Frank's Journal 12/5/08

Reviewing these posts, I apologize for the number of typos but these keys stick from use and the humid climate.

Night before last, I was talking with Collins and other young men. They were trying to brainstorm ideas on how to get into business for themselves. Jobs are impossible unless your family is connected somehow. Collins has been accepted into the Dominican seminary; he's not a dull light. In any event, a couple of ideas they had was an internet cafe, which have been busy every time I go, or a copycenter. They pointed out that the nearest place to xerox something was miles away and the nearby schools would be immediate customers. The problem, of course, is start up capital, for training (especially for a copycenter), for machinery, and for rent. Next to HIV, I think unemployment is Kenya's biggest problem.

This morning I met first with the HCWs (Health Care Workers) volunteers who minister to the sick, primarily HIV sufferers. There were about 30 of them at the meeting. The HCWs are trained, primarily by Elizabeth, parish chairperson (and a lady with her fingers in lots of pies), to provide medicines and other support to their patients. They explained to me that HIV carries a huge stigma. Apparently, the government initially denied disease, buried the dead in paper coffins away from the others, and otherwise ostracized the sufferers. There is also a vestigal culture of superstition and belief in evil spirits and minor deities that fuels the stigma. Those with HIV are reluctant to come into the clinics and the parish clinic because they fear people will know why they are there, so the HCWs go to them.

The HCWs shared the challenges they encounter in their ministry: people blaming them for not being able to do more, people who refused to take the drugs or who stop taking the drugs when they start feeling better, people so stigmaticized by the disease that they are rejected by their community and families (you can't understand the devastation of this until you experience the pervasiveness of family and community in all aspects of this culture), finding people dead on their visits (often from starvation). They also talked about the blessings: feeling that they are doing God's will, the training allows to better medically assist their own families, the children (particularly the orphans) run out to greet them as they come into the neighborhoods.

One of the biggest needs is food. As people get progressively sicker, they are unable to get money for food, they are abandoned by family and community, and they starve to death. If St. Stephen's wanted to do something to help in this area, I asked for the best procedure. They said to go through the parish priest. Two kilos (about 4.5 lbs.) of unga, the flour from which they make ugali, costs about 100 KSh (about 75 KSh equals $1). Something for the committee to consider.

They also wanted us to consider something to recognize the HCWs. They have a mostly thankless job, they are poor themselves, and they really don't get much recognition from the parish. I asked Scolastica to get me their names to bring back with me and told them I would present the idea to our committee for consideration.

The next meeting tore my heart out. I met with the Tekelezo Support Group, HIV sufferers who meet weekly to try to find ways to assist themselves. Most HIV sufferers do not belong to the group because of the stigma. The are led by a pretty, rail thin, young woman who matter-of-factly told me that their biggest challenge is getting food when they are down with opportunistic infections. She told me that mostly they die in their homes; as they are sick they are unable to get money or food and they die. She is the only person in the group who talked. The others mostly just averted their eyes.

One way they try to survive is by making soap. They make the soap then sell to any member who wants it at cost. They buy 3 or 4 bars and resell them at 10 or 15 KSh per bar profit. Try living on that. Forgive me for doing this without consulting the committee but I gave them enough money to make 2 boxes of soap, about 200 bars, and told them to insert them into the next shipment of carvings. I told them we would sell the soap here, then send to Sammy Opatta, their treasurer, the proceeds. They will use the money to loan to members to get them started in their own small businesses, to support themselves.

On a much more upbeat note, we met at the parish hall at night for a feast. Most of the parish committess and groups were present, including the partnership committee. It was, like last time, awesome. We (Thomas) took lots of pictures which Duffy will (I hope) be able to post when I return. If you are reading this and haven't been here, you really need to consider it. It is an absolutely awesome experience. I keep telling them that white men can't dance but they won't believe me and invite me into their celebrating. For our Kenya Day celebration at St. Stephen's I collected the names of all of the dishes they served - a lot of variety and all of it good.

Saturday I meet with the committee to discuss the well and other issues. I have no idea how long the meeting will last but I suspect it will be into the evening.