Karibu Kenya!

 Karibu = Welcome!

Usually this space focuses on glass - techniques, exhibits, and other glass-related topics. I recently traveled to Kenya for a cycling adventure with two friends. Rather than fill social media with a long post, I decided to put some ideas down here. I'm sure, however, this adventure will find its way in influencing my creativity.  

When a friend asked if I wanted to join her for an all-women's cycling trip in Kenya, I said, "Sure, why not!" The thought of seeing the countryside, people, and wildlife from the seat of a bike was intriguing. I learned, however, that the trip would be much more than that. 

The non-profit that puts together the cycling tour is Zawadisha. Their mission is to enable rural Kenyan women by providing microloans for items like solar lights, water cisterns, safe cooking stoves, and other necessities. Zawadisha is different from other microloan programs because they do not loan money. Women must be part of the local women's group. They request an item and after a review they receive it. They then pay for that item over time. The community of women offers support and ensures accountability for payment for the items received. To start, women usually receive smaller items such as solar lighting and plastic chairs and then later request larger items like water cisterns. The organization also provides the women with skills-based training, financial education, and education related to health. 

Cyclists are asked to fundraise at least $500. The funds are used to keep the program viable, including administrative expenses and purchasing the items for the women to buy over time. (A big Thank You to my donors who helped me exceed that!)

Originally, eight women were signed up for this year's 350 mile ride, which is now in its third year. Last March, five of the participants cancelled for health issues and family weddings, and that left me and two friends to experience the adventure of a lifetime. I'll try to capture some of my experience below. I think I could write a book on everything we experienced along the way, but I'll try to keep it (relatively) short!

Nairobi

We flew into Nairobi a few days early so we could recover from jet lag and do some sight-seeing before the ride. The first day we visited the Giraffe Center where we could feed the giraffes and did a nice walk on one of their nature trails. The next day was a "down day" - it was Thursday and protest day for the Kenyans, so we stayed close to the hotel (yes, Kenyans are very polite and protest only on pre-planned days.) 

The following day we took a tour to Lake Nakuru National Park and a boat ride on Lake Naivasha. We saw giraffes, zebras, water buffalo, flamingos, pelicans, water bucks, gazelle, hippos, and more. The most unexpected part of the adventure, however, was being trapped in an 8 hour traffic jam on the two-lane road that runs above the Rift Valley. We ended up getting back to our hotel about 3 AM. Karibu, Kenya!

The Route

The bike ride is billed as riding from Nairobi to Diani (a white-sand beach on the coast) though we were driven about 2 hours outside of the city to start (I do NOT want to ride a bike in Nairobi). Because of our late arrival back at the hotel the previous night, we started later than anticipated so this day was cut short a few kilometers from the usual route. 

Throughout the trip, we rode mostly on red-dirt roads. Some roads were smooth, some were deeply rutted, some were miles and miles of washboard, and some had 6" of silty sand. At times we were riding on silty, sandy, rutted washboard. We did ride some tarmac, but that was the exception. We were riding 40 to 60 miles a day. It was predominately downhill but there were still hills to climb. There were times I found the route very challenging, but I did it! Oh, except for one morning when I had been up the night before several times with what I'll just call Mount Kenya's Revenge (Karibu, Kenya!). By morning break I was feeling better and rejoined the group (that's why there is a gap in the map between days 1 & 2). 

The Animals

We saw so many animals! Many giraffes, gazelles, zebras, and some elephants while riding. On a a game drive in the Rukinga Wildlife Conservancy we came across a lion walking down the road. He kept walking straight toward the vehicle, veered off into the bushes just before the Land Rover, and then returned to the road after he passed us. He seemed slightly put out that he had to walk around us, but otherwise he was unconcerned. He was magnificent!  

While staying in the conservancy, we were in the vehicle one evening when a group of baboons crossed from one side of the the road to the other. The next thing we saw was an elephant running across the road away from the baboons and to the other side. We stopped to watch the elephant. Apparently he was very annoyed with the baboons - and with US! He raised his trunk and trumpeted, flapped his ears, and charged. The Land Rover quickly sped away. It was a bit of excitement for the evening. 

We had two days in Rukinga and we took game drives both mornings. Other animals we saw included ostriches, Secretary Birds, jackals, and a pride of 5 lions. The day we left Rukinga, we were driven part of the way out of the conservancy and then escorted by a vehicle with armed rangers once we started cycling so we would be safe from animals. (That is the other gap in the map.) 

The Diani Monkeys

Oh, the monkeys. They are trouble and warrant a paragraph of their own. They raided my treats when the housekeeper in Diani left my room window open, they stalked us as we tried to enjoy snacks on the balcony, jumped on the rooftops every morning, and tried to pry the windows open one night as we watched a movie (Out of Africa, of course). 

The biggest problem came on our final day of riding. We were minutes away from arriving at our house in Diani. We were riding single file through the crazy traffic of cars, people, pickys (motorcycles), and tuk-tuks. A monkey ran out into the street and T-boned the front wheel of my friend ahead of me. She went straight down and I had no time to react. I ran over her leg (twice! front wheel and back wheel). I am grateful that though she was scraped and bruised, she received no serious injuries. The monkey, however, I am sure did not fare as well (there was a lot of blood involved, and it wasn't my friend's). I think we are still friends, but I may never get invited on another bike ride. Karibu, Kenya! 

The People

Google tells me there are 170 species of acacia trees and I think at least half of those tried to get me at one point or another. One day I got caught up in an acacia bush and had to be rescued by my friend (the Kenyans call them "stay awhile bushes"). I found everything in Kenya to be sharp and prickly - every thing, that is, but the people. They are welcoming and kind. While riding we were greeted with so many "How are you!?" calls, smiles, waves, and thumbs up. We were, of course, a spectacle - four Caucasian women and one Kenyan man riding bicycles through rural Kenya. Kenyan and tourists alike photographed us as they passed. 

One of the things that affected me the most is the extreme poverty throughout the country. In Kenya, there is a widespread lack of infrastructure. So many people live without access to clean water, electricity, sanitation, and adequate shelter. Dirt floor homes built of mud and sticks have no ventilation, making cooking a health hazard. There is threat of a rain storm destroying the mud home. It is completely overwhelming and difficult for a westerner like me to fathom. (As a side note, I almost always had cell coverage, thank you Google Fi. Cellular coverage is one type of infrastructure that I assume is relatively easy to implement and maintain.)

A highlight of the cycling trip was meeting the community of women in Maungu. These are the ladies who participate in the program through Zawadisha. On the fifth day of cycling I found myself riding in the middle of the group. There were two in front of me who I could no longer see and two behind me (who I also couldn't see). As I came down a hill I saw about 20 women in colorful clothing, singing and dancing to a beating drum. I wasn't quite sure if they were just particularly friendly or if this was the community group and my stop for the day. They almost pulled me from the bike and then I saw the two other cyclist who had ridden ahead of me. After a cold soda, we were invited to join in the dancing.

Two days later we were invited to visit the homes of two of the women in the community. One was 29 years old. She had lost her mud and stick home in December during hard rains, but had rebuilt a new shelter in a week. We visited another lady who was proud to show us the solar lighting in her home and told us she planned to work toward buying a water cistern. Later we joined all the community women for more song and dance, a meal, paper making, and a weaving demonstration. We also were able to purchase baskets that the ladies had woven and we picked up our freshly washed clothing that had been dropped off to them a day earlier. 

Zawadisha

Here are some impacts of Zawadisha on the community:

• Solar lighting. Some units also have radios and charging capability. Lighting allows women to pursue income generating activities at night and children to do schoolwork.
• Plastic chairs. Before access to chairs, they sat on the ground. Children often got chiggers, which subsequently resulted in infections and sickness. 
• Cooking stoves. Mud and stick homes have very little ventilation. Historically, people have cooked with paraffin stoves that cause respiratory issues, especially in children. Safer cooking stoves have decreased the incidence of respiratory illness. 
• Water cisterns. They allow the storage of water on-site so that women do not have to walk several miles daily to and from water pans. 
• Baskets/paper. The organization helps with distribution of the women's handcrafted items. 
• Rental capability. Plastic chairs, wheel barrows, etc. - people rent their items out to others in the community, which generates income for them. 
• Social/support system. All women are part of the local women's group. They have friendship and accountability for payment of the items they get from the program. 
• Training/Education. Skills-based, financial, and health-related training. 
• Ownership. Women have increased self esteem because they paid for and own the items they purchase through the program. 

Wrap-up!

We ended the trip with a few rest days in Diani. We had time to enjoy the beach, take REAL SHOWERS, have a massage, and go on a glass-bottom boat ride. The white sand beaches of Diani are beautiful, but there is still a very conspicuous difference in the tourists and locals. As mentioned previously, poverty is widespread. 

My fundraising page on the Zawadisha web site will be active for a few more weeks. There is still time to make a donation if you would like. 

There is more that I could write, but I think I will wrap it up. Karibu, Kenya! Dana

Sisal farm we visited during our ride

Home sweet home!

We do hard things (well!)