What value is a chicken?

Emmanuel has a dream...and a plan.  He wants a cellphone of his own, but his mother and father are not going to buy one for him.  So he saves his money until one day he can go to the market and bought a chicken.  Once he has made his selection and paid for it, he tucks the chicken into his jacket and boards the mini-bus (matatu) for home. When he gets home, he fusses over his chicken and at bedtime takes the chicken to bed with him.  Well, when his mother finds out, she puts a stop to that.  Now Emmanuel is waiting for the chicken to start laying.  He will sell the eggs at 100 Rwanda francs each until he can afford a cellphone.  His mother declares, "I am not buying you any airtime!". That's okay, my chicken will just lay more eggs and I will buy airtime!

A chicken can cost about 3000 francs, or about C$5.  That might not seem to be a big deal until you discover that a national medical card costs 3000 Rf a year, which one needs to get medical attention at a government hospital or clinic.  Each visit will cost an additional 100 francs or 15 cents.  I thought that might help put things in perspective.  We know of many people who do not have medical cards.  In one village church, I asked an elder how many do not have medical cards? 30.  That was about half.  How many who do not have a medical card now, need medical treatment but cannot get it?  5.  There it was.  A need that could be filled.  We paid for 5 annual medical cards.  Or 5 chickens!

Flight to Kigali

It was one of those early flights that Brandon hates.  Up at 4:30 to do final packing, clean up dishes and stack bedding and do a final cheque of the flat.  Erastus arrives 15 minutes early and that puts even more pressure on. We arrived, aiming at being at the airport by 6:00 a.m., at exactly 6 a.m!  Our flight with Kenya Airways was smooth and uneventful.  It actually arrived early in Kigali and we were through Customs and Immigration at the baggage claim at the original arrival time.  Fulgence was there to meet us with his big smile.  We hadn't received confirmation for our accommodations in Kigali so we agreed to go south to a village called Sheli.  It is about 45 minutes south.  The route crosses a river into South Province, Kyomini District.  The river banks are thick with papyrus reeds.  It flows south to Lake Victoria making it one of the headwaters of the Nile River.

First order of business is to exchange foreign currency.  The airport rate was apparently too low at 650/dollar.  The taxi driver took us to an exchange where we got 678/dollar.  The rate actually changes depending on the size of the bill.  The taxi then took us to a place where I could get a SIM card for my cellphone.  That cost a whole $1.50!  Then I added about $3.00 airtime so I could text and make calls.  Now we were off on our adventure.

Rwanda is very clean.  There is almost no litter anywhere on the streets.  We discovered that on the last Saturday of every month, they have "umuganda".  One representative from each family is expected to work together with others in their communities to keep their neighborhoods clean.  It's like a national workbench.  Not only that, plastics are. Other allowed into the country, like grocery bags.  You can actually be fined at ports of entry for bringing in plastic.  I actually saw a woman detained by security who was engaged in an argument about her plastic bag!

We finally arrived at the village where the cab driver refused to drive up the access road, oops, trail, no, washed out path.  He hardly got off the paved road and stopped.  We understand,oaded lure suitcases (3) and our two backpacks, and the three of us went up dirt paths, through yards, past brick and mud buildings, all the while being stared at by the local citizens as if we had just come from another planet.  The little ones showed obvious fear and wonder at the same time.  Fulgence assured us that his father knew we were coming and that everything was fine.  In fact, we were given a very warm welcome and our bags were whisked through the house, out to the back courtyard and in to a two-room building made of mud bricks and painted plaster.  And the door had a functional lock...and there were mosquito nets hanging over the beds! What more would we need?  The toilet facilities were of the non-flush type a day the shower room was typical baked mud walls with a polished cement floor.  No running water, of course, except for the yellow buckets that someone had run to the river to fill.  The kitchen was a wood fired earthenware stove made of mud bricks.  Good thing, because the power went out frequently while we were there.  I preferred to have my tea from the electric kettle.  We generally relied on buying water bottles for daily consumption.  There is a sanitizing liquid of which they add a small capful to every 5 gallon container of water to make it safer for drinking.

Fulgence has a brother, Ivan, two sisters, Yvette and Yvonne plus cousins or nephews, Emmanuel, Safari and Eric who also seem to live at the house.  I don't know where they put them all but we were added to the mix.  His mother and father obviously have a gift of hospitality because there were always new people coming through the door and sitting down to share tea, a meal, or just have a conversation.  Fulgence' father, Sylvester, is a lawyer and often has clients come to the house for consultation.  The power goes out sometime around 6:30 and comes on again after 8:00.  So dinners are often eaten by candlelight.  I've even seen Sylvester read and write his documents by the light of one candle!

Since we had arrived quite early in the day, we wwalked down the highway about 2 blocks to the Victory Family Home Of Champions.  We were introduced to Pastor Ed and his wife Deb and three of their children, Samantha, Caleb and Kiera.  They are from Colorado and have been here almost a year, and will be going home in January.  There used to be over 60 children in this orphanage, but the government has instituted a policy of integrating orphans into family units and closing down orphanages.  There are still 18 children here who have not been placed.  We were told that some children have not been placed in good situations for them, and 40% across the country have returned to the streets, either because of abuse or re-abandonment.

We were given a tour of the orphanage and it's facilities.  A large wood-fired kitchen, boys and girls dormitories, shower rooms, classrooms, and a beautiful chapel.  There was a cow and and calf, goats and a couple pigs.  The cow gave 15 litres of milk a day!  More milk than needed, so some is sold.  They used to have chickens, but there are nesting jawks nearby that knew wherebtheir dinner was, and if the chickens were free-ranged, they were often stolen.  On December.6, all the former students will be coming back for a reunion.  They will stay overnight and have a celebration.  Each one that leaves will have the opportunity to take a live chicken home with them.  We have entrusted Fulgence with the responsibility of finding 40 chickens for this event and left him with enough finds to do that.

Ed and Deb invited us to snack with them and stay for a movie with the kids.  By movie time, the power was out and thought it best to leave and visit with our hosts where another meal was being prepared.  We were offered shower and toilet facilities at the orphanage if we wanted them, but we felt we could manage where we were.

Cellphones are often used for flashlights here, so we managed to make our way home in the dark with a cell.  The path is steep ago times a nx rugged.  Got there safely.  We had an interesting conversation by candlelight, sometimes in French, sometimes in English, at other times in Swahili and also in Kiwandanese with Fulgence translating.  Branden hit it off with the boys and they were off to see the animals...a cow, 4 goats and 5 chickens.  We ate and the power didn't come on again until after 9:30.  It was an early night a day just as well.  We had been up since before 5 a.m.

Farewell Kenya

Even though it's our last full day in Kenya, we aren't finished yet!  Because the trip from Nakuru was so sickening, we slept in.  Needed it, and the Tylenol helped knock me out.  It doesn't take anything to knock Branden out, he is a sleep machine.  We had been notified by phone while in Nakuru that our order was in at the pharmacy across the street from where we stay.  We picked up two first aid kits, one for the orphanage in Riruta and one for the school in Kwangyare.  That many children and no way to treat them for cuts that can easily get infected.  Branden liked the kits so much, he ordered one for himself to take back home.  While at the chemist, I got some medications for decongesting the football on my shoulders.

Really feeling under the weather so took a nap after the pill until Pastor George came to pick us and take us to the orphanage.  School was just out when we arrived.  My what a flood of kids!  This visit, we got a tour of the orphanage, the sleeping quarters and the kitchen.  We saw the progress on the chicken coop and the goat pen.  It should be usable by tomorrow evening.

Branden just can't stay away from the animals.  Along with some of the school kids heading out the gate, they took some time to defoliate some shrubs for goat treats.  Branden can now get close to them as the level of trust has improved.  The goats have come from enclosures and are now enjoying some limited freedom although the nanny is tied up and her baby won't go far away from her.  I am told the resident children are so excited about the goats, they go out during their school breaks to watch them and pet them.

Everyone seems to be happy with the whole operation.  Of course the hens are still a little traumatized but they will soon settle down in their new quarters and begin to lay.

Speaking of laying, I'd just love to do that but we need to finish packing for our 5:30 departure in the morning.  Next entry will likely be from Kigali, Rwanda.  Signing off til then.

Oct 23. Nakuru

Our driver had an airport pickup in the morning and the client's flight was late.  So we got off to a later start than we had planned, leaving Nairobi around 10:30.  It's a beautiful drive as the road north traverses farmland and meadows and even pine forests at the higher elevations.  Donkey cart seems to be a more popular form of transport for these locals.  From the escarpment one gets a magnificent view of the Rift Valley and the dormant volcanoes.  Everything is such a lush green.  Makes me forget winter is coming back home in BC.  Three hours later we find a Java House in a Nakuru mall and have lunch.

As we drove into town, we saw the sign for Section 58 that was part of the individual structions I had received at Heathrow Airport from Josey.  It was near the Dog Section where they train police dogs. I think we asked directions from 4 or 5 people on the street and it seemed like each one had a different interpretation. There is no signage yet as this home was opened just this October 1st.  The "blue" gate wasn't to a residence, but the entrance to a gated community with a guard.  On that lane we found a black iron gate through which a child peered and then ran to get a key and let us in.  Great security for the "Masters Touch Children's Center".  There were 3 children and 2 caregivers on the property when we arrived.  Two children were away for some legal paperwork to be completed.  The children there were 4, 6 and 7 years old.  Mwangi, Rosemary and Daniel.  As the manager was away, we spoke with the two ladies and our driver was an able interpreter.  They tried hard to contact people about sources for goats and chickens.  How fortunate that on the backside of the property lived a man with goats.  So out the gate and around to the other side of the block we found the goat caretaker.  He gave us the phone number of the the owner and then ran off to herd the goats from their  grazing area back to us..  As he arrived with about 20 goats, the owner also drove up.  After introductions all around, we talked goats.  Of, course the one I wanted could produce 4 litres of milk a day.  She had a kid and the price for the "prize" goat and her kid was 38,000 KES or almost $500.  He wouldn't budge on the price because he had paid a lot for her to import her.  She was a Germany Alpine breed.   Another German Alpine was in the herd and she had lost her kid due to poisoning.  The herders had neglected their duties and the whole herd was showing it.  With good food and care, the goat we finally chose would do well.  She was pregnant and in a month they would have to stop milking her so she could gain strength during the last 4 months of pregnancy.  Then after three months with sucklings, she would be producing milk for the orphanage. This one was priced at 15,000 KES or about $180.  To make sure they got off to a good start with their little farm, we also purchased a two month supply of dairy meal and 50 kgs of chicken feed.  There's lots of grazing for the goat in the yard.  A cow would need a lot more pasture.  The seller of the goat also offered a free stud service in future and also free advice to help them manage and learn about raising goats.

After sealing the deal for the goats we went downtown to the market and bought the feed and got some nice laying hens.  Had to get the rooster at another market stall, and he was a  fine specimen.  We put the whole lot into the trunk of the car and headed back to the home.  Well, there was some excitement.  Then there was the planning of where and how big to make the pen and the coop.  With the assistance of our driver, we came up with a quick and dirty budget and I emptied my pockets for the materials.  After some photos and a prayer, we headed south in the dark.  Drivers are constantly flashing their high beams a day transport trucks often have no tail lights.  No wonder oir driver sticks to 60 km/hr.

This was the worst part of the trip.  The transport trucks literally puke out black diesel smoke, especially on the uphill grades and with the amount of traffic, there is very little opportunity to pass.  Result, a pounding headache and sneezing and stuffy, runny nose.  Don't feel so good, but on the other hand, feel great.  Mission accomplished in Kenya.  Just one more thing before we leave...to deliver the two first aid kits we ordered for the school and orphanage here in Nairobi.

Now for some sleep!

Oct 22 - Got Your Goat!

This morning we were picked up by Bishop Stephen and taken to the school in the slums, and I mean slums.  The homes are sheets of corrugated tin and mud walls eroded by rains.  There is no running water and no sewer facilities except the open ditch paralleling what might pass for a road.  Across from the shacks is the school yard and buildings.  I would estimate the property itself is 250 feet by 120 feet.  There are approximately 8 classrooms in the school with tin roofs causing the rooms to get quite hot when the sun is shining and quite noisy during a rain.  Can you imagine the learning environment?  They don't have the benefit of air conditioning or even a fan!  The children range in age from 3 to 16.  They start school at 6:30 in the morning and are given their first meal of the day at 11:00, a bean soup and a chipata or a deep-fried bun that is served and eaten outside where they sit on the ground.  They get another meal after one o'clock.  The children do not look forward to weekends because they go home to their shacks and there is usually nothing to eat until they get to school again on Monday.  The families typically try to survive on $1.00 a day or 80 Kenya shillings a day.  There are 160 students in the school.  They wear a simple, inexpensive uniform, even if it is just a uniform shirt.   A uniform will cost on average 1500 shillings or $18 Canadian.  There are 22 students who have recently come into the school from the neighborhood who have no uniforms.  It is one way to distinguish from kids in the hood sneaking onto the property during school hours.  There are no school fees.

One boy, Alfred(14), was brought into the school with open sores on his left leg.  We later put together a simple first aid kit to treat minor cuts and help prevent infection.  Alfred was a cart-puller.  It's basically a two-wheel car axle with tires and fitted with a wooden frame and pulled by a crossbar in the front.  It's the local method of moving furniture, building blocks, cement and steel and anything else.  I wouldn't want to do it because your feet are both the power and the brakes and if you're load is heavy or out of balance, it would be easy to have an accident or a runaway.  I think that is what happened to Alfred as his legs were covered in bruises.

We had the opportunity to visit each class and each teacher, led by Lawrence, the headmaster.  He has been doing this for 10 years with little pay, getting only enough to give basic support for his wife and child.  For him, it is not a job, it is a calling.  He is so proud of the students, some having already gone on to college.  The students are studying for the country wide standardized tests held on Nov.11 and in particular, he pointed out students who scored over 400 points out of 500, and others who were over 390!  These kids live with many disadvantages yet many have excelled in academics and done so eagerly.  In Kenya, there are many classrooms with 70 students and one teacher, we are told.  The largest class here had about 20 to 24 students.  Branden was able to share with the senior class a little bit about the seasons in Canada that generated a few questions about surviving in the cold.

We were introduced to the dream for what might be on this plot of land in the middle of the slums that is already making such a difference.  We went to the new office building constructed of concrete and nicely finished and painted.  It is fitted with a washroom and shower room, a waiting room and office.  We saw the plans for adding another floor and toured the adjacent development for a medical clinic.  Plans include another floor for visiting physicians, eg eye specialists, gynecologists and ear,mouth and throat specialists to come and treat people in the locality.  The third floor will become hospitality quarters for visiting professionals.  There is provision in the plans for a dispensary after clients have seen a doctor and received their prescription orders.  There will be another gate constructed to the medical facilities from the roadway.  If the work on the office building is any indication, this facility will be a jewel in this community and provide an absolute miracle for many of the local residents as it serves the poorest of the poor.

After lunch, we were picked up by Pastor George and his wife, Regina to go on a goat and chicken hunt.  It took awhile on very rough road, but eventually we found the farmer who had goats and cows.  He had 10 goats and gave us a choice of two nannies.  One was pregnant and wouldn't give birth for 5 months, then a 3 month wait before the kid(s) were off suckling.  The other had a male kid and would be giving milk for human use next month.  Both the same price.  They decided on mother and kid and so we stick them in the back of the wagon.  We stopped at a feed store and paid for 70 kgs of dairy feed and 50 kgs of chicken feed that will do for the first two months.  There will be milk and eggs and hatchlings very soon.  A couple of men are coming tomorrow to build the goat bedroom and dining room and chicken coop with nesting bins.  The goats and chickens have to be locked up at night as it is very difficult to get a firearm to ward off predators, if you know what I mean.  We picked up the chickens in two cardboard boxes and got the whole lot to the orphanage and stuck them in an extra storage room and LOCKED the door.  We returned to the feed store to pick up the feed sitting in front as they had closed.  Everything is shut down for the night.

While picking branches to push through the barred window of the temporary goat pen, Branden had a three-horned Jackson chameleon crawl off a branch onto his arm.  Regina thought they were poisonous as they are used in witchcraft and said if they bit you, the flesh would turn black and begin to fall off.  No,... he likes us.  We'll take him back to the flat for the night.  So we have a room mate for the night.  We checked on the Internet and they do make very good pets, just illegal to export.  Once in awhile Branden goes to the bathtub to check on Kevin and I overhear him talking to his new friend.  Yup, its been quite a day!

Oct 21 - Hero's Day Holiday in Kenya

I can't believe how cold it was at 6:30 this morning!  I actually had to put on my sweater.  Erastus, our driver, came at 8:00 to take us on a safari in the Nairobi National Park.  Roads crisscross throughout the park with road names and arrows pointing you to every point of interest with unique names, like;  Leopard. Cliffs, Impala Plains, Lion Dip, Hippo Pools, Lion Valley, Ivory Burning Site, etc.  The only problem was that there was usually no indication as to where the main gate was!  We put on a few miles just trying to get out of the maze of roads.  We found the main gate at about 3 pm and headed straight for Java House for a very late lunch.  Some of you know what it's like when you are on the hunt.  Food was only on the menu of the wild things.

Branden was the only one who was able to get a glimpse of a lioness lying in the tall grass.  That's because he managed to climb out the car windows and stand on the sill.  We did see a lot of wildlife; zebra, Thompson's gazelle, Impala, eland, wildebeest, hart beast, water buffalo, bushbuck, giraffe, warthog, baboon, monkey, crocodile, guinea fowl, ostrich, vulture and more.  There was one place we could get out and walk along the banks of the Hippo Pools, but only with an armed escort.  Rhinos had been spotted there in the morning and they don't take chances that a park visitor will have an unwelcome encounter.  The hippos were no where to be found, but we did see the old croc that may have intimidated the mother with the young hippo causing her to move to another location.  The park is beautiful and very large covering 117 square kilometers, a jewel within 15 minutes of our location.  Hard to believe you are in such a vast parkland of savanna and valleys and rivers with jets taking off overhead and city skyscrapers as a backdrop.

Oh, by 10 o'clock in the morning, the skies had cleared and the sun was starting to heat things up.  Got a bit of a sunburn on the one arm nearest the window.  After lunch we went to our flat for a nap.  Five hours later, Branden still isn't awake and often yells in his sleep about something...sometimes it's intelligible with words like Nairobi mixed into the garble.  I think he's having a really good time...even when he's asleep!

Oct 20 This is the Day

At 8:30 we are out the door and walking to church.  400 meters to the Valley Road roundabout and then another 600 meters down the hill to Valley Road Pentecostal Church (renamed Christ is the Answer Ministries or CITAM).  Well, the cars and buses and pedestrians converging on the main gate was astounding, then as we got closer we found out why.  There was a security detail of 3 uniformed officers with metal detectors checking each person entering and others checking vehicle under carriages with mirrors before they were allowed to enter the gates to park.  We were 15 minutes early and just got a seat before the service began.

Get this.  A 7 a.m service for the staff.  A 9 o'clock public service that lasted til 11:15.  It's like fighting your way upstream against the incoming crowd once the service is dismissed and the next crowd is coming in for the third service that starts at 11:30 and just as full.  About 5000 in attendance filling the main floor and balcony to capacity while at the same time two other services are happening in other buildings, one for youth and another for young adults with 1000 in attendance at each.  There was quite a traffic jamb in the parking lot AND on the side streets around the church that reminded me of PNE parking in Vancouver.

The music team was amazing, consisting of keyboard, drums, guitars, bass and a saxophone player.  There was a lead singer and 3 or 4 singers and at least a 50 voice choir.  Superb!  The choir did a number featuring an amazing female vocalist that could have taken top marks in one of those "Got Talent" shows you see on TV.

After fighting our way out through the crowd, almost everyone we met was on their way to church and buses again were lined up and unloading passengers for church.  This is one lively place on Sunday morning!  Oh, that's not all, on Friday there is an all night worship from 9 pm to 6 am!  It will include a songwriter and worship leader from Uganda.  These people are fervent and dedicated.  This church has sponsored a number of other churches in the area.  One of the branch church pastors was on the platform and announced the dedication of another new church building.  This group of churches numbers about 50,000 members.

We stopped in at our flat and then headed for the YaYa Center and the Masai Market and to get lunch.  Just as we turned off the lane towards the market, a man came up to us wanting to sell us bunches of flowers.  I wasn't interested, but he said he was just starting his new business.  Guess what?  I made an investment in his business of $5.75 for 21 red and white roses.  Branden and I thought we could come up with 21 reasons to smile or the "21 Rose Mile".  We began to give roses to every woman we met on our walk to the mall.  Even reaching into cars with women inside that pulled in front of us from a side street to enter the main street, the lady begging in the shade of the fence, the 4 Muslim women who were surprised by the old guy and the handsome young guy, and then the last woman just outside the mall who was almost in tears at the gift saying, "You made my day"!  We often asked the question of the ladies, "Can I make you smile"?  And Branden tried to get a photo of their smile.  The last one called me into the picture, too.  All of them were grateful as we walked away without asking for anything in return.  Well now, wasn't that fun?  The 21 rose mile.  Try it some time.  Good therapy for the soul.

We found the Masai Market on the 3rd floor patio and browsed for quite awhile.  It was difficult to get away from the vendors as they tried every trick in the book to part us from our money.  We had only brought enough for lunch.  An Ethiopian I had met the previous day wanted money for food as he hadn't eaten in 2 days.  So we stopped in at a bakery where he selected 4 big kaiser rolls and a sweet bun.  Branden and I ate a smaller lunch than we had planned, but somehow it felt like it was more than enough and we were satisfied.

Heading back to the flat, we had a vendor skillfully prepare a sugar cane stick for us, dicing it into a plastic bag.  We couldn't eat all of that.  You can chew and suck out the sweetness in the cane for a minute, but then you end up spitting fibers for another five minutes.  The return trip became the Sugar Mile as we gave out samples to folks we met, with the last few cubes going to Joel, the gate keeper.  That cost us a whole 60 cents!

We dozed while waiting for Bishop Stephen to come and get us for a visit to the orphanage and school. Once he arrived with his wife, Florence, we went and spent a couple hours with 64 children ranging in age from about 5 to 16.  A lot of them are survivors from the election massacres or 2008.  They sang a few welcome songs for us as we arrived and genuinely happy to see Bishop Stephen and his guests.  We had a suitcase full of Tshirts and balls and skipping ropes and girly things and Canadian flags.  You wouldn't believe how excited they were about the little flags!  And could they skip?  Oh, my!  I saw skipping moves I'd never seen before.  We had to inflate the soccer ball and left the pump with it (and a whistle) which the older boys used to get their version of keep-away going.  There were balls bouncing, skipping ropes swinging, and a lot of smiles and laughter.  The sound and activity was enough to crack your face and warm your heart.   We had also left a good quantity of school supplies with the teacher to distribute as needed and also reserved some supplies for the other school.  In order to integrate these kids into society, the orphanage accepts over 100 students from the community who come for classes at the orphanage school.  Out of 1800 schools in Kenya, this school ranks in the top 100 in the standardized tests administered in the whole country.

Bishop Stephen has had a pretty hectic schedule with the recent conference and was flagging, so we left the orphanage for our base and visited with the staff here.

Here I must acknowledge the generous donations of school supplies and gifts from congregants at both the Church on the Hill in Logan Lake and Terrace Pentecostal Assembly where Branden comes from.  YOU have been a genuine blessing.  And the Bishop has invited you all to come for a visit.