Well hello again. A lot has happened since my last update. This picture is from a school visit that my colleagues at Ecotact, Rina and Gerald, and I did last week. We are building a hygiene campaign for Kirangari Primary School. During our visit we conducted focus groups, hung out with the kids and just observed daily life at the school. As you can see, we were a big hit. Hundreds of kids were following us around during their recess, telling us stories, singing us songs and asking us questions. The teachers said that they were excited because they don't see many mzungus (white people). When the kids found out I was from the U.S. their first question was "Have you met Barack Obama?". I was tempted to make up a story about how we were best friends but opted for the truth instead..got to set a good example and all. The school is in Kikuyu, named for the tribe that is from that area. It also happens to be the tribe of Barack Obama's Kenyan relatives. See how much I am learning here?
The visit to the school was a blast but it was also very sad to actually sit down and talk to the students. Their biggest concern was about diseases. We had so many questions about tuberculosis, typhoid, and HIV from tiny children. I am not sure I even could have pronounced tuberculosis when I was their age. There is just such a heightened level of awareness about those things here. I am really glad that I can be a part of something that has a chance at improving the quality of life for these kids and teachers. Right now, all the kids and teachers use pit latrines that are in really poor condition without any running water to wash their hands. Soon they will have toilets with running water for drinking and washing their hands. Happy day.
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