Hannah Visits Kenya!

So the next few posts are going to hopefully go up one after the other because as you can see I have neglected to keep this as updated as I would like. So after a fun August, I was able to have my wonderful friend Hannah visit Kenya for a bit! She arrived and we did a few activities in the Nairobi area, like feed giraffes at the giraffe center, and visit the elephant orphanage. We also got to see the Kazuri bead factory, which was really cool. All the beads are made from clay that is taken from the Mt. Kenya area, and it is put in a kiln and fired in Nairobi, then hand painted and glazed at the factory. Then we were able to go on a safari in the Maasai Mara, and take a bike safari in Hell’s Gate National Park (where scenes for Lara Croft Tomb Raider 2 were filmed, and inspiration for the Lion King landscapes came from!). Afterwards, we visited my site, and Hannah was able to help with the conclusion of rain tank project at my primary school. It was so nice to have someone from home be able to see how and where I live, meet my friends from Peace Corps, and get to experience the culture of Kenya.

 feeding the giraffes! 

 

Hannah and I in the Mara! 

 

Wildebeest migration, crossing the Mara River!

 

King of the Jungle =)

 

ahh my favorite! elephants! 

 

thought this was cool, a wildebeest carcass sitting perfectly with the head still intact.

Camp GLOW

            Okay so August, again another whirlwind of a month that I honestly have to sit down and look at a calendar to remember exactly what it was that I did. To begin with August was the mark of my first full year at site! Being a year at site and over a year in Kenya, it makes one feel seasoned but also like there is still so much left to do and learn. Especially when things in all aspects of your life are finally starting to move at a pace that is almost too hard to keep up with. I was once again in Nairobi for mid service medical, getting a checkup and a dental exam (no cavities mom!) and for meetings. I was accepted to the DPS Committee (Diversity and Peer Support), which is a group who is available for other volunteers to utilize when they are in need of some advice or just a vent session with someone who probably has been in a similar situation. Don’t we look lovely! 

DPS Committee!

            I also participated in the Elewana Education Project camp during this term break, which was prepping students for their big exam in November. Here the KCSE (Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education) is probably one of the most important tests that someone will ever take. After working here for a bit, I then got the opportunity to be a counselor at Camp GLOW, or Girl’s Leading Our World.

            The camp was one where volunteers brought with them counterparts and students to a campus outside of Kisumu and for one week. Here we taught on topics ranging from reproductive health, decision-making, goal setting, career choices, and a variety of other life skills. The camp is not only academic, but included games, talent shows, field trips and of course dance parties. Camp GLOW in Kenya is unique, because we have a deaf education program and one third of the girls at camp are deaf. This aspect creates a rare environment for the girls to learn about the deaf culture within their own country, as well as for us as volunteers in different sectors to be able to have that experience as well.

Just teaching on reproduction and menstruation!

Fellow volunteer Kyle, and I with camper Maureen! She loved taking pictures and was surprising good at it with my iPhone! =)

Camp was split into three groups, these were my girls, the Star Squad! 

Star Squad ladies only! 

 Field trip to the Impala Sanctuary in Kisumu, included up close and personal Zebras!

            Though the camp is designed to teach the girls, and empower them to be leaders in their communities, they are not the only ones who are enriched and learn from this experience. Being able to participate in Camp GLOW was one of the best weeks I have had here in Kenya. The girls come from all over the country, brought from villages where volunteers live, where they may only know one other girl, or just the volunteer. However by the end of the week, they are all laughing and joking, dancing together, sharing stories and learning from each other. Being a part of that and witnessing it was inspiring. It shows us that the youth can become united and will do so to create a better world.

“A woman is the full circle. Within her is the power to create, nurture and transform.” ~Diane Mariechild

It feels more like July…

So its been a super busy few months but let me start back here in July so that I can get you all up to date =)

So July, lots of fun tid bits happened in July! First of all this is the month of American Independence, and as an American, living quite far from home, celebrating with my fellow Americans was pretty much a given. Some of my volunteer friends and I took a weekend and headed to the beautiful Kakamega Rainforest, where we took some picturesque hikes as well as celebrated as true Americans. (We even tried to play a bit of true American-New Girl anyone?- but that didn’t work out so well haha). Overall, it was a great time! 

 Hanging out with the crew at the lookout over the forest canopy!

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.- Thomas Jefferson

A few weeks later, I was lucky enough to get to go into Nairobi along with one of my students, her father, and one of the sisters I live with who is the school’s head teacher. My student had entered an art contest back in March, which was sponsored by PEPFAR (Presidents Emergency Plan For AIDS Relief), which was started by George W. Bush. The contest was to create a poster that represented the theme, “Working Together towards an AIDS Free Generation” bringing together both the United States and Kenya. I submitted her artwork for her, and found out that she had placed for her age group and was being brought into Nairobi for a ceremony! The ceremony was great, and I was so proud of her! Phidencia is only ten years old and is an amazing artist! 

 

A Thank you note from the event =)

Myself with my crew from Chebukaka, along with some of the Peace Corps Admin who attended the event!

 

After this, I had my second birthday here in Kenya! I had some fun in the sun turning 24, and I have to say so far it has been quite a wonderful year, no complaints here!! =)

At the end of the month I got the opportunity to go teach at the training for the new incoming public health class, which was really great. It was interesting to see how far I had come as well as be able to help and guide those who were just coming in with the knowledge I had gained over the past months being in country. Like I said July was busy, but also a great deal of fun!

Girl's Health Day!

“According to UNICEF, 1 in 10 school-age African girls, ‘do not attend school during menstruation, or drop out at puberty because of the lack of clean and private sanitation facilities in schools’.”

“In Kenya, 65% of girls 18 years old and younger have dropped out of school.”-ZanaAfrica

As an educated American woman, it is hard to imagine dropping out of school because I have missed so much of it purely due to the fact that I was menstruating.  These statistics are overwhelming, but they are completely true, especially in rural areas of poor developing countries, such as my small village here in Chebukaka. It is a United Nations Millennium Development Goal to help reduce these staggering numbers, but how can I as a Peace Corps Volunteer help?

A program that many health (and education) volunteers have undertaken here in Kenya is one of reusable sanitary pads. These easily constructed and inexpensive items are a direct way to decrease the amount of school that a girl misses each month. The reusable sanitary pad costs approximately 0.50 cents to create, which equivocates to about 40-50 Kenyan shillings. However, if the girl would have to purchase the Always brand pads (which is pretty much the only thing available here) it would cost around 80 shillings. This figure multiplied by the 12 months of the year comes about to be 960 Ksh per year. When girls come from families where the average income is 300 shillings per month, as it is in my area, this figure is nearly impossible to come up with. If a girl were to make 2 or even 3 reusable sanitary pads, this would cost her only about 120 shillings, and they could last several months. They may not even cost as much if the items necessary were already owned such as scraps of fabric or a sewing needle.

A woman receiving a full education links directly to her health status. A girl who is better educated has the knowledge to take care of herself and her family, and it usually results in having fewer and healthier children. So I decided to do a project that would help the girls in my area on the path to become fully educated women.

Earlier in the year, I applied for a small grant to receive funds for a gender related activity through the volunteer run Gender and Development Committee (GAD) that we have in country. I proposed having a one-day event specifically for girls, which would teach them how to create these sanitary pads, as well as delve into other issues of sanitation and hygiene, and continue with lessons on HIV/AIDS and family planning. I was fortunate enough to receive the grant funds within a very competitive cycle, and at the end of June, I had a Girl’s Health Day at the local primary school, Chebukaka Girl’s Primary School.

As is typical here in Kenya, and anywhere else for that matter, there were hiccups along the way to having the event. Most importantly was the issue of ‘will there be any students?’ because the teacher’s strike was in full force at the time and students were not attending classes. However, thanks to the help of the teachers and headmistress of the school, almost all the students who were invited to attend showed up. (not all on time, but that’s to be expected haha!)

The day ran smoothly with the reusable sanitary pads being our first session of the day! I invited volunteers who are in my area to assist me, and it would not have been the great success it was without them. Breezie and Lori took charge on teaching exactly how to make the pad, and myself, Brittnee, Joy and Andrea all came in and helped different groups create their pads.

 Myself with one of the groups and their finished products!

 Working hard!

We moved on to a lesson in water treatment, which is extremely important, because diarrheal diseases and typhoid are severe, but common health threats in the area. This was followed by a session on hand washing and hygiene, and everyone lined up to wash their hands before having lunch!

 Britt, myself and a few student volunteers going over proper handwashing!

 

Britt discussing how and why you should treat your drinking water!

 Breezie and Targes helping out with handwashing before lunch!

After the meal, Joy facilitated a lesson on HIV/AIDS, specifically discussing the myths and facts, and then we were all able to answer any questions they had in regards to the disease as a group. We discussed family planning, and then had a short talk on the importance of staying in school and how education will empower them as females. 

 

HIV/AIDS Myths and Facts exercise!  

 Discussing family planning and women's empowerment with the girls!

At the end of the day, the students graciously thanked us for being there and teaching, and we were invited to return whenever possible by the administration of the school. The girl’s were then off to play football and enjoy the rest of their Saturday! 

 Myself with the girls, some teachers and a few CHW's!

 My fellow volunteers with the crew! Thanks guys!

I think that the day was a great success and could not have wished it to go any smoother than it had. I am so thankful to the GAD Committee who’s grant gave me the funds to purchase the materials necessary to create the sanitary pads for fifty girls, and to all those who helped me put on the day, ASANTE SANA!

Women should have the same chance at an education and a future as men. By creating a sanitary and inexpensive way to deal with menstruation, hopefully we will have helped at least some girls remain in school.

“Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change the world.”- Nelson Mandela

As always, I leave you with a little love and sunshine from Kenya =) 

Why try to treat Jiggers?

****Note: Some pictures may be graphic and unpleasant, they have been placed at the end of the post***

       As many of you know, I live in Western Kenya, in a rural village called Chebukaka. When I first arrived here, one of our tasks as a Peace Corps Volunteer in the Health Education sector was to complete a Community Needs Assessment (CNA). This activity allowed me to get acquainted with what was going to me new home for these two years. A major piece of this assignment was prioritizing the health needs of the community. Through meeting with community health workers, medical staff at my dispensary, and doing extensive field visits and interviews throughout my sublocation, the disease that always came out on the top of the list was jiggers. Well, like most people, I first had to figure out what exactly were jiggers, and how they came about and how could we try to help with this problem. Luckily, my fellow volunteer Joy Storm, who lived within the same location as myself was already working on this problem with her community, and I was able to receive a great deal of assistance and information from her. I discovered that jiggers are a small flea that burrows into the skin, and proceeds to lay its eggs and feed off of a person’s blood. They can cause severe itching and pain, and need to be removed or treated in order for them to go away. Physical removal, if there is several on a person’s body (which is usually the case), can create several open wounds that often lead to other infections. However, the proper treatment, using potassium permanganate to soak the infected areas is extremely expensive for a Kenyan living in my rural village area. The disease is known to be one evolves from being unhygienic, but this lack of hygiene is caused by extreme poverty. In the process of completely my CNA I discovered that the average household income for a family, which often times included up to 12 people, was about 300 Kenyan shillings per month. That roughly equivocates to be around 4 USD. A bar of soap found at any small shop in the village will sell on average for about 60 Kenyan shillings. Doing that math, means that about one fifth of that families monthly income is going towards the purchase of one bar of soap. Unfortunately, this product we usually call a necessity becomes a luxury, and its purchase takes a back burner to things such as food, shelter and clothing for the family.

            Once a family and their household is infected with jiggers, it becomes a cycle, because even if the jiggers are removed from the person’s body, they will most likely be re-infected from the fleas that have taken up residence in their homes. The flea thrives in dry, dusty areas, which is the exact make up of many villages dwellings which are made of a dirt and mud mixture, not the concrete structure I am blessed to be living in. This is why a complete treatment, not only of the person but also of their homes is important to eradicate jiggers. It is necessary to educate the people on what a jigger is, how they can prevent them and how to properly treat them. This is what I hope to do with the outreach I am planning. I want to educate those who are infected, as well as community health workers and medical personnel on the proper way to treat and prevent, and then go about doing so with 200 participants. We will treat their homesteads so that they may not be re-infected from their own homes and as a final prevention step after the full two-week treatment is completed provide the participants with shoes. Through research done by my colleague and friend, Joy, wearing close-toed shoes has a great effect on the prevention of contracting jiggers. The disease can cause extreme pain and discomfort, deter children from reaching their full potential in school, and prevent adults from being able to work and provide for their families.

Below I have put the link to the grant I am trying to get funded for this project and have placed the small summary here as well.  Please consider donating to the community if you can, any little bit helps! 

https://donate.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=donate.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=13-615-114

“Tungiasis is a neglected tropical disease that is commonly referred to as "jiggers." It is a disease that is endemic in Latin America, the Caribbean, and Sub Saharan Africa. Jiggers is caused by the female sand flea (Tunga Penetrans) which penetrates the skin causing severe inflammation and other morbidities such as necrosis, auto amputation, difficulty walking, tetanus and can even result in death. In Kenya, it is estimated that 2.6 million people are infected with jiggers. Unfortunately, even though it has such a high prevalence in the country it has not been a priority in the public health sector. With this project I am hoping to bring awareness of the disease as well as motivate the community in the fight against the disease. In my area, jiggers not only causes severe health complications but also impacts work and school attendance because of the inability to walk or concentrate. There is also a large stigma associated with the disease that creates further isolation for those infected. The project will take a systematic approach to the prevention and treatment of jiggers. We will treat 200 people in the community for jiggers. Before, as well as during and after the treatment, participants and facilitators will receive education on prevention of the disease. Also the home compounds of those treated will be fumigated to rid the homes of the pest. The recommended way to treat jigges is to soak the area affected three times a day for a two week period in a solution, or to extract the fleas using a sterile procedure. The latter is not the preferred method in those severely affected with the disease because it can often lead to secondary infections. Unlike many other neglected tropical diseases, treatment of jiggers can be costly. The soaking solution, potassium permaganate, costs about $30 per person, and with all the other required materials for treatment, the cost rises to be about $50 per person to treat. Although the amount seems small, here in Kenya this could be over a half of years salary for someone in the village. We are asking for partners to provide funds to help cover the costs of the fumigation and oil needed for the treatment, as well as some of the secondary materials for treatment of each individual. The community will be providing for the rest of the campaign. The community health workers have partnered both with the district medical offices and Kenya's national anti-jigger campaign to make the project a success. "

 

 This is what jigger infested feet and hands look like, the infected areas are painful and can itch, and the tissue can become necrotic. Without proper treatment and continued infections, the areas, often times toes can auto amputate. 

 

 This is an example of the medication used to treat the jiggers. You add the medication to water to allow the infected areas to soak for 15 minutes, which you do three times a day for two weeks. This noninvasive way of treating the jiggers is not painful.

 Above shows a community health worker putting oil (Vaseline) on the affected areas after treatment, which is done because the medication dries out the skin.

 Demonstration of the proper way to treat the ailment, first you must wash affected areas.

 Showing how you use Sevin Dust to treat the homes, which kills the fleas and any eggs they have laid.

All of the above photos are courtesy of Joy Storm, who has done a similar project in her community and found a great deal of success in this course of treatment!

So if you have gotten this far, I just want to say thank you for checking out the project, and seeing what kind of illnesses affect those who live with so little. While HIV/AIDS, malaria and TB receive a great deal of attention, there are other diseases such as jiggers having just as great of an impact on many communities in the area. 

I hope you are all staying well!

With love and sunshine,

Lindsey Rae

Ugandan Adventures!

            Over the weekend of May 17^th-May 19^th, most of class and myself took a trip to our neighboring country of Uganda. I live about 2 hours from the Malaba border town, which meant for once my travel to this excursion wouldn’t be ridiculously long. We started our journey to the border, got our visas and crossed into Uganda. Although its right next to Kenya, and a key country in East Africa, Ugandans do not have the same level of Kiswahili that Kenyans do, however, we noticed that they usually have much better English. The country was also very clean, and the roads were paved with guardrails and lines running down the middle to indicate lanes (not always the case here!).

            We arrived at our hostel around dinnertime, and ate and relaxed before the long day of rafting we had coming up. The next morning we traveled to a spot in the Nile, and we had breakfast and were given safety instructions. We had nine people to a boat, because we 18 people in our group. The day consisted of rafting through 8 rapids, which ranged from class 3 to class 5! We had a really great time, and even took our first rapid down backwards! We got out of the raft and swam around, fell out on other rapids and just enjoyed the experience. Several of us had been rafting before, but never on class 5 rapids, and never in Africa on the Nile! Afterwards we came back to our hostel, and had a great night with friends and all the other guests who were staying there! 

 My boat crew with our guide before heading out for the day! 

Taking the first rapid down backwards! 

Going through another rapid!

            The next day most of us braved the experience of bungee jumping over the Nile. I took the plunge first, and it was amazing. Not something your body really understands while your bobbing up and down, upside down, but it is definitely a thrill! Something to check off the bucket list! 

Bungee jumping over the Nile river! 

 Close up! Having a great time!

            That night after everyone had done their jumping, and we relaxed for a bit, we took a calm boat ride on the Nile in the late afternoon/early evening. We were able to see the source of the Nile, which are Lake Victoria as well as underwater springs that exist in the area where the Nile and the lake meet. We also learned that the lake was only renamed Victoria after her visit to the country. The previous name I can’t recall, but it’s meaning was that the lake was lined with gravel on the bottom. 

Sign marking the source of the Nile river! 

 

Sunset over the Nile river! 

            The weekend was by far one of my favorites so far here in Africa. I got to share some awesome experience with the people who have become my home away from home and it is something that I’ll never forget.

Lake Nakuru National Park and the Menengai Crater

After a busy month or so of work, Joy Kay and I decided to take a mini break and check out a couple of the cool places that are here in Kenya. We are lucky enough to have so many amazing things to see, and as a Kenyan resident we also get to see it for a really good price! Haha! We decided to visit Lake Nakuru National Park, which is one of Kenya’s most popular parks. It is well known for its bird viewing, and is the home of a very large population of flamingos, which migrate between the lakes in the area. This was my first time going on a game drive of any sort, so it was really fun to get to see the animals up close! (Sometimes you’ll see zebra or baboons on the side of the road during travel, not the same but still pretty cool!) The game drive was so relaxing, but it was a bit weird to be wearing the tourist hat. Anywho, here’s a few photos of sites at the lake! 

In front of the gate at the park!

Baboons just hanging out at the side of the road!

 Impala just relaxing. There is only one male for a whole pack of females.

Zebras play fighting, very entertaining to watch haha!

View of Lake Nakuru =)

 Myself at the lake overlook (rocking my SPH t shirt, thanks Laura!)

Rothschild Giraffe, you can't tell but there are no spots below the knees.

Awesome waterfall that sits at the edge of the park.

Lioness relaxing at the top of a tree. 

Water Buffalo staying cool in the mud.

Family of White Rhinos.

Mama and baby rhino! 

Flamingos!

In addition to the lake, we also visited and hiked a bit of the Menengai Crater, which is located in Nakuru as well.  It is an extinct shield volcano that is 2490 meters high and covers 90 square kilometers.  The crater is a place of pilgrimage for the religious, as well as a place where mystery and folklore are plentiful. The local Maasai tribe claims it is haunted by the 60,000 warriors who where killed there during a bloody civil war in the 1800s.

“Menengai" is a Maasai word that means "corpse", the crater cliff is said to be the site of an ancient Maasai battle during the 19th century, where people were thrown off the hill to their death. It is believed by the locals to be home to many demons and ghosts and is referred to by the Kikuyu of central Kenya as Kirima Kia Ngoma, "the mountain of devils". There are many unexplained mysteries associated in the crater, people have been found to be strayed and lost their ways, and some disappeared mysteriously. The crater has been active up till 1991, and in its last eruption also killed many people.

The views of the crater are beautiful, and it was a great experience! 

Sign at the top of the viewpoint! 

View of the Crater!

Just scaling a crater, no biggie haha!

 Hope all is well back home! Life here is great, love and miss you all! 

With Sunshine,

Lindsey Rae