UN Official Says Kenyan Displaced Need Assistance for Several Months

By Derek Kilner
Nair
10 February 2008


The United Nations' top humanitarian official has concluded a visit to camps for people displaced by post-election violence in Kenya. He said arrangements should be made to accommodate many of the displaced for at least the next few months. Derek Kilner reports from Nairobi.


John Holmes, left, listens to a Kenyan Red Cross team leader while visiting the grounds of a police station in Tigoni, Kenya, 10 Feb 2008

The Kenya Red Cross estimates that 300,000 Kenyans have been displaced by violence after a disputed presidential election in late December. But U.N. Humanitarian Coordinator John Holmes, following a tour of displacement camps in the country, says the actual figure is likely much higher.

"There are probably many more people who have been displaced from their homes who are not in camps, who have gone back to their ancestral homes, who are living with relatives, who are living with host communities, who are living with neighbors, who are not included at the moment in the count of people who are in camps but who are no less in need of physical help, psychological help," said Holmes.

Much of the violence has been carried out along ethnic lines, and many of those displaced were members of a minority tribe in their community. Many who have fled their homes say they do not feel comfortable returning. Holmes expressed optimism that most would be able to return to their homes, but said it could be some time yet before this is possible.

"Clearly what we all hope is that people will all be able to go home as soon as they can but it is clear from talking to people that this is not for the vast majority of them something that we can contemplate in the immediate future, given what they have been through and their experiences and the problems there still are," he continued. "No one wants camps to be there for longer than they absolutely have to be, but I think we have to plan for some camps being there for at least a period of months while the problems are being sorted out."

Holmes visited camps in the Rift Valley region, the site of some of the most serious inter-tribal clashes, as well as camps around the capital Nairobi, whose vast slums have also seen considerable violence.

Holmes said security concerns prevented the trip from reaching the western city of Kisumu. In the homeland of Raila Odinga's Luo tribe, the city has seen severe rioting and looting. The bulk of the Kikuyu community, to which President Mwai Kibaki belongs, has fled.

Violence has fallen off in recent days, as the country follows a mediation effort between Mr. Odinga and Mr. Kibaki led by former U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan. The negotiations reportedly made significant progress on Friday. The talks are set to resume Monday with the two sides discussing a power-sharing arrangement.

There has been no word on what such an arrangement might look like, though there has been much discussion of Mr. Odinga and Mr. Kibaki sharing power for two to three years, followed by new elections. Many expect some form of agreement to be announced in the coming days.

In addition to an immediate political solution, longer-term negotiations over underlying problems, including ethnic tensions, land grievances, and constitutional reform are also planned.

CIDA Pledges $4.3 Million in Aid for Kenya

Thank you to all who contacted the government asking for humanitarian aid for Kenyan refugees, CIDA has responded to your requests!!

http://www.marketwire.com/mw/release.do?id=815949

Canadian International Development Agency - CIDA

Jan 30, 2008 17:01 ET

Canada Increases its Support for Humanitarian Aid in Kenya

OTTAWA, ONTARIO--(Marketwire - Jan. 30, 2008) - The Honourable Beverley J. Oda, Minister of International Cooperation, and the Honourable Maxime Bernier, Minister of Foreign Affairs, announced today that the Government of Canada will increase its support for humanitarian aid in Kenya.

Canada, through the Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA), will provide an additional contribution of almost $3.3 million to UN agencies and Canadian non-governmental organizations as part of a global effort to provide assistance to Kenyans seriously affected by the violence arising following the disputed elections. This additional assistance builds on Canada's previous $1 million contribution made earlier this year to support the Red Cross Movement's efforts in Kenya.

"Canadians are very concerned by the events that are taking place in Kenya and that's why Canada was among the first countries to announce emergency aid," said Minister Oda. "This additional contribution of almost $3.3 million in funding will help organizations such as UNICEF, the World Food Programme and others alleviate the suffering of those affected by the incidents of violence that followed the elections."

"Canada strongly urges those groups instigating, organizing or participating in acts of violence to lay down their arms," Minister Bernier said. "We reiterate our support for the efforts of Kofi Annan and other eminent African persons to bring a negotiated end to the crisis. Canada urges the Government of Kenya to ensure that all incidents of violence are investigated and perpetrators brought to justice," Minister Bernier added.

In addition to its increased contribution, Canada has deployed three specialists to assist UNICEF in Kenya to help protect displaced children and women, help ensure access to clean water and assist in the coordination of ongoing emergency efforts. These specialists will coordinate with other humanitarian agencies already in Kenya to ensure an effective overall response, including the use of funds pledged by the United Nations Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF) for this situation.

In December 2007, Canada pledged $192 million over 5 years to the CERF, a rapid response fund, making Canada the fifth largest donor to this first critical response fund for humanitarian agencies. In addition, the Canadian Foodgrains Bank is currently providing emergency food assistance in Kenya, drawing on Canada's annual support of $20 million, announced in July 2007.

BACKGROUNDER

January 2008

Allocation of Additional Funds:

The additional contribution of almost $3.3 million will be allocated to the following organizations:

- $1.2 million to UNICEF;

- $750,000 to the World Food Programme;

- $300,000 to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees;

- $150,000 to Plan Canada;

- $150,000 to Save the Children;

- $150,000 to Medecins Sans Frontieres;

- $141,000 to Christian Reformed World Relief Committee;

- $120,000 to World Vision Canada;

- $100,000 to the International Rescue Committee;

- $100,000 to CARE;

- $52,000 to the United Nations Population Fund; and

- $48,000 to Handicap International.

Canadian Development Experts Heading To Kenya:

Canadian specialists registered with CANADEM-with essential skills and experience-are ready to be deployed at any time to United Nations agencies responding to sudden-onset humanitarian crises. These emergency response deployments are supported through a $1 million project between the Canadian International Development Agency and CANADEM. This Canadian non-governmental organization engages skilled individuals from its roster of over 9,500 to help strengthen the activities of partners in the field with the goal of advancing international peace and security.

Three Canadian specialists will arrive in Kenya later in the week. They will work respectively in the following areas: aid to women and children who have been victims of the conflict, distribution of safe water, and the coordination of humanitarian efforts.



For more information, please contact

Office of the Minister of International Cooperation
Joanna Bailey
Press Secretary
819-953-6238

or

Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA)
Media Relations Office
819-953-6534
info@acdi-cida.gc.ca

or

Foreign Affairs and International Trade Canada
Foreign Affairs Media Relations Office
613-995-1874
www.international.gc.ca/index.aspx

or

CANADEM
613-789-3328
canadem@canadem.ca

Peggy Nash Takes the Youth's Petition to Ottawa!

Today, Peggy Nash, Member of Parliament for Parkdale-High Park, attended our Sunday morning service to meet the youth and support their call for government action and listen to the concerns of our congregation. Peggy vowed to take the issue to the House of Commons and enter the youth's petition into the public record at Ottawa. Support Peggy in her efforts to get the Government of Canada moving on ending the violence in Kenya and bringing relief aid to those in need. Thank you, Peggy!!

The Latest Report From Al Jazeera

The latest NTV Report

CLICK HERE FOR CBC RADIO INTERVIEW WITH CHRISTINE & STEFANO

Click Here to Read the Villager Article About Our Group

UN APPEAL SEEKING MORE THAN $40 MILLION IN AID FOR KENYA

http://www.un.org/News/briefings/docs/2008/080116_Holmes.doc.htm

John Holmes, United Nations Emergency Relief Coordinator, announced today that the world body was appealing to international donors for nearly $42 million to provide humanitarian and early-recovery assistance to some 500,000 Kenyans affected by post-election violence.

Mr. Holmes, who is also Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs, said at a Headquarters press conference that he had just returned from a meeting with some 25 traditional donors where he had presented the flash appeal for $41.8 million to launch a six-month immediate-needs and recovery plan for Kenya. That figure included an initial allocation last week of $7 million from the Central Emergency Response Fund (CERF). The effort would support 63 separate projects that would be handled by 22 organizations, divided in roughly equal measure between United Nations agencies (34 projects), non-governmental organizations (25 projects) on the ground and the International Organization for Migration (4 projects).
Providing some details about the distribution of funds, he said food aid was the single largest part of the appeal, at more that $10 million. Projects in that area had been designed to meet the food needs of roughly 250,000 people over the next three months. The World Food Programme (WFP) had already been heavily engaged in providing food to the victims, the large majority of whom had been displaced when the initial spate of violence erupted in the aftermath of disputes over presidential election results announced just before the new year.

Additionally, some $6.5 million would be allocated to emergency shelter, Mr. Holmes said, noting that providing shelter for people displaced from their homes and now gathered in groups of varying sizes throughout the country was “a major problem”. The idea was, therefore, to provide basic tents, plastic sheeting and other items such as cooking utensils, mosquito nets, soap and other sanitary items for up to 100,000 people. The appeal would also cover early recovery projects focused on ensuring that the displaced could continue their livelihoods.
For example, he said, seeds, tools and other basic equipment or necessities would be distributed to help farmers resume their livelihoods in new places where they may have been forced to settle or at home, where their crops may have been destroyed. The hope was to pave the way for income-generating activities of any kind and income support for internally displaced persons, “a very important part of the rehabilitation process which we hope will be under way”.
Reiterating that the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) saw the situation in Kenya as a “protection-of-civilians crisis” as much as one of humanitarian consequences, he said some $3.6 million of the appeal would be targeted towards protection initiatives. “We hope very much that the situation will not deteriorate and that the violence can be stemmed […] and that there will not be a spiral down into the kind of ethnic violence we’ve seen in other countries in the region,” he added.

“This is not bodyguards we’re talking about,” he stressed. Rather it was the treatment of those traumatized by the violence, especially children. To that end, OCHA and its partners aimed to make sure -- including through registration, advice on legal redress and land ownership -– that humanitarian actors had a “clearer picture” of those who had been displaced. The initiative would also aim to document violence and bolster efforts to treat victims, particularly women who had suffered sexual violence. That had been a “very unfortunate but prominent feature” in the immediate wake of the elections.

Mr. Holmes went on to say that health and primary care were also important elements of the appeal, which included not only help for the injured but also vaccinations for the displaced, disease surveillance, reproductive health supplies and treatment for rape victims. A “large chunk” of the funds, about $3 million, would go towards water and sanitation efforts, including the provision of jerry cans, buckets, water purification tablets, mobile latrines and the like, for up to 100,000 people. A related allocation of nearly $3 million would be earmarked for a well-coordinated response in case the need for camp management arose in places where the displaced had gathered. Although OCHA had not yet witnessed the formation of large-scale camps, it was nevertheless on alert because there were large numbers of displaced people in and around Eldoret, among other places.

He stressed that some of the gatherings he had reported last week had dispersed, though not to their ancestral homes but to other areas, so the agency did not have as good a picture of the immediate needs of those populations as it would like. Still, those needs had been included in the appeal because OCHA assumed that they and their host communities would need assistance in the weeks and months to come. The appeal would also target obvious areas like nutrition and emergency education, which was a very important part of trauma recovery.
Responding to questions, he stressed his feeling that donors would respond “generously” to the appeal, which was purely humanitarian in nature. “You may have read that some countries are considering whether to link development aid to political solutions in Kenya. I think it’s clear that humanitarian aid is in a different category and even those who may be thinking about reducing or putting conditions on development aid would be very happy to provide humanitarian aid, given the significant needs we have all seen.”

He added: “Obviously what we want is a return to normality, a political solution as soon as possible and […] every effort to be made by all leaders and everyone concerned […] to prevent violence, extend protection to all civilians of all kinds and to stop any downward spiral of ethnic or other violence that may be difficult to reverse once it’s [started].” It was also necessary to ensure the safe and unhindered access of relief workers to all the people in need.
Asked if the situation showed signs of sinking into genocide, he cautioned that the word was “neither appropriate nor helpful” in the present instance. Clearly there were concerns about the type of ethnic-based violence that had been witnessed in the early going, and the lessons learned from neighbouring countries were well worth considering. “[But] we are not in a Rwanda-type situation and it is not appropriate to make those comparisons, certainly not at this stage.”
At the same time, he continued, OCHA was appealing to all people to be conscious of the dangers and do everything they could, whatever their views about the political situation, to put an end to the violence and try and resolve their differences peacefully through political dialogue. While there was no fear that the situation would slide into genocide, the word had been used by some people, although OCHA had been careful not to use it. “At the moment, I don’t believe it is in any way approaching such a thing.”

Asked whether the humanitarian situation was better or worse than it had been immediately after the announcement of the presidential election results, he said “better or worse” was perhaps not the way to look at it. What was clear was that humanitarian actors were much better able now than in the immediate aftermath of the elections to respond to people’s needs. “The food, the water and the health care are getting through -- not to everybody yet and not as good as we would like, but we are much better placed because the transport is better and our people on the ground are there to provide help.”

He went on to say that OCHA and its partners were still dealing with the victims of the initial wave of violence and it remained to be seen what would happen as rallies and demonstrations continued. There had been some ongoing problems, but nothing like in the immediate aftermath, and when there were reports that the death toll was rising, it was not because large numbers of people were being killed but because humanitarian workers and officials were now able to firm up the figures and identify those who had perished in the initial violence.

AMREF's Appeal for Aid to Kenya

Special Urgent Appeal for Kenya January 11, 2008

AMREF's Response to the Humanitarian Crisis and Call for Help -DONATE NOW!

When election results were announced, Mama Kiki was in her home with her 7 children and 2 orphaned grand-children. Their home was attacked by a gang who set fire to both it and the neighbouring food kiosk which provided the whole family a reasonable living. They all escaped alive, but lost everything that they owned. They are now staying with a neighbour, who is sheltering them. Mama Kiki is pictured here, standing on the rubble of her life.

Dear Friends of AMREF, On behalf of all of the women, men and children AMREF serves, thank you for your remarkable generosity throughout 2007 and for the outpouring of concern and compassion during this very troubling and sad time in Kenya. Post-election violence has left up to 500 dead, thousands injured and more than 300,000 people homeless and forced to take refuge in 42 camps across the country. I want to take this opportunity to update you on the current situation, AMREF's response and to ask you to please make a donation to AMREF's Kenyan Response Fund.

What is happening...

Many people had very little to begin with but the violence destroyed many homes and families with children have fled in fear. Thousands of people are living in makeshift camps with rudimentary water supplies, no sanitation or health care. Many more are afraid and trapped in their own homes hiding. Just a few minutes' drive from AMREF’s Headquarters in Nairobi, people are living and sleeping in Jamhuri Park. With so many people sharing few public toilets and little to no water supply, there is a serious risk of an outbreak of disease and dehydration.

A few miles away in Kibera, the largest slum in Africa, our health clinic has re-opened. Before the unrest it provided services to 97,000 people. Now, some people are frightened to go to the clinic, so three new mobile clinics will visit different areas, providing essential medical services. As our Director General, Michael Smalley said, “It is back to AMREF’s roots. If people can't come to us, we will go to them”. The Kenyan Ministry of Health and the Kenyan Red Cross have asked AMREF to help because of its specialist medical skills and experience. AMREF has responded rapidly.

As you know, AMREF is not an emergency response organization, but with so much turmoil on our doorstep in Kenya , and pr oje c ts already in pla c e, we c ould not ignore the need around us. AMREF Kenya has completed an assessment, and we are fo c using on three areas: Providing water, sanitation and health edu c ation to 5,000 people living in Jamhuri Park , Nairobi . Establishing an emergen c y laboratory to monitor and diagnose illness in Jamhuri Park , thus pr eventing the spread of disease. Establishing three new mobile clinics to work in Kibera. We need your help To support these essential initiatives, AMREF has established the Kenya Response Fund. Every penny counts. Please help by making a donation today to support this life-saving effort. Please click here now to make a special secure, online donation. Alternatively, you can call our office at 416-961-6981 to make your donation by phone. Together we can make sure that people who have already lost their homes and families do not risk their lives due to untreated disease or illness.

Thank you for taking the time to read my letter. I will continue to update you as information becomes available. Please feel free to contact us if you would like more information or visit us online at http://www.amrefcanada.org/. Once again, please know how much your thoughts, concern and support mean to your colleagues and their families in Kenya. Asante sana,
Alanna Rondi Executive Director, AMREF Canada P.S. A concerned group of AMREF supporters has already begun planning a fundraising event on January 23rd at Manyata Courtyard Café in Toronto. If you would like to get involved, please call our office at 416-961-6981. DONATE NOW

What You Can Do To Aid Kenya

1. Email The Canadian Government

Copy sections of the press release from the previous post and send it in an email to:

Peggy Nash, MP Parkdale-High Park
Nash.P@parl.gc.ca

Prime Minister Stephen Harper

pm@pm.gc.ca

Beverly Oda, Minister of International Cooperation

Oda.B@parl.gc.ca

2. Sign The Petition

We will present a paper copy at our RUC Sunday morning services.

3. Donate to Our Partner Aid Agencies

If you'd like to donate, our fund is now called the Kenyan AIDS Orphans Fund and cheques can be made to Runnymede United Church, naming the fund. Some of the money will be used for the Obara family and some will go to Women Fighting AIDS in Kenya, which provides relief to women with HIV, vulnerable orphans and families.

OR

Donate online to assist with school construction project in Usenge, Kenya. Choose "Kenya School Project" when directing your funds.

http://www.canadahelps.org/CharityProfilePage.aspx?CharityID=s27457

OR

The Kenya Red Cross Society

http://www.kenyaredcross.org/

OR

AMREF

http://canada.amref.org/

4. Stay Informed - News Links

BBC World

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/7184492.stm

NTV Kenya

www.youtube.com/ntvkenya

Email Robyn Salter to receive email updates from Andrew Obara.

RUNNYMEDE YOUTH CALL ON CANADIAN GOVERNMENT TO SEND EMERGENCY AND DIPLOMATIC AID TO KENYA

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**** PRESS RELEASE *****

TUESDAY, JANUARY 8TH, 2008


RUNNYMEDE YOUTH CALL ON CANADIAN GOVERNMENT TO SEND EMERGENCY AND DIPLOMATIC AID TO KENYA

The youth of Runnymede United Church formally request that the Canadian government act as a role model by sending emergency aid to the estimated 250,000 internally displaced citizens / refugees in Kenya, as well as providing international diplomatic support to assure a democratic and peaceful resolution to the current political crisis.

For our youth group, this current crisis is not just another headline, but a case of the survival of our friends in Kenya. In July 2007, we had the privilege of working alongside Kenyan youth in the Huruma neighborhood in Nairobi and we helped to construct a classroom for a school northwest of Kisumu. Our Kenyan friends have been actively working in impoverished neighborhoods affected by HIV/AIDS doing awareness campaigns, cultural heritage presentations, civic education, and community clean-ups.

Our group has been watching the crisis unfold on a Kenyan news channel on YouTube (www.youtube.com/ntvkenya ) where we have seen the Huruma neighborhood engulfed in flames with residents fleeing for their lives. Over the last week, we have been anxiously waiting for news from our friends. Today, we received a communication and our friends are alive, but they have urged us to ask our government to send humanitarian assistance and diplomatic aid to Kenya.

We are deeply disturbed to see the streets we walked down engulfed in flames and it brings in a personal reason for our investment in helping the people of Kenya. The situation is dire, without international intervention the country could collapse into a state of civil war. Canada is a wealthy country with a rising influence on the global stage – Canada has the ability and the responsibility to intervene. We call on the Canadian government to join or lead an international aid effort and to be proactive in its efforts to ensure Kenyans have access to fair and democratic election processes in the months and years ahead.

Runnymede Youth Group, Runnymede United Church

http://www.runnymedeunited.org/

Days 13-17

Hello all!

Thank you for all of your comments, we'll pass them on to the youth (Sue, Christine just checked her email). This will be our last post before we arrive in Toronto. The flight number for London to Toronto is British Airways flight 0097 and it will be departing Monday at 5:30pm (GST) and arriving at 8:40pm (EST) at Terminal 3 at Pearson Airport - please pick up your children / loved ones from the airport and check the flight on the net for any delays at: http://www.ba.com/

Now for an update! We did very little of the construction work in our last day (Friday) as we had reached the highly technical roofing process and Andrew had so much to show us in the area. We visited a child-headed household due to HIV/AIDS and visited a grandmother who had lost all of her children and was caring for about 10 (it is bad luck to count your children here for fear of losing one so no one gives you an actual number) and her co-wife who was also an aging grandmother caring for roughly 6 kids. Sadly, the grandmothers thought that their adult children had died due to a curse on their land and they were still unaware of how HIV/AIDS had impacted them. Later that day we had a closing ceremonies with the teachers, students and members of the congregation. It was hoped that the new classroom was a representation of a new relationship between our two congregations!

On Saturday, we have to thank David for his idea to fly from Kisumu to Nairobi. None of us were looking forward to 12+ hours on a bus bumping down the terrible Kenyan roads and the flight took about 40 minutes!! It gave us an extra day on our itinerary, which we promptly spent with the Huruma youth team whom we have all grown very fond of. They gave another street performance in Eastlands community using traditional dance, acrobatics and an HIV/AIDS awareness-raising puppet show. Afterwards, we took the team out for dinner and it was truly a joyous and bitter-sweet occasion. We had all gotten to know each other so well over the last two weeks and the two youth groups had bonded very tightly - it was the longest goodbye I have ever witnessed, with lots of pictures and the exchange of gifts (t-shirts and Kenyan crafts) and email addresses - what an amazing youth group!

Sunday (today), we hit the morning service at St Andrew's again and the sermon was done by a preacher from North Carolina. There were a surprising number of youth missions from the USA so we were blessed with a guest minister that reminded us of sermons from the South. Afterwards, Andrew arranged a visit with the Director of the National Office for the Prevention of HIV/AIDS, we had plenty of time to discuss what his office is doing and he answered all of our questions and provided us with lots of stats on the prevalence of HIV and issues such as polygamy and women's rights came to the forefront of our discussion - we learned a lot, thanks Andrew for arranging it! From there, we went to the Obara's for lunch and met the entire Obara family. The children are delightful, just like their parents, and they cooked us a very delicious meal and we shared stories and exchanged gifts and thanked Andrew and Leonora for their hospitality over the last two weeks. How blessed we were to have two great hosts in the Obaras and NCCK. Next we visited an animal centre were the youth were able to feed giraffes!! Finally, we had dinner and thanked James from NCCK for all of his hard work - he is a kind and generous soul whom we would like to have the honour of hosting in Canada one day!

Happy 30th Birthday to my wife, Stephanie!! Love to you and Colin, I'll see you soon!

We'll see you all on Monday (we have a long day ahead of us travelling with the sun), but we'll be home tomorrow - see you then!!

DAYS 10 - 12 Bondo/Usenge

Construction is well underway!! Once the artisans figured out what to do with 12 pairs of willing but unskilled hands, progress has been impressive, at least according to our hosts. Tuesday and Wednesday we laid 12 rows of brick and were half way up the window line when we finished yesterday. We have all learned new skills, including brick laying, curing, filling with mortar. And we have also been shoveling sand, drawing water from the well and moving the wheelbarrow full of cement mortar. It is amazing what is being done with some pretty basic tools - shovels, trowels, a plum bob and a long length of cord is about it! In between we have been enjoying the children at the school. All the youth have taken turns sitting in on classes when they are being taught in English, and we even took charge of one phys. ed. class - apparently "duck, duck, goose" translates very well into Swahili :-)

Today, however, was a well-earned day of rest. We were taken on a boat tour on Lake Victoria to Mageta Island, where we were hosted at a division of the church where we are doing the school build. We were greeted in song, treated to a double feast by Charles our amazing chef who prepared a brunch and lunch, and included some comfort foods like french toast and pasta, as well as local delicacies like Nile perch. We played cards and visited under the shade of 2 sails stretched under the trees, and then proceeded in a "parade" of about 50 members of the local congregation back to the boat, again with singing all the way.

Once again, there is a soccer game this evening against the local primary school - it has become a daily event that both groups are enjoying.

While we enjoyed our day of leisure, the artisans kept on and the walls are now up to the lintel level, so tomorrow we will be building the roof frame, and hope to buy them the materials to complete the roof after we leave Saturday morning. There will also be some small closing ceremonies and farewells tomorrow. It has been great to spend time immersed in a small community and to feel that we are really doing something special with them and for them.
We should be able to update again on Saturday when we get back to Limuru and the internet is a bit more accessible.

DAYS 7-9 Heading West!

Jambo, everyone, sorry this update has been delayed, but as suspected, internet access has been a bit more limited. On Saturday, we headed out with some of the Huruma gang and climbed Mt. Longonot, a passive volcano en route to Nakuru. Quite a strenuous climb (at least for the non-teenagers) but a fabulous view across the Rift Valley from the top, as well as down into the crater. Our legs then stiffened up for the next 8 hours as we bumped (and I do mean bumped!) our way to Nakuru. We stopped in Navaisha for lunch (hot dogs and drinkable yogurt fresh from a local farm) and arrived in time for a late dinner. We once again stayed at an NCCK facility in Nakuru.

Sunday morning was a really early start - left the conference centre at 6:15am to go on safari at Lake Nakuru National Park. What a treat, and well worth the early start to see the animals still up and around. We saw: waterbocks, rhinos, a giraffe family, Thompson's and Grant's gazelles, impalas, water buffalo, zebras, monkeys, baboons, crested cranes, hyenas, warthogs and 1/3 of the world's population of flamingoes - the water was pink as the sun rose! We were just breathless with the wonder of seeing all these animals in their natural habitat and we will have some wonderful photos to share.

Then we headed west to Kisumu on Lake Victoria - we picked up Charles, who is going to be our personal chef in Usenge!! and we went grocery shopping in Kisumu. En route we passed some beautiful tea plantations and then had our first views of the lake. We arrived in Usenge about 5pm and dropped off the chef and the food, and then headed 20 minutes back east to Bondo, which is where we are staying this week at the Switel hotel. Again, the accommodation is quite good, with double rooms once again and private baths.

This morning (Monday) we went to the school for impressive opening ceremonies for our building project. The students performed for us and we all shook about 100 tiny hands, there were speeches from the church and school dignitaries. Then we walked into town and ordered the building supplies (bricks, cement, sand, etc) and we'll be ready to start building first thing tomorrow morning. They also took us on a quick tour of Osieko Beach, a fishing village that is the furthest point west in Kenya - we could see the islands belonging to Uganda across the water. Everyone is doing well, and it is finally hot here on the coast, so we're much more serious about sunscreen and bugspray!

Kesho (we'll write again soon!)

DAY 6 - Maasai

Wow, what a day yesterday! We started at the Maasai Ostrich Ranch, where we toured the commercial farm of 2600 ostriches ranging from 3 weeks to 13 years. Then we all RODE ostriches (yes, even Christine conquered her fear of birds), seated on canvas "saddles" and in the good hands of 3 guides. Boy, ostriches can move! Then we had a delicious lunch of marinated ostrich (much like flank steak in appearance, texture and taste) and fries.

From there we visited a Maasai homestead. We were greeted by a traditional Maasai song from a women's group, wearing their beautiful beadwork, and then we met the herdsman, who introduced us to one of his 2 wives, and we were able to enter their homes (dark and tiny - everyone had to crouch almost double to go in). We learned about aspects of their culture, such as poligamy, marriage of 13 year old girls to 60 year old men, sharing of wives with visitors and the fact that women own nothing and are often left for long stretches of time to fend for themselves and their children while the men roam with the flocks to find pasture. Priscilla, our local host, has established a rescue centre for girls who wish to escape this path, and has also established the women's network who greeted us, helping them to create beadwork for sale so that they can purchase animals and items of their own to sustain them when their husbands are away. Every other day, this family walks 5km each way to the nearest bore hole for water. This herdsman is also considered very progressive because he has educated 3 of his daughters, and has then allowed them to choose their own husbands.

Last night we packed and this morning we are off to Nakuru, with a stop along the way at Mt. Longonot for a hike up this extinct volcano. A heads up, now that we are leaving Limuru, internet access is going to become more sporadic, and may be dial up, so photos are unlikely. We will still try to post entries, but I don't think we will be able to manage daily updates as we have done to date. Kwaheri! (Good bye in Swahili)

Day 5 - Animal Orphanage and Nature Walk

Today has been a bit more of a tourist day, though we started very formally with an opportunity (through Andrew Obara's connections) to meet with James Waweru, the Provincial Commissioner, or representative of the President in Nairobi region (the most senior civil servant). We had a chance to ask him some questions about the accomplishments of his government over the last 4 years, and a photo op (we'll get the pictures posted soon). From there, we once again hooked up with the Huruma youth for a trip to Nairobi National Park to visit the Animal Orphanage and follow the nature walk. Highlights included several of our gang joining the gamekeeper for a chance to pet a cheetah, and a giraffe sighting in the nature walk. We enjoyed a taste of home with a joint pizza lunch, and had hoped to follow that with a visit with the Executive Director of the National AIDS Council, but unfortunately he was held up in Nakuru and we couldn't meet him, though we did gather some interesting literature on the initiatives being undertaken here in Kenya to fight the epidemic. A bit of shopping and some internet time and then we head back to Jumuaia for dinner. Bye for now - hoping to log more tomorrow!

DAY 4 - Mully's Christian Family

Yesterday was a long bus day (3 hours each way) but a fascinating trip to Mully's Christian Family, south-east of Nairobi, near Thika at Mutuu. Charles Mulli was a successful businessman whose car was stolen by a group of street youth in Nairobi, resulting in his feeling called to help such youth. The organization, which rehabilitates street youth and other young people at risk, has grown into 5 sites that currently serve over 1600 youth in both formal and vocational education. We toured the home in the morning, including a sophisticated computer managed green bean farm, the products of which they export to Europe as a revenue source, in addition to growing vegetables for the children themselves. We had a box lunch under the trees and heard the stories of 4 youth who had been "saved" by "Daddy" Mulli - very moving experiences. To end the afternoon, we attended a concert by a number of groups of the children (in Swahili) and then had to reciprocate with a performance of our own! David conducted a sing-a-long of "I've Got Peace Like a River", including actions, which seemed to be well-received. We had a number of the Huruma group along with us once again - they actually train youth at the home in both dance and acrobatics twice a week. During the long bus ride home, they taught us 2 songs in Swahili, so we'll have some performance material when we get back as well!

Day 3 - Huruma

Hello, everyone! We are catching up on two days of blogging - first up is yesterday.

We went back to the NCCK centre at Huruma to join with our friends in a community clean-up. They do this once a month to try and improve their own community. We weren't sure what to expect, but when the face masks were passed out, it gave us a pretty good idea. We spent the morning cleaning some of the main drainage ditches that serve the entire area. Without garbage pickup and in an area with up to 10 people sharing a single room for living quarters, the results can be quite overwhelming, but our combined groups worked hard for several hours and realized what a big job it is. We spent some time after with the Huruma group playing some games and sharing some food.

We then proceeded to the local Masai market, where we enjoyed some shopping time. It is a large group of craftspeople and merchants who set-up thir stalls on the side of a hill in Central Nairobi. It was crowded, noisy and a lot of fun! The Huruma gang came with us to assist in the bargaining for the best prices - often getting us down to 20% of the asking price. The day was capped off by a massive soccer game between our group and the Huruma gang, and then a mixed squad. Other than a broken window (!), the game was full of fun and some amazing playing by both groups, including an incredible final goal by (you guessed it) Alex. Our groups have really bonded in a short time and we look forward to spending more time with them this week.

More to come tomorrow - bye for now!

Day 2: Eastlands and Kibera

Entry By: Darryl H.

Jambo Sana! (a very big hello from Kenya)

We began today with a trip to the head office of the National Council of Churches in Kenya. There we met with our global partners, shared greetings and stories from home and had an international bible study for about 30 minutes. From there we spent the rest of the day with the Huruma youth team and watched them peform in the Eastlands community. This team has a diverse set of dramatic performances that they use to inform their community about HIV/AIDS and civics education to help the citizens get the the most out of a government that has a habit of promising much and delivering little.

After a fast food lunch (that was a little slower than North American standards), we proceeded to the Kibera community, the largest slum in Eastern Africa. We met up with Leonora Obara, who works with in this community with those diagnosed with HIV/AIDS. We divided into three groups and spent some time visiting with families living with HIV/AIDS in this very poor community and hearing their stories and struggles. It was a very humbling reminder of the adversity humans can face, and how people overcome it with hope and spirit.

Tomorrow brings more enriching experiences - and a little shopping!

Day 1: St. Andrew's and The Huruma Youth Team

Journal Entry by: Christine S.

Our day started of with a late mass at St. Anderew's presbyterian church. The service was very different from the services we are used to. it was brilliant! It was a youth service and it was attended by approximately 150 people most of whom are below twenty years old. It was very musical and incredibly interactive. We found ourselves singing and clapping along with the service. They had a portiong of the service dedicated to members of the community presenting songs and interesting dances. We greatly enjoyed it.

The resort that we are staying at is beautiful! The country itself is beatiful! All the people here are beautiful!! We are welcome with such open arms! Most of us can't believe at how nice everybody is! We feel incradibly welcomed and respected.

Later on we were privileged enough to be visited by the Huruma group for a cultural presentation. The group called themselves Nzumari African Arts, they were incredible! the dancing! the music! the acrobatics!! we were all really pleased to hear that we will be spending more time with this group next week! yay!

We have also develeped a love of group frisbisee and football. Although our frisbee playing was put to an end when Griffin broke our frisbee with his rolling body! therefore we have resorted to football, a worse sport, but it's fun! Alex made the play of the game with a interception runback for the game-tying touchdown - nice play Alex! All in all, our trip has started off magnificently and we can't wait to experience more!! we love this country !!

We Have Arrived!!

Hi to everyone from all of us!

It is sunday morning and we are en route to church. We are all very well and very excited for the days to come!! This country is beautiful, the landscape and the people. We were given a warm welcome at the airport by the Obara's. Andrew and James will be accompanying us throughout our travelling endevors! We won't be purchasing a cell phone because James has a cell phone (found on the itinerary) should you need to contact us for emergencies. His phone will be on all the time. Our internet access appears to be limited so the frequency of our updates may be every few days or so. Have a wonderful time at home and don't worry because we are in good hands!!!

Lots of love,
The Runnymede Youth Outreach!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

The Trip Itinerary and Contact Information

Kenya Trip Itinerary for Runnymede Youth Outreach, July 6th-23rd

Fri July 6th

The group will meet at 5pm at Runnymede United Church to be sent off to the airport

Flight departs Toronto at 8pm

Sat July 7th

9pm (local time) Received at airport by James Macharia (NCCK) and Andrew & Leonora Obara

Check in Jumuia country home in Limuru, Nairobi, Kenya

http://www.resortjumuia.com/aboutus.htm


Sun, 8 July 2007

Church morning/Youth service at the St Andrews (Presbyterian)

Lunch at Steers

Watch cultural events at the Bomas of Kenya


Mon, 9 July 2007

Meeting with NCCK General secretary and staff at Jumuia place and participate in morning devotion

Huruma Community outreach with the youth group to see how they educate the community on different topics (HIV/Aids, Peace etc) using theatre (puppetry) around Eastland’s .

Visit people living with HIV/Aids in Kibera slums and also visit Carolina for Kibera – an organization that caters for youth development. http://cfk.unc.edu/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kibera

Dinner at Jumuia Limuru.


Tue, 10 July 2007

Community clean up - an experience of the poor urban youth environment

Lunch at Huruma

Visit the open Massai market in the city where they sell curios, sculptures, African ornaments, attires


Wed, 11 July 2007

Drive to Mulii children’s home in Matuu (150 miles from Nairobi), carry parked lunch. It is a rural institution East of Nairobi that has close links with the Huruma youth group.

Map
http://maps.google.com/maps?um=1&amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;tab=wl&ie=utf8&oe=utf8&rls=com.microsoft%3Aen-US&q=matuu%20kenya


Thur, 12 July 2007

Visit the Nairobi provincial commissioner

Visit the Kenya animal orphanage and have a nature trail walk


Fri, 13 July 2007

A visit to Masaai land (kajiado) to see how Massai Women groups harvest water ,interact with masaai Youth groups /experience sharing & learning and to have fun.


Sat, 14 July 2007

Rift valley experience on transit to western Kenya. Drive to Mt Longonot (90 miles from Nairobi) for a hike on the way to Nakuru,. http://www.kws.org/mt-longonot.html

Check in at Jumuia Guest house Nakuru.
http://www.ncck.org/com/com_item.asp?itemid=9&pagenum=1&recset=10


Sunday 15th

Game drive in the Nakuru national park ( early to catch up with birds and animals before they disperse at the lake side) http://www.kws.org/nakuru.html

Depart for Usenge / Bondo

Check in to Switel Hotel in Bondo Tel: + 254- 073525998 OR +254- 057520261

Map (to Kisumu, closest major city, scroll west (left) to find Usenge and Bondo)

http://maps.google.ca/maps?ie=UTF-8&amp;oe=UTF-8&hl=en&tab=wl&q=kisumu%20kenya

Monday July 16th

Participation in the school construction project in Usenge


Tuesday July 17th

A.M. - Participation in the school construction project in Usenge

P.M. - Visit Osieko beach


Wednesday July 18th

A.M. - Participation in the school construction project in Usenge


P.M. - Visit child house-headed families (HIV/AIDS Expirience)


Thursday, July 19th

A.M. - Participation in the school construction project in Usenge

P.M. - Visit Mageta Island

Friday July 20th

A.M. - Participation in the school construction project in Usenge

P.M. - Visit a local women's group

Saturday, July 21st

Visit a church in Usenge before departure

10:30am - Depart for Nairobi

6:30pm - Check in Jumuia country home Limuru, Nairobi http://www.resortjumuia.com/

Sunday, July 22nd

Lunch at Lanagata with Andrew Obara and his family

Travel preparations for next day's departure

Monday, July 23rd

6.30am - Depart for JKI airport and flight to Toronto

8:50am - Flight departs Nairobi

8:40pm (EST) - Flight arrives in Toronto