Welcome to One Village at a Time

Ta Daa!

On May 12, 2010, In Uncategorized, By admin

I am mackilicious. I love all things Apple and have lusted after a new computer for some time now. I know the IPad is out, but that interests me not at all. I’m too much of a size queen for that and 250GB was just too enticing. So undaunted I went out and got one. I reasoned that it would be infinitely easier to edit video this way, more room, better software blah blah blah. Indeed all of the assumptions were true, however, mastering the new puppy is a work in progress.

Film editing is not for the faint of heart. Despite Apple’s intuitive ILife, it took me well over 40 hours to complete this, my first masterpiece, on the new Macbook Pro. However, I’m pretty happy with the results. So without further ado, I give you my first attempt at truly showing what we are doing in Kenya.

Decisions

On February 12, 2010, In Uncategorized, By admin

I leave a week from today. As the snow falls soundlessly outside, I am overwhelmed by what lies ahead. Surely this is not my first trip over nor shall it be my last, however I am struck by the decisions my colleagues and I must make. It has come into sharper focus because of the things happening in Haiti.

Last night, on CNN, I saw a sun burned Sean Penn being interviewed by some reporter. He talks about the impending disaster still to come, the rains and typhoid, and cholera. He speaks of the squalid conditions that already existed in Haiti. The reporter presses him about what happens when the focus is no longer on Haiti and Penn struggles for an answer; an answer I know and maybe he does too. People will forget and move on. Most of the money will go to the wrong people, and the most vulnerable will teeter on the edge of existence. Many will fall off. There will be a few intrepid workers who will stay and try and make a difference. The decisions, dear readers, are what wear us down the most, not the work.

I shall go to Nambale and pray that the schools are in better order and able to work with us to create that self-sustaining dream we have. With the grace of God and the help of our partner KMET, I believe we shall succeed. However for every one child we feed in Nambale 20 are starving in Siaya, or Kitali. To decide how the aid shall be doled out and to whom; to insist on certain standards so we are the most efficient is the only way to succeed. But it is also to leaving others to fend for them. And lock or no lock on my heart, I realize the enormity of the problem and today I am rocked by the decisions.

One of my bags is packed. I carry books, software for the medical records and lollipops. The lollipops make me feel better, though they do little to alleviate the suffering. Maybe they give the children hope that next time Mama Susan comes it will be their turn to be fed. I know it helps me see a smile.

So when the cameras in Haiti stop filming, when I go off to do the very small amount that I do, don’t be impressed by the work the aid workers do, be impressed by the decisions we must make and know that we always wish we could do more.

Keep the faith y’all. Talk to you again when I hit Nairobi.

Pass the Torch

On January 14, 2010, In Uncategorized, By Susan

Tonight one of my clients was talking to me about doing great things or wishing that she would do great things like I do. I was taken aback by this comment. There is no one who does any great thing without the help of so many others. It seems to me that if you seek greatness for greatness sake you have lost your way. It is by passing the torch to the next generation that creates greatness, not shining it on oneself. There is nothing about what I do in Kenya that isn’t on the shoulders of so many incredible people. It’s easy to stand at the top, but a lot harder to hold the person up. So I am grateful for all the amazing people who volunteer countless hours to help with a website, to run a fundraiser, to design posters, to keep the books, to write the notes, and to keep me on my toes. I hope if you’re reading this you all know whom you are.

The client and I continued our musings about women here in the U.S. She is with a group examining the issues of violence, safety and trust with women. My mind took me back, immediately to this post that I have been putting off.

I have been tardy in this latest post. I suspect it has to do with the grim truth of what it can mean to be a woman in Africa. I read in the Kenyan papers last week that the army is moving into Meru and the women are fleeing for fear of rape.

I have become somewhat inured to the violence in Sierra Leone, Sudan, The Congo, but somehow I missed something because I didn’t think it would happen in my beloved Kenya. They’re not at war with anyone right now, the troops are going in to ferret out guns left by the mungiki, but, alas, it seems that no woman in Africa is safe around an army. Furthermore that probably goes for the police as well.

I am preparing to return to Kenya soon. My heart skips a beat when I think of getting back there. I miss Monica and Francis and Miriam. I want to smell the rain and hear it crash on the tin roofs. I want to hear the children chanting and laughing and whispering “muzungu”. And in all this time I have only been afraid a couple of times. Somehow I think it is true God takes care of fools and children. I would be the former.

Yet, it has occurred to me that without a couple of friends I have made I am the same as any African woman. The safety I feel when I walk the streets of Boston or nod to a cop standing on the street, I don’t feel over there. And surely I know not to go out at night. But I can leave and they can’t. I can’t imagine what that must be like and that makes me sad.

I write tonight for women all over the world. I pray for girls who have no home, fear rape, beatings, and loneliness. I think of millions of mothers who wonder what they will feed their children, and even if their children will make it home safely. I hope as we begin this new decade that we make space for safety and trust for women and girls. And that one day women and girls will be able to walk down any street in any city with her head held high and her heart unafraid.

Keep the faith y’all.

From the Nation 12/24

Women and girls flee region as swoop on illegal weapons starts

Three weeks ago, Defence minister Yussuf Haji warned security officers against using excessive force to disarm residents.

Mr Haji urged the officers to uphold human rights and carry out the disarmament with a human face.

On his part, Livestock Development minister Mohammed Kuti urged the government to establish a complaints office to track the activities of the officers who will carry out the operation.

But Mr Kamitu, who is drawn from the GSU, said that the operation will be safe and called on locals to cooperate with the officers.

He urged the residents to immediately report any cases of torture or rape to him or to the DC’s office to allow for timely action to be taken against the culprits.

The operation commander also warned residents against resisting police search, saying that this may lead to the use of force.

“If you engage the officers in fire exchange or develop some resistance, they will use force to conduct the operation,” he warned.

Uganda Threatens Death to Gays

On December 9, 2009, In Africa, Homosexuality, Human Rights, By Susan

I was so aghast at the headline I couldn’t believe it. Yes, Uganda is working on legislation that will make homosexuality not only illegal (with jail up to 7 years) but may be punishable by death. Are you kidding?
No unfortunately they are not. Uganda where wife inheritance is common as are second wives, mistresses and general scallywag sexual behavior wants to outlaw what they deem deviant sex.

For those who know me, my faith is integral to who I am. I wear the sign of the cross always as a means of identifying and being proud of my faith. However, when sanctimonious Christian groups go over from the U.S to stir up trouble and help enforce laws Christ himself would not approve of, I want to tear my hair out. I totally understand why Christians in this country have such a bad rep.

I am also a shrink as many of you know. It seems (if you read the article) that there is still a group of people who think that counseling will “cure” homosexuality. OMG! That is as backward as leeching people to get out the evil humours.We haven’t had that diagnosis since the 80′s. That’s like calling TB consumption.I know that Ugandans are using the latest Anti-Retrovirals to treat AIDS and that they have a rather good medical school in Kampala.

It seems to me that Uganda, Nigeria, Kenya and the rest of the African nations who want to hang, torture, jail or other punishments too unspeakable to mention here would be better served feeding their starving children and worrying about the widows.

The saddest thing for me is that when I return to Kenya in a couple of months, this subject is just not open for discussion. Worse still is that I will keep quiet about it (unless asked) because it would distract from my mission over there. I am a child of the 60′s. I still want to fight back, but I am also older now, and I pick my fights more judiciously. So I put it here, and hope that those of you who read this will at least care and maybe write your congress people or newspapers and not let this story die.
It’s going to be a long time before Gay Pride comes to Africa.

KAMPALA, Uganda – Proposed legislation would
impose the death penalty for some gay
Ugandans, and their family and friends could
face up to seven years in jail if they fail to report
them to authorities. Even landlords could be
imprisoned for renting to homosexuals.
Gay-rights activists say the bill, which has
prompted growing international opposition,
promotes hatred and could set back efforts to combat HIV/AIDS. They
believe the bill is part of a continentwide backlash because Africa’s gay
community is becoming more vocal.
“It’s a question of visibility,” said David Cato, who became an activist
after he was beaten up four times, arrested twice, fired from his
teaching job and outed in the press because he is gay. “When we come
out and ask for our rights, they pass laws against us.”
Story continues below ↓
advertisement | your ad here
The legislation has drawn global attention from activists across the
spectrum of views on gay issues. The measure was proposed in Uganda
following a visit by leaders of U.S. conservative Christian ministries that
promote therapy for gays to become heterosexual. However, at least
one of those leaders has denounced the bill, as have some other
conservative and liberal Christians in the United States.
The Ugan
dan legislation in its current form would mandate a death
sentence for active homosexuals living with HIV or in cases of
same-sex rape. “Serial offenders” also could face capital punishment,
but the legislation does not define the term. Anyone convicted of a
homosexual act faces life imprisonment.
Anyone who “aids, abets, counsels or procures another to engage of
acts of homosexuality” faces seven years in prison if convicted.
Landlords who rent rooms or homes to homosexuals also could get
seven years and anyone with “religious, political, economic or social
authority” who fails to report anyone violating the act faces three
years.
The bill is still being debated and could undergo changes before a vote,
which hasn’t yet been set. But gay-rights activists abroad are focusing
on the legislation. A protest against the bill is planned for Thursday in
London; protests were held last month in New York and Washington.
Influenced by Western lifestyle?
David Bahati, the legislator sponsoring the bill, said he was encouraging
“constructive criticism” to improve the law but insisted strict measures
were necessary to stop homosexuals from “recruiting” schoolchildren.
“The youths in secondary schools copy everything from the Western
world and America,” said high school teacher David Kisambira. “A good
number of students have been converted into gays.

Uganda’s ethics minister, James Nsaba Buturo, said the death sentence clause would probably be reviewed but maintained the law was necessary to counter foreign influence. He said homosexuality “is not natural in Uganda,” a view echoed by some Ugandans.

“I feel that the bill is good and necessary, but I don’t think gays should be killed. They should be imprisoned for about a year and warned never to do it again. The family is in danger in Uganda because the rate at which vice is spreading is appalling,” said shopkeeper John Muwanguzi.

Uganda is not the only country considering anti-gay laws. Nigeria, where homosexuality is already punishable by imprisonment or death, is considering strengthening penalties for activities deemed to promote it. Burundi just banned same-sex relationships and Rwanda is considering it.

You can read the whole article on MSNBC/Africa

The Tree That Ate MotherMadrigal

On December 6, 2009, In humor Christmas, By Susan

Tree Owning Car

Christmastime is upon me, and concurrently on some of my friends and the cats. Last night was the tree trimming party, an annual occasion of mirth, ornaments and a bit of alcohol.
This year, as each guest entered they remarked on the size of the tree sitting on my car. One person actually asked if the tree was going to keep the car. Yes, it was huge, it was beyond any adjective one could think of for it’s girth, it’s breathtaking limbs, or the size of the double trunk. Since I am the weasel that gets other people to put the tree up, I failed to notice that the trunk of the tree might present some engineering difficulties. Oh, well, there were several engineers coming, they could surely handle it.

Tree Owning People

With much grunting, pulling, swearing, wetness and scraped open skin, the tree was launched into the main parlor. The smell of fresh pine was delicious, the cocktails made everyone’s spirit bright, and we were into it. The struggle was only beginning. I had gotten the Green Giant of tree holders online. I knew that I had to have something to hold a 12′ tree and this promised to be tip proof. They struggled, they cajoled, they used any available tool and finally the tree stood. Frankly it was so unbelievably large I feared that it could swallow a small child. It spread itself out into the room such that it felt like it had gone from owning a car to actually owning its own home.

It’s Alive!!!

Hundreds of lights were strung, ornaments galore were placed on the outreached boughs, gold ribbon twirled around the tree and glass icicles gave the treat the verisimilitude of an outdoor tree. It was beyond a creation as we stood back to admire it. And then came Boomer; one lap around the tree for good measure and all of a sudden this behemoth came crashing towards the floor. Richard, who perhaps had more good spirit than most of us, made an amazing catch as the sound of glass reverberated in the air.

And So This is Christmas

This was the time when most of the guests had either left or were leaving. Only Richard, Megan and myself remained amid the shambles. But Richard and Megan have such phenomenal spirit that they would not let this Goliath go. At 8P, while the flakes were falling Richard went to Home Depot to get a saw (Mother just doesn’t have those things, they were taken away from me long ago). I ordered pizza for all of us and wondered if the tree could be salvaged. Undaunted Richard returns with a small saw and begins the task of trying to saw off some of the gynormous trunk so it could stand again. We were all stone cold sober by now. Richard sweating away with the saw, my wondering if this was a good idea and Megan throwing in ideas for how to wrestle the puppy into order.

And Just What Did I Do You Fools!!

By 9:30P the tree, now 5 feet shorter, stood with its outstretched arms once again enticing us to decorate it again. And so we did..but for good measure the tree is also bolted into the walls in case Boomer wants to make a return lap.

Ahhhh Jello

On December 1, 2009, In humor, By Susan

I wish I had some small marshmallows, and maraschino cherries. They would have been perfect for the jello I just made. Jello; the mere word makes most young people including my children shiver in disgust and hit the highway as soon as possible. It quivers, it is clear and I have missed it. I have not made jello in 30 years, but one of the boxes for the Thanksgiving baskets got left on the counter and I couldn’t resist.

I started the kettle to boil the water, got out the right princess bowl (from the 40′s of course) and cleaned the little aluminum molds that helped entice an entire generation to eat something even my late basset hound wouldn’t touch. (Trust me I tried. She didn’t like marshmallows either)

Jello was fun! It was what was for desert most nights. And oh the combinations of things one could put into the shimmering dish. Chopped celery, raisins, mandarin oranges, minced pineapple, shredded carrots, the list is almost infinite.It could be used for a salad with the peas and carrots floating in a sea of green goo, for a fun side dish with olives and pimentos carousing with red jello. or jumpin and jivin with the myriad of fruits, nuts and sweet nothings that one could mix into it before putting it into the refrigerator to let it cool and get that gelatinous touch needed to make it wiggle.

There was, however, one dish of jello I refused to eat. It was called tomato aspic. My grandmother, a lovely gentlewoman from the South, had very fixed ideas about what was acceptable or not acceptable to eat at lunch. Chicken salad, egg salad, tuna, or a delicate sandwich with the crusts trimmed off were a yes, hamburgers or spaghetti were for truck drivers and definitely no. What was considered the queen of luncheon fare was her favorite… crab meat in tomato aspic. There was a special aluminum mold for this frightening dish. It was circular so that the tomato jello made a circle around the unsuspecting crab meat (“always leave a little shell in it dear, then they know it’s fresh”). Mayonnaise was placed in the well first and then the crab meat. It was a horror to me and a disagreement my grandmother and I never resolved although I still have the aspic mold. Hmmm…I wonder what I’m doing with that.

So tonight I shall have a small cup of orange jello. No fruit cocktail handy I had to chop up some lychees to put in, I couldn’t let the little fellow go naked. And I will remember a time when we had everything with butter, we dressed for dinner, and there was never enough whipped cream on top of the JELLO.

P.S So I go on the web to find a good photo of jello and I get this one. I hope you can read the writing. This confection is made with jello, yogurt and gummy bears. OMG!

World AIDS Day

On November 30, 2009, In Uncategorized, By Susan

Tomorrow is World AIDS Day. It is no day of celebration for me. I remember my best friend dying of it 7 years ago, and my heart still aches. I see the children with eyes yellowed by the disease, a headmaster shriveling away under my gaze and I pray that some people will remember that AIDS is not over. So many here in the U.S don’t think about it, don’t see it. People are living longer, getting better medications, but folks still don’t want to talk about it too much.
The headmaster at the rural school in Kenya reeked of AIDS 5 years ago:I knew just by
looking at him. No one wanted to talk about it, no one would let me talk to him. I would have supported his medication…but no, no one not even the headmaster himself would allow the help. That to me is the greatest part of the heartbreak with AIDS. Just like here in the 80′s and 90′s we couldn’t talk about it. In Africa to go get a test means infidelity, which of course is real and happens “in the best of families”. But it seems that folks would rather die than talk about the consequences.

So this World AIDS Day, talk about it. To my African friends, speak out, speak up. I’m looking forward to the day we don’t have to have World AIDS Day!

Sometimes the News is Good

On November 28, 2009, In Africa, Children, Global Warming, Internet, By Susan

Here in the U.S people are recovering from Black Friday. I read that one woman missed Thanksgiving entirely so she could be first in line at a Best Buy; however her family did bring her turkey and pie while waiting in line. Here in D.C the town is abuzz about the couple who sneaked into the White House State Dinner, seems in their climb to notoriety has revealed their rather shady past. Ah, small news day today.

However, the Daily Nation did have a great story about kids in Kogelo part of the area we work in. They have fired off their first email to President Obama asking him to do something about global warming. I’m delighted to see that progress, though, it is a school supported by the Obamas. In any event I give you today’s good news from Kenya.

News
Kogelo learners send first email to Obama

Pupils and students at the Senator Obama schools in western Kenya on Friday sent their first emails using solar energy to United States President Barack Obama. Photos/DAN OBIERO

Pupils and students at the Senator Obama schools in western Kenya on Friday sent their first emails using solar energy to United States President Barack Obama. Photos/DAN OBIERO
Posted Friday, November 27 2009 at 16:32

Pupils and students at the Senator Obama schools in western Kenya on Friday sent their first emails using solar energy to United States President Barack Obama.

The messages appealed to the president to champion renewable energy at the Copenhagen climate summit in 10 days.

“Please President Obama do something. We just want to ask you to help other children all the over the world to access solar power. Teacher Ann sees a connection of climate change and the drought in Kogelo village and said that solar power is a solution to climate change. Help protect the climate, this is our future,” read the message from the excited pupils.

Simple request

They told him that had it not been for solar power, they would not have afforded to reach him.
In a separate email, secondary school students had a simple request. They asked Mr Obama to use his “great office to encourage the utilisation of renewable energies such as solar power.”
“We want other students in communities similar to ours to enjoy their education like we do here in Kogelo,” they said.
Solar power at the schools, Senator Obama Nyangoma Primary and Secondary in Kogelo, was installed in August 2009. The schools are a stone’s throw from President Obama’s grandmother Mama Sarah’s house. She also has a solar panel and charges the mobile phones of her young neighbours. (Agencies)

Peacekeepers 2009

On November 24, 2009, In Peacekeepers, Thanksgiving, By Susan

Many of you know about the Peacekeepers. Some of you don’t and if you don’t know them it is entirely your loss. I write about them from time to time. They grace my home and this world. Their generosity of spirit and conviction that the world should be a better place helps me know that I’m heading in the right direction. We have been gathering for about 7 years now to do Thanksgiving Baskets. At first it was for another agency, but we found that we had enough folks in our group who had dedicated their lives to helping in some of the roughest parts of our city and knew many families who would benefit from the largesse. We made 3 baskets our first year and did 20 this year. Everyone gets into the spirit.

I have been rather busy this past month. There is a group of Peacekeepers who have been writing grants to help change health care in Kenya. Sometimes I look at these people and wonder how did I get so lucky to find them and that they want to work with me. Their drive, inovation and enthusiasm, to say nothing of their vast knowledge is going to change this world, it already has. And aren’t I lucky that they want to help One Village. So with the grant and the visit to Philadelphia to meet Monica from KMET, as well as the running of home and practice I wasn’t sure I was up to the baskets.

Ha ha, how can I ever not respond to the call of the PK’s themselves asking “Are we going to do it this year??”, and of course we do. They sign up quickly as the emails go around, they gather their offerings, the peacelings come with them and once again we know that we are joined together in grace and love.Maybe next year you’ll join us to.

Thank you Peacekeepers, and here’s the video. See You Soon.

In Case You Didn't Know

On November 16, 2009, In Africa, Sudan, one village at a time, By Susan

We traveled a long time for our 2 hour meeting. And we weren’t in Africa. I was greatly heartened that so many of my board and one of our research team was willing to journey to Philadelphia, by train and plane, to meet for 2 hours with Monica Oguttu my counterpart in Kenya. Mama KMET, as she is called, is an impressive woman overflowing with ideas and ways to help the disenfranchised women of Kenya. She also spends a good deal of time in the Sudan.
It was good to see my Dada (sister) again and we laughed when we were alone. We laughed for the joy of seeing each other, and for the knowing that Americans know next to nothing about what happens in the place she and I call our heart home. Just going to the bathroom is an experience which we take for granted. Everything here is automatic, the flusher, the amount of soap, the amount of water, the towels.Our obsession with cleanliness is no better showcased than in our public toilets. In Kenya there are no public toilets, there’s rarely soap or towels, and frequently the flushing of the toilet is accomplished by pouring water into the back of the john, if there is even a receptacle other than a hole.
The gathering was quite successful and I believe we have a better understanding of where we want to go next. How we shall fund it is still in God’s hands.
So this morning I was reading the Nation and saw this article, and I wondered if anyone knew about this. 10 years ago it was quite chic to care about Darfur and the Sudan, now they are just part of the abyss of suffering and drought that is called Africa. However, in my eternal desire to keep at least my readers up to date, read on McDuff.
The Nation
By WALTER MENYAPosted Monday, November 16 2009 at 12:44

In Summary

The government of Sudan has now opened voter registration centres in three Sub-Saharan countries previously left out by the National Elections Commission.

Sudanese nationals in Diaspora will now be able to register and participate in the 2010 elections from South Africa, Kenya and Uganda. Another centre has also opened in Malaysia bringing the countries identified by NEC for the exercise to 14.

And on Monday, hundreds of Sudanese nationals living in Kenya thronged the country’s embassy in Nairobi to beat the November 30 deadline set by the National Elections Commission.

Speaking after launching the exercise, Sudan ambassador Mr Majok Guandong denied the opening of the centres was a response to the pressure from the South.

“The Sudanese in Diaspora have a right to take part in the elections which the government and NEC recognise,” said Mr Guandong.

The Government of Southern Sudan had two weeks ago threatened to boycott elections if certain conditions were not met.

One of the conditions according to the head of mission of the Southern government in Nairobi John Duku was opening registration centres in Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Congo-Brazaville and the Democratic Republic of Congo where Mr Duku stressed hosts many South Sudanese refugees.

Mr Duku had said the South was unimpressed with the way the North was conducting the voter registration exercise that started November 1 to run for 30 days.

The list of eligible countries initially distributed to Missions abroad included Kuwait, United Arab Emirates, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Egypt, Qatar, Sultanate of Oman, Bahrain, the UK, Belgium (for all Western Europe) and USA.

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