Update

Our first full day without electricity was Thursday. That's an eye-opener! You don't realize how often you use it until you don't have it.

The morning started out very rainy but cleared up nicely. Today our volunteers worked with the children of Nakeel Primary School to decorate garbage cans. The children agreed to keep the campus clean if the cans were provided.


Attention US Venture Associates... THANK YOU! Look what you were able to provide to VICODEC with the money raised through two casual days. They are overwhelmed and very grateful!

U.S. Venture is helping to sponsor a free medical clinic to the community of Ongata Rongai. Nurses and doctors will be on hand to provide medical care and to prescribe any medications necessary. VICODEC has also partnered with an eye clinic so this year eye exams will also be provided. This is the second medical clinic we have done. The first clinic provided services to over 800 people. I can guarantee we will be working very hard on that day.  Here Ann and Barb are sorting medications for the upcoming clinic.





In the last blog, I was explaining how the sponsored families receive a food supplies quarterly and I posted several photos of some of us picking up the bulk food...here is the rest of the story.

The mama's of the sponosred children are asked to provide some volunteer work for VICODEC. In this case they are cleaning the campus before the children arrive back at school. In Kenya children are in class for 3 months and off for 1 month. The children return on Monday.

When the bulk food arrives at VICODEC it has to be measured and sorted. At this time, we have 64 children sponsored so we obviously had to make up 64 separate bags.

Here Lori is adding flour to each bag and Michelle is working on preparing the bags for incoming food items.

Alison making sure the bags are filled properly and Wallie and Julie are measuring rice!

Here are the parents that came to pick up there food and meet all of us.

 If you can, please watch this video of a young girl, who is new to VICODEC, recite a poem she wrote in front of the parents and staff. She is remarkable and the poem is very fitting to how the families and children feel about the sponsorship program.

I'm going to sign off with this photo of Ann meeting the mama of her sponsored child. A picture is worth a thousand words...

Kibera Slum

 Work continues at Nakeel, painting windows and painting chalkboards.

Some of the group stayed at VICODEC and worked with the social workers to install a camera for communication via SKYPE and did some training on Facebook. After a successful camera installation, off to the market to purchase food items for the sponsored families.

The sponsored families receive rice, beans, soap, tea, sugar, flour and other items every 4-5 months. The social workers buy the products in bulk and separate the food into bags for each family.

Faith, Terri, Grace and Lori were overseeing the packing of the truck.

If the store didn't have enough of the product we needed, they sent a person by bicycle to a neighboring warehouse to pick what was needed. A very unique way to deliver! On to Tusky's which is a large store similar to a Walmart...they have everything. We picked up garbage cans and soccer balls for the children of Nakeel. They promised to start keeping their campus clean if there were garbage cans provided. We promised soccer balls for their efforts.

Then on to Kibera Slum, the largest slum in Kenya. Kibera is situated just outside of Nairobi and is 2 miles square. Rumor has it that there are over 1.2 million people living in this area. We met a pastor (Kenyaneeta) who agreed to take us into Kibera so we could make a comparison between Kware slum which is the population VICODEC serves and this one.

The railroad runs directly through Kibera and runs all the way to Uganda. In 2007 when there was so much politcal unrest, it was noted that the people of Kibera rose up and each person assembled at the railroad track and lifted at the same time, removing the track from the ground so the train could no longer pass through.

The area was extremely dangerous and we were only able to walk on the outside near the railroad track.

Challenging Day

Cleaning and painting was the project for today. The dust on the doors and windows was so thick at times it was hard to distinguish cement from dirt. There are no hoses... so spraying down the doors and windows was not and option. Scrubbing was done with bamboo hand brooms and rinsed with a watering can. It's so warm everything dries before you can even rinse. Michelle, Alison and Val pose for this photo before getting back to work.

But as you can see, painting did get done and new friends were made. This is Julie with Paul, the parent/teacher coordinator. Paul wears a suit for everything including today's project. His suit took on a new pattern when he backed into a freshly painted pole...sorry Paul we just couldn't get the paint out.

Lori and Ann are tackling the over 20 poles around the campus. Sanding and then applying two coats of paint.

Wallie going for another container of paint.

Lunch was catered in by VICODEC. All you could eat rice and lentils.

Some of the older girls who helped clean windows and doors.

Tomorrow, work again early in the morning and then a special visit to Kibera. The largest slum in Kenya.

Alison's post

Today was another successful day at Nakeel. After cleaning yesterday, today we painted all the classroom doors and prepared to paint the inside of those classrooms tomorrow. The kids once again were wonderful and always wanting to help us. There is something about all these children that really make all of us feel pretty darn special, and all the hard work seems really easy when we know we are doing it for them!

Not only have we had lots of fun helping over at Nakeel but we are also meeting the wonderful people that work right here at Vicodec. This place is truly amazing and the things they are doing for all the kids is great!

Time for dinner....pictures will be posted later tonight.

Good Morning!

Good morning from VICODEC! Preparing for Nakeel and a full day of work. It's cool this morning, about 60F. Should warm up to about 80F. Expecting over 80 additional community members to work on the school today.

Our friends the african bees are working hard on this beautiful trumpet flower. We are so grateful they are focusing on this beautiful trumpet flower and not us! These are not your ordinary bees, these are the true killer bees of africa. I will admit...I do have a zoom lens! :)

First Work Day at Nakeel

Many changes at VICODEC...New classrooms! These new classrooms will allow VICODEC kids to continue their education there through the third grade. Giving the VICODEC kids more time to prepare for public schools.

Barb is preparing for minor surgeries at the clinic.

 Today is considered Easter Monday in Kenya and is a holiday. We still had many parents, children and teachers helping us prepare the classrooms for cleaning and painting. All the desks were removed from the classrooms. The classrooms were swept and the floors and walls washed.

These are some of the students that assisted with all the work of the day. They were very helpful and grateful for the attention to their classroom.

Taking a break from cleaning...Alison, Barb and Michelle.

Lunch today was provided by U.S. Venture...bread and soda.

More changes at VICODEC...a new adult training center was built to make room for additional classrooms for the children.

The day ended with a walk through Kware. Meeting lots of small children that ask constantly "how are you?" Tomorrow will start early at Nakeel with painting and more cleaning!

ARRIVAL

We arrived at VICODEC at around 10:00 pm Sunday night. The flights were on time and plenty of room to spread out on the plane. Everyone made it through customs so all the gifts and supplies arrived safely as well. Thanks Wallie, Julie and Allison for riding on the wild side to VICODEC…in the back of the truck with the luggage! The night ended late with popcorn and the proposed itinerary for the day on Monday. Work will be the first order of business. We will be walking to Nakeel, arriving at 9:00 am to start prepping the toilets and classrooms for the upcoming changes.

Preparing to leave

The group is preparing for departure to VICODEC on Saturday, April 23. Leaving Appleton at 11:00am arriving in Nairobi Kenya on April 24, 10pm. Travelers include:

Lori Hoersch, Terri Green, Michelle Knox, Ann Anholzer, Barb Steinbrunn, Julie Schmidt, Wallie Schmidt, Val Schmidt and Alison Schmidt

The money raised from U.S. Venture casual days has been used for supplies such as: gardening tools, school supplies for the children, material and sewing tools for the adult classes, and cooking utensils such as knives for the kitchen staff. THANK YOU to all those that participated in making this happen.

If the electricity holds out and the internet service stays up and running we will update this blog with photos and experiences as we move forward. You will also be able to respond back to us if you have thoughts or questions.