Last night after I posted the blog, I went down to the
dining hall here at Kapsabet Orphanage where we are staying and listened to
Susie fielding questions from the older orphans. This is always an interesting time for me,
since it gives me an insight to what the orphans are thinking. The questions range from life in America, to
our kids, our food, and even sex and birth control! Susie has developed a real rapport with these
kids and they will ask almost anything.
Very cool.
As I left the hall, I stopped into check on Matt Maxwell,
who is staying in the manager’s house next to the dining hall. Despite all the noise, he was crashed out on
his bed, fully clothed. I don’t blame
him at all. These kinds of trips can be
very tiring. Riding in a Land Cruiser
over these roads is not a passive thing.
You are continually in motion and usually arrive tired. Add to that all the new experiences and the
constant work he is doing taking pictures and video, and it really takes a toll
on you! Sleep tight, brother!
This morning we shared a breakfast of bread and butter and
chai, and then set out for Ngeymesut Orphanage, our second in this area. Most of the kids were at school, having exams
today, but there were a few nursery school kids to liven p the place. Matt got started taking pics and vids, and
Susie went to hang out with the widows.
I did my usual walk-around to see what was new and what needed
attention.
My first stop is always the nurse to check on the health of
the kids. Here, there were a few cases of
typhoid, which usually means contaminated water. A quick walk to one of the storage tanks used
to store river water for washing showed me the problem. One of the guards was working on the water
tap, which was damaged and leaking. The
kids have probably been drinking from this even though there is clean,
municipal water in another tank. I lent
a hand with the repairs, adding a roll of electrical tape to his efforts to
make a temporary fix until the valve can be replaced. That provided a “teachable moment” with the
manager and guard about how to treat this water with bleach, just in case the
kids drink from it. I felt very useful
in that moment!
Susie made chapati with the widows and got to share some
good quality time with them, her favorite thing. I found Matt, shooting video of the kids and
the facility. Stephen added his
translation skills to our mix; we were like a well-oiled machine!
After tea, we drove over to Kipsenende Orphange, our newest
in this area. We shared a great time
with them, brainstorming on how to improve one of the stoves in the kitchen
before sharing lunch with them. Then the
rain came. It was only a short shower,
thankfully, since driving on these roads when they are slick can be very
difficult. We managed to get away
unscathed and set out to visit the Chepkiit waterfalls.
This place is kind of hard to find. It’s a tourism site, but badly signed and
with a very bad road. We made it just
fine, and really enjoyed our visit. Our
guide walked us all around the falls, including a very challenging descent to
the lower falls and tough climb back up to the top. I’ll let the pictures speak for themselves on
this one; descriptions would fall short.
Tonight we spend our last night at Kapsabet. In the morning we will drive down to our orphanage
at Muhoroni and then on to the training center.
Be blessed.
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