Today we were up early again and at the camp by 8.30. We headed straight to the building site and could see that the team had already started to measure and mark the ground. Irene and I put on our gumboots and were ready to start digging but we soon realized that we were going to have to wait. A number of men had gathered around and were in deep discussions about how to go about building this house! Everyone needed to have their say. So we pulled up a stone block and waited and watched the scene unravel. Finally after some time Moses came over to us and simply said “they have agreed!” and we could continue. Irene and I jumped in and did some digging for the foundation but we were kind of slow and in the way and getting laughed at so we stepped aside and let the boys take over. It was awesome to watch them in action and interesting to. Similar to what we witnessed at the quarry, everything is being done manually even the measuring. One of the tools they were using is called a ‘Kabiru’ and it looks like a pendulum. It is used to ensure the building will be straight. You need to have a very good eye and steady hand for this job!
And so the digging of the trenches continued all day and we could see two small rooms taking shape…
Meanwhile, Irene was told that one of the kids at the camp had been bleeding consistently during the night and so she took him to a hospital in Nakuru to be checked out. Nik, Kath and I stayed at camp. Wangari, one of the elders and committee members hosted us in her tent and cooked us a delicious meal of mukimo and cabbage. Mukimo is a traditional Kenyan dish that consists of potatoes, beans, peas and maize that gets all mashed up together. It was yum!
In the afternoon we all wandered around the camp chatting to people, and Bryan, a GVN volunteer joined us and I got a chance to hear about what projects he is working on and how camp life is. From what he said it sounds like people are getting more desperate and food is very scarce. While we were there we saw two well-wisher groups bring food. The first one was from a local guy who pulled up in his car and gave out pieces of bread to the kids. It started out pretty organsied with the kids in lines but it soon turned chaotic as people started grabbing for the food. It was difficult to watch.
A little bit later another group arrived in cars and trucks. I found out that is was the second President of Kenya’s son, Gideon Moi. He delivered a speech and donated sacks of corn flour. The community were so happy and thankful for the food that would ge them through another day. He promised to come back again this week.
At about 6pm we called it a day and headed back to a nearby hotel for dinner and a much needed shower. We would head back to the camp in the morning to check the site and meet with Paul and Moses.
I have an exciting story to tell you about meeting famous marathon runner Samuel Wanjiro who won first place at the world marathon in Beijing and broke the record… but that will have to wait! Gotta fly…
Hugs,
Lauren
And so the digging of the trenches continued all day and we could see two small rooms taking shape…
Meanwhile, Irene was told that one of the kids at the camp had been bleeding consistently during the night and so she took him to a hospital in Nakuru to be checked out. Nik, Kath and I stayed at camp. Wangari, one of the elders and committee members hosted us in her tent and cooked us a delicious meal of mukimo and cabbage. Mukimo is a traditional Kenyan dish that consists of potatoes, beans, peas and maize that gets all mashed up together. It was yum!
In the afternoon we all wandered around the camp chatting to people, and Bryan, a GVN volunteer joined us and I got a chance to hear about what projects he is working on and how camp life is. From what he said it sounds like people are getting more desperate and food is very scarce. While we were there we saw two well-wisher groups bring food. The first one was from a local guy who pulled up in his car and gave out pieces of bread to the kids. It started out pretty organsied with the kids in lines but it soon turned chaotic as people started grabbing for the food. It was difficult to watch.
A little bit later another group arrived in cars and trucks. I found out that is was the second President of Kenya’s son, Gideon Moi. He delivered a speech and donated sacks of corn flour. The community were so happy and thankful for the food that would ge them through another day. He promised to come back again this week.
At about 6pm we called it a day and headed back to a nearby hotel for dinner and a much needed shower. We would head back to the camp in the morning to check the site and meet with Paul and Moses.
I have an exciting story to tell you about meeting famous marathon runner Samuel Wanjiro who won first place at the world marathon in Beijing and broke the record… but that will have to wait! Gotta fly…
Hugs,
Lauren
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