and some more...because I can!

Me, Sonal and Gerry... don't judge it's early!

Cute or what..a springbok I think!

Bit arty!

Remember we didn't pay!

The intrepid 9 and Chelle our captain...it's in the air I promise.
Photo taken from suspended camera. Just the sort of thing that Tim would rig up!

More photos for you

What an incredible sight. The cheetah was very alert as a male lion was not far off...
he would polish off a cheetah cub in no time and just for kicks!

Wildebeest possibly gathered for the tail end of the great migration south

Simba - not quite as cuddly as he looks!

Photos at last

I now have wifi - Caroline at the front desk has given me her own password...ssshhhh!

From the balloon... just staggeringly beautiful

So here goes...I will try to add captions too so you can connect them to all the text that has gone before...

Not sure this needs a caption

This is Rinka, Mike's navigator. This is a very typical scene, not just for the tourist.

More to follow!

DAY 6

Well today has been long and exhausting. I’m still struggling with my tummy issues. I’m not feeling ill just need to be near a toilet…if you know what I mean!

We were up early and on the road at 8am. The plan was to go to see a girls secondary school in Narok (the capital ‘city’ of the Mara). Although Narok is only about 85km away it takes at least 2 hours over an extremely bumpy road. Today was hot too so it was altogether unpleasant. Still, it was worth it, as the head teacher of St Mary’s Girls boarding school, Margaret, was extremely helpful. We took Agnes with us and we asked lots of questions about secondary curriculum, timetable and building requirements, plus funding from the government. We have decided that a public rather than private school is the way forward and this seems to be meeting with approval from everyone in the community.

After that visit we waited for ages for our taxi driver to return…Africa time! We later saw the guy who is the quality assurance and standards inspector for the Mara district education department. He too loved the plans and advised us on registering the school with the government so that funding could start as soon as the school is built.

We returned to Sekenani school after more Africa time moments down that ridiculous road. It seemed even longer on the way home. I ended up with a brown face from the dust blowing in through the taxi window, but it was either that or suffocate in the heat. The road has lost any charm it may once have had!

At Sekenani we checked out the land set aside for the school…vast and quite flat so that’s good…and proceeded to the school. Many of the children came out to greet us. Only the boarders are there at the moment as the local kids have gone home for the end of the year. Gerry had some letters from children at home for the kids to reply to, which they did with great enthusiasm and skill. Purity, who I chatted to on Wednesday answered a letter from Emily Patel, a Thurnby Guide. We chatted about how I knew Emily and Purity wrote her a super letter. She then disappeared, reappearing a few minutes later with something in her hand. She pressed it into mine and whispered, ‘Give this to Emily’. It was a small Maasai necklace. I will give it to Emily on my return, but would actually like to bring Purity home with me! In the letters one girl commented on the doll she had received two days before! No trip to a school is complete without a visit to the longdrop (toilet)…and this one did not disappoint.

We finally got back to the ranch at 6pm. What a day. We were all really tired and enjoyed flopping in the bar with a beer…bliss! Another good day.

Tomorrow is our last day in the Mara, which is a bit sad although I kind of feel like I need to be heading home. It’s funny but in the less busy moments I have been feeling quite homesick. I talked to the family tonight so that was good. I can’t really get my head around how I feel about things I am seeing here. I know that pity is not helpful or required but you can’t help feeling horrid about the fact that you can just walk away from the existence of the children down at Sekenani and Mpopongi, and they cannot. I saw inside one of the dormitories at the school today. It was so basic, dirty and horrible. I was quite shocked and actually a little disgusted at the messy state of the whole school. Some of this seems to be down to mismanagement rather than poverty (another absent head teacher today). It is motivating us to make more of a difference, with the building of the new school, but frankly it’s just not enough. But then it is something, and something that could have an impact on the whole community and generations of Maasai children to come.

From Sunday we are heading to Nairobi and much more corporate style meetings…not really my thing but this trip has already challenged me in so many ways, I’m sure I will have something I can contribute.

God bless all, missing you!

DAY 5

It’s been a much quieter day today and we haven’t even left the camp…not seen nearly enough sky today. We have deliberately made this a day with less to do as we were meeting ourselves coming back. I’ve been working on the video to promote the Secondary school idea back home, to interested parties and potential donors. It’s looking quite good and both Sonal and Gerry filmed a piece to camera from the boamer this morning. The boamer is an outdoor gathering area where the camp staff serve a meal every Saturday night.

It was really hot today too with a beautiful blue sky, well ‘til the light went out at half six very quickly. Joseph the entertainment manager took us out on the lake in a kayak but unfortunately he hogged the paddle and the kingfishers decided to hide!

The others had another good meeting with Agnes and Dixon, and Sonal is now ready to prepare her business plan having had all of the questions answered today. Dixon has worked really hard to find us all the info we need. It looks like after another trip out here in the Spring for the Etc committee, and then subject to government and local community approval and the right donors being found, building could potentially start in August 2012 and be finished in time for the new school year starting Jan 2013. This is quite something!  Wow! Or in Kiswahili ‘Aha!’ Praise God with loud rejoicing! It seems that Sekanani is the favourite location and it does seem to make sense, will make continuity of existing work more possible and builds on links that already exist between Etc and the local community.

I’m really tired tonight and feeling a bit rough…the anti-malarials I think…please pray I’ll feel better tomorrow.

x

DAY 4

Up, up and away!

Today started bright and early as we were needed as ballast on a hot air balloon … not just for our weight (no rude comments please) but to help the group going up to be sociable…you can always rely on us for a bit of banter…even at half 5! We are so blessed as this would normal cost $500 each and we went for free. The Sarova management are so generous to the Etc teacher scheme. So today I can add getting up at 5am and going in a hot air balloon to the list of things I thought I would never do.

It proved to be one of the best experiences ever as we watched the sunrise from the air and came very close to lots of wonderful creatures. Photos will follow …. I will bore you all later. After a near miss crash landing, our captain Chelle (who seemed completely unmoved and unapologetic) brought us down safely after being in the air for about an hour and a half. We saw many amazing sights, including giraffe with babies, lion, buffalo, wildebeest, zebra and hyena and yes, my first ever Elephant, hiding in the trees, unfortunately a little camera shy! A stunning experience. We were then taken for breakfast, still in the reserve…all a little posh…champagne etc. Nice!

We then safaried by 4x4 back to the camp, but Martin our driver really made the most of the opportunity and we saw lion, hyena and amazingly a cheetah with three cubs at very close range…simply unbelievable.

Back in the real world…  a very productive meeting with a guy called Dixon, a Maasai man introduced to us by Agnes from Sekanani. His responsibility at the moment is to carry out the government instructions to partition the land, dishing it out to different people and setting some aside for community projects. This is a hard imposition on the Maasai who have, for generations, held all the land in common, with their pastoral existence and community way of life. Anyway, he has set aside 3 plots of land in different areas of this district of the Mara for community development, all of which could be used for the school. He was full of very sound advice on community partnership with Agnes and Etc…fab!

The business plan is coming together and everyone we speak to here at the resort, local staff and managers all think the secondary school for girls is a real must. Praise God for this encouragement and support. Gerry and Sonal then spoke to the District Education Officer and the head teacher of Sekanani, who also seemed to be fully supportive. The amazing news is that one of the plots of land available is right next to Sekanani Primary school, with access rights to the river, which would ensure water supply for both schools. It would also make collaboration between Etc, the schools and the resort where teachers are accommodated much easier. The main concern is some of the ‘activity’ that occurs at Sekanani particularly during the great migration, when prostitution and alcoholism are more prevalent than is healthy. This is the sort of thing that we are trying to protect the children from so we need wisdom in making this crucial decision about location of the school.

Gerry and Sonal are working so hard and asking all the right questions as they attempt to forge a way forward and prepare a credible business plan for potential donors to read.

I’m boring you now!

This afternoon Gerry and I visited her old school at Sekanani where we received a wonderful welcome from staff and pupils. Gerry was greeted like a long lost friend and we had great fun giving out the dolls and bags. I have so many photos and messages to show you!

My main task today was to interview some of the older girls about their future wishes and the difference a local Girls Secondary school would make to them. One girl spoke of her difficult experiences and the way the boarding school provides protection for her. The reality of her plight, to hear it from her stammering lips, was moving and motivating. These wonderful, beautiful, gifted young women just need the opportunity to learn in safety, within their community, in culturally appropriate ways. They long to be safe, productive and catalysts for change in their communities…I have met potential lawyers, surgeons, pilots, managers and airhostesses today, all of whom want to come back to the Mara to work... except the air hostess, who has good reason to want to get away! Could the new school be the first step towards that being accomplished?

DAY 3

The Mara in all it’s glory

Another full on day is coming to an end and we are really tired. It’s been a wonderful day beginning with our 6.30am breakfast call from the Maasai staff at Leleshwa just after the spedy sunrise. As we sipped our first drink of the day we were sure we heard an elephant, but no sightings yet!

A breakfast meeting followed shortly afterwards with Mike, our host. He had digested the Etc plans for the secondary school overnight and had some great input, useful questions and much encouragement for us.

Mike and his Maasai navigator, Rinka then took us to Mpopong school but again had to go the long way around crossing a flooded river with severely eroded banks which made us once again grateful for the 4WD, the grab bars and their expertise in dealing with the terrain. With Rinka’s help we found our way, crossing some of the most stunning scenery I have ever seen, passing Maasai  herdsmen and their  manyatta (family compounds with a fence stockade for the livestock at night). Their children (who should have been in school) were working or playing, some even taking a dip in the rainwater puddles!

Mpopongi was our first opportunity to meet with teachers and children. It’s a school that this year received it’s first set of teachers through the Etc scheme and Gerry was keen to see how they had got on and what progress was being made. It was also our first opportunity to distribute some of the gifts made by you lovely people at home. I don’t think I will ever forget the look on the faces of the kindergarten children who all received a doll, or the sound as they sang the dolls a lullaby. When they sang in their first language of Maas the sound had power and soul. The children were age 5. It was a very special moment.

The older girls received the bags in a far more bashful way, but the blessing to them and the practical nature of the gift was very much appreciated. The teens and pre teen girls seem to be particularly shy and a little wary I thought, but from the response of the teachers (who also wanted a bag to help carry their books) we knew the scheme was a winner. The smiles say it all.

We had brilliant chats with staff and children and left feeling encouraged to continue our support of their school. The head was absent…as usual…nuff said!

Mike and Rinka who had been off to scout out the next river crossing then took us slipping and sliding on our way to Sarova Mara near Sekanani gate (the gateway into the National Reserve), stopping on the way to have a picnic lunch. It was just breathtaking…the thoughtfulness of Mike and the environment – the bigness of the sky for one thing!

So finally to Sekenani – a quick stop at the school and then off up to the Sarova Game Camp where we will be based all week. The camp has helped Etc a lot in the past by accommodating it’s visiting teachers in their staff quarters. Gerry lived here for 3 months and it was wonderful to see her reunited with so many good friends from that time. There was much hilarity and hugging. It’s possible one of those friends may take us on a sunrise balloon flight in the morning….aaaaaaghghghghgh!

Before supper we met with Agnes, the deputy from Sekanani school – the woman with the vision for the all girl school. It was an important meeting and has given us all a lot to think about. If you are a pray-er…please pray…I don’t know what for, but God does. We had supper together and are now trying to get online to let you lovely people at home know what’s occurring.

Hope you are enjoying the updates and they are not boring you…

Loves