Day Six

I went to St. Catherine's primary school today and had an opportunity to see the school put on their best face for a van full of strangers. Each class had a presentation for us ranging from singing, to dancing, to poetry. The youngest child in this school is a 5 year old girl that has recently been enrolled. Mary found her on the street begging for food with her disabled mother, rather that give her money, Mary saw a way to give her a future. The mother agreed to allow the child to go to school but Mary insisted that she would need to board at the school full time. The child will attend classes at the primary school during the day then be moved to the secondary school where the many other teenage girls will help care for her in the evening hours.

I was drawn to the construction of the new classroom that was going on at the west end of the school. The field was covered with a layer of hand cut stones roughly 12 x 8 x 6 inches, sand, a tank of water and bagged cement. The stones were hauled to the work area where two men selected their placement then mixed the cement with water in a 5 gallon plastic bucket to then mortar them in place. The men (56 and 32 years of age) received a wage of 300 shillings (about $3.55) for a full days work. The older man had 5 children, and the younger man had 3, and each were very grateful for the work they had been provided. They told me the job market for mason is very saturated in Kenya as most men who do not get an education become a labor of some sort--I liken it to the men hanging out in the Home Depot parking lot looking for work in Salt Lake, and once again marveled at the value of an education, this is not a job I would want to have on a regular basis

As we boarded the buses for a trip back to the compound our in country directer selected a number of person to ride in a separate matatu. At the time we did not realize that she wanted to detour through Niavasha proper for a quick stop at a supermarket. I quickly saw that none of the younger members of the group was present. As we pulled up to the curb we were given very specific instructions as this would be the first time we were allowed out of the vehicle in a such a densely populated area.

The supermarket contained two entrances marked by armed guards, we were to quickly open the vehicle door and briskly walk straight past the guard and into the store. We were told to watch out for each other while in the store, shop for a total of 10 minutes, pay for our purchases and when we left the store walk immediately to the van, get in and close the door. No exceptions.

I felt like I was at Disneyland! I purchased a carton of ice cold yogurt, some string cheese, three apples, a pack of cinnamon gum, a can of pork and beans, a snack size can of Pringles, and a box of oatmeal. My purchased came to 380 shillings (about $4.30) and I was in the van with time to spare. Ironically days later when I attempted to open the pork and beans I realized I should have bought a can opener, when I asked a women on the kitchen staff to help me open it, she preceded to use a 10 inch kitchen knife to poke a hole in the lid, then proceeded to cut the lid loose as she turned the can-I had no idea!