By now Peter (from the U.K.), Janice (from Australia) and some of our other team members have already arrived in Nairobi. Today they will head out on a shopping expedition to purchase some supplies that somehow got left off our "take-along" list: basins for the dentiststs to use to clean and sterilize their instruments, dishwashing soap, plastic sheeting to cover our exam tables, paper towels, and so forth. We have strict instructions not to breathe a word to Peter's wife Sue that he's going s-h-o-p-p-i-n-g. Normally, Peter doesn't shop and he doesn't want to give Sue any ideas, so our lips are sealed!
While they are doing the last-minute tasks and touring the sites where our camps will be held, the rest of us are either winging our way to Africa or packing the last of our gear and heading to the airport. The 10 of us leaving from Atlanta will arrive on Saturday evening.
I'm told that the slums of Nairobi are the most notorious in the world. About 60% of Nairobi's 3 million people live in these areas (known to the locals at the "swamps"). Mathare, Mukuru and Korogocho are the largest and our camps will be located in all three. Many of the children who live here have been orphaned due to AIDS. It is those children we seek to serve.
John Glassford (R.C. of Coolamon, Australia) knows these areas well. In the fall of 2007, he organized a group of Rotarians and friends to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise funds for school fees, uniforms and supplies for the AIDS orphans of Mathare. At the end of their successful venture, his team visited Mathare and John sent me photos of the area and the children. I have kept them in constant view as our medical mission was being planned.
One of John's fellow climbers, Sharon Daishe (also a Rotarian in Australia), was so touched by what she saw in Mathare that she will be joining us for the medical mission. Thanks to John, we also have several other team members coming from Australia.
Many people have asked why we're doing this project. The answer that immediately comes to mind is: because we can. Leaving behind family and friends and all the comforts of home isn't easy, but then nothing worthwhile ever is. We have been given the talents and skills and abilities to do this work and sometimes that means stepping out of the comfort zone. If we all sit around and wait for somebody else to do it, nothing will ever get done. Maybe we can't save the world, but perhaps we can at least make a small dent.
Now ... on to Nairobi!
While they are doing the last-minute tasks and touring the sites where our camps will be held, the rest of us are either winging our way to Africa or packing the last of our gear and heading to the airport. The 10 of us leaving from Atlanta will arrive on Saturday evening.
I'm told that the slums of Nairobi are the most notorious in the world. About 60% of Nairobi's 3 million people live in these areas (known to the locals at the "swamps"). Mathare, Mukuru and Korogocho are the largest and our camps will be located in all three. Many of the children who live here have been orphaned due to AIDS. It is those children we seek to serve.
John Glassford (R.C. of Coolamon, Australia) knows these areas well. In the fall of 2007, he organized a group of Rotarians and friends to climb Mt. Kilimanjaro to raise funds for school fees, uniforms and supplies for the AIDS orphans of Mathare. At the end of their successful venture, his team visited Mathare and John sent me photos of the area and the children. I have kept them in constant view as our medical mission was being planned.
One of John's fellow climbers, Sharon Daishe (also a Rotarian in Australia), was so touched by what she saw in Mathare that she will be joining us for the medical mission. Thanks to John, we also have several other team members coming from Australia.
Many people have asked why we're doing this project. The answer that immediately comes to mind is: because we can. Leaving behind family and friends and all the comforts of home isn't easy, but then nothing worthwhile ever is. We have been given the talents and skills and abilities to do this work and sometimes that means stepping out of the comfort zone. If we all sit around and wait for somebody else to do it, nothing will ever get done. Maybe we can't save the world, but perhaps we can at least make a small dent.
Now ... on to Nairobi!
