 Boda-boda's, taking people into town. Swahili word of the week: boda-boda. A boda-boda is a bicycle or motorcycle taxi. A ride to anywhere in town is 30ksh on the bike and 50ksh on the motorcycle (for mzungu's). This is $.35-$.55. The name boda-boda originates from the Kenya-Uganda border, where Kenyans and Ugandans catch rides, border to border, to and from work. Bicycle and motorcycle taxis became popular throughout the region, and the name stuck. This week I had the opportunity to travel with Peter, Jacob and Collin to the Heart of Africa. Our goal was to meet with Level 2 Clinics, see how they are doing with their HIV/AIDS programs, and see if we could be of any assistance in helping them access the resources they need to help people vulnerable to HIV. We took The Beast, which is a huge, green, 50+ year old diesel Land Rover several hours into the savanna. Even though it has no air conditioning, it is hands-down my favorite OGRA vehicle. Collin had The Beast climbing hills and driving through roads made out of river beds to arrive at a clinic. The location and condition of the clinic felt surreal, it looked like it had been dropped right out of the sky. It was a great facility: it was clean and had plenty of space for all of it's departments and clients. The clinic included a pharmacy, a maternity unit, an HIV clinic, and they had just acquired electricity. In most clinics, evening births are done by gas-lamp, all patient records are hand-written, and only select drugs can be carried at clinics. Most clinics have coolers full of immunizations for infants that are kept cool with natural gas engines. Electricity means that a clinic can provide safer evening births, may soon get computers and internet to better track patients, trends, and connect with other clinics. Electricity also means refrigeration for pharmaceuticals. The trip was not only my first time visiting the facility, but Peter, Jacob and Collin's as well. What we all wanted to know was, how in the world did the government and local community get the wood, bricks, cement and paint out there to build such a large and well cared for facility? OGRA did discover one challenge the clinic was facing: resource distribution. The clinic had run out of HIV test kits, but had 10 extra liters of anti-diarrhea medication and 30 extra boxes for needle disposal. Currently, OGRA is the best means of connecting the government clinics with each other, as the clinics to do not the resources to regularly visit each other. So, after getting permission and paperwork from the appropriate supervisors, OGRA packed up the overstock to drop off at another facilities needing the supplies later in the week. We promised to bring back HIV test kits to the facility. This week, I semi-successfully tried my hand at cooking indian food. I made lentil curry (a.k.a. daal) and chapati. I had issues getting the the chapati even and into a perfect circle like the women do here, but hey, it was my first time and it was still delicious! I've also learned to make Kenyan Tea, which is basically chai tea- a crossover from India. (East Africa has many wealthy Indian merchants, and their culture has had a strong influence on Kenya.) The tea is creamy, sweet and tasty! It is served everyday at 10am, regardless of the weather. Hosts are expected to offer their guests tea when they come to visit. It can be 100 degrees outside, and everyone still takes their hot tea. Making Kenyan Tea is easy. Boil 8oz of water with a tablespoon of loose-leaf masala tea (spiced black tea) for every 16oz of tea you need. After boiling for 2-3 minutes, add an equal amount of milk to the boiling water and stir. Strain the tea into a thermos or teapot, and serve separately with sugar. The tea will be good for several hours inside of the Thermos, but do not keep it more than 12 hours or it will sour. Here is Kenya Tea recipe, which uses tea bags. Until next week! P.S. My skirt and top are still at the tailor's, it needs some adjustments. I'll be sharing them next week! |  The Level 2 Clinic that dropped out of the sky and into The Heart of Africa  Some clinicians must live at the clinic during the work week, because their homes are too far  2 years of HIV data, all hand-written.  HIV client files  Peter (left) and Jacob (right), riding in the back of The Beast  Collin, our faithful driver  Serena, game for the ride!  Two women, carrying water   The seed from this tree is used with honey and water to make a local brew  Children playing under a tree  Shotgun view from The Beast (they drive on the left-side of the road in Kenya)  Men carrying wood for a village funeral  Cows  Making Daal  Daal on the stovetop  Making Chapati  On the stovetop  Dinner is served  Milk comes in 2 versions, box or bag. The boxed milk can be stored up to 3 months. It is much tastier than US milk.  What you need to make Kenya Tea  Ready to be strained into the Thermos  Ready for guests to drink! |
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