PsychSense: Sensible Psychological Solutions

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Report from Africa.

I apologize for the delay in posting on my blog. Not only is it a hassle getting to an internet café, but the connection is very slow and the last two times I tried the computer went down in the middle of my session. Frustrating!

Anyway, Kenya continues to be a contradiction for me. One minute I am frustrated with the indirect avoidant style of many and the prevalence of corruption. The next minute I am in love with the children, the people, the animals and the atmosphere. It is hard to explain the atmosphere! In the city of Malindi the noise, traffic, trash and chaos is stimulation and exciting for a very few minutes. Quickly I want to run. Compare this with what you find a short distance away: mostly quiet, villages with mud huts, dirt roads with goats and cows roaming them. One minute I am furious and sad about poor treatment of a child, and the next minute one is running up to me smiling and calling my name. They love to tease me yelling “wash your hands!!!!! ”in a husky voice reflecting my mantra and laryngitis since arrival My feelings are a lot like the weather in Florida, if you don’t like it, just wait a moment and it will change.

Here are some pictures of the mud huts and the children washing hands, a practice I am trying to instill. The girl cutting the cake is a smart, funny, extremely caring person that I will sponser for college.

She wants to be an administrator at an orphanage. For about $1000/ year you can educate a child. Remember “educate a woman and you educate a nation”. Thats me and a staff member with her. She made me a thank you cake. Talk to you as soon as I can.

Sorry I couldn’t figure out how to deleate duplicate photos.

First hello to all and thanks to the many who donated to help me help African children. I raised over $1500.00 which enabled me to have $500 for  3 children’s programs and buy a few toys to go along with the suitcase full I brought from USA. I have already spent almost 500 on food and medicine for Children of the rising sun.  I am sorry I am unable to thank each of you personally. The kids thank you.

I am also sorry this took so long to get out but the complications and my learning curve were tough, but I am getting it. We move slower here due to the heat, although it is not as bad as I expected.

I arrived safely in Africa after a rather long 30 hour trip. I did manage to sleep a lot which helped pass the time. I spent 2 days in Nairobi which is a modern city with slums very close to extremely expensive homes. I managed to get in some wildlife viewing and met a Masi who gave us a tour and some great talk. He was so very bright and aware of the current situations in the world. I saw giraffes, black rinos, buffalo (not bison), huge flocks of wonderful flamingos with hyenas chasing them. This caused them to all take to flight in a fabulous show of movement and sound.  I of course took some Barak Obama stickers as he is viewed as a national hero here regardless of political view. This made me an instant hit with the people.

I arrived at the home for orphans Children of the Rising Sun after a long 8 hour bus ride that I managed to sleep through despite a bumpy road. The children were naturally very  interested to know if I brought them something and to check me out. Some were outgoing and friendly others shy, some looked scared or angry, it is hard to know what they were feeling but they sure didn’t ignore me!

I am doing some tutoring, many of these kids are so determined to succeed and will be taking difficult national exams soon.

I am playing with the kids a lot, eating lots of beans, rice and Ugali a staple that is made from maize and looks like bread dough. You use it like rice and cover it with whatever you have.

It is hard to put into words how the children from the orphanage have moved me so much already and it has only been one week since I arrived. They have a lot to teach us and I think I will try to capture what I have already learned or relearned from them.

• Helping one another and forming relationship bonds makes you stronger and safer.
  
• Happiness is not a matter of what you own or who you are.
  
• It’s the small things that make you happy.¦lt;br />  
• A personal favorite of mine: food (especially sweets) are not the focus of life.

Above you will find a picture of my Masi friend David, and the children playing with new soccer balls I (you) bought them.

You will also see a group photo of the children of the rising sun.

More to come,

Please send good vibs.

I have been sooo busy getting ready for my trip. I still feel like I have a hundred things to do. I will get them done and next Thursday will be steeling myself for a 16+ hours in a plane and I don’t know how many waiting in airports. Well maybe I can blog while I am waiting.

It is amazing how many people react so positively when I tell them what I am doing. Well maybe not so amazing. Many people feel it is so important to reach out and help others even (or perhaps more so) at times like these when things are tough for so  many. Many of the people who I talk to are trying their best to keep their head above water and still have time to help others. Somehow it makes you feel so good and takes your mind off whatever is worring you.

I have been trying to get permission to teach volunteers in Africa about how to do HIV testing and counseling. I may also teach disaster preparedness.

In terms of the Children of the Rising Sun Orphanage, I have found out that they have 1000 students that come to the school that is part of the complex. My mind boggles at that number, I can see myself with all those kids…. Oh well one step at a time.

I have been trying to buy small (really small) toys at garage sales and a great rummage sale I hit today. When communicating with the staff at the orphanages and outreach it becomes clear they need the money for food, clothing and medicine, thus my hunt for small toys. I must say I think my suitcases are going to be full. Although to be honest I am not packed.

I want to thank all my friends, coworkers and fellow members of Asbury First United Methodist Church, and Braddock Bay Bird Observatory for generous donations. Because of them I have $1500.00 to give to the orphanages.

Well I’m off to attend to my to do list. I will be blogging once a week from Africa but will try to get another post up before I go.

Why is Global Volunteering Important ?

When some one learned of my upcoming trip to Africa they asked me why I thought it was important to travel to other parts of the world to help others when there is such a great need at home. I had been thinking about this myself and here are some of those thoughts.

1.  To help us to recognize and decrease our own ethnocentricities and prejudices
2. To learn from others about things we have no idea we don’t know.
3. To foster acceptance and open our hearts to those we view as “different” from ourselves.
4. To make small footprints on the road to world peace.
5. To add perspective to our own worries and “needs”.
6. To appreciate all we have, and to share it with those who have the least.
7. To let the world know that the people of the United States are good people, caring and compassionate.
8.  To learn to view God and the spirit in a more global way.

Virginia Duffy is Heading To Africa

  I am am excited to tell you that I will be heading for Africa for 3 months to do volunteer work with children. This has been a long-term dream of combining my love of volunteer work with my desire to see this wonder continent and all its glory. As my grandchildren are growing up, I am also excited to spend some time with children. I will spend my 3 months in two different areas, with different projects. . My first 6 weeks will be at the orphanage Children of the Rising Sun, located in Malinda, which is in the Coast province of Kenya. Malinda is a beautiful area with white beaches and palm trees. It is a major tourist town with various historical sites.

Children of the Rising Sun is a children’s home that caters to the community within the area. Within the premises there is a kindergarten and a primary school for the children in the orphanage and also the neighboring community. The community surrounding the orphanage has the culture of marrying off their girl children at a tender age not paying much attention to education and enlightenment for them. The home helps take care of some of this children thus doing child rescue to enable these mothers to go to school. The home has approximately 70 children who stay within the premises and 900 who go to the kindergarten and primary school in the compound. The languages spoken are English and Swahili.

For my second six weeks I will be moving to west Kenya to work with Community Watch and Rescue Team (COWART) This is a youth run community based organization founded in 2006 by a group of focused youths who saw the need for a change in their community.

The major activities of COWART are: 

1. To promote health
2. Youth leadership development
3. Disaster preparedness and response
4. Running environmental programs
5. Youth employment programs

 In promoting health the youths carry out

-         HIV prevention programs which include organizing forums and meetings to disseminate among the community especially the youths information about the disease and also carrying out the same programs in schools where students are educated on the whole topic.

-          Dissemination of information on malaria control and prevention which include Indoor Residual Spraying (IRS), assisting in distribution of mosquito nets especially to pregnant mothers and children below 5 years. The organization is also involved in sensitizing the community on the control measures and the treatment of malaria.

 On youth leadership development

 -There is a youth Parliament that create a forum to the youths where they discuss socio economic and political issues.

-The youths are involved in challenging tasks as part of the training through overnight hiking and camping expeditions, solitude, Rock climbing and Rope course.

 Disaster Preparedness and response

-         Offering first Aid services and training to the community.

-         Training in rescue operations during disasters.

 Environmental Programs

 -         Streams restoration- cutting the water consuming Eucalyptus planted along the riverbanks and replacing them with the indigenous trees and shrubs.

-         Soil erosion control, organizing clean up exercises within the towns and man- made forests of native trees and shrubs.

 Youth employment

 -         Carrying out training in entrepreneurship, business and financial management.

-         Running community based income-generating activities solely run by the youths from the  community.

-         Holding forums where youths are taught on career choices, interview tips and CV writing skills.

 One of the great achievement cowart has had so far is that over 3000 youths from the community have undergone HIV testing and counseling.

  The organization covers the three districts of Kericho, Londiani and Bureti of the Rift valley province. I will be working in Kericho.

I am very excited and making plans to leave,  as there is so much to do!  While in Africa I also intend to go on a Safari and visit the famous archeological site where Richard Leakey found many specimens of early humans.  I will continue to blog about my trip and other things. However as I need to go to a nearby town to have internet access this will be less often. I am planning on blogging once a week. If I can figure out how to do it, I plan to put video of me and the kids on the blog.  Watch for more and send me good vibes.

Virginia Duffy