Three days a week my heart is re-opened to be shaken and stirred by a select group of individuals.
Each time my heart returns changed. At times for the better and at times for the worse.
Dadashe, St. Maurus, Afema are the places at which physical strengthening is facilitated and emotional well being can sprout. These three organizations cater to the youth and the families of the slims that without a doubt face the greatest struggles of all. Mentally and/or physically these children are unlike the 'normal' child. They are unlike the 'normal' child who assists in the physical livelihood of the family. Where money really does buy the pillars under which happiness may grow (medicine, food, a roof over your head) these children are seen to be of little value as their ability to provide such are slim.
Both Dadashe and Afema are therapy centers which I am working at, providing therapy to youth between the ages of 5 months to 11 years of age, along side an occupational therapist. St. Maurus is a 'special school'. While I am there I am also working along side a occupational therapist from 9:30-1:00 and from 1:00-4:00 I spend my time in the classroom assisting with what ever programing they have running or spearheading some activities on my own.
I have now been working a these facilities for two weeks, and slowing the idea of what it means to be disabled in Kenya is emerging. Early on in this journey of discovery I found myself asking; what makes a child beautiful? Where does the love for a child come from and through what can this love persevere? What role does the life of the mother play in the life of the child ('take care of yourself, take care of others')?
When I think about the relationships which I have developed and greatly cherish in Canada I think about the celebrations. What others may deem to be small achievements we recognized as huge mountain accents and celebrated as celebration was due. The things these youth accomplished were grand feats in a environment and history that continually pulled them back. Such celebrations are not alive and well here in Kenya. The reality is that the environment is more harsh and restricting for these youth and the damaging negative stigma towards these youth (and adults) seems to continue to engulf all that is life. This stigma, which I feel should be referred to as a misunderstanding, keeps these children indoors, isolated and lacking socialization. The stigma is not isolated in the youth but spreads to the whole family leaving what I see to be over 50% of mothers as single mothers, and also isolated by family, friends and neighbors.
I hope to in time write a full blog focused on the topic of religion, as it is a very powerful, governing force in Kenya. In the meantime I wish to share a few thoughts about religion as they connect to the lives of these children with disabilities and their families. As I have openly shared with many very curious people in Kenya, and I will now share with the cyber world - I do not consider myself religious nor do I tie myself to one religion. I find value in many of the teachings of religion, but I also see the damage that seems to result of religion as well, thus I choose to internalize teachings, pulling from them what I believe to be powerful positive aspects and finding a more spiritual route. Religious beliefs in Kenya are without a doubt having a negative impact on the lives of the children I am working with (I cannot say for certain that there are not some positive impacts of religion too, but to date I have not seen such things). Following the belief that God is our creator, some mothers I have the opportunity to speak intimately with relayed that children with disabilities (specifically their child with a disability) was a punishment from God. What is the reason for accepting such a belief when it is pulling a good woman down? In many cases I have seen that religion exists as a force to provide hope and promote good doing in this area, however in this case this is far from the truth.
This week my colleague at Afema embraced a new idea of mine with open arms. We will be holding a small gathering, not for therapy for the children, but for therapy for the mothers and fathers. The mothers (primarily) and fathers need to be the fighting force which believes in the success of their children and breaks down the existence of stigma. This gathering will be an opportunity for mothers to openly share the struggles they face, and the success they have had with other mothers. For mothers to find a source of support in a community which continually shuts them out. As well as an opportunity to educate the mothers on basic therapy activities and socialization. The mothers and fathers will be the changing force in the lives of the children and they need to be helped as much as their children. I will be purchasing milk for all of the families who attending this gathering (yes a bribe) because the truth is that if we do not offer something to the mothers they will not come. They are in such dire need to put food on the table that spending time on anything else to them seems insignificant and useless. I can't blame them for this (although I do see fault in this belief) and have committed to provide maize and flour next month if it means the opportunity to educate mothers.
One mother in particular that has driven me to action told me that she has lost hope in her child, she is unable to see any improvement in her child, or delight in their life - it was very clear that she felt she was at the end of the road and her care for her child was a river running dry.
On a more joyful note I had a euphoric moment this week at St. Maurus School that I am so grateful for. While sitting at the teachers table, listening to Swahili gospel music, and looking through the window. I saw nothing other than a beautiful environment where kids laughed, shared and learned. Inside the walls of St.Maurus nothing else mattered than the lives of those children and celebrating the moments we were able to share together. At that moment I happily ignored the world beyond those walls. For that moment I delighted in remaining blissfully unaware. With the departure of a German volunteer, we celebrated the moments he had shared within those walls with soda cheers, chappoo and the continuous blowing up and popping of balloons. I will in time have some pictures of this day to share with them and I promise you when you see these pictures you will wonder how someone could ever hate such a child, see them as a punishment from God or choose to shun them from their lives. Although I know we cannot ignore the world outside of those walls, for that moment it was a absolute joy to say to hell with them - lets celebrate and cherish these children as beautiful as they are.
Like a fountain may we bubble over and release the nourishing entities which fill us so that others may be flourish in their gift, knowing that again we will be filled so that again we may bubble over on the people surrounding us.
A Breath Of Fresh Air
during a previous trek in Vietnam
Sunday, May 22, 2011
Monday, May 9, 2011
Mtu ni Watu 'persons are people'
this saying stands strong even when vast spaces of land divide us
the needs of people, the wants, the emotions, the friendships, the desire for love, hope and compassion
but it is amazing how differently we live out our lives
I have been able to draw so many parallels between the triumphs and defeats of the people of Kenya and the people of Canada; we our proud of our countries, strive for positive change, want to share and learn from others to better ourselves and our communities, we have areas of segregation and anger, we have youth who have negative experiences with traditional education and on wards. Yet, Kenya has opened my eyes to how our countries are in different stages of development and so very different..
Myself, Sam-antha, Sebastien (said with a french accent) and Conor have settled in the community of riverside, in the Baba Dogo slums, Kenya. This is an apartment community which would be considered one of the better off areas. Surrounding us is Kariobangi which borders us, Mathare also borders us and is home to approximately 500,000 people. With the work we do we will be traveling into all of these areas.
Education for Life's 2 offices are found in Kariobangi. They are a 20 minute walk down the main road and are on the 3rd story of a building shared with a VERY wide variety of companies, shops, and even a school, all in the midst of what seems to be a high concentration of welders *who weld with no or little protective equipment and send sparks flying into the path of passer byes*. Mathare looks like it goes on forever, it is a sight I never quite imagined.
One of the first questions we were asked by George, the organizer of Education for Life, was 'what did you think Kenya would be like?' and I don't think I ever had one clear vision of what Kenya would be like. I saw it as a diverse land of green open areas where there was beauty and freedom to roam, but lacking opportunities. In Nairobi I saw a booming area of prosperity which many people desired but few attained. In the slums I saw a slow life, with few possessions and little opportunity. My view of Kenya was shaped by movies, books, the internet and discussions. I think these things together created a fairly accurate depiction of the Kenya which I have thus far got to know. What is changing about my view of Kenya are these stories and teachings are coming to life before my eyes. I have to understand their ways, their reasons, the structure, how I fit it and where change must come and where change is already in progress.
I have already learned a lot from the short period of time I have been here. Most of this knowledge has been from observation or from my fellow co-workers at EFL. I would like to share with you some insights which I thought were very valuable (just a small hand full of all I have learned):
1. Child Laybour: trying to define child laybour in the slums of Kenya is no simplistic task. But it is rather interesting. To increase meaningful and productive young lives it is important to draw the line between work and laybour. When there is such a need for money, and where school (secondary) can be an added cost to a family it is not unusual for families to keep children out of school and put them to work instead. The definition for child laybour that is being formed is that when work takes away from a child's learning or opportunity to be a child.
2. The reality for persons with disabilities: I am sure that what I have read about online about persons with disabilities being hidden from the public, tied up, shunned and sent away to institutions is the reality of the area (although I have yet to see this with my own eyes). The amazing thing is that I have been connected to a group of parents who have children with disabilities have formed a support network together. I will be working with them so that they can understand their children's needs and how to facilitate holistic wellness with their children. I am happy to see a group of parents showing interest in bettering the lives of their disabled children. * I will be working with 3-4 different organizations, providing physical therapy to persons with disabilities - with this particular group I seem to be the only one providing this service).
3. Involving the Parents: involving the parents in the education of youth is big on the agenda of EFL and I think this is a great thing that is not often looked into. They are working towards facilitating active involvement of the parents in their youths education. This is currently no existent and because of this their is a lack of support and inspiration spread from the parents to the youth. I agree and believe that is important that not only are the youth inspired by their elders so that they can have the inspirational support network they need.
4. Empowerment: The focus of primary and secondary schools in Kenya are the basics of math, science and english.For EFL this is not enough and with their school programing (which all of us will be involved in *primarily sebastien) they strive primarily to inspire the youth to work hard achieve their dreams and break the mold. In their sessions they speak about real life. I am a huge believer that education will not go far without empowerment and I am so glad that EFL beliefs are in line with mine so well on this topic.
While I continue to learn lots I think I am continually struggling with a ying yang war between a head full of bad and a world full of good in many instances of life here in Kenya. While I know that neither will ever triumph over the other, a balance must be achieved. It is hard to trust people enough to make good friendships and connections with people outside of EFL and while I want to open up and befriend people here it is also very necessary to have a very watchful eye (for instance in some areas for work with delinquent youth in a Very low income area we have been advised to not carry anything, even of modest value with us). I want to give to the children and believe that they will respect what the share with us, but from experience we know that this relationship does not always work as we would have hoped as these children so desperately want the things we bring with us.
but for now this must be goodbye. I hope this small view into the lives of the people of the Kenya slums and the future ahead of them was helpful for you and you are excited to see my journey begining.
Again thank you for tuning in :)
goodbye for now for now from this mzungu 'white people'
with love from Kenya
the needs of people, the wants, the emotions, the friendships, the desire for love, hope and compassion
but it is amazing how differently we live out our lives
I have been able to draw so many parallels between the triumphs and defeats of the people of Kenya and the people of Canada; we our proud of our countries, strive for positive change, want to share and learn from others to better ourselves and our communities, we have areas of segregation and anger, we have youth who have negative experiences with traditional education and on wards. Yet, Kenya has opened my eyes to how our countries are in different stages of development and so very different..
Myself, Sam-antha, Sebastien (said with a french accent) and Conor have settled in the community of riverside, in the Baba Dogo slums, Kenya. This is an apartment community which would be considered one of the better off areas. Surrounding us is Kariobangi which borders us, Mathare also borders us and is home to approximately 500,000 people. With the work we do we will be traveling into all of these areas.
Education for Life's 2 offices are found in Kariobangi. They are a 20 minute walk down the main road and are on the 3rd story of a building shared with a VERY wide variety of companies, shops, and even a school, all in the midst of what seems to be a high concentration of welders *who weld with no or little protective equipment and send sparks flying into the path of passer byes*. Mathare looks like it goes on forever, it is a sight I never quite imagined.
One of the first questions we were asked by George, the organizer of Education for Life, was 'what did you think Kenya would be like?' and I don't think I ever had one clear vision of what Kenya would be like. I saw it as a diverse land of green open areas where there was beauty and freedom to roam, but lacking opportunities. In Nairobi I saw a booming area of prosperity which many people desired but few attained. In the slums I saw a slow life, with few possessions and little opportunity. My view of Kenya was shaped by movies, books, the internet and discussions. I think these things together created a fairly accurate depiction of the Kenya which I have thus far got to know. What is changing about my view of Kenya are these stories and teachings are coming to life before my eyes. I have to understand their ways, their reasons, the structure, how I fit it and where change must come and where change is already in progress.
I have already learned a lot from the short period of time I have been here. Most of this knowledge has been from observation or from my fellow co-workers at EFL. I would like to share with you some insights which I thought were very valuable (just a small hand full of all I have learned):
1. Child Laybour: trying to define child laybour in the slums of Kenya is no simplistic task. But it is rather interesting. To increase meaningful and productive young lives it is important to draw the line between work and laybour. When there is such a need for money, and where school (secondary) can be an added cost to a family it is not unusual for families to keep children out of school and put them to work instead. The definition for child laybour that is being formed is that when work takes away from a child's learning or opportunity to be a child.
2. The reality for persons with disabilities: I am sure that what I have read about online about persons with disabilities being hidden from the public, tied up, shunned and sent away to institutions is the reality of the area (although I have yet to see this with my own eyes). The amazing thing is that I have been connected to a group of parents who have children with disabilities have formed a support network together. I will be working with them so that they can understand their children's needs and how to facilitate holistic wellness with their children. I am happy to see a group of parents showing interest in bettering the lives of their disabled children. * I will be working with 3-4 different organizations, providing physical therapy to persons with disabilities - with this particular group I seem to be the only one providing this service).
3. Involving the Parents: involving the parents in the education of youth is big on the agenda of EFL and I think this is a great thing that is not often looked into. They are working towards facilitating active involvement of the parents in their youths education. This is currently no existent and because of this their is a lack of support and inspiration spread from the parents to the youth. I agree and believe that is important that not only are the youth inspired by their elders so that they can have the inspirational support network they need.
4. Empowerment: The focus of primary and secondary schools in Kenya are the basics of math, science and english.For EFL this is not enough and with their school programing (which all of us will be involved in *primarily sebastien) they strive primarily to inspire the youth to work hard achieve their dreams and break the mold. In their sessions they speak about real life. I am a huge believer that education will not go far without empowerment and I am so glad that EFL beliefs are in line with mine so well on this topic.
While I continue to learn lots I think I am continually struggling with a ying yang war between a head full of bad and a world full of good in many instances of life here in Kenya. While I know that neither will ever triumph over the other, a balance must be achieved. It is hard to trust people enough to make good friendships and connections with people outside of EFL and while I want to open up and befriend people here it is also very necessary to have a very watchful eye (for instance in some areas for work with delinquent youth in a Very low income area we have been advised to not carry anything, even of modest value with us). I want to give to the children and believe that they will respect what the share with us, but from experience we know that this relationship does not always work as we would have hoped as these children so desperately want the things we bring with us.
but for now this must be goodbye. I hope this small view into the lives of the people of the Kenya slums and the future ahead of them was helpful for you and you are excited to see my journey begining.
Again thank you for tuning in :)
goodbye for now for now from this mzungu 'white people'
with love from Kenya
Sunday, May 1, 2011
steps
is this an end or a new beginning?
I have most definitely reaching a new landmark on this journey of mine, and thus I would like to take this opportunity to do a quick recap on what has been and how I got myself to this spot.
I am impulsive, I like to dive into things (with some logic and a lot of heart) and make action happen. Thus when I applied to be in the Beyond Borders program I was doing just that... DIVING IN, again with some logic and a lot of heart. I still have no clue what part of my interview made our program director decided to accept my application. Was it my previous travel experience? My interest in helping others? My interest in working with people with disabilities and making prosthetics? I am not sure I will ever know, but I would like to think that she saw a glimpse of great potential for positive change within myself that would benefit from some direction. When I look at the other members of the program I see great diversity among us but perhaps that thread that ties us all together is the interest in developing our natural gifts and selves so that we can better serve others.
One of my fellow students once asked me (for a video he was putting together) what were three words I would use to describe the Beyond Borders program, and I think I came up with something like this...
- Connections
- Insight
- A-breath-of-fresh-air (I know not quite one word)
... looking back I might also say.... A-lot-o-hurdles (one word)
This program really has been a lot of things to myself. It's focus started on the issues of the past and some present around us in the world. While these things were complicated they were also for the most part historical fact (although in some cases intertwined with bias) and thus were easily tangible. As we continued to read through the course material, lead presentations and discuss what we had read we began to see gaps and areas of improvement both locally and abroad. These gaps seemed often vast and solutions were less tangible and hard to fathom. Following, we saw the development of red tape, not so much in the bureaucratic sense but rather red tape created by cultural norms, varying opinions, values ect. Will there ever be a solution that is acceptable to all and effective? That is hard to say, but what most people strive to find when attempting to make change.
I began to understand the world around me and value not only the 'doing' and act of making action but the value of learning and understanding the process and letting your understandings and your formation of solutions naturally evolve from the world around you. I can't deny the fact that I really do not enjoy reading about things... but I have seen its value and will strive to involve it continually in my learning process.
While this stage (which was pretty much our first term) was interesting I have a very hard time committing to it and immersing myself in it... although I knew the placement abroad which I wanted so much was riding on my mark from this course. There were a couple road blocks in my way in this stage of my journey. Firstly, was my self induced stress and lack of time. This passed fall term myself and a couple other students from uWaterloo started up a club, Right to Play, where I became the lead, during this same period of time I was working a full time job and volunteering as a coach with Special Olympics. Being busy seems to be my nature but mid way through this term I was quite aware I had overexerted myself. In the span of about 10 days I was overseeing/running Think Pink activities, the lead organizer on a fundraiser for RTP and assisting in our Beyond Borders Music for a Mission night. E GAD. I had taken on a lot of responsibilities and was in deeper than I had been for a long time. The other reason that I had a hard time committing myself to the first term of Beyond Borders class was that I didn't want to risk investing myself in a cause that I might never get to experience. I really don't fully understand my reasons for this but I think I just didn't want to get my heart broken if it didn't work out.
The second term was a term of experience and more self discovery. We spent out time volunteering and blogging primarily with some group discussions here and there. Our volunteer placements were at the working center (a place I have grown to absolutely love and respect) in various areas. I was stationed at the Queen St. Common's Cafe. I can see reasoning behind the inclusion of a local volunteer aspect of the portion: learning about stepping outside of our comfort zone.. and the now famous phrase 'getting comfortable with being uncomfortable'. I think one of the things that really sticks with me about my time with the working center is the new prospective I was given from my time there. What do you think about when you think of Kitchener? I think a lot of people, especially those who were raised in Waterloo, see Kitchener as a run down and slimy. While some of this may be due to town rivalry but i think a lot of this stems from the fact that there are a lot of people who are begging on the streets. I saw that as a bad thing as I am sure a lot of other people did... but from my volunteer time with the working center I saw this situation in a totally different way. These people are in Kitchener because they have people in Kitchener who see them as people and open their doors to them and thats a beautiful thing. I think its interesting how we judge who is deserving of love and appreciation and who is not. I started thinking about this more to while at the working center and talking to my Beyond Borders friends about my experiences and theirs. Just because people may have mad some wrong choices, been taken down the wrong path or had unfair road blocks or experiences thrust into their life doesn't make them less worthy of love and appreciation. Our worries and insecurities should not keep us from reaching out to others who are different than us.
After all, as they say in Kenya "mtu ni watu" (a person is people)
I am very in tune with my emotions and accepting and understanding of them, however looking ahead the thing that worries me most is how my low moments will be interpreted by others. I hope that like I try to be, others will understand that I have my imperfections and that makes me no less of a person.
-------------------------
on another note
-------------------------
with the help of LOTS OF AMAZING people I have not only raised the $2000.00 to the Beyond Borders program I needed to go on this international placement but I have raise an additional $1400.00 !
I am VERY proud of everyone who made a contribution and happy to say your money will go towards great things for people who are in great need.
With this additional money I have been able to purchase a bunch of sporting equipment (jerseys, balls, pumps, pillions, goalie gloves) and equipment for the rehab clinic I will be volunteering at (braces, bandages, gauze, assistive devices, tensor bandages, resistance bands). I also have received a huge pile of shoes, some rugby balls and jerseys and shirts from special olympics. I also still have $300 which I will be using where I see fit while in Kenya. I really hope that we find a great way to use these materials fairly and in a way that is as sustainable as possible.
---------------------------
on another note
---------------------------
The one thing that I am still most worried about is how I will act to the ill treatment of people who I will grow to care about or even to people that I don't know at all. As I felt before I feel as though my approach will be to empower those who are being dis-empowered to the best of my abilities rather than confront the people who are dis-empowering these persons. There will be lots of updates on this topic to come.
Flying out in 2 days :)
Cannot wait to experience the world.
See you soon Kenya
- Connections
- Insight
- A-breath-of-fresh-air (I know not quite one word)
... looking back I might also say.... A-lot-o-hurdles (one word)
This program really has been a lot of things to myself. It's focus started on the issues of the past and some present around us in the world. While these things were complicated they were also for the most part historical fact (although in some cases intertwined with bias) and thus were easily tangible. As we continued to read through the course material, lead presentations and discuss what we had read we began to see gaps and areas of improvement both locally and abroad. These gaps seemed often vast and solutions were less tangible and hard to fathom. Following, we saw the development of red tape, not so much in the bureaucratic sense but rather red tape created by cultural norms, varying opinions, values ect. Will there ever be a solution that is acceptable to all and effective? That is hard to say, but what most people strive to find when attempting to make change.
I began to understand the world around me and value not only the 'doing' and act of making action but the value of learning and understanding the process and letting your understandings and your formation of solutions naturally evolve from the world around you. I can't deny the fact that I really do not enjoy reading about things... but I have seen its value and will strive to involve it continually in my learning process.
While this stage (which was pretty much our first term) was interesting I have a very hard time committing to it and immersing myself in it... although I knew the placement abroad which I wanted so much was riding on my mark from this course. There were a couple road blocks in my way in this stage of my journey. Firstly, was my self induced stress and lack of time. This passed fall term myself and a couple other students from uWaterloo started up a club, Right to Play, where I became the lead, during this same period of time I was working a full time job and volunteering as a coach with Special Olympics. Being busy seems to be my nature but mid way through this term I was quite aware I had overexerted myself. In the span of about 10 days I was overseeing/running Think Pink activities, the lead organizer on a fundraiser for RTP and assisting in our Beyond Borders Music for a Mission night. E GAD. I had taken on a lot of responsibilities and was in deeper than I had been for a long time. The other reason that I had a hard time committing myself to the first term of Beyond Borders class was that I didn't want to risk investing myself in a cause that I might never get to experience. I really don't fully understand my reasons for this but I think I just didn't want to get my heart broken if it didn't work out.
The second term was a term of experience and more self discovery. We spent out time volunteering and blogging primarily with some group discussions here and there. Our volunteer placements were at the working center (a place I have grown to absolutely love and respect) in various areas. I was stationed at the Queen St. Common's Cafe. I can see reasoning behind the inclusion of a local volunteer aspect of the portion: learning about stepping outside of our comfort zone.. and the now famous phrase 'getting comfortable with being uncomfortable'. I think one of the things that really sticks with me about my time with the working center is the new prospective I was given from my time there. What do you think about when you think of Kitchener? I think a lot of people, especially those who were raised in Waterloo, see Kitchener as a run down and slimy. While some of this may be due to town rivalry but i think a lot of this stems from the fact that there are a lot of people who are begging on the streets. I saw that as a bad thing as I am sure a lot of other people did... but from my volunteer time with the working center I saw this situation in a totally different way. These people are in Kitchener because they have people in Kitchener who see them as people and open their doors to them and thats a beautiful thing. I think its interesting how we judge who is deserving of love and appreciation and who is not. I started thinking about this more to while at the working center and talking to my Beyond Borders friends about my experiences and theirs. Just because people may have mad some wrong choices, been taken down the wrong path or had unfair road blocks or experiences thrust into their life doesn't make them less worthy of love and appreciation. Our worries and insecurities should not keep us from reaching out to others who are different than us.
After all, as they say in Kenya "mtu ni watu" (a person is people)
I am very in tune with my emotions and accepting and understanding of them, however looking ahead the thing that worries me most is how my low moments will be interpreted by others. I hope that like I try to be, others will understand that I have my imperfections and that makes me no less of a person.
-------------------------
on another note
-------------------------
with the help of LOTS OF AMAZING people I have not only raised the $2000.00 to the Beyond Borders program I needed to go on this international placement but I have raise an additional $1400.00 !
I am VERY proud of everyone who made a contribution and happy to say your money will go towards great things for people who are in great need.
With this additional money I have been able to purchase a bunch of sporting equipment (jerseys, balls, pumps, pillions, goalie gloves) and equipment for the rehab clinic I will be volunteering at (braces, bandages, gauze, assistive devices, tensor bandages, resistance bands). I also have received a huge pile of shoes, some rugby balls and jerseys and shirts from special olympics. I also still have $300 which I will be using where I see fit while in Kenya. I really hope that we find a great way to use these materials fairly and in a way that is as sustainable as possible.
---------------------------
on another note
---------------------------
The one thing that I am still most worried about is how I will act to the ill treatment of people who I will grow to care about or even to people that I don't know at all. As I felt before I feel as though my approach will be to empower those who are being dis-empowered to the best of my abilities rather than confront the people who are dis-empowering these persons. There will be lots of updates on this topic to come.
Flying out in 2 days :)
Cannot wait to experience the world.
See you soon Kenya
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