Back in the saddle again

Boy, I have missed this place and these children.  I am happy to be back.  I took the direct flight from JFK to Nairobi this time, so the jetlag that usually renders me a zombie by 4 pm is only minimal.    I traveled with Alexandra Barfield, a college student and photographer who will be helping me with a number of things here.  I am particularly excited about her ability to capture on camera the mischief behind a person's eyes.  I have been trying to capture Arnold’s for years now, and I’m excited to see what she comes up with.  Janet also has a number of signature looks that can only be photographed when she is unawares, so I am hoping Alexandra is up for a stealth mission to capture these faces on film that are so precious to me and that I miss wildly when I am away. 

The "parade" of kiddos that often follows our daily commute

Meghan, Ali, Me and Carissa in the back of a Tuk-tuk

I am also traveling with two nurses, Meghan and Carissa.  Meghan is becoming a veteran now that this is her second trip and Carissa is a first-timer.   Meghan and Carissa are working with TLC as well as with local hospitals, to provide care and assistance. 

Ali and Meghan carrying pads to our matatu stop to travel to a school. 
They are surprisingly heavy!

After much preparation and a practice run in our rooms, they were ready for our first pad talk at Essumba Primary School with 6-8th grade girls.  It is always somewhat nerve-wracking to stand in front of a group of pre-teenage girls talking about a subject that is both sensitive and giggle-worthy.  A thought that never occurred to me when I was the one doing the giggling a few years ago.  It was nice to have so many hands to do the talk, which allowed us to circulate the room better and make sure all the girls understood and could demonstrate how to put the pads in the underwear and how to change the liners.  It also allowed them to observe the girls during the part of the discussion about men who will “sponsor” a young girl to give her gifts of things she needs, especially pads, that require repayment with sex.   We want the girls to know that sex is expected in these arrangements, and that pregnancy and HIV infection are only two of the outcomes that could keep them out of school forever.   I’ve never noticed this before, probably because I am usually the one that handles that part of the talk, but it made several girls get teary.   I wish I could take those girls and carry them away to somewhere safe and happy.   And even though it doesn’t reflect the values Jesus taught me and I strive to live by daily; I want to bring those men to their knees with a swift and steel-toed kick to the nether regions. 
It is our hope that the pads we left them with will provide for some of their needs and make it harder to accept these "sponsorships" that have the potential to drastically alter the lives and educational future of these girls.  

Girls with their new pads

Meghan teaching about the magic of fallopian tubes and ovum :)

Ali leading a demonstration on how to use the pads

Per the usual one of our bags was a casualty of travel, stuck somewhere in JFK airport.  No one can actually locate it yet on the other end of the phone, so I am not hopeful of it arriving this week.  We have a very limited supply of sunscreen until that arrives, so we will have to start rationing soon :)

Jessie