In case you're interested!

Hello again! I know, 2 posts in a week, what's going on?! I have had a lot of questions about how friends and family can help the children here from a distance back home. I've been learning a lot this past month about how to go about effectively doing so because, unfortunately, there is quite a bit of red tape. Sending packages here (as some of you might have found out!), isn't cheap, and if you're sending a package meant for 50 kids, it can get pretty pricey. We have tried to work with the post offices, both here and in the US, on how to get fees waived. However, neither end has budged, but hopefully soon. SO, when I get back home I plan on putting on fundraisers to get Christmas gifts for these children, as well as for money to pay for the outrageous shipping costs.

In the mean time, if any of you would like to help immediately and don't want to wait for my arrival back in the US, I have a Bank of America account set up which anyone can deposit money into. If you decide to do this, write me an e-mail and let me know how much, I'll multiply that by 72 (it's 72 shillings per the dollar here) and I'll withdraw that from the ATM and put it towards something sustainable for the kids/families here. I'm a trustworthy girl :), and will send you a picture and detailed description of what you're money went to and how much of a help it was. I know money seems a little impersonal, but at least you will have a clear understanding of how you would be helping directly and what it had done. I know many of my kids here are in need of textbooks, uniforms, socks, etc for school. Contrary to the description "free public school", it's NOT free here. I also know families that need livestock (goats, chickens and cows are in high demand) or beds. Just to give you an idea of what your "pesa" could go to, options are nice. :)

If anyone has any questions or concerns or comments or annnnything, please don't hesitate to e-mail me at :Br1ttan1@hotmail.com, and I'll get back to you as quick as I can. Thanks so much, you have all been so supportive and I, along with everyone here, really appreciate it!!

Much love,
Brittani

fun, fun, fun in the sun, sun, sun

After officially surviving month number one in Kenya, I can say I am feeling at home! Dunga, the sub-district of Kisumu where I live, is a nice small area where everyone knows each other and all that goes on. It’s lovely waking up to roosters cocka-doodle-dooling, and then riding on the back of a bicycle to work. Most people are very welcoming and friendly and it’s refreshing to be greeted so eagerly. As comfortable and acclimated I feel now, I’m still reminded of how tough of a life it is over here. Daily negative occurrences are expected, but it’s easy to remind myself that this is all for the kids. They really make it all worthwhile.
Speaking of the youngins, they are still going strong and surprise me every day. Despite having been through so many hardships and having far less than posh lives, they remain positive and happy. And SERIOUS hard workers! At ten years old I cannot imagine cleaning the huge pots we cook in, but they sure get that done. No grumbling or complaining, ever. Our classes are going much smoother now as well, which is mainly due to the fact that we have an established lesson plan these days. Every other day, they learn a new letter of the alphabet, which we incorporate into various games and activities, just so boredom doesn’t kick in. School is such an important asset down here, and the children all realize this. They reamin eager and enthusiastic, making it a fun and rewarding education experience. We had our biweekly Saturday Empowerment Day today as well, which went great. We brought some clay in and had a counselor from the Kiwanis Club talk to the older kids about the hardships of growing up. I also broke out the electric slide, I’m not too sure many of them caught on but it was fun making a fool of myself. J
Aside from teaching, feeding and playing in the dirt, I have gotten to experience much of Kenya’s gorgeous environment. We (Eve and I) have gotten to escape and see hippos, along with many other villages in the surrounding areas. These villages basically define Africa for me. The people inhabiting these places take great pride in where in they live, keeping everything clean and green. It’s completely refreshing to travel to these little corners of Kenya, and I really look forward to these mini-vacations that come about every other weekend. Just last weekend we traveled to Mageta Island for “Clean Up the World Day” for fun tree planting festivities. It was my first experience traveling on Lake Victoria, and wow, it was awesome. Although we traveled in a slightly leaky boat, filled with bicycles and fisherman, it was easy to feel comfortable on the water. The scenery is breathtaking with the surrounding islands, hills and endless sky.
One frustrating fact about building a home here is that I (along with every other mzungu) am constantly on showcase. I feel exactly like an animal at the zoo; constantly stared and hollered at. For this reason, among many others, I am so thankful we are living with Maurice. Him being Kenyan seems to deter some of this when we are out walking around and running errands. I really appreciate this kid; he has such a great sense of humor and genuinely cares and looks after us. It’s great coming home to his impressions of people and stories of his day, and he always seems to make a stressful day better.
Something that still surprises me, no matter how much of it I have experienced since arriving or how much I thought I was prepared, is how truly prominent HIV/AIDS is. Everyone I come across is infected or affected with either of these, and work their way into daily life no matter where I am or whom I’m with. In the short month I have been here, many people have passed away, which seems to catch no one off guard. However, a more positive outcome of this is how much more advertised the risks of the virus are. Signs are posted everywhere on how to live a healthy lifestyle and children are taught dramas, poems and songs on how destructive HIV and AIDS are. I find myself constantly wondering what more we can do to improve the conditions of Africa’s situation, and how to go about lowering the sky-rocketing contraction rate. So many questions!
Well I’m out for now, asante sana for reading this, I am thinking of you all and I hope everything is A-OK in the USA!

Brittani Erickson
C/O Kiwanis of Kisumu
PO Box 19086, Pembe tatu
Kisumu, Kenya
011-254-723-036527 (yup, I have a cell phone, 10 hours ahead but no worries)

UFF-DA

I made it my first whole week in Kenya! It has been pretty much been non-stop meeting, greeting and working - which is great. First off, let me just say the internet here is dial-up (AKA slug slow), and they try and get your $$ ("peso") any time, so these entires might be on the short side. Just in case I want to eat while I'm here, semi-important things like that. :)

First off, let me just say that these kids I'm working with are precious and pleasing. They are huge helpers and eager to do anything to make life easier for anyone, whether it's eachother or their families or community. We have about 28 little guys, most are between the ages of 4-12. There are a few older boys though, who love the whole concept of futbol. These are the ones I'll give the soccer jerseys to; Lance McCoy deserves a hgue thanks for those! We make them 3 different meals M, W and F, which all consist mainly of rice, beans, omena (little fishies) and ugali (porridge-like cornbread). We start the english and math classes on Monday, I'm excited to see the extent of what these kids know. It's obivous that many of them can't speak english, except when you ask them to repeat what you say (like "please" and "thank you"). I didn't realize how important it is for them to know English, but they won't make it past primary school if they can't. SO, that's what my days will start being filled up with starting next week. They are all good natured and learn quickly, so I think it will be a good adventure for us both.

Kisumu itself is c-r-a-z-y. Driving laws don't exist, as does most technology, and I can expect ranstorms every afternoon. No complaints about those though, it feel refreshing after getting so dusty and playing in dirt all day. It took a few days to get accustomed (did I spell that right, Ciara?), but I'm getting the hang of living life here. The bicycle taxis, the dust, the "hey white lady!" calls, everything is becoming more familiar and what I just have to consider normal for these next few months. It's amazing being here though, it really is beautiful with Lake Victoria and all the flowers that grow year-round. The people are fun to interact with as well, and most welcome any conversation and offer help whenever Eve and I get lost or can't find peanut-butter at the store (we're already through our first jar). I'm learning a lot through trial and error, whether it's at the Wastahili compound (where the feeding program and kiwanis restaurant is) or in town. The thing about town is it is so busy - think African style Seattle. It's great to do a little grocery shopping and interneting, but it is SO nice to return home to Dunga where out house is set a little bit off from everything. We have a nice little family there; Eve, Rachelle (who leaves Monday :( ), Maurice (who we jsut found out as malaria, typhoid AND TB- we're getting him better, hakuna matata) , baby Zawa and Joyce (our house lady). I'll post pictures as soon as I can, it will happen some time!

Pretty much very second I've been here, compassion has filled me with these kids. They have taken a serious toll on my heart. It makes me feel guilty to return to the comfortable life I left behind, when these kids get by on so little and are still so thrilled about life. With their dynamic personalities, it's hard to stop smiling when I'm around them.

OK, that's all for now .. I hope this finds all of you well, thanks for reading up on me, I miss you guys!

love,
brittani