Linda will most likely have to go back to live with her grandma due to having HIV, because there is nowhere here that accepts orphans with AIDS. The closest is a home 2 hours away that only accepts toddlers under age 2, meaning there are really zero options for you if you are parentless and HIV positive. Which is ridiculous, since an orphan with HIV is obviously in even more urgent need of help than a healthy orphan. We’ve been talking a lot about this issue this week, and the possibility of TI opening a small home for kids in this situation. I’ve felt a lot of excitement about it.
Last year, TI did this for a few street girls, renting a small place in a quiet area nearby and calling it The Nema House (nema is ‘grace’ in Swahili). Every Tuesday, Lauren and I walk a few miles to visit the 6 ex-street girls – Sarah, Rebecca, Metrine, Lillian, Catherine, and Sharon -- the house Mum Janet, and teacher Nancy. The oldest girl is 15, the youngest is 12, and they come from varying degrees of poverty – Lillian is a total orphan and has spent her entire life on the streets; Catherine has family far away and was only on the streets for a bit before she came to Nema House.
The girls stay fairly sheltered in the home; the first few weeks they work to clean up, get off glue, and figure out what level they are at in school. Then they are given school supplies and uniforms and work with Nancy to get up to their appropriate grade. All the girls have been at Nema for 4 months and counting and have made great progress, in everything from study habits to cooking to how they act towards men. It is exciting to watch.
This last week – the same day Linda tested positive for HIV – Sharon ran away from Nema, which took everyone very much by surprise. The girls said she’d been talking about missing her boyfriend the night before. There is always a big risk when one girl runs that others may follow, but when Daniel spoke to them about it, each girl was sad about Sharon’s choice, saying they don’t know why she would go back to the streets when she had so much at Nema. Sharon was turned into child services a few days later and is staying at a local orphanage until she’s willing to open up to Daniel and Meredith about why she ran away.
In other news… tomorrow Nate, Andrew, the 2 Laurens, myself, and our friend Alex are making the trek down to Malindi, on the coast of Kenya, for a weeks’ stay. This involves 2 or 3 taxi rides, 7 hours on a matatu, killing 4 hours in Nairobi trying not to get mugged, another 8 hours on a bus, and 1 in a kangaroo van. Thanks to a friend of Daniel’s, once we get to Malindi, we have free lodging in a military resort condo near the beach, so as long as we get there in one piece (or 6 respective pieces) and can scrounge up some food each night, we’re good to go. Pretty stoked to finally see the Indian Ocean…
...particularly since the dry season has finally started in Kitale and we have been out of water for 2 days now. We are all trying to go without showers until we get to the beach condo early Tuesday morning. Should be a lovely smelling bus ride.
More from Malindi!
Some pictures from the week:
Nate walking back from an Oasis soccer game with
"Soldier" Dan and James.
Standing in some just-harvested corn
drying in the sun.
A Days Inn! In Kenya! Who knew..
Also, yes, that is a boda boda with 4 crates of soda
bottles tied onto the back...
More maiz being dried out on the side of the road.
This was a sign on the window of a matatu we took.
NO idea what it means, but that's definitely Obama below
it. (This one's for you, Corey.) Only in Kenya...
The lovely Metrine and Cathrine from Nema House, standing
near their garden, in dresses they made themselves.
Catherine & I at Nema.
Ina & Mere dancing with the girls and Mama Janet.
That sign above Obama is the sarcastic way of saying they don't offer any credit.
ReplyDeleteI show your posts to my mother and this time she began to cry while reading. She wants you to know that she's praying for Linda, the other children, and for you, and I want you to know this too.
Bellingham has been doing a few projects lately to bring the reality of AIDS in Africa to people's attention, trying to make people feel it instead of just know it. I didn't get to go see the recent set up of a village and several children's stories but I hear that people were moved.... I think your blog does that too, Andrea.
Love you!