Crazy Beautiful

This week has been quite nice so far. Very productive while also allowing for time to relax. Since last time I posted I have got underway with some big things at Faraja (more on this later) and have got a chance to meet some really lovely people. I was lucky enough to sit down with Omari (Moraa's son), as well as Ian (our awesome Kenyan volunteer) Simon (one of Liana's associates with LEI) and Liana as well to discuss some of our goals at Faraja and it was such a rewarding experience. All of these people are so intelligent and   are all really great resources for Faraja. Just sitting and listening to their thoughts on Kenya and the home and movies and anything you can imagine is something I could do tirelessly.

Aside from Faraja work this week has been pretty plain, but the nice kind of plain where you don't feel like anything is missing. That is one of the things I love most about this place; I never feel that I am lacking. All it takes for me to feel refreshed around here is just one step out of the door way and I am filled with wonder and curiosity.

The weather has been chilly and dull this week and I am enjoying being able to sit outside with a hot cup of coffee and just enjoy the company I am in. Speaking of great company, I was invited to Simon's house for dinner this evening along with Liana and Andy and it was beautiful! Having only just met Simon a few days ago I was not quite sure what to expect, but I am trying hard to live up to my goal of being a more social person, so I accepted. We took a bus to his home in a part of Nairobi I have never seen before and as soon as his wife opened to door to welcome us we were surrounded by the smell of the delicious meal she was preparing. While she continued cooking I was introduced to his precious daughter and twin baby boys, and we talked about Faraja and about some differences in America and Kenya.

Once dinner was ready Grace placed everything on the table and told us to help ourselves. My mouth quickly started watering when I realized that she had prepared one of my absolute favorite Kenyan meals: chapati and lentils. Needless to say the rumors of Grace's phenomenal cooking did not disappoint. The evening was very nice and I think it was a really lovely representation of Kenyan hospitality. To make things better I will be going camping with all of my roommates at a campsite that Simon owns tomorrow evening as a last hoorah before Liana and Andy head back home to the western world.

Unrelatedly, on our way to the Bomas of Kenya the other day we had to walk through a troop of baboons. They were just moseying across the road obviously indifferent to our presence. Ana and I were slightly concerned but we hurried through them and walked into the gates before being greeted by a couple of warthogs which lackadaisically crossed our path... these are the kinds of things that are not so out of the ordinary here in Kenya that makes me love it so much.

Alright, I know this post has been sporadic but I am tired so please do forgive me. Time for rest, I feel I am in for a long day tomorrow!!

x

Week One

Work week one is all finished. It has been so good to spend some time with the kids again. Starting on Monday morning I returned to work to find Faraja doing very well and since then I have been working to help keep it that way. 

Kepha in his school uniform

Right now the other mzungu volunteers at Faraja come from an organization called Longonot Education Initiative. Liana (who I am working with) is actually the co-founder of the organization and hopefully I will also meet Ben (the other co-founder) before my time in Kenya is up. LEI has a mission of developing sustainable education opportunities for kids in Kenya. I really like this group because they take a very holistic approach to education, meaning they understand that if a child is going to bed hungry each night then his studies will be lacking. Since LEI has come into Faraja's world a lot of change has been made for the better. If anyone is interested in making donations through LEI I have seen first hand the care they go through to make sure the money is put to the best possible product and I have no qualms endorsing their cause. **

This week Liana and Andy decided they wanted to work on the aesthetic side of Faraja. Since they will be leaving at the end of next week they gifted Faraja with some new plants and vases for the property. For most of the week we have been working on making a nice flower bed for the home. We also had to move some piles of rocks so we can hopefully fill in the low lying areas of the ground with soil soon. All in all, this week consisted of a lot of manual labor. 

Little Helper

While working on the yard I have been privileged to watch the children play. Their happiness with the simplest of toys (read: sticks and ropes) will never cease to amaze me. When we were moving rocks from the front yard the toddlers ran to help us by grabbing rocks that weighed nearly as much as themselves and wandering around the yard with them. Even though they were completely unorganizing our piles we couldn't be mad as they tottered around the yard top-heavy trying to be helpful.  The home has a lot of work to be done, as it always will, but I am excited to implement some new projects in the upcoming months to help out while I can. 

Toys the boys made from clay

I know this is just a short update, but it is nearly 11pm here and that is staying up way past my bedtime. I am so tired my eyes are crossing and I need rest. I hope everyone has a pleasant weekend!

Laleni Salama

**For any donations made through LEI please include a note in the comments section saying you would like your donations to go towards Faraja!! Thanks. 

Red White and Blue Fun

Fourth of July festivities at Que Pasa in Karen

Return to Faraja

Day one at Faraja is complete! It was really great to see how much has changed since I left, and to be frank just about everything has.

Since my departure last April Faraja has acquired new land for the time being (meaning it is rented). The land they are on now is so much bigger than before. They have room for quite an extensive garden which has been planted, but recently flooded. Also they home they are living in is enough to give a couple of rooms each for boys and girls. They have a kitchen and a living room and even the beginnings of an office. Faraja now supports 2 full grown cows and one calf, as well as 3 goats for milking. The new home is located directly behind the school that the children attend which is nice because they don't have such a long walk to and from school. This is much safer for the children.

Moraa often tell me that she "gives birth" at least once a year and with that declaration comes the addition of many new faces to Faraja. There are at least 4-5 kids I do not yet. The only new addition that I really got to know yesterday is a young girl named Christine who is just 16 months old and has taken the place of Kepha as the "baby" (or mtoto in Swahili) of the house. Christine came to Moraa in October of last year when her family abandoned her. She crawls around the house being "helpful" and asking for more sugar in her chai in the most adorable manner ever. The rest of the kids seem to be happy and about as healthy as they get and I can't wait to spend more time with everyone.

For those of you who read my blog last year, you will certainly remember Kepha. If you can believe it now; he is all grown up and in school. Yesterday I saw some of the boys walking home with him and when I called his name he ran up to me and I gave him the biggest hug. He is so precious in his school uniform and seems so happy to be studying. I have said it time and time again and I will stand by it: that kid is far smarter than his age. He also is speaking minimal english and I laughed with joy every time he would answer my questions during lunch.

While there is plenty of good things to say about the transformation Faraja has undergone, there is also many things that need to be fixed. Recently the orphanage had 325 chickens that they depended on for eggs to sell as in income to the home. Over the weekend every single one died from a cause we have yet to discover. this was a huge loss to the home and one that we are struggling to make up. I have suggested we start a rabbit project in the months that I am here. We've all heard the expression...we know rabbits breed quite quickly and according to Moraa a single rabbit can sell for up to 2,000 Ksh in the market and if all works out well this could be a good project for the orphanage to run. As with any project there are many things to consider before things get underway, and funds are still a bit short for such a project, but with any luck maybe this is something that could be implemented into Faraja.



A few separate things to note; I weighed myself on the second day I was here. I am 105 starting so for those of you who have been hearing of my hope to gain weight in Kenya we will see how that goes.

Also... it is freezing here. I did not pack near enough warm clothes. Each morning until about noon it is between 50-60 degrees and very overcast. I have had to buy a new zipup jacket and socks at the market to stay warm. It is so nice to be able to sit outside and enjoy a cup of hot chocolate. I definitely couldn't be happier with this weather!

I believe I may go to Outreach this weekend so if you don't here from me for a while that will be why. Hope everyone has a very festive 4th of July!!

xx

Happy To Be Back

    I have been in Kenya for about two days now and thus far everything has gone swimmingly. I honestly don't have a whole lot to say at the moment, so please excuse the short post. At the airport I met up with two other volunteers who went to school together in the US and  will be staying in Massailand for the next month. Jordan, Mike, and I all ended up coming to Ngong from the airport because the volunteer house in Nairobi was full. That is really nice for me beacuse it means I won't have to move again after orientation.
On Saturday the three of us went to lunch at Junction and walked around Nairobi. We didn't have any big plans, we really just spent the day checking the area out and hanging out. Mike and Jordan are a lot of fun and I am happy that I had them to spend the last couple days with.

    We have done pretty much the exact same thing today, to be honest, but tomorrow that all changes. We have orientation at 8am and from there Jordan and Mike will head to Massailand and we will all meet the rest of the volunteers. I am excited to meet some new people and get back to Faraja.

    Again, I reiterate, really not much to report at the time, but I can assure you that once I get back to working and into a schedule of things I will be full up on blog posts.


xx

One Week To Go

    Seven long days, 8,800 miles, and about 18 hours worth of trying to sit still in my plane seat are all that is separating me from my own personal paradise. One week from now I will be sitting in the volunteer house with a highly anticipated cup of chai and I simply could not be more excited.

    In the last two months I was so lucky to be able to receive so many donations. I have packed two bags absolutely full with the things that you all have given me. I mentioned in my previous post that I wanted to provide the orphanage with some first-aid supplies, I asked for donations and you all came through brilliantly. Faraja should have enough band-aids to outlast the zombie apocalypse and then some. I have also packed a few clothes, as well as blankets and some school supplies for the children to use.

    Cash donations from friends and family have been generous and I am lucky to know people with such giving hearts, so far I have collected just over $1,000 to give to Moraa upon my return to Faraja Children's Home. Cash donations can be used for so many important things once Moraa is able to asses the immediate needs of the home.

    So, I digress, one week till I am back in Kenya. I am excited, and somehow so much more nervous that I was with my first visit. In some ways, knowing what to expect makes me more anxious. Will Faraja have the same children? Will they remember me? Will Ngong be just like I left it? Am I packing enough shorts... and what about enough long sleeve shirts? Knowing that the children's home has moved locations adds a whole new set of confusion, a new Faraja to get used to will be odd. Ultimately though it the kind of anxious I wouldn't trade for the world.

    In the next two months I hope to focus a lot less on anything happening on the western hemisphere and live my time in Africa to the fullest. I have been saying for years that I wished I was more outgoing when meeting new people and more social; I can't imagine a better time than now. I hope to challenge myself in being better company and enjoying a culture that is not at all my own, and Lord knows there is not a group of people I could be more fortunate to spend my time with.

I imagine my next post will be from a cyber somewhere in the suburbs of Nairobi, so until then I want to give one more big Thank You! to everyone who donated to Faraja, I ensure that your contribution will be very much appreciate by Moraa and her kids.

Asante sana!!
Portia

Round 2

As I am gearing up for Round 2 of my Kenyan adventures I would like to take a moment to ask for your help. I have been making small talk of needing some donations, but now the time is here. I was lucky enough to be granted two extra checked bags at no additional charge and I would like to use them to bring some things to Moraa and her children. I am hoping to bring a well stocked first-aid kit to the orphanage for them to keep on hand. With thirty rumbustious kids running around accidents are bound to happen and keeping wounds clean is a challenge.  Below you will find a list of items that I, along with Moraa, as well and both previous and current volunteers are requesting for Faraja Children's Home.

• Band-aids (all shapes and sizes)
• Anti-septic wipes
• Antibiotic ointment
• Hydrocortizone cream
• Ace-style Bandages
• Eye drops
• Tweezers
• Gauze pads
• Surgical gloves
• Feminine pads
• Medical tape
• Wash cloths
• Ibuprofen

While I am very excited about the opportunity to bring donations to Moraa from the US, I am however disheartened to say that space is very limited. I can only pack so much into my two bags and the orphanage needs so much more. If anyone would be willing to donate money itself please let me know. Cash, while not the easiest, is always the most valuable donations we can receive. Cash does not take up space in my luggage and will be more valuable once in the Kenyan economy. I know it's a taboo to ask for any kind of money, however the smallest dollar you are able to spare can work wonders.

I would also like to provide a few decent meals (meat and vegetables) for the children while I am there. If anyone would like to sponsor a meal give me a shout!

I want to reiterate, my space is limited if you think you can make a donation please let me know if advance!
817-262-7992

Thank you so very much!

-Portia