a week in nairobi

While in Nairobi last week Susan and I finally managed to catch up with our Aoko family of 6 in the Korogocho slums.  They meet us at the Catholic Church where we have become friends with Father Paulino.  He has always given us good advice on our project and the kids that are HIV positive.  They also allow us to leave funds for the Aoko family (mom Maureen) to be able to pay their rent and food thru October.  This relieves Maureen of a lot of stress and she doesn’t get sick as often.
We told Father Paulino of the land that Honorable Karume donated just north of Gilgil and he excitedly told us of land that Hon. Karume donated to the him (Catholic Church) to build Comboni Polytech 20 years ago.  We then were proud to tell him that two of our boys are attending carpentry school there.  It was a neat connection. We then went out to take the kids clothes shopping, food shopping (including treats they usually cannot afford) and school uniform shopping.  They are now set for the next few months and if they need anything and while I’m gone Susan can assist them. It was a fun day with them…full of smiles and good reports on school.
Anthony, a jewelry maker, met us at the church as he has a workshop down the road he wanted to show us.  Anthony has been making me jewelry for a few years now and usually sells at the Masai Markets. We followed him through the muddy, smelly maze of the slums and came to his small workshop nestled in a room surrounded by other small living areas…the cement walkways hanging with dripping laundry freshly hung by the nearby mommas.  We stepped over a small child sleeping in the doorway and made our way down the walk.  His workshop was nothing to brag about but fun to see him in action and his jars of every kind of bead and bone imaginable filling every available space. We didn’t stay long as we had to get back into Nairobi. By noon the days are hot, hot, hot as a build up for the next rain.  They are getting a good long rain this season….the first in 7 years.  Crops are growing, animals getting fat again and milk is plentiful.