It is official. I have settled into Kenya and I actually have a life, a comfortable routine and a sense of home in this foreign place. It has taken me a few weeks, but in that short amount of time I have learned such an incredible amount. I have learned about the culture of a new and completely different world. I have learned the power of compassion. I have also learned the ability for positivity to overcome adversity. Kenya is a place of highs and lows. From the pinnacle of Mt. Kenya, to the bottom of the Great Rift Valley, the landscape of Kenya could not fit the country any more perfectly. Kenya is called “mini Africa” because it encompasses so much of all of the different regions of Africa in one place. The rainforest and jungle, the desert, the beaches, the plains, the tribes, the cities, the poverty, the political unrest, the unity, the culture, the triumph… it can all be found in Kenya. I hate to sound like a travel agent advertising Kenya because that is not what I am trying to do, but to be honest it’s hard to not advertise this place. At the same time it is that evident division of high and low that makes Kenya such a difficult place to live. I have been told by locals, both educated and uneducated, rich and poor (and experienced it myself) that Kenya is thought of in the Western world as stable and safe is because it has those highs; the areas of tremendous wealth, the spots of the country that have the highest education systems in Africa and the relative political stability. But the reality of the situation is that despite those highs, Kenya has some of the lowest lows in Africa as well. These tend to be overlooked because of the areas of relative success, but they are there, let me assure you. The slums of Nairobi represent some of the worst poverty in Africa. There are tens of thousands of people that have been internally displaced. It is a refuge for people who have been forced to leave the surrounding countries, Somalia, Ethiopia, Uganda, Egypt, and The Democratic Republic of Congo, which has caused outside battles to spill into Kenyan territory. The education system is in shambles and despite some schools that provide incredible education, without a sponsorship from someone outside Kenya, the working man’s child can’t afford a good school and ends up at a makeshift establishment. It is more difficult to see people picking through the garbage to find things to sell in order to pay for their dinner in a garbage dump that is situated only a few feet away from a building where businessmen come and go making an upper class salary in any culture. It is the dichotomy, rich vs. poor which is a driving force of Kenya. Kanye West said it best (whether you like him or not he’s a musical genius) when he said “having money’s not everything… not having it is”. Those who do not have money are forced to live their lives in search of it, and in Kenya, especially in a place like Ngong, this poverty and its consequences are unmistakable. (I’m tempted to start a new paragraph here but am resisting the urge because I feel it is too relevant to the previous thoughts) ***A taxi driver told me (as I have traveled more and more I have realized that Taxi drivers are an incredible source of information… the credibility of which should never be tested… ruins the fun in my opinion) that 60% of Kenyans, taking into account the rural population etc., are unemployed. Can you imagine?! If an American city reached 10% it would be outlandish. That means, if you meet three men in Kenya, almost two of them are unemployed. As I write this, it seems even more ridiculous than when I planned on writing this. But truth be told, I believe it. I live in the city that anyone seeking a job moves to in order to find work and unless they are self-employed (sugar cane salesman, working in a market, working in a bus or a matatu etc.) most of the men do not have jobs and roam the streets looking for work. And that is only the men. It is an incredibly dismal situation. It is my basic understanding that it is even more difficult for women to find work. It is an exceedingly challenging dichotomy and an extraordinarily challenging environment to be in. Nairobi is a place that will make you laugh hysterically and make you cry in the same moment, even the same breath. You can look at something and it will make you smile, and you can take a second glance at the exact same situation and it will be heartbreaking. It is unexplainable, but I am doing my best to relay the message. I hope that you have some idea of what I am talking about and this once dark and mysterious place is not such a faraway world anymore. It is a different way of life, sure, but it is still mankind. As big as it is for me to be here and make a positive difference in Africa, I hope that I am making some sort of positive difference back home, and I hope that whoever stumbles upon this blog is learning as I am learning, because I think that is important as well.
On a lighter note, my next few weeks are going to be crazzzzzyyy!! This weekend I am leaving for safari! This has been the number one item on my bucketlist since I was in second grade. After this weekend I feel like I can die a happy person, regardless of what happens. But no, I’m not that excited. Then I have 2 more full weeks in Ngong. One weekend I am going to climb Mt. Kenya (Africa’s second highest mountain… mountain climbing, what!?) and the other I am going to soak up all that Nairobi has to offer. After that I am spending 2 weeks in Maasai Mara with the Maasai tribe. I will be living with zero electricity, zero running water, and zero anything modern while I teach English in the middle of nowhere, Kenya. Should be an experience! I will no longer be worried about thieves, instead I will worry about hyenas… And after that I am heading to Mombasa. A beach paradise with miserable slums right on the outskirts. I am looking forward to the relaxed life of the coast for a monthish, while either teaching or working in an orphanage again. I will be there for a month (or until my money runs out if it last longer) and then I will return to Nairobi and become a matatu conductor (or return home, if my 3 month visa happens to run out). I am so sad that my time in Ngong (and Africa for that matter) is flying by. I have finally found a routine and I am making progress in all my work. I have been working my butt off, even after I leave work for the day, to make sure that my impact is felt on the people that I came here to help. I have been drafting letters and sending them to organizations for Moraa and Faraja because Moraa is so busy tending to the basic needs of the kids, no one is even hearing their story, so it is impossible to even know that they need help. I have been posting on idealist.com and every charity organization that I can think of in order to make noise so that people start to realize that this place exists (if anyone has any ideas for charities, I would love to hear them). We have also been applying for volunteers all over the place and it finally feels as though the work is paying off. Both charities and volunteers are starting to respond and hopefully we will be able to get the ball rolling. My main goal is to set Moraa up with something sustainable so that when I leave, the benefits don’t leave with me. I feel that there is no success without successors. Your efforts should not stop with you in order to actually achieve greatness in anything. This project has taught me so much! I am more than willing to show up in the morning and wash dishes and clean and take care of Kefa in order to Moraa’s burden because I think that is remarkably important for both Moraa and I for me to do so, but I do think that I am better utilized in getting the word out about her organization. And if it takes me doing that on my own time, that’s fine with me. I came to Kenya to help. All of the travel and crazy stories are a luxury and I can do them on the weekends or at other times, but I genuinely want to help and it feels amazing to actually feel that something (however small) is happening because I am here. Even if it is only for a tiny group of people!
To touch on a related topic, I would like to also thank everyone for reaching out and offering to help Faraja! I was not expecting any response from people reading this, let alone the CRAZY amount of people that have been responding through bbm, text, facebook etc. so to be honest I didn’t set up a way for people to actually donate. Now that I know that there is a desire to help the needs of Faraja I am going to set up a paypal account on this blog and anyone who wants to donate can securely put the money into the paypal account and I will deliver it to Moraa personally (I hope that you all trust me enough to do that, I came to Africa to help these children, not steal nickels and dimes while I am here). If there is a more convenient or comfortable way for anyone who wants to donate to donate, please send me a facebook message and I will put in the extra effort, I promise. These kids will appreciate anything and I have made it my job to go out of my way to make sure that they are able to get those needs fulfilled, so please just let me know! Western Union is a very easy way for Moraa to pick up the money herself, so you could send me a message on facebook or email (Ben.hewitt3@gmail.com) and I could let her know that she needs to pick the money up. I know that Western Union isn’t the most convenient in the States, so I am trying to think of options that are easiest for you. Let me know if you have any ideas! Thanks to everyone that has expressed interest in donating! Just by showing interest it has lifted a burden!
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