Rotaract Kakamega Clean-up

The Rotaract Club of Masinde Muliro University coordinated a Community Clean-up for today.  Around 70 students met at the university at 8:30am where we organized and marched into town carrying banners and placards to bring awareness to the clubs in the hopes that others may join in to keep Kakamega clean.  There is garbage everywhere here, plastic bags, corn cobs, mango seeds, wrappers, broken flip flops.  I don't really know what system they have to manage it all.  Every night around four o'clock, the air is full of smoke from burning garbage.  I have asked about recycling and get mixed responses... some say there is recycling here, but I haven't seen any evidence of it, other than the 15 bob deposit for soda bottles.  We are separating our garbage out of habit, compost bucket, paper, plastics, but I don't have much hope.  There is a pit in our back yard which I thought was for compost, but I have seen it smoldering on more than one occasion, so ...

It was so refreshing to walk with the students in to town... these kids have no problem taking up space, unlike the submissive demeanor that is more common in the Kenyan small towns.  The university has had quite an impact on Kakamega.  It has brought some new money into the town and also some new ideas.  We have even seen boys and girls holding hands which is quite a taboo for the conservative town.  The university students have brought fashion with them too, with girls in tank tops and even shorts or skirts above the knee and hair in all kinds of styles and colours.  They make the mzungus appear even more frumpy, in our wrinkled khakis and stupid back packs. 

Anyway, I think the little video says more than I could describe.  It was a dusty, dirty job, but I felt privileged to be a part of it.  These youth are such an inspiration. 

I was chatting with one young woman who is in her third year at MMUST.  She is interested in business, but studying social work.  I think there are certain programs, like teaching and social work, that must be fairly easy to get into because I meet a lot of students that are in the teaching program, but have no interest in actually becoming teachers...  just another of the many things I don't quite get about this place.  Things are not as they seem, there is always some complexity. 

Anyway, I mentioned I was a life coach, which I always feel stupid about here -- argh, life balance, follow your passion... it really makes me want to gag when I put it in the Kenyan context, but it does slip out sometimes.  Regina said she has read about life coaches on the Internet.  She says it doesn't apply here though because unless you are from the right tribe or know someone close to government, you will always struggle.  So you just give up.  Inside I am thinking, OF COURSE YOU WANT TO GIVE UP!  But, I could tell by her smile that Regina wasn't going to be one to give up!  She's got spunk and she will make it.  And I know in my heart, and I said it out loud that you must never give up.  You are the future that Kenya needs and you will make it. 

She comes from Nairobi and will be here for another year to finish her schooling.  I don't know what her family does, but she did say that they have always worked to be sure she can stay in school.  She asked her father to buy her a popcorn machine after looking around town to see what kind of business she can do.  She is just waiting for permission from the Dean to sell popcorn on the university grounds.  I told her about another Kenyan young woman, Carolyne, who is selling caramel popcorn (made with ground nuts, vanilla, and honey) directly to high schools so she doesn't have to sit all day on the corner.  Regina asked if next time I come to the university, could I look for her and buy some popcorn.  Of course I will.  Regina is going to be just fine.