Until the next time, this is the morning report from Phil and all traveling the roads of Kenya to our friends in Mikinduri.

Guardian reporter Mary MacKay is currently traveling with the Mikinduri Children of Hope’s educational and volunteer tour in Kenya. She will be sending regular dispatches on the group’s activities and the Guardian has setup a separate page where you can read Mary’s stories. There is also an RSS feed.