Mission Accomplished

So on the final day of our journey to Kenya we were in Nairobi and went to the Copy Cat, the store where we would purchase the copy machine that we had rasied funds for. It was exciting because after being at the Children's Village for over a week and seeing what they are doing, the need for a good copy machine....Always a school necessity.....was even more apparent. Please note that Kara's dolls, George and Zanobia, are now attired in Kente clothing which the girls had made when they finished with their dolls.

Our final few days at the Children's Village were filled with some tree planting/buying..... with dirt road cowboy rides from nursery to nursery..in the rain and mud..... but success was granted us in the form of 20 avocado trees. These will be planted after our departure as Sunday is a day of rest and no planting can take place.



I was able to work with the Class 1 and 2 girls (73 in total) to plant approximately 30 of the 44 mosquito repelling plants along fences at the St Clare School for girls. We had arrived after 10AM Saturday and therefore got a late start... I had yet to meet these children so started with a reading of the book, Wangari's Trees of Peace. And then asked them what they knew about the importance of trees. Spot on answers... two of our doll making girls came along and assisted me in getting these kids ready for planting... we had no tools.... so got some sticks from branches that had recently been cut .... for digging .... and somewhere in the next 20 minutes Caren and Mary rounded up about 15 machetes that the girls used to dig in the tough tamped down soil.... at home this would have been HUGE no-no but these children are quite used to working with these for the specific job of digging. Sometimes you just have to let go of your western ideas of how things should be.....

Anyway by the time we got these first 30 in the ground...it was way past lunch time and I was still hoping to get to the boys school to get theirs started as well... But when I got there all the boys were in clean up mode... they have Boys Mass on Saturday at 4 so there could be no planting with them that day.

Our mini safari plans had been changed and altered quite a few times but now it seemed we would do a day trip to Samburu National Reserve which was quite close to where we were staying. We awoke at 4:30AM Monday and got to Isiolo around 6AM to meet up with our guide and safari truck....


Father Riwa had been assigned in this area about 20 years ago and had started a school along with his ministry. This was the acacia-tree savanna area... true desert... where the Samburu tribe lived. They like almost 70% of Kenyans are pastoralists, tribes that move with their animals across large swaths of land....The river that runs thru this park, Ewaso Ngiro River, is a sacred river to the Samburu tribe as it runs year round thru the desert and gives life to plants, animals and man. This tribe like the more familiar Maasai to whom they are related, drink milk from the goats, cows or camels they herd and the blood taken from the jugular. A number of students at the Children's Village are Samburu, their families having maintained a relationship with Fr. Riwa and understanding the need for a different future for their children.





We were treated to overcast skies which kept us cool, very few others in the park and up close and very personal looks at the residents: olive baboons, endangered Grevy's zebras, Gerenuks (a small type of gazelle that eat leaves while standing on their back legs) Reticulated giraffes (pls note the red billed oxpecker on his head), Beisa oryx, Somali ostrich, warthogs, Helmeted Guineafowl and a dramatic red and yellow Barbet among other animals.



My thanks to all of you followers and supporters ... we were so happy to be able to purchase the copier for them with the assistance of so many folks.... we have many ideas on what we would like to do next and will keep you all informed. Very transformational trip on SO many levels.

Let me end with a few fantastic African sky photos.....

Planting at the Children's Village

Today we picked up 88 tree saplings to plant at both St Clare School for Girls and St Francis School for Boys. Kara and I had been working exclusively at the girls school the first 5 days, while our friend Harold, a clinical child psychologist, had been working at the boys school with some of the students who seem to have the most trauma issues. Since Wednesday we are spending more time with the boys and I had a great introduction to the class 7 students who have just been promoted to class 8. (grade 7 or 8). These children are tested in many subjects each month, and if they pass at 90% or more they may move up to the next level if they have completed enough of the course work. Talk about testing .....

Anyway I did the name game with the class and then we talked about planting pumpkins, remember it is spring here and the rains will be coming. They knew a lot about pumpkins and more about what plants need to thrive. I told them that Fr. Riwa wanted them to plant an acre of pumpkins ( when he says pumpkins he actually means gourds and squash of many kinds). Then we talked about how big an acre is (and I had to translate in my mind from feet to meters) and the boys figured out how many mounds they would have to make if they were the correct distance apart. They were very excited and since it was after dark they told me they would start first thing in the morning. (Since this is school, home, church and family, students have class starting at 6AM....... with a long lunch and play break of 2 hours in the afternoon... then a time of cleaning and more classes after dinner at nite)

The next day, (Thursday) I did not get to St Francis until about 1:30PM... they were still working in the 1 acre field and had many mounds already made, evenly spaced .. with all of them working at some aspect of it ... breaking up the clods, hoeing and heaping soil into mounds or bringing the fertilizer to the mounds. There was NO adult supervision... they were just working on their project themselves and doing a very good job ... very impressive.



Today when we came with the mosquito repellent trees, they had more than 1/2 of the mounds made and someone had become the engineer with a string line and stakes as others laid out the mounds so they would be straight.

The mosquito repellent trees.. (no names that anyone knows OR even if it works, but there is a man who no longer uses mosquito netting where we are staying and he swears its due to this plant... we shall see.. if so, Fr Riwa wants to start a nursery and give them to the villagers... ) These will be planted by the first grade students at both schools since Ms. Sullivan's class donated $$ for plants and Fr. Riwa wants to honor those children by having his first graders do the planting ...

We are leaving Sunday afternoon for our small safari... Fr. Riwa is taking us to Masai Mara ...

not sure if I will be able to do another post... so this may be it for now ....

Actually under another tree today at the boys school.

Mango Cyber World

Well it seems as tho the only place that I can actually get internet to work with my computer and the Safari.com sim card is right here under the Mango tree that I mentioned the other day.. Who knew that this would be the ONLY place that I could easily do my blog .. but again this morning there is a lovely breeze and of course terrific shade....This picture shows the jeep which we are transported everywhere in to the left and then Kara and Fredericka, a Swahilli teacher from Tanzania, under the mango tree. To the right is the building that is the church, where we have attended 2 masses since Sunday. Further to the right and taller is the girls school buidling where we have been teaching.. so all is quite contained here in the girls school, known as St. Clare School for Girls.




Kara and I have worked on making dolls with the students from Form 1, which is equivalent to freshman year, or first year in high school. These girls have been at the school the longest, since 2004. We had the most amazing time with them working on the dolls for so many days... and on Tuesday they finished the dolls and the clothing










This last one is from when I reached the top of the HILL .. .when I thought I would die.... it was a hike up the 'hill' behind the school... and of course they know nothing of switchbacks... and they climb, the girls actually running, straight UP the steep hill.... I was panting ... having difficulty breathing and then it dawned on me... the elevation... its like being in Denver.... its 5,000 feet above sea level and it was our 2nd day here in Meru.... it did not make the rest of the climb any easier, but at least I knew it was not that I was not in shape.... certainly I am not 12-13 as these girls were, but it was about the elevation . We climbed to the top where they had put a water tower ( cistern) to capture rain water for the villagers...











Views were spectacular..... and then we had a fantastic sunset as we stolled back down to the school.

Under the Mango Tree

So after many starts and stops I finally have wifi in the yard of the girls school at the Children's Village in Meru, Kenya. I am sitting under a very mature mango tree which gives terrific shade and assists in keeping breezes, which are cool this AM, blowing around me. There are quite a few yellow dragonflies that are hawking around the area and I am surrounded by small hills that vary in elevation.. some 500-1500 feet about me.. but Meru is at an elevation of 1800 meters (approx 5,000'--so think Denver but without the majestic Rockies.. more rolling treed hills... and Mt. Kenya, all 17,000+ ft of her is invisible from here... mostly due to the smoky haze that normally clouds the air. It is not far from here, but you would not know it. There are small fires burning most days as new agricultural land--small plots really--are cleared of vegetation...not so good for the environment and there are plenty of goats around that could do the clearing easier, but that is not what is happening. We had rain on Sunday nite and so it marks the beginning of one of the 2 rainy seasons... so folks are clearing and planting now as spring approaches.


First impressions...beautiful... green...deep green, light green, lemon green, reddish brown soil..
more red than brown... think siena....... smiles and friendly faces everywhere. Openness,
acceptance, love... omg love and non-judgementalness






These children are amazing. Kara and I have worked with the 14-15 year old girls for a total of about 10 hours over the past 3 days .... designing and making dolls... the process is simple but time consuming and they are ever focused... willing to work hard and always getting right down to it.. Their English is good, although more England English than American, so we have to explain certain words and phrases...and their pronounciation is at times tricky for us to understand but when we both speak slowly and clearly we comprehend one another very well.... their willingness and happiness to work at this is inspiring.



Yesterday after working with them from 10:30AM til 1:30.. it was time for their lunch... usually a 1 hour eating and recess time... they were ALL back within 15 minutes!! because they so want to do the work of making this doll. Kara and I then walked to the Boys School, which is just down the road about a 1/2 mile or so to have our lunch and then came back by 3:30... they were still working.... with no supervision....so dedicated students, yes... hard working and smart... yes.... these are high school students devoid of attitude and snarkiness... willing to help one another and very generous with their classmates. It has been a joy..

So much more to say, but I have abandoned Kara and the students and must go back ... more later now that I am connected
again to the world....

Amazing, fantastic and peaceful in a way I have not experienced in many places .....Click on any photo for a larger look..

Crafty Kids Fundraiser

So October 9th came and altho only 6 people said they were coming according to the Evite, and I was thinking OMG how will this go. But we actually did what we set out to do and raised some $$$ for the Crafty Kids kickoff for The Children's Village in Meru, Kenya. Kara Lesondak, initiator of Crafty Kids, the non-profit arm of her online doll making business, was also holding her fundraiser in NYC at the same time. (really!!) ...




Here in Oakland we Silent Auctioned off 5 of Kara's incredibly creative dolls..George the biggest hit of the day...and some animals... a crab, raccoon and beaver.. and copies of Wangari's Trees of Peace. All told for the 3 hours $1150.00... so along with the checks/cash I have gotten from colleagues over the past few days.... grand total Oakland.... $1445.00 towards the copier that the orphanage needs.... This does not include any funds donated online... so we are getting confident that we will be able to get the copier..

If you have not donated and would like to, here is the link... http://www.lindieandfriends.com/home.html

just click on Crafty Kids and you can donate there. Even $5 is more than helpful...

Thanks to all of you who have already made a contribution. Oh and Jaime, my daugher, reminded me that those in the corporate world should at least ASK if they have matching funds ( something those of us in education are aware of, but astounded by..)



We are leaving this Wednesday (tomorrow!!!) for a 2 week jaunt to the Children's Village, an AIDS orphanage in Meru, Kenya that was begun in 1999 by Fr. Riwa.