On our way to the home this morning, in a hurry to beat the doctor, Cary slipped...as she fell, she grabbed onto an Acacia bush. In case you have never seen or heard of one of these things, the thorns on them are copious, and measure at least an inch or more - check out this photo: https://picasaweb.google.com/lh/photo/AatqododaKuQRs7cEhhNWg (Giraffes feed on the Acacia tree, and have natural antiseptic properties in their saliva that prevent infection from these thorns). In short, they hurt, and can be very poisonous.
Needless to say, her hand was attacked and her big toe was cut up pretty badly. I did a little minor repair on it until we got to the home, all the while thankful that this was the day the doctor would arrive. Cary was a bit nervous about potential infection, so I reminded her what the children endure on a constant basis. It kind of takes the sting out of one's own injuries when put in this perspective.
Dr. Makanda introduced himself to the children, all of whom seemed anxious to get the chance to visit with him. Every child had a number, from 1 to 30, and we pretty much stuck to this schedule, with just a few deviations. Dennis took over the office, and one by one, called them in; I sat through each visit, while Cary joined me a quarter of the way through. The kids were happy to have both of us sitting with them through this - many of them very concerned that they would get 'jabbed'. No jabbing occurred, but plenty of prescriptions were handed out.
7 out of 30 children were proclaimed healthy. The rest had upper respiratory infections, bronchitis, worms, allergies and serious eye infections known as Trachoma. I learned that Trachoma, a granular conjunctivitis, is the leading cause of infectious blindness in the world. It is most likely to occur in children in developing countries, particularly marked in rural areas of poverty, poor hygiene and crowded living conditions. Enter Nagolie, fitting all the criteria. While easily treated, what really infuriated me was the new found knowledge that there are free clinics which occur twice a year in this region. Agnes simply ignores this fact, obviously finding it far too much of a burden to seek preventative medical care for these children. Even worse, she refuses to pay the 100ksh for the matatu fare (for all the children at once). 100ksh is about 80 cents. Moving on, 4 children were treated for Trachoma, in conjunction with upper respiratory infections. I answered the usual questions about sterilization of food utensils and kitchen equipment; kitchen cleanliness, personal hygiene and immunizations. Everything got an "F". Dennis asked me about the director, and I was blunt about her (lack of) involvement, her level of corruption and her inability to take care of the children (never mind of lack of concern and caring). Each of his questions resulted in lengthy responses from me, raised eyebrows from him, further queries and both of us shaking our heads. This line of questioning continued in between the children's appointments. I wanted to make sure he understood what we were dealing with and that it comes down to this: I have all the responsibility for these children, and none of the control. While this may sound ominous, it was all simply a precursor to what is to come: The time has arrived: I am now fully committed to opening my own home within the next two years.
While Dennis was evaluating certain children, I poured through their files, and came across some that made my blood boil and cry at the same time. I knew that little Susan, who came to the home at the age of six, after being repeatedly raped in a foster care situation, arrived with a sponsor. What I learned today was her sponsor backed out after a lack of follow through and subsequent verbal abuse from Agnes. I read each child's file and found lies, coverups, missing information, fabricated information and abuse of funds. I found required monthly letters to the District Children's Office in Kajiado, stating that Njenga, the 13 year old retarded boy, was making 'incredible progress'. Let me just say that Njenga is the same today as he was over 4 years ago when I first arrived. In fact, I am looking at a home for him now, one where he will be given the chance to reach his potential, and if at all possible, will move him before we leave. I found proposed budgets for the past 4 years which would have made me laugh if they weren't so pathetic. I spend less on these children in one month, than she claims to in one week. Fortunately, the board meeting is tomorrow, where we can discuss the budget as well as Agnes' refusal to provide the basic human needs. Meanwhile, Dennis will be back at the home in his free time to counsel the children, particularly the girls, and he will help me to find a volunteer social worker to come to the home every Saturday.
It was an incredibly productive day, and I was able to gather much information about free services for the children, access to free mosquito netting, counseling options etc.. the best part, really, is that Dennis seems to be hooked. He loved the children and seemed hooked like the rest of us who know and love them. At one point, he looked at me quite seriously and said "Let me ask you something. Why are you not here? Why don't you move here?" Laughing, I told him I come as often as I can, and do have a husband and another daughter at home. He understood, laughing and shaking his head, and said: 'You have seen so much. 4 years is a long time - most would have given up by now". The answer is always simple: It's the children.
Cary and I had no time for pictures, unfortunately.
Kwaheri from Kenya ~ tuonane baadaye,
Simmie and Sho-Sho
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