Where My Heart Lives

3 February 2011

Sometimes people retell a joke and it goes flat. Then they say, “you had to be there”. I will try my best to bring you here, but I suspect I may fall flat. To be here in Nambale is to be at the heart of the real Africa. Many dream of Africa, but it is the Meryl Streep Africa. Or they live their lives planning the big Safari. They are picked up in big vans and escorted to the game reserves. They make a stop at a “real local artist shop” where everything is sanitized. And they go on their way satisfied that they have been to Africa.

My Africa is loud and dusty. My Africa is unpredictable and far from comfortable much of the time. It is lack of electricity and cold showers in Busia, and swerving not to hit a pig running across the road. It is hot and dirty and beautiful beyond description. The most important part of my Africa is the people. If you will not dare to get dirty or go in a foul smelling latrine, you will never meet them. But if you are willing their heart and spirit will amaze you.

Today we journeyed to our first stop, Malanga Primary. This is the home of the Iron Lady, a woman who has taken the idea of micro-finance to an entirely new level. A woman who, when she couldn’t get the men to pay back their loans got a debt collector to see that they did. Her name is Benta and later you can see her on film. It is the home of hundreds of children dressed in green uniforms lining up to sing and welcome me home. It is parents who want to reach for the stars and have just begun to believe maybe they can.

The team from KMET is beyond words. I have never seen such teamwork, such incredible respect for one another and such passion for what they are doing. Yet, they are never satisfied with their day until they debrief and figure out how it could have gone better. Monica is their lioness who encourages the parents to own the program. She talks to them like a stern mother. Then it’s my turn to talk about their growing up and how they can achieve that. I’m a bit softer, but still pretty tough. Malanga has till the end of this year to be on their feet. Giant, gentle Asuke, with a smile as big as the stars in an African sky, takes care of microfinance and in Malanga there is a 100% repayment.

The Girls Getting their Pads

While we are in front of the parents, another part of the team is working with the children. Ken is in charge of nutrition and statistics for the children. He weighs and measures all the children from kindergarten through 4^th grade. Sam is deworming all the children, for it does no good to feed the worms instead of the children. Beatrice is working on community-based health care and 2 girls who have graduated from the KMET program are now teaching the 7^th and 8^th grade girls about their periods and the reusable sanitary towels.

Sam Deworming the Children

Efficient, gentle, thoughtful, passionate, ingenious, the KMET team is all of that and I am so honored that we can partner with them. Sam noted we needed to de-worm earlier in the morning, Ken was trying to figure out how to follow the children better, Beatrice talked about more meetings with the parents to sensitize them, and on and on. And all of this took about 2 ½ hours.

Monica Congratulation the Young Boy

At the end of the visit, the headmaster brought before us a boy. Both his parents were dead and he had no place to live. It turns out, though that he scored second highest in the secondary exams and was offered a spot at a National school. Unfortunately he could not take that seat since he had no possible way of paying the fees. The teachers had taken up a collection and I knew what was coming next. He needed 6000ksh ($80) to cover his fees. And yes they asked me for the rest. However I have been so inculcated into the KMET way of doing things I adjured to Monica. She asked the parents to give (Harambee is a joyful party to raise money for the needy) and I told the parents we would match them dollar for dollar. The parents somehow raised 7000ksh, and we matched them and a bit more so that his entire year is covered. What is most important in my Africa is this simple gesture of people who are so poor they don’t know where the next meal is coming from, but they rose to the challenge and gave all they had.

One of the Shops From the Micro Finance

They don’t work at the fancy shops and hotels. The pretty much have never left Nambale. Their shops are tiny corrugated tin boxes with a few supplies, or a dress shop with treadle sewing machines, but their successes are all the sweeter because they got a loan, and made it work.

At Manyole the parents had been waiting under the Kenyan sun since early in the morning. Hard to fathom this kind of commitment, but they wanted to say thank you to Mama OVAAT who had supported them. So despite the heat, the dust, the lack of water and the sheer boredom of sitting, there they were singing and clapping as we arrived. The hugs I got from some of the elderly women were so deep and wide and heartfelt that I was a bit overcome. I’m always a bit embarrassed by all this show of appreciation, since frankly 1. I don’t really think I do much and 2. For me anything that happens is always by the grace of God. I never want to forget that.

The rest of the day is a bit of a blur. I have been working for 14 hours now and the sun is tough on this muzungu skin. I couldn’t be happier. It’s another day where life is good, yeah again. It’s just all-good.