Site Announcements!

MFANGANO ISLAND (on lake victoria)

This is so exciting!!! Looks like I have been assigned to serve in Mfangano Island, located within Lake Victoria, Africa’s largest fresh water lake! The island has a population of approximately 20,00 people of Luo and Suba descent.

The organization I will be working with in Mfangano Island is called “Mfangano Orphans and Vulnerable Support Center.” They support orphaned and vulnerable children by providing food, clothing and education while they stay with their relatives. I am very grateful to have the opportunity to work with such an organization.   

I am very excited and can’t wait till training ends. If anyone want to vacation in lake victoria, you have a place to stay!  

Mfangano Island

Transportation in Kenya!

Transportation in Kenya is very different from that of the U.S. Matatu (the mini buses in the picture) are the main forms of transportation in Machakos Kenya (where we are training). The Matatu are meant to seat 8 passengers, however they usually stack more than 12 people in them. Piki Piki (motorcycles) are also very common but very dangerous and Peace Corps does not allow us to ride them. Tuktuk (three wheeled vehicles) are used but not too common. Of course everyone is always walking and most of the time I prefer walking over taking the Matatu! Usually I pay 30 shillings on a one way Matatu ride which is 35 US cents.  

When traveling to showdow our volunteers, we had to pass through Nairobi. I   have to say Nairobi traffic is beyond crazy! On a three-lane one-way road you see 6 cars coming in one direction!    

Shadowing Current Peace Corps Volunteer

WEEK 4: This week all trainees were sent out to all over Kenya to shadow volunteers. Me and two other trainees were sent to central Kenya to a city called Olkalou. It’s a very beautiful place and we shadowed two married currently serving Peace Corps volunteers. They are both public health educators and they are half way through their service. It was very interesting to see all of the projects they are working on.  They work with the community health workers (CHW). CHW are Kenyan volunteers who each have 25-house holds they visit every month to educate about health and to refer/escort sick residents to the nearest hospitals. They are also currently working on building the first fishpond for the community among many other things.

This week was very interesting because we got to travel and see what our lives will look like after swearing in as Peace Corps Volunteers in a few weeks!   

Shadowing Current Peace Corps Volunteer

WEEK 4: This week all trainees were sent out to all over Kenya to shadow volunteers. Me and two other trainees were sent to central Kenya to a city called Olkalou. It’s a very beautiful place and we shadowed two married currently serving Peace Corps volunteers. They are both public health educators and they are half way through their service. It was very interesting to see all of the projects they are working on.  They work with the community health workers (CHW). CHW are Kenyan volunteers who each have 25-house holds they visit every month to educate about health and to refer/escort sick residents to the nearest hospitals. They are also currently working on building the first fishpond for the community among many other things.

This week was very interesting because we got to travel and see what our lives will look like after swearing in as Peace Corps Volunteers in a few weeks!