It turns out my mother is an angel. She has been reading my blog and has listened to me talk about the orphanages and wants to help so has made quite a big donation. I told Lucy tonight and she cried, and so did I.
I have read a profile on Children’s Hope Home that Francis (a young man who helps out with the accounts and other admin) wrote. At the end he lists the running costs of the orphanage and it is a lot. Most of the time they don’t make it so they go without. That usually means without food or electricity or late wages for the workers who only accept it because they love Lucy and the children so much. The homes rely on donations and help from people who know about the amazing work being done. There have been a few times that both orphanages have come close to closing because there just wasn’t enough money but somehow they have continued to make it through. I know there are a million and one charities to donate to but from now on this will be one I support as much as I can. I know what a difference even a little amount makes and where the money goes. And now of course I have a little plea. Even if you have only a couple of dollars to spare and want to donate to something worthwhile, I urge you to go to Paypal http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.paypal.com%2Fcgi-bin%2Fwebscr%3Fcmd%3D_s-xclick%26hosted_button_id%3DFVC2MKZJ2TT9Q&h=tAQHh41lBAQGLoBgBrjsJm_e3VNBQaZDt8NPoitXFixzDTQ- and donate whatever you can. Find out more about this beautiful, wonderful, caring, happy orphanage at:http://hopehome.or.ke/index.php
Thank you all in advance :-)
Back to updating you all on the happenings here in Kenya. Saturday was shopping day. Wambui (Lucy’s daughter), Agnes, Ana and I took a matatu into Nairobi, met Josh and went to the Masai Market. Josh was there to help me out a bit and make sure I didn’t get ripped off. I think all in all I did rather well actually. I was happy with my purchases and my bargaining skills and didn’t come out at all scathed. To say thank you I shouted Josh pizza at Pizza Inn where we all went for lunch. Unfortunately it was time to say goodbye to Josh after that as he left Kenya today (Monday). He is one of the many fantastic people I have met on this incredible journey. Bye Josh :-(
We headed home with our purchases and chilled out for the rest of the evening chatting and laughing with Lucy around the brazier they have in the kitchen. Lovely day.
Lala Salama
Sunday
Sunday was an extremely lazy day although it was not supposed to be. Ana and I had agreed to go to church but Ana was not at all well and I managed to pull a muscle in my back making it difficult to move around. So, it became a day of reading, chatting, eating and movies. Rather nice as it turns out.
Now I think I may have mentioned before that one sound that irks me beyond belief is barking dogs, especially the yappy ones that kind of howl and bark at the same time. I think perhaps I may be being punished for something as I come here and there are at least 100 dogs around the place (including the 4 that live here) that feed off each other – not literally of course! Although that would stop the barking I guess – and bark constantly for hours at a time. A lot of the time I manage to distract myself and ignore it but last night it drove me mental so up to my room I went and listened to music. All I can say is thank God for earphones and volume control! Such a silly thing to get worked up over but there you go, we all have our oddities and that is one of mine; one of many I am sure.
Monday
Lucy’s car broke down last night about 2 hours out of Nairobi so Moses and Duncan were out trying to get it fixed. Ana still wasn’t completely well so Agnes and I headed off to catch matatus to the orphanage. As usual we got a lovely reception from the staff and kiddies. Little Moses Kibaki and Bobo immediately held one of my hands each as we wandered around. I went to chat to Francis about mum’s donation and to see if there was anything I could do admin-wise that could help him out. Moses sat on my lap the whole time just relaxing and playing with my glasses. Those times are just so precious. They are so innocent and sweet and happily show you exactly how they feel which is wonderful when they just want to cuddle and be near you. I thought Moses had been left on the steps of the orphanage when he was a baby but apparently he was actually left in a tea field to die when he was less than a year old. He was found and taken to the police and ended up at the orphanage. They saved his life. He is such a smart little boy and will no doubt do really well in school when he goes. He is only about 4 at the moment although they are not exactly sure as he came with no details, not even a name.
The whole day was mainly spent hanging out with the kids doing puzzles, throwing a ball around and also helping out with preparing beans. Unexpectedly, some staff from NVS came to the orphanage to see how I was going. It was so nice to see Christabel, Moses and George. They stayed for a while and chatted then took Agnes and I home. One of the staff from NVS, Cleopus, is getting married on Saturday and everyone is invited and I mean everyone. Basically it is an open invitation. Apparently you never really know how many people are going to show up to a Kenyan wedding. Invitations go out and those people are assured if they say they are coming but others are randomly invited and just show up! Lucy and Wambui are invited so I will go with them. Really looking forward to it. What will I wear!
I’m going to the IDP camp on Wednesday (just for the day now) and will be able to, with mum’s help, buy food for the families there. When we came home today there was a pile of clothes on the table and Lucy told me they were for me to take to the IDP camp as donations! How amazing is she?? She gives everywhere she can! I called her over and told her about the donation from mum and my friends. It was one of the most precious moments of my life. She was genuinely shocked then just grabbed me and hugged me so tight. I know the money will make a huge difference. Thank you to everyone again, you are wonderful!!
After dinner we learnt how to make mandazi – the sweet Kenyan donuts. Well, Lucy made them and we watched and oooed and ahhhed in the right places. They are deep fried (which is why they taste so good) in a triangle shape but Ana and Agnes decided to try different shapes so we ended up with a Christmas tree, the letter M for me, a star, a hand, a snowman (??), a heart and various other odd concoctions. No matter what they looked like they tasted delicious! After consuming quite a few, must make sure they are up to standard you see, it was time for bed. What a heartwarming day.
Lala Salama.
