Rawanda and Around

I travelled from Kenya to Rwanda for my last trip in Africa before heading home.  I visited the Memorial Museum in Kigali and went to one of the church massacre sites in the foothills.  I am very proud to be Canadian and to know General Dallaire did his best to help during the genocide 18 years ago.  The UN failed again, the International Community failed again.  Here are some pictures of the sites I saw.  PLEASE NOTE SOME OF THESE PICTURES ARE VERY UPSETTING.

Evil men

Stained glass window at the Memorial Museum.

Average people like you and I were executed in the most intimate ways utilizing hand weapons.

Many thought they would be safe on church grounds but they were not.  This is the inside of one of the many churches where people sought refuge.

Pictures of survivors were posted on public boards.  In this instance a young girl with her baby brother strapped to her back look in hope for a family member.

This little person did not make it and was hacked to death.

The trauma shows.

More evil men.

Inside the museum there are pictures of loved ones who died.

These pictures go on and on and on by the thousands.

I could only sit and weep.

Blood stained clothes

This one is a Super Man blanket.  Unfortunately there were no heros to intervene.

The skulls show how intimate the violence was.  Over approximately 100 days 330 people were killed per hour.  That is more "efficient" than Nazi Germany's machine.

 

In short over 20% of the population was murdered.  Boutros Boutros Ghali as former Secretary General of the United Nations (1992 to 1996) suppressed information relayed by General Daillare so no intervention would be forthcoming.  It is horrifying to note that this same Secretary General facilitated and arms deal with Egypt to Rwanda in 1990 while he was an Egyptian diplomat.  He was also sided with the French who also supplied arms to the Rwanda government in preparation for the genocide.  It was all planned.

I suppose as we sit here in Canada with our heads up our asses and choose to take no action this will happen again.  I am not blaming as we are all in our own little head spaces but perhaps we need to start looking not just local, provincial and national but also international.

Love most of you.  Try to be kind to one another.

Thoughts form Lori August 16

Well hello all.  Jim has been doing such a great job blogging I have been lazy.  However I feel compelled to share with you today.  I have been feeling better the past couple of weeks however the month before that I was having a difficult time.  Still struggling on a daily basis with life here in Kenya.  I may not be as learned as my husband in the socio-political realities of East and Central Africa but I can feel the daily realities of the people here every day. 

Let me talk about working in a developing country in a developing organization.  Working in a organization that receives most of its funding through an aid organization (USAID) has both its benefits and its drawbacks.  The great thing is that AMPATH receives a relatively large amount of from USAID.  Is also has other small funders for some programs. The drawback is that the AMPATH has to focus its efforts on what the AID organization says it has to do and this spreads the funds thinner and thinner every year as the programming expands, but the funding doesn't.  This is working in a resource constrained environment funded by AID.  In addition, Kenya and the AID organizations are very focused on monitoring and evaluation and reporting of  'numbers'.  However this reporting and numbers do not necessarily focus on measuring indicators which are based upon quality improvement.  Often it is just to get 'numbers' which the government and AIDS organizations want.  Unfortunately much money and effort is spent reporting back to the funders and government.

The other struggle at work is that there are many inefficiencies (and for those of you who know me, know that this is a pet peeve of mine).  Gigantic inefficiencies.  However, there is not a significant focus on making a change. Inefficiency is part of the culture here. It is fully accepted. While some people work extremely hard (I see people in my office put in many more than 40 hours per week),  there are others who work very little.  I have seen people play solitaire on the computer for most of the day and their boss know about it.  I see clinics running busy for 4 hours of the day and then the staff visit with each other for the rest of  the day.  There is part of the culture that says, 'don't work too hard, it isn't worth it.  Just do the bare minimum.  Don't put in any extra effort".  Not everyone follows this, however it is a very strong part of the work culture.  This is one part of the culture I struggle with every day but have managed to work through it so far.  

One thing about the Kenyan culture is that it is very hierarchical.  What the boss says, goes.  No argument.  People grew up in this culture.  Children are not allowed to question their authorities figures (parents, teacher).  If they do, they are beaten.  This continues all through their formative years.  So in the work environment people do not understand how to question each other and their bosses.  There is no questioning your boss (in the vast majority of cases).  There is certainly no managing your boss.   This leads to limited delegation of authority and much micromanagement.  Most decisions have to go up to the very highest level. Even very simple, low level decisions.  As you can imagine there is not much leadership development.

Kenyans are very focused on 'education'.  You can have the best skills in the whole world, but if you don't have the right piece of paper, you will not go anywhere in an organization.  And in Kenya, if you are wealthy, you can 'buy' your way through your education and thus the right piece of paper.  So in organizations you see people who have the right piece of paper, but are not competent at their jobs.  And this once again is accepted.  I have met some very capable Kenyans who don't have the 'right piece of paper'.  I would hire them in a second. 

Culture, culture, culture. It is the most difficult thing to change.  Ever!  How about having people focused on the common good versus only themselves.  There is a pervasive culture in this country on the self and not improvement of the greater good.  The politicians at the very top of the food chain are the best role models for this.  They take and take and take.  From anyone they can. While 70% of the population lives in extreme poverty, those at the top 'eat' very well.  Corruption is rampant from the very highest levels and then it trickles down.  What do they say about role modeling?  Corruption occurs at the very lowest levels in society.  Bribes are occurring everywhere.  The only thing most people here have is hope.   

So with all these frustrations with culture of Kenya there are the bright spots. Like some amazing people I work with.  They are smart, competent and want to make a difference. There is the amazing couple Hellen and Eric who have started a school on their farm property for vulnerable and orphaned children in their neighborhood. They have 10 children and all of them have university degrees.  You will be hearing more from me soon about the school.  There is our friend Andrew who is a single father (very unusual in this country for a father to take responsibility for his son), who has limited literacy and still runs two businesses.  And my friend Michael who works every day without a day off for 11 hours and makes $1.50 a day. However, whenever you see him, he has his bright beautiful smile and greets you like you are the best thing in the day.  So there is hope!  And an unbreakable spirit in so many people. 

So until next time . . . love one another and have a little fun.

Mount Kenya Base Camp

Mount Kenya Plants - beautiful!!

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Lori

Mount Kenya and Laikipia District

Laikipia district covers approximately 2 million acres running along the Rift Valley across the Equator.  The land scape is rolling, fertile all the way to the foot of Mount Kenya.  At some 15,000 feet above sea level the mountain peak is frequently covered with clouds.  Many elders can still be found worshipping the God Mountain.
We drove from Eldoret to our lodge called Bantu, some seven hours over realatively good roads.
Our site seeing included traveling through a conservatory, privately owned, to see chimps saved from Uganda (Jane Goodalls').  We viewed white and black rhinos, giraffe and elephants to name some of the wildlife.  We also travelled on hoarse back to the Mau Mau caves which was a hide out during the Mau Mau revolution in the 1950's.  We hiked to the first camp base at Mount Kenya and proceeded a little further.  The views were breathtaking.  Below are some pics and short comments on our last trip as a family prior to Alex and I heading home.  I am travelling to Rwanda for a short visit and was planning to traverse through Tanzinia where my first cousin Janet was Canadian Ambassador for the High Commision, but have decided to fly to avoid some hot spots.  Janet was and is a keen supporter of Grandmothers without Boarders and was active in AIDS advocation while posted in Tanzinia. 

I hope you like the pics and look forward to postings from Rwanda.

 About three quarters way to Mount Kenya.

 The hills are very fertile.  In actuality Kenya has the ability to feed not only itself but about one third of Africa.  Unfortunately the will and any semblance of expertise does not exist to manage the change from small plot farming to industialized farming.

 It is always delightful to see a Point Seta seven feet high.  They actually grow into very large trees given the opportunity.

This is some of the rare wild life.  This species called humans is endangered due to over grazing of the natural habitat and the inability to strike a balance with Mother Nature!

Alex and Dad hanging out.

 A family of Baboons in the grounds at our Lodge.

Lions hopping a creek.  Just a nice picture!

 In Uganda Jane Goodall had set up a sanctuary for chimps.  Unfortunately all of Northern and Central Uganda have serious security issues now and for the past twenty years or so.  Kony and other sub groups terrorizing the country side with a government running a failed state and has either encouraged at times or ignored the violence.  Her chimps and many new adopties have found their way to Kenya.

They all live in a electric fenced compound about six square kilometers (lots of space) and are guarded 24/7.

 Mom and Dad with Baby.

Grandmother

 Alex with Paul.  Paul is one of the park Rangers.  They shoot to kill poachers.  There is a big problem with Somalians coming over the boarder and killing Elephants and Rhinos for the tusks/horns.  Paul and his men had killed two Somalians two weeks ago who were brazen enough to come into the park in an attempt to take an Elephant.  It was a night kill Paul told us and he was very proud to have hit one between the eyes!

Creek in the park.

A beautiful sky.

Alex, Paul and Dad with some of the park staff.

These guys are BIG!

I did not take many pictures of birds but they are the most unique and colorful anywhere in the world.

Baarak (After the President of the United States) was taken in after he was in a fight with another Rhino,  Baarak lost one eye then had a problem with his good eye so he is now blind.  Fortunately a Rhino has keen smell and hearing so he can still find his way around fairly well.

Some kids and mine, feeding the President.

Information center had lots to offer and works towards educating preservation...

Dem Bones, Dem Bones...

This young buck came up and posed for us.

Landscape at Mount Kenya

Alex and Mom walking up the hiking path from the first launch base camp.  That was as far as we went.

Taking fresh water from the Mountain

Hot Chick!

These plants hold the precious water in side.

Could be mid U.S. but its not.

To do something for Mom we took her to a cooperative spinning mill.  This is a micro business that has been running 35 years and now employs 150 women.

All plant dyes no chemicals

These are mops made of stick contruction

The Mau Mau caves where they hid from the British in the 1950's while fighting for independence.  The British found the location and bombed the cave that once had an almost complete "roof" over the water hole.  At the time 3,000 people were hiding there but were tipped off and no deaths occured this time.

The resistance was quickly put down with many brutal deaths.  It did however move the country towards indipendence as the British became weary policing the soon to be country of Kenya.

Hot Chick.

Our guide, Mom and Alex

Hot Chick on horse back...

Beautiful growth.

Thompson Falls away from Mount Kenya.  They are about 100 feet high...

Kids on school break.

Dad and Alex.

Love most of you.  Try to be kind to one another.