My routine…. If there is such a thing ….

The girls from the Kibera School for Girls line up to use the bio-latrine

An AYP community class at a school in Kibera

Maureen and Susan preparing lunch at the Hawkers Market Girls Center

The girls working hard at rolling beads made out of recycled paper

A display of some of the products the girls create and sell

Horseback riding with the children from Fairmile School

My buddy, Keith in his classroom at Fairmile School

Here’s a brief update on what a typical week looks like for me if we are not traveling around rural Kenya for Honey Care.

Mondays – I may find myself volunteering with Africa Yoga Project (AYP) (www.africayogaproject.org) – assisting, teaching, or mentoring in yoga classes guided in informal settlements. I am in the process of brainstorming with the founder on ways I can assist the yoga teachers further in their path as a yoga instructor. If I am not with AYP on a Monday, then I am volunteering with Shining Hope for Communities (www.hopetoshine.org) in Kibera. I recently started to work with this organization and am assisting with various projects – trying to coordinate AYP with Shining Hope to establish a yoga class at their community center, creating a physical education curriculum with concrete ideas/games/activities to be implemented by the teachers at the Kibera School for Girls (thanks to the help of the P.E. teacher at my sister’s school I was able to accomplish this task), and helping with the set up of their future library.

Tuesdays - I volunteer at the Hawkers Market Girls Centre and absolutely love it! I started working with the girls (ages 18-21) on the premise of doing a leadership/empowerment course, but it has now evolved into various other activities which all relate in one way or another to my main objective. Every week I provide the girls with an activity to complete whether it be a self-inquiry assessment or a worksheet to have them start thinking about goals/objectives for their future once they graduate from the centre in December. I have helped prepare the elected girls who are going on upcoming interviews at Revlon Hair School and am also assisting all of them in writing their CVs. I am also taking the time to meet with the girls one on one to discuss their goals/objectives and what it will take to accomplish them. Madison plans on leading them through a basic marketing/business/entrepreneurship course in a few weeks, built around selling honey sachets in the slums. I also showed the girls how to roll beads out of paper - they finally took off with the project and are making some great necklaces. Last but not least, with the assistance of an AYP teacher we guide the girls through a yoga class every Tuesday.

Wednesdays and Thursdays – I volunteer at Fairmile School. I feel very fortunate that I am able to build on my pediatric PT skills while in Kenya. I am really seeing progress with one child in particular that I see on a consistent basis (pictured above). My goal is to have Keith walking independently by the time we leave Kenya. On Thursday afternoons we take the children horseback riding, where I have the opportunity to be side walker for my buddy, Keith.

Fridays – I tend to leave this day open, but without fail I have somewhere to be – I either end up having a meeting or a Swahili lesson or go and check out a new volunteer opportunity or Madison and I are traveling to a remote part of Kenya to meet with farmers/farm groups for a new business opportunity or to re-establish previous relationships with Honey Care Africa – there is never a dull moment around here for sure!

Life continues to progress nicely for Madison and I here in Kenya. I am truly loving and inspired by all that I am involved with here - especially the projects that are outside of my field/expertise as I am learning so much and growing/challenging myself outside of my comfort zone. I realize my time in Kenya at this point is limited, so I am being mindful to use my skills and efforts for projects that will be most beneficial for those at hand and most importantly are sustainable in some capacity.