Arms of Love Orphanage, Nairobi, Kenya

 



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IMPORTANT NOTICE

For health reasons, the founder of Arms of Love Orphanage in Nairobi, Leigh Ross, has been forced to return to the United States.

The Arms of Love kids (Matthew, Merci, Joel, Joseph and Alex) are now being cared for by the Stern Family of the King's Kids Village orphanage, in Nairobi.
All future donations to Arms of Love on this site will be given to the Stern Family to help them care for the children at King's Kid's Village. For more information, please email:
sternfam@nairobilighthouse.com.

Some Information on Kenya

Facts and figures, observations and anecdotes, words in swahili...


Noted worldwide for its abundant wildlife, Kenya is a popular stop for tourists, especially those interested in exotic animal safaris.

At one time is was controlled by the Arabs, seized by the Portuguese, explored by whomever, eventually leased to the British East Africa Company, and then finally gaining its independence from Great Britain in 1963.
(Find out more on Kenyan history).

But what is it like to live and work in Kenya?

Here are some of Leigh's comments, anecdotes and observations about Kenya, Nairobi, the AIDS pandemic, and much more.

I have made a lot of good friends and I love this country and its people. Unfortunately, it will take years to get the economy back to where it was 40 years ago: Kenya is a beautiful country that has taken a tragic economic downfall since their independence in the early 1960's. President Moi who I understand was self-elected, and his government took everything that Kenya had and put it in their pocket. Many of them are standing trial now.

The city of Nairobi is very busy, traffic is unbelievable, and there are millions of people there as Nairobi is the economic melting pot for Kenya, Tanzania, and other eastern Africa countries. I am told that Nairobi once looked like a beautiful European city. It still has some beautiful buildings as long as you can't see the ground below them. The streets are filthy, street kids are commonly seen walking, begging, and sniffing glue. Glue is their escape from the world. Add the HIV/AIDS situation and you have total chaos. The street boys are not as bad since the new president Mwai Kibaki was elected two years ago this December. Primary schools are now free, roads are being improved, and the city is starting to appear cared for.

The overpopulation is a problem too. Nairobi is the economic center of Kenya. There are no jobs up country so millions come to Nairobi to find work. This adds to the AIDS problem also because the men are away from home for months so they sleep with the prostitution, get AIDS, and take it home to their wives who pass it to their babies.

Statistics say that in 5 years there will be 50 million orphans as a result of the AIDS pandemic There are thousands of missionaries in Nairobi and up country and thousand of orphanages but we need more. The government should give up the big cars, huge homes, and help the people of this country who so deserve it.

There is one slum here called Kibera that is 50 acres of land with houses made of steel sheets. Sewer runs downs the trails with the houses right next to them and the children in them. This slum is the largest in Kenya with 1.4 million people and an HIV rate of 40%. It will break your heart to walk through that place.




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The climate in Nairobi is ideal. We are 6000 ft. above sea level so it never gets really hot but hot enough. If you stay in the shade during the dry hot times (now) it is pretty cool. RIght now we have had no rain since April so it's pretty dusty and this red dust gets on everything. To get the red mud off of your skin you must scrub real hard whereas in most places a bath will do.

Kenya does have a winter but they call it the long rainy season. The long rains come in March or April and last until the end of June. Just prior to that the ground is prepared for planting. In November the short rains come (but it is not as cool) and also another planting season. During the long rainy season, it gets down into the 40's at night and with the rain it seems colder. All houses here are made from about 90% stone so it is very difficult to get them warm and electricity is so expensive that you can't run heaters all of the time.

An interesting tidbit...when it rains for the first few times in the flying ants come out of the ground by the thousands, often so thick that you cannot see through them. If you have windows open they will come in your house. People here eat them raw or fried. They have very long wings and tiny bodies. Once they hit the ground their wings come off and they begin to mate. Then they die. 

The main crops are coffee, tea, and maize. Maize is also the main staple of the people here. They eat ugali (pronounced oogaleeee) with every meal. To make it you add corn meal to boiling water, reduce the heat, and cook for about 15 minutes. It is then packed in a bowl, turned over onto a plate, and cut in slices. It is common to eat with your hands while dipping the ugali in sukuma wiki (a type of green like spinach) or juice from any vegetable or meat. The children love it and I make it myself but I fry it.

The majesty of the Rift Valley and the Serengeti are just stunning. There are people and homes in the Rift Valley. It is so big and stretches from the north to the south of Kenya. There are still a few rain forests around the Kakamega area. The trees and plants are really pretty. As my friend Noam says, "Leigh has a green hand" so I love all of the gorgeous bougainvilleas, birds of paradise, and many many more.

There is one thing you must have in Kenya and that is patience as nothing is done speedily. This also applies to people being on time. You can usually look for them a couple of hours after they say they will come and that is if they come at all :-)

When you go to someone's house you just shout from the door "Hodi" and then they shout "Karibou", or welcome. You then take your shoes off and enter the house. They may say "keti" (chair), if you don't want a chair you say "Sitaki keti kwasababu sitaki kuketi" or I do want want a chair because I do not want to sit.

Here are a few more words and expressions in swahili:

- Habari yaku (How are you?)
- Asante sana (
Thank you)
- Maji (Water)
- Dawa (Medicine)
- Karibou (Welcome)
- Bwana Asifiwe (Praise the Lord)
- Poli sana (Very sorry)
- Hakuna Matata (No problem)
- Jambo (Hello)
- Kwa Heri (Goodbye)
- Simba (L
ion)
- Safari (Journey)

 

More Facts and figures on Kenya

(Source: http://worldfactsandfigures.com, http://worldatlas.com)

Official Name:

Republic of Kenya

Capital City:

Nairobi

Location:

Eastern Africa, bordering the Indian Ocean. Border countries are  Ethiopia, Somalia, Sudan, Tanzania and Uganda.

Climate:

Varies from tropical along coast to arid in interior.

Natural hazards:

Recurring drought in northern and eastern regions; flooding during rainy seasons.

Highest point: 

Mount Kenya: 5,199 m, first climbed in 1899 by English geographer, Sir Halford MacKinder.

Population:

30,765,916 (July 2001 est.)

Note: estimates for this country explicitly take into account the effects of excess mortality due to AIDS; this can result in lower life expectancy, higher infant mortality and death rates, lower population and growth rates than would otherwise be expected.

Age structure:

0-14 years: 41.95% 
15-64 years: 55.26%
65 years and over: 2.79%

Life expectancy at birth:

47.49 years

Population below poverty line:

42% (1992 est.)

Ethnic groups:

Kikuyu 22%, Luhya 14%, Luo 13%, Kalenjin 12%, Kamba 11%, Kisii 6%, Meru 6%, other African 15%, non-African (Asian, European, and Arab) 1%.

Languages:

English (official), Kiswahili (official),
numerous indigenous languages.

Religions:

Protestant 38%, Roman Catholic 28%, indigenous beliefs 26%, Muslim 7%, other 1%.

Note: a large majority of Kenyans are Christian, but estimates for the percentage of the population that adheres to Islam or indigenous beliefs vary widely.

Currency:

Kenya Shilling
Exchange rates:
1 US Dollar = 80.52300 Kenyan Shilling
1 Kenyan Shilling (KES) = 0.01242 US Dollar (USD)
(september 2004).

Agriculture:

Coffee, tea, corn, wheat, sugarcane, fruit, vegetables; dairy products, beef, pork, poultry, eggs.

Industries:

Small-scale consumer goods (plastic, furniture, batteries, textiles, soap, cigarettes, flour), agricultural products processing; oil refining, cement; tourism.


Also in this Section...
Meet All the Children
Learn All About Our Place

Article by Judy Normand





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