Author: elixirkenya

Yesterday evening we had a small celebration as one of the ladies is due to give birth in the next few weeks. We held a baby shower with gifts of used clothes and blankets for the baby. We played a few games guessing the circumference of the belly and the gestation periods of different animals. We also ate the cakes cooked earlier in the day. It was good fun and nice to do something special for the expectant mother who shared her plan of what she intends to name the baby if she has a boy or a girl 😊.

There is so much to do on the farm, I have been asked to oversee and coordinate the planting regime.
The maize needs to be harvested this week and the soil prepared for planting but as there has been no rain and the forcast is for dry and sunny weather planting can not go ahead. Coupled with the fact that the generator that draws water from the borehole is not fixed watering is an ongoing issue.

I spent the morning in the farm first cutting the maize that had been harvested and then harvesting the remaining maize. It was hot and physically demanding work but we made good progress and by the end of the day almost all the plots which previously held 10-12 foot plants were reduced to stumps.

We had another water delivery in the afternoon and I went ‘crazy’ and washed my hair! 1 week is the absolute max for me.  I then washed my clothes in the same water so I didn’t feel guilty.

My fellow volunteer was going to the local shop and I asked if I could tag along so I would know where it was.  Its stock was basic but I found something useful for my teaching session tomorrow.  I plan to use face cloths bought at 30 shillings each to teach basic sewing skills the end result should be a bib for each of the babies. If there is time at the end of the session I will show the ladies how to make a basic hand exfoliant and how to give a hand message, All ladies deserve a little pampering 😊.

Kenya being a largely Christian society treats Sunday as a day of rest, but the shelter can not afford to rest there are rabbits, chickens and cows to tend to. The ladies also harvest and cook food that is grown in the farm and kitchen garden. The basis of most meals is maize, porridge made from maize for breakfast, maize, beans and rice for lunch and ugali (made from maize flour) and kale in the evening. I have been skipping breakfast as I dislike the texture of the porridge, however today we had a boiled egg which was delicious 😊.

Another unexpected treat occured. As planned we baked but I was sceptical that the oven would produce the goods. It uses charcoal and I suspected it would be hit and miss on temperature and timing. I was right as the rock buns took 45 minutes to cook although they tasted delicious the bread which I was understandably nervous about was also a total success.
The ladies were rightly proud and excited by the results and asked if we could bake tomorrow. I told them I felt we have enough for the next few days.
What I’m really looking forward to is breakfast tomorrow, bread and jam or honey not my favourite but more appealing than maize porridge 😀.

This morning I went into Naivasha Town to shop for the ingredients to bake in the afternoon.  A staff member accompanied me to town as she was going to visit family.  We had to walk to the Matatu stop (minibus) through small plots containing a house and surrounding land growing maize and other crops.  There was the occasional goat or sheep tethered or wandering around, I wonder if they knew where their home was like a dog? We passed many people, all walking, who greeted us warmly.  The paths are not suitable for flip flops but this is exactly what the locals wore.  We walked past a school and a small hospital who have an arrangement with the shelter if basic/urgent medical care is required for any of the ladies or volunteers. 
The walk was longer than I expected a good 40 mins of some pretty rough terrain a 4×4 would struggle with!  As we approached the main road vendors premises started to appear beauty saloons, butchers, plastic stuff (everything from pottys to flip flops from plastic tubs to cups and plates).

Further down the road at the motorbike station I was introduced to John a bodaboda driver (motorbike rider who can be hired to transport people or goods).  I was advised if I had a heavy load he could take me back to the shelter. We boarded the Matatu (a badly maintained and driven vehicle according to many guide books).  I still need to tell you about the traffic and driving in Kenya…. anyhow I lived to tell the tale 😊.

The town was very busy.  There were  people selling used clothes, shoes and just about everything you can think of.  We passed the main hospital and several hotels, again busy with people going about their daily business or just passing the time chatting to each other.  Mpesa and Safaricom signs were everywhere.  Kenya uses digital money as well as the physical currency the Kenyan Shillings.  As we walked through to the supermarket I heard ‘mama muzugo’ a few times, I was quite obviously the foreigner in town and causing a bit of a stir 😀.

Although I was aprehensive as I returned alone by bus (I called John as the bag was heavy, his phone was engaged so I started to walk).  I was yet again greeted warmly by everyone I passed and helped by a lovely lady when I took a wrong turn.  Kenya is a truely wonderful country full of people willing to help and keen to do well for themselves and their family.  I feel truely blessed to be here 😊.

Oh we didn’t get to bake today as I was unsure how to use the charcoal oven.  As I mentioned previously the staff member who accompanied me was visiting her family in the afternoon and she is the expert.  We will bake tomorrow 😊.

Water is a precious commodity.  Rain water is collected from the roof into gutters and a drain pipe which leads to a tank under the ground.   The water is pulled to ground level by rope.

Rain has been scarce during my stay, we have an hour at the most in the afternoon which soon evaporates in the heat of the sun.  The store is around 5 meters deep and can be full to the brim during rainy season with collected water, however it has only been full to around a meter.

There is a borehole on site which would normally provide all the water required but the generator has been out of action.  These two facts have made it necessary to buy in water.

Three donkeys pulling 2 barrels of water arrived this morning.  The water was transferred into the shelters own barrels.  Costing 150ksh each, a total of around £2.30 this is an expense we could do without.  We pray for rain.

The maize, which forms the basis of most of the meals, is being harvested and dried in the compound.  It was too tempting for one of the donkeys 2 of which had slipped their neck collars and helped themself to the best grazing.