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Message-ID: <48213255.70008@bellsouth.net>
Date: Wed, 07 May 2008 07:38:45 +0300
From: Lisa Stewart <beachplumlisa@bellsouth.net>
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To: Eden Grace <graces@fum.org>, Annabeth <annabeth@highestgood.net>,
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X-ASG-Orig-Subj: Africa  /  Kenya
Subject: Africa  /  Kenya
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Status:   

After only two weeks here, my impressions are that Africa is not a scary 
place and is a delightful place to live. The climate, here by Lake 
Victoria, is delightful. Cool in the shade and hot in the sun, like all 
places with little to no humidity. There are four seasons: the long 
rains, dry season, the short rains and again a dry season. Now it is 
supposed to be the long rains but they are most accommodating - rain  
and some thunder at night and sunny most days. Equatorial inhabitants 
don't relate to summer, winter, spring and fall so when muzungus (white 
people) talk about coming in the summer e.g., they don't connect to that.

Although getting around seems difficult at first, one grows used to it. 
The paved roads in town aren't so bad but those connecting between towns 
are mostly riddled with pot holes and erosion. All side streets on the 
outskirts of Kismu and all the roads in the countryside and the villages 
are packed red dirt and can be very dusty when dry. The matatus 
(mini-buses) drive over them lickity split. I haven't been on one but 
imagine it's quite a ride. For people who don't have a car, besides 
walking, there are also tuk-tuks (three wheel taxis that carry 4 
passengers) or boda-boda, a padded seat on the back of a bicycle. (There 
are many!)

Kenya is also filled with contrasts. I hear that in Nairobi, besides 
office buildings and expensive homes, there is a very modern shopping 
mall with everything from soup to nuts, including a water slide. I am 
told it surpasses some US malls. Also in Nairobi is one of  the worst 
slums known to man, Kibira; it figures in many films and documentaries. 
Where I am in Kisumu, a  small city, there are a few office buildings, 
some hotels from seedy to nice, and homes ranging from elegant to 
primitive, sometimes side by side. The largest and over the top palatial 
are those belonging to those people referred to here as Asians - Indians 
and Pakistani who figure prominently in the business sector. There are 
many shops on the streets in Kisimu but also many individual vendors on 
the sidewalks that sell everything - food, clothes, electronics, shoes, 
jewelry, underclothes, tires, you name it, only I did not see any toys. 
The kids tell me there are toys in the main store, Nakumat. That is 
quite a place. It has two stories and sells everything from groceries, 
baked goods, kitchen utensils, tableware to wigs, refrigerators and TVs. 
Outside the few main towns, like Kisimu, the roads in the villages  are 
lined with wooden stalls and small shops (cement, I would say) , all on 
packed red dirt.

The majority of the population seems to live at what we would call at or 
below poverty level and most of those that do have an income are 
struggling. The falling US dollar, the poor crop yield due to drought 
and rapid inflation have resulted in reduction of the value of incomes 
of about one third, particularly for those paid by US money, like the 
FUM employees.

FUM "owns" and runs outright only two programs here - Friends 
Theological College and Kaimosi Hospital, which they only took over one 
year ago. All the other programs are under the care of the Yearly 
Meetings in partnership with FUM and they all have their own Kenyan 
Board of Governors. These boards are made up of low income village 
residents, average working class, educators, civil servants, pastors and 
some fairly impressive heavyweights committed to giving to their 
communities like a retired ambassador and a corporate executive.It is 
amazing that in such a short time the Kaimosi Hospital is turning around 
and paying their employees their actual full salaries for the first time 
since taking it over.

However, the FUM Africa Ministries Office also does SO MUCH more than 
administer those two programs. (I'll give you a list as soon as I have 
finished compiling it.) John Muhanji, the Director, and Eden Grace, FUM 
Field Staff, seem to be on the job 24-7  traveling all over the 
countryside, meeting with churches and yearly meetings, meeting with 
peace teams, organizing relief to IDPs, visits to committee meetings, 
leadership training, hosting traveling Friends, fielding phone (cell) 
calls, fund raising, correspondence, email, etc. It is remarkable they 
have time for a family life. And, in July and August, James and Eden 
must travel and speak throughout their yearly meeting (New England) and 
elsewhere in the US speaking and fund raising for ALL of their yearly 
personal living expenses; Eden is employed by FUM but not on salary.They 
don't even have health coverage, other than catastrophic, so all doctors 
visits are out of pocket and routine checkups, mammograms, PAP, prostate 
screening, etc.  are not affordable. Because of this and our poor 
economy, James has had to leave the employ of FUM and seek work in the 
private sector; he is a software engineer. One has to admire their 
faithfulness.

The internet has been down for two days so I want to get this off 
quickly. Much love, Moi