Author: elixirkenya

With the availability of water from the bore hole there was lots of action today.  Everything removable was removed from the house and washed, hung up or laid flat to dry in the sunshine, if it was not possible to remove the item it was beaten, wiped, polished, swept, sprayed or shaken, all necessary to discourage undesirable or unwanted pests making themselves comfortable.  Nothing escaped the ladies as they worked as a team cleaning from ceiling to floor under the furniture, into corners and standing on to reach the more inaccessible places.

Tomorrow they will ‘rest’ that is apart from tending to their babies, the animals at the shelter, harvesting what is ready and cooking 3 meals a day for all of us, washing babies clothes (this is ongoing), cleaning and tidying.  It is not an easy ride here, everyone has a part to play to ensure things get done.

I had the task to record the house keeping process with a view to make a manual/record for future survivors and volunteers to refer to.  I plan to get around to this next week I have lots of work to finish and am keen to ensure I meet my obligations to the organisation and ladies, but for the rest of today and tomorrow I will also rest.

At last the generator is back in action 😊.  As it is used to pump water from the bore hole the shelter will now have the means to water the crops regardless if it rains or not.  We can start to plant at last.  I will also be able to wash my hair without feeling guilty but I will continue keep the amount of water I use to a minimum and only wash it twice a week 😊.

The permaculture teacher visited Friday.  His session was interesting and useful.  It focussed on ecology, specifically the interelationships between plants in a fruit forest (edible plants).  I will look forward to the practical sessions and increasing my personal knowledge for my remaining few weeks at the shelter 😊.

There are 3 children here at the shelter all of them adorable ❤.  I have been witness to progress important milestones in their development, the eldest started to use a potty and the second eldest has started to take steps independently 😊.

Witnessing individuals progress and develop indepedence is something I both enjoy and find rewarding,  I suppose this may be why I chose teaching and training as a career, but giving people practical skills is one thing, helping them to grow self confidence especially after traumatic or unpleasant episodes in their life is another.

The shelter offers a hand up, not a hand out.  Self reflection is promoted, taking full responsibility for themselves and their children is encouraged, and by talking and sharing their experiences, thoughts and feelings they are helped to self heal and move forward.

The staff are committed to the ladies and work tirelessly to ensure that have the courage, skills and knowledge to go out into the world and face the challenges life may throw at them.  But they also offer a lifeline incase of troubles, all survivors are told that the door is not shut, they should stay intouch, return for advice and support if needed and put intouch with local networks of women with whom they can join and work together to improve their own, children’s and other women’s prospects and lives.

Oh and the biscuits were a great success 😊.

Kenya has a health service but unlike the UK’s NHS not all sevices are free at the point of need.  I accompanied staff and one of the ladies who expecting a baby anytime now to the main hospital in Naivasha today.  We took a boda boda (motorbike ride) to the main road and then a matatu (bus) close to the centre of town.  There were many women waiting to be seen, some pre, some post birth.  Placing their record books in the table they all patiently waited (up to 4 hours) to be weighted, have their blood pressure taken and to see the Dr.  Not happy that our lady had gone over her date the Dr asked a payment of 1000ksh be made and a further payment of 70 bob for an ultrascan.  After more waiting and queing by the time we arrived at the ultrascan department we were told that had stopped for the day and we would have to return tomorrow.

I took the opportunity to visit the supermarket again as we are low on flour and margarine needed for baking.  Supplies in stores are adequate but the choice is limited compared to Nairobi’s bigger supermarkets.  I managed to find cooking chocolate and porridge oats (the porridge oats are for me, for breakfast 😊) and also bought some apples and peanuts (I feel a bit diprived of tasty food at the moment).  I appreciate the fact that a very large percentage of Kenyan’s are not able to pop into a supermarket and buy what they fancy or need as they do not earn more than a dollar a day roughly equivalent to 100 Kenyan Shillings.

I hope the cookies we plan to bake turn out well, the ladies are getting the hang of bread I don’t even have to prompt  them anymore 😊.

So apparently we have 2 new arrivals 😊.  The eggs have hatched and 2 fluffy yellow chicks are being cared for by mother hen, a happy ending you would think but no…  there is a flip side to this story.  The hen who was sitting at the same time turned cannibal!  We can only assume she pecked her eggs and ate the entire batch, egg shell and all.  The only action, other than having chicken for dinner, was to clip has beak to prevent her, or any of the other hens following her very bad example of motherhood.

We had more rain this afternoon which is very welcome.  I am going into town tomorrow to accompany one of the ladies and staff to a clinic appointment.  I will take the opportunity to visit the supermarket again and stock up on the ingredients the ladies need to master bread baking and a few other baking ingredients I would like the ladies to experience making.