After finally getting a full night of sleep at our hotel, the team woke up and ate breakfast at 7am to prepare for a full day of activities. We assembled all the donation bags full of Red Elephant and Blue Lion packs to bring out to the slums. Once we got closer to the slum, there was a definite change in the environment, and we were surrounded by poverty. We pulled up to the gated compound where we were greeted by the members of Women of Hope. They were so welcoming to our group and accompanied us on our initial journey through the slums. Once we got out into the slums we realized this type of living was not like anything we experienced before. There were many different smells which ranged from delicious cooked street food to sewage. We stood out in the crowd, but we greeted with high-fives and smiles. We were led down tiny, winding alleys on our route to go visit five different schools.
Visiting the teachers and children at the schools was an unforgettable experience. The kids were full of energy and excitement to see “Mzungus”, or people not of color. The kids told us about what they were learning in school, and what they wanted to be when they grew up. The most common profession was to be a pilot, doctor, surgeon, journalist, and teachers. We also talked about the U.S. and they were in awe looking at pictures of the snow we showed them. Every class sang us a new song, were so well behaved, and treated us with nothing but respect. The teachers spoke with us about their needs for the schools and how they have very little resources, such as books. Once we left the schools we headed back to the compound to take a lunch break consisting of PB&Js. After lunch we split into two groups to help distribute the packs. A couple of our group members went to distribute the Blue Lion packs for the boys and help continue to build a new chicken coop for the school. The other group members stayed at the compound to distribute the Red Elephant packs to the girls who were just from the schools we visited. The girls received a lesson on how to use the menstruation pads from Doris, and then we distributed over 150 Red Elephant packs to these young girls. The girls were very excited to look in their bags, their favorite parts were the bar of soap and the headbands. We also answered questions, took pictures, played games, sang, and even danced. We are very grateful that we are able to help these girls stay in school by providing them with tools to manage their menstruation.
We visited the main office of the Women of Hope Sewing Co-Op. They had recently elevated their office on cement barrels because their old one had gotten flooded. Inside the office they showed us several sewing machine and the different products that they are sewing. There were beautiful bracelets, earrings, shopping bags, wallets, and small purses all hand made with love. We all bought a little something to remember this amazing day. After visiting the sewing co-op we visited one last school and interviewed several girls who had been using the Red Elephant packs to evaluate their effectiveness. All of the girls gave great reviews of the Red Elephant packs. They were grateful how easy and comfortable they were to use, and how they no longer had to use or pay for the “cheap pads with chemicals” in Kenya. One girl had mentioned how her friend had to drop out of school once she started her period because she couldn’t afford pads and got married at the age of 15. These Red Elephant packs are helping to keep hundreds of girls in school, and have even gained momentum to where other women in the community and teachers are asking for them.
We ended the day playing with the children outside in the rain. They do not have any toys, so they were using tires as hula hoops and crunched up paper as a ball to throw. We plan on bringing some of the donated toys back tomorrow. Back at the hotel we had a delicious dinner to end our night and got to try a Kenyan favorite, Chapati. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow has in store!
Lala Salama (good night)
Haley and Ali (for the team)
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