Getting Started

Welcome to Ngong, Kenya! I’m really happy to be back for this trip. We have a lot of exciting things going on in Tuko Pamoja. It feels like it has been a long time since my last trip.

Board member Virginia and I worked out the agenda in advance. She knows I want to hit the ground running and not stop until I’m back on the plane. This trip is no exception. After a 14-hour flight, with maybe 30 minutes’ sleep (better than usual for me!), we stocked the kitchen of the rented house and then headed for our first school visit.

We visited one of our newest Tuko Pamoja kids, Pauline, above. She is 9 years old and goes to Joy Yard school. 

We’ve known Pauline for a few years. She has really grown since we last saw her. She is sweet, articulate, and very mature. She wants to be a cardiologist, because her grandfather passed away due to heart problems.

Pauline lives with her aunt, Lucy, who is also the head teacher at the school. Lucy had been called away for an emergency, so we will return later in the trip to say hello.

One of our other recent fun tasks is to stock Wangari’s library. Staff member Wangari is running one of our safe houses and works with Virginia on our child-sponsoring efforts. She is also a fantastic self-defense instructor. And she loves to read. Getting good books is hard and expensive in the area, so we have been bringing them for her library at the house. The two pre-read favorites from this trip are Pride and Prejudice (Jane Austen) and Nairobi Noir (Peter Kimani). She has broad interests.

A second delivery that I was making this trip was to deliver a laptop computer for Kikey, Virginia’s son. Kikey is also sponsored through Tuko. He is just starting a high-level university program in Mechatronics. 

For those as uninformed as me: “Mechatronics is an interdisciplinary engineering field that combines mechanical engineering, electrical engineering, computer engineering, and software engineering to design intelligent, automated systems. It focuses on the synergistic integration of these components to create economical and efficient products and systems. Key applications include robotics, automotive systems like anti-lock brakes, and healthcare technologies, showcasing its role in modern, complex product design.” 

Thank you, ChatGPT.

For his school work, Kikey needs a high-powered laptop, and it was easier to get it (custom-built in China to his specifications) in the US and deliver to him than to find one in Kenya.

On my first full day, we had two self-defense classes scheduled. One was at Sister to Sister, an international organization that runs a girls’ rescue center in the area. Wangari, Virginia, and Cedric, also a very accomplished self-defense instructor on our team, had taught here a couple times before. They also did an educational presentation on gender-based violence.

The rescue center is a nice facility, with a cool courtyard.

When we visited, there were 6 girls ready and eager for the class. They had just got back from school and quickly changed out of their uniforms for the class. The 6 girls are all in primary school. The center has four secondary school girls, as well, but they were away at boarding school. Two of the women who run the program also participated in the class.

We also had three cute toddlers in attendance. They are the children of the secondary school girls.

One fun aspect was that since the girls had already seen the main curriculum for the class, we were able to reinforce that information, plus add some new techniques that we don’t normally teach. Not only does it help the girls, but the Kenyan instructors get to learn more at the same time. And with three instructors for 8 attendees, we could really focus.

And the girls really had a good time. 

During the day, Virginia and I had a chance to stop by the Maasai Market and shop for some fresh vegetables. We have been eating some picked daily from the garden at the house, but needed more. The market is a fun sight-seeing trip. Unfortunately, we were on a tight schedule and only saw one corner of one floor of the market.

We then headed to Matasia for another self-defense class. This one is at a community center. Cedric and I taught there a couple years ago. And Cedric, Virginia, and Wangari had also taught another class there before. But for this class, out of 25 women, only 5 had taken the class before. 

Several of the women brought toddlers or babies with them . This tends to make for a pretty chaotic class, with the toddlers running through. Virginia ran out and bought a bunch of snacks and milk for the kids. This kept them occupied for at least 30 seconds!

We have also produced certificates to present to women and girls who have gone through the class three or more times. The certificates are a pain to deal with, but the attendees seem to appreciate them.

Secondhand clothes are widely available in many developing countries. Donations in the US get cleaned and shipped overseas. A year or so ago I saw a woman wearing a t-shirt from Washburn University. This is a small liberal arts university in Topeka, KS. It caught my eye because my brother and cousin are alums. Years ago, we saw a member of the Pygmy tribe in Uganda wearing a Cornell University t-shirt.

So the woman below caught my eye, as well. She is wearing a “Reagan Bush ‘84” sweatshirt. It isn’t original. Reproductions are readily available. But it is interesting to see the influence of other cultures on the people in the area.