I am enjoying settling into the town of Nyeri, near the base of Mt. Kenya, full of lush green plants, brilliant flowers, street-side mangoes and “smokies” (sausages from a street cart), and an easygoing, yet bustling atmosphere. Yes, it’s mango season and avocados are just starting to ripen! I’m in paradise.
Caritas Nyeri
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Richard, a member of our mental health team,
and girl visiting the health clinic |
This fellowship has pushed me to grow
in patience and flexibility. I did not feel comfortable or confident in the
organization that I originally planned to work with in Nyeri, Kenya, an
HIV/AIDS orphanage that has a running program. I have learned that few things organized
in advance actually materialize in Africa; here is a culture of spontaneity and
adaptability. I started researching other options and spoke with my close
friend Kate that spent a year volunteering in Kenya. I decided to begin working
with the organization Caritas Kenya, which runs a mental health program in regions
otherwise unreached by mental health care and consultation. Unfortunately, the
program does not directly concern my original intentions of working with East
African runners, however, I have much freedom to contribute as I see fit, this
organization is much more reliable than the other, and has real areas of need
in which I am capable of assisting. I have enjoyed the last few weeks: going
into the field, meeting patients/clients from various tribes in a variety of terrains
and climates, writing funding proposals, understanding the workings of the
organization, and taking lots of tea!
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| a site of one of our 50 mental health support groups |
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| cute kids that loved the paper airplanes and cranes that I made for them! |
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| Lucy, a good friend and fellow intern at Caritas |
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| another day, another group, post-session |
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the mother of the woman in pink shared with the group that her daughter, the woman
pictured here, is actually 40 years (young) and her teeth are just growing in |
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| Helen (Sr.), director of Caritas Nyeri Mental Health Programme |
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| Eunice, Lucy and I on a side-trip to visit a water pump |
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our visit turned into a hike!
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| enjoying a sugar cane break |
Nairobi Weekend: Cultural Festival & Goat Roast
I returned to Nairobi this weekend, an easy two and a half hour
matatu ride on smooth roads, to see my Somali friends—Team Somalia—in the Culture Week
show at the United States International University and to attend a goat
roast fundraiser with my Nyeri-based friend, Purity, for her brother’s wedding.
Signs in passing:
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for sale wherever you go in Kenya!
reminded me of another sign that I saw in Ethiopia... |
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| a restaurant in Ethiopia--thank goodness it's a 24hr establishment! |
