Kenyan time is so different - if they say 9 it means sometime between 10-11. We are adjusting.
After getting our buckets of hot water this morning (yeah) we headed outside to do our first washing since arriving - I know all you clean folk out there are grimacing however without the water or time - well, let's just say it was time:) We then headed to a nearby town and spoke to a group of 15 women who had just finished their first cycle of micro finance ( 1 year) As a result of the groups efforts each member was able to make about a 95% profit on their original investment, in addition to growing their businesses. We spoke about differentiation here as many of the products they sell are commodities like so they need to look to display, customer service and group buying to increase profits. After this 2 hr lecture we were taken to a group of boys who live on the street - we played soccer with them, sang with them and prayed with them, encouraging them to respect themselves and to allow help to assist them. Great kids but lots of behaviours already entrenched. While there are numerous strong male role models, there appears to be more of fathers in absence so guidance in tranining and behaviour is often left to the youth - not unlike a Lord of the Flies scenario - certainly pulls at the heart strings.
After a hair raising ride in a small mini van back Kima where we are staying we had a great lunch with our first cold beverage in over a week. No, in was not beer - it was just cold which tasted sooooooooooo good. After that we were taken to a playing field and watched a play on aides sensitization performed by the local youth to other youth - it displayed a young preganant girl testing positive trying to get her boyfriend to go get tested to - meeting the resistance she persists and he finally goes to get counselling and tested - where he discovers he is positive and confesses he has another girlfriend - who also tests positive. In this country apparently 70% of girls first encounter with sex is rape - as father's both Paul and I just cringed. It is a male ego dominated society however the women are very proactive and certainly give strong hope for the future via education and enterprise.
So we leave here tomorrow for Priscilla's school and are very much looking forward to it. These 4 days have been quite tough re eating, accommodation, scheduling and the intensity of the topics/presentations. Neither Paul and I think we will be complaining as much as we would have.
