Greetings from Kenya!

I’m just outside of Nairobi visiting my friend Bari from A&M. She’s been here nearly a year working with an organization called Made in the Streets. It’s pretty cool, so let me tell you a little bit about it.

Basically they work with teenagers from the streets or slums… The goal is partly to get them off the streets, off sniffing glue to suppress hunger, out of prostitution, and give them food, a future, and a knowledge of Jesus. About 30 girls live on site here (not sure how many boys). The place provides basically everything the kids need. It’s a really cool place… Many of the girls have been raped, forced to sell themselves, high on glue sniffing, starving, beaten, and nearly everything else you could imagine that would break your heart. But that’s why it’s so incredible to hear their stories and see how their lives are being changed.

Made in the Streets provides everything they need: education, food, friends, discipline, health, clothes, sports (i get to play soccer with the girls team tomorrow!!) They can even do small chores to earn a little bit of spending money. The girls all do their own laundry and take turns cooking dinner for each orher. Up to age 16 they’re taking literacy classes (aka stuff you’d learn in school – math, English, bible, computer). From age 16-18 they take practical skills classes to help them in life and also to get an internship/apprenticeship to get a job.

The organization was started around 20 years ago by an American couple; however a HUGE majority of the staff are Kenyan – which I DEEPLY appreciate. I have seen a lot mission oriented and humanitarian organizations throughout my world travels, and in my opinion, locals are generally much more effective in serving their own community than are outsiders. So I always respect organizations that engage the local community. This provides local economic opportunity and steps away from the 19th century classic white missionary attitude that white people know best – which is ridiculous – while providing locals with skills and support that will benefit future generations.

I’m enjoying meeting everyone here and seeing bari’s life for the past year.. Today I helped “teach” the young kids (ages 3-6ish) (the program is for 13+ kids but because several of the girls have kids, there is also a program for their kids). They’re SUPER cute, but there’s a reason I don’t teach kids that age.

Oh and something fun… Everyone here is REALLY affectionate. It seems to be a Kenyan thing and not just a Made in the Streets thing, but I could be wrong.

Everyone we pass on the street in this area is so friendly when Bari greets them in Swahili. Friends/acquaintances of Bari always want to shake hands or place a hand on your shoulder or back as you speak. People here love it when guests stop by their house…

The moment I arrived and walked in the gate to the girls’ complex, I was bombarded by a group hug of about ten girls which was followed by about fifteen more very hearty single hugs.

I’m not so much about physical affection, but this place is so warm that you kind of just melt in everyone’s arms.

The little kids LOVE hugs too… They always want to be held and have their hand held or back rubbed. And they LOVE to dance. It’s hilarious.

(Maybe its not all that unusual but I’ve spent the past two years working with primarily Asians who in general aren’t affectionate at all).

Yesterday we ate dinner at one of the Kenyan staffs house nearby. Millie cooked us some great chapatti and lentil something or other and guacamole. We ate by candle light since the electricity comes and goes. So fun. Their son is the cutest 3 year old boy ever. After dinner we sang songs and he sang some Swahili choruses and then made everyone take a turn sharing a bible story.

He’d go, “Good morning,” in a commanding voice.

We’d repeat, “Good morning.”

He’d say, “I’d like to share about Jesus Feeds Five Thousand.”

(Proceed to tell the story)

Then he’d end with, “Be blessed.”

So cute. He made everyone in the house “share” and then he closed our evening by sharing his same story again. Haha.

After classes today the girls got ahold of my camera and we had some photo shoots 😛 they’re pretty funny. Then I let some of them look through my India pictures, which was fun.

Tomorrow I may play in the girls soccer game 🙂 and Saturday were supposed to go on a short safari.

The only other eventful thing has been showering… Last night Bari was in the shower and all of a sudden I heard sparks, popping, frying sounds, and screaming. The house lights dimmed and flashed a bit. I looked and could see red firework-like sparks flying in the window above the bathroom.

I watched in horror. Then silence. Finally Bari came out alive and unharmed. It was terrifying.

Naturally no one used the shower this morning.

This afternoon the electricity went off, and when it came back on, the shower had another ‘episode’ but luckily no one was in there…

We’ve resorted to either showering by bucked of heated water Indian style or using the stopped up shower in another building.

So crazy.

Well I’m headed to sleep under my mosquito net which I’ve been told is more for fear of rats than Mosquitos. Ha.

P.S. did you know it gets cold in Kenya? Cuz I didn’t! It’s freezing! Not literally. But I fully expected it to feel closer to India’s temperature than Russia’s. Todayi wore my hot chilis ski underarmor AND a jacket AND a scarf and still felt cold. Oh how little I knew…