Masi Mara, Kisumu, Nakuru

So, our internet over the past few days has been very limited to non-existent. But they have been an incredible past few days.

The safari was beyond amazing, to be up close and personal with lions, giraffes, elephants, zebras, antelopes, and cheetahs. There was one point where we were parked next to a lion and his lioness no more than 10 feet away. Then, another male lion came on the other side of our van and started roaring at the other lion. So we were waiting for a lion brawl when the lion with his GF started walking towards our jeep because he saw Ashley’s red flannel, which is similar to the Masi colors (and they kill lions sometimes so the lion was pissed). It was beyond epic and of course billion times cooler than Nat Geo.

We agreed we came away different, which you don’t really expect from a sweet safari. But I appreciate wildlife and its habitat so much more now. Of course I’ve always been an animal and nature lover, so it was pretty amazing to be in this giant park, virtually untouched by man where the wild creatures still roam. We were torn at the beginning as to how we felt about riding around in a jeep to awe at the animals and whip out our cameras every time we saw something move. But having experienced it and observing other tourists flock around the lion pair was kind of an honor. I felt blessed to be sharing such rare moments that usually can only be seen on TV, and that I could try and capture each animal’s beauty to share with others. I also got some really fun footage of the Mara (the huge park we safaried in) and the animals we saw, including the Great Wildebeest migration (which is supposedly one of the 7 Natural Wonders of the World) there were Wildebeest for MILES and they all walk in one line and jump across rivers to get to Mara fields full of grass. So we sat and ate lunch and watched them run.

After safari we headed to the Kisumu home. It’s a huge home and include a special needs unit, unique from all the other homes. We played with the kids all day and started our Personality Reports on the kids. Paige and I were charged to take pictures the whole time, which we gladly did. There are 4 people staying in Kisumu for the next 2 weeks each attempting to write 3 reports for every 2 days, and scanning archives and files. I got some great footage of the kids and the home. They LOVE it when I turn around the camera screen and let them see themselves on film.

After 2 days, Paige, Hannah, Ashley, Kaitlyn, and I ventured to the Nakuru home. This is a beautiful home with so much space for the kids to run since they’re older. We hung out with them at school, which is on the same property, and played with them outside. I got some fantastic footage of the kids playing and singing! They love singing. 4 little boys were on a swing singing their little hearts out, everything from “I’m in the Lords army, yes Sir!” to “mary had a little lamb”. They were precious! One boy particularly loved the camera and gave a beautiful singing performance of “Jesus loves the little children”. This is absolutely going in the video.

The video. So I have soo much footage and it will be interesting to see how it all comes together. My hope is that the information and facts will be clear; such as how Amani and New Life are connected, the goals of each, interviews with the founders, and intern’s experiences. So I’ll certainly have my work cut out for me when I come home!

I can’t upload pictures at the moment because my computer died, so I’m on Ashley’s but hopefully by Friday.

It’s been an amazing past few days and I can’t believe its almost over.

I can’t wait to come home too ☺

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

in Nairobi_ day 7

Off to New Life Home again! We continued with our psyco-social observations and reports. We have almost finished all the crawlers! So far we about 20 uploaded into our online archives. These case summaries, psyco-social reports, and pictures will be sent to international and local families looking to adopt and they will go towards arguing before the Kenyan Adoption Board who determines whether the baby is free to go with the families.

In the morning, I met with Rhoda and interviewed her in her office. I asked questions like "what is your role here at new life," "what are the biggest challenges you face as a social worker," "briefly explain the adoption process from new life's point of view," "how is new life different from other orphanages in kenya," "what do you hope to gain from us 11 interns working here and at various other homes"
She was very informative and answered the questions really well! The interview will be very helpful when putting together the doc.


I also was recruited to help write case study summaries but I had to decline because we had to hand write them, and my handwriting = chicken scratch and very illegible. But what the others who had pretty had writing did was take a baby's folder full of stuff (police reports, baby foot prints, birthday cards, legal papers, court committals, good Samaritans letters, and anything relevant to the child) and they summarized everything into case summaries… all on notebook paper. So that's partly why we're here. Because we are putting everything into accessible and electronic files. This way upon request, parents can view appropriate files (copy and paste are wonderful) and they can be easily printed out for case/adoption files.

In the afternoon we headed over to Little Angles with Rhoda. This is the adoption agency that is partnered with New Life Homes. They are the ones who receive adoption requests and applications and deal with the legal processes. They screen and interview parents and do the home visits to check up on the kids during the 3 month foster period once the babies are cleared for adoption. I also filmed this, and it was super duper cool to hear the process first hand from the baby lawyers and other social workers.

After walking home, we stopped by Yaya (our grocery store) to pick up last minute groceries before we start traveling on Sunday… because tomorrow we will be going on a Safari!!!!! Hooray!!! We leave tomorrow and come back Saturday night so I won't post again till then. I'm so pumped to see National Geographic and Discovery Channel and Animal Planet in real life! We get to hang out with the Maasai people (google them, their sweet!) and see all the typical animals. More details when I return :)

It's been incredible to get to know the adoption process.. . New Life averages about 1 kid per week being 'identified' which means a family has expressed interest which is sweet. But what will be sweeter is that with our work parents will be able to get their babies sooner.

Before we came here, at orientation , we watched this documentary following several adults trying to find out birth records and any family history they have. It really put into perspective that without these files in order, the New Life babies and babies in homes all over the world don't have a connection to their roots, history, or a feeling of completion with their story. These babies have rights, a right to know their family medical history, where they were born, their original/given name, parents info, a birth certificate, and why they ended up where they did. Every time work gets a little slow or monotonous, its encouraging to know that I'm fighting for someone who can't but who will later find these files priceless.

Well, its off to bed for me! I gotta back up and upload photos and videos. I'm all packed for the safari and camping. I'm going to the Lenovo store tomorrow with another intern who's school computer is broken. Since this is kind of a heavy on the technology job, computers are crucial. --> what was the one thing I forgot on this trip… my computer charger. But thank goodness several other people on the trip have school computers!!!!


Ok so also, all 11 of us were in one apartment living room watching the world cup and went absolutely nutz when USA scored. If the rest of the Kenyan complex was wondering if we were american, they know now!

I have so much great footage, I can't wait to start going through it. I filmed some more babies at New Life today, and interviewed some of the other interns. I love film!!!!! Here are some pictures too :)

In Nairobi day 6

Today was a long day full work and reward. We woke up early and headed down to New Life armed with a pen, notebook, and camera. We first reviewed Drew's psycho-social report according to age. So I went over the various check lists for 2 year olds for movement skills, language and cognitive skills, and social and emotional skills. The boy I chose is a spunky 1 and a half year old who's crazy independent and energetic- so we get along well. He's super ADD and he bounces from one activity to another really quickly. We have fun together :)

Rhoda (the Nairobi New Life Social Worker) and I rescheduled our interview for tomorrow at 10 am and in the mean time I wrote a bunch of questions for her to answer. Morgan and Kaitlyn went out to get a few scanners for the various homes ad we began scanning in previous medical and legal documents for the kids.

There's so much work to be done here and all the other homes!

I got to talk to a lot of workers today and tell them about why we're here at what our goals are. They are always very grateful at the end of the day, but after realizing we're here not just to play, the caretakers were willing to help in every way. I talked to them to find out back story and the personality of Ricky.
I basically feel like a mix between a private investigator (going through old medical and legal hard copies and files) and an advertiser and personal advocator because ultimately our goal is to get these kids adopted!

Everyday its amazing to wake up and know that the work that we are doing is really going to change the lives of these kids by getting them adopted quicker.

I have also looooved getting to know the New Life Staff and volunteers. It's so sweet to hear everyone's stories, where they've volunteered and visited, and what their views are on certain issues. Today I talked with a student from Uganda named Leah. She's also 20 so we got talking about everything from Facebook to International Business to Mother Tongue and Tribal languages. Everyone is very interested (including myself) to see how this documentary/info vid is going to turn out. I've gotten really fun footage of the kids at New Life School and the Ark, both older groups of kids. The screen is full of faces. So it will be a different feel when I film calm(ish) babies and toddlers.

I'm feeling random:

I love my guitar!! Such a great buy :)

The biggest challenge yet, not swallowing water when I'm in the shower!

I found gluten-free frosted flakes… yum…
Still lots of rice and beans and veggies for me :)

I can't wait for life story time- this is where a few of us will sit around and tell the entire stories of our lives… starting from when/where you were born and everything leading up to today. It's amazing to see where people have come from and what shapes and connects us.

PS I can't wait for our safari on Thursday!!!!

PSS I would love to stay for a few more weeks!

In Nairobi day 5

I smell so terrible! But that's a good thing because here it means that I've been outside in the dirt all day running around with kids :) This morning we left bright and early for Ruiru to visit the New Life School. It's about an hour and a half from our Nairobi apartment across beautiful farmlands and up and down gorgeous hills full of trees and streams. (I got some really pretty video of this). When we got to the school we kept hearing the common phrase "mazoongoo" which means white people. They were thrilled to see us and we were equally thrilled to see them. They are beautiful children! This home is for older kids 3-10ish that New Life and Amani support.



We were greeted by Anne, the school director who couldn't wait to show off the beautiful school. We learned about the children's education and how it supports the surrounding farming community. The kids all get green uniform sweaters and white polos so no one knows whether kids are from New Life Homes or from a better off family, all the kids are equal. They come into the school speaking their mother tongues but eventually all learn Swahili and English by the age of 3. The school also offers community sowing and beading classes for local women and older kids who are able to learn a trade.

We played with the kids and ran around the field together. Again, they loved our cameras and were stoked to see themselves on my video camera (I turned around my monitor so they could see themselves) . I got great interview footage of Anne talking about the Amani/New Life and School connection, and how the school has benefited the kids and community. I also interviewed Katie who talked about how she felt about her experience with the kids.

Next, we ventured another 1.5 hour van ride across bumpy terrain to Kazuri where the Amani Beads are made which supports 70% of New Life Foundation (which includes 6 homes and a few schools). This was when everything came full circle. At Kazuri, we were taken on a tour of the facilities including an interview of a man who had worked there for 5 years.
Kazuri takes in single/widowed woman gives them insurance and medical care, a great paying job, transportation, and lunch.

The process of Amani Beads includes:
- Taking mud and water pressing it for a few hours
- Then forming it into small bricks
- Which become soft clay
- Now they are shaped into various shapes for necklaces, bracelets, earrings, pottery, or whatever the order calls for
- Then they are fire burned
- Next they are painted, designed, and glazed
- Finally they are strung into jewelry

The jewelry that is sold in this store are made from 1st beads, meaning they don't have chips or scratches. But Amani takes the 2nds for free and we use these to made our jewelry at the various chapters. The jewelry we make all over the country is then sold to support Amani and New Life Homes.

Its amazing to see how everything comes full circle. I interviewed Drew about how he felt about this and he thought it was crazy cool to see the whole process come full circle. But also how Amani and New Life impacts not only the kids but also the community.

For dinner we checked out a close by Ethiopian Restaurant… sooooo delicious!
We chose a variety platter with veggie meat options. It's served on a pancake thingy that you use to tear apart and grab at the various food piles. Since I can't do the whole wheat thing I ordered potatoes and a fork :)


Amazing and full day! Tomorrow, lots of work with psycho-social reports to be done!

In Nairobi day 4

We decided to be tourists today! We forgot to ask directions to a church we wanted to attend so we decided not to risk venturing out and instead we stayed in for our own mini-church service. With the travel guitar I bought the other day, we played a few worship songs and Drew led us in a thought about how we can learn from the kids we serve.

Matthew 19:13-15
The Little Children and Jesus

13Then little children were brought to Jesus for him to place his hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples rebuked those who brought them.
14Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." 15When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.

After some good African coffee we can then ventured to the market and braved the venders. It was actually really awesome. Drew, Katie, and I had our own little adventure within the market. We spoke Spanish the whole time! This turned out to be an excellent idea and I highly recommend. We spoke in Spanish amongst ourselves then turned to the venders and spoke in broken English.

This was fantastic:
1) the vendors loved how we weren't American
2) They were enthralled by us speaking Spanish and wanted to learn words
3) They gave us cheaper prices than the rest of our group (we had show and tell at the apartment and we got everything at a better price!)
4) No one was pulling at my sleeve, nor did I have everyone at near by stands yelling at me because we spoke in broken English

I've been going through video footage, and the group has been doing work with photos and identifying the children at the Ark.

In Nairobi day 3

Today was a day to summarize and review all the work that we will do. So much preparation and perfection is needed because most everyone else will be here for 2 months and they will be working on the case adoption files everyday at their separate homes.

We will be using an Amani Interns google document which have folders and files on it. There's a folder for each of the homes. For example, there's an "Archives-Kisumu" folder and a "Current-Kisumu" folder. In the current folders there sub folders for babies, toddlers, and crawlers. We will create a document for each of the babies which will ultimately be about 20 to 25 pages.

This will include:
- any basic information (name, dob, current home, etc)
- a case summary (how, where, and by whom, and in what condition the baby was found, police and hospital report),
- Personality Assessment (cognitive, social, emotional development, motor skills, and interests,
- Photographs
- Archived documents (scanned hand written or any other hard copies)
- a table of contents

We also went to another Home, called the Ark, which is where older children (4-10 years old) stay. They were so much fun because we could talk with them and have conversations with them. We played futbol, jump rope, we drew pictures and played games, and some of the kids took our cameras and wanted to take pictures. They pretty much wore us out. They were so much fun to talk to and interview them on camera! We were there almost all afternoon and had to run home before it started raining since we all had cameras. I loved getting to play with the older kids, the toddlers and crawlers will now seem low key!

At the apartment, my cooking crew made Pad Thai for dinner which was very scrumptious!
We then looked over our pictures and told stories of our other travels around the world.

Ps I got a travel guitar for really cheap and have been playing all night too :D
Yay meaningful Kenya souvenirs!

Now we're going to Sporcle before bed, we're playing the "name all the countries in the world quiz" I love this group!
Kwaheri!

in Nairobi_ day 2

Today was great! We went to the Home at 9 and divided into 3 groups, the toddlers, crawlers, and babies. I was with the toddlers again, and knowing each of their names and a little of their personalities it was fun to play. They particularly enjoyed the slide this morning!
We fed them "momo" (snack) today of bananas and mangos. And then washed them and put them down for a nap. Their nap time is our lunch time.

After we came back and had a meeting with Rhoda, who is the New Life Home's Social Worker. She went through the adoption process again and filled in the blanks from orientation weekend. Basically the same info but more practicality now that we know the Home and kids. There are local adoptions and international adoptions. The locals are able to come and volunteer and pick out a kid. The Internationals come knowing which one they will take home. The international parents fill out an application and request a gender and age group. New Life then sends them adoption files of all the kids fitting these ranges. This is a fairly new law, less than a year old, so there are still a lot of thinks still to be worked out. And our work will also help with this process. The work we do will also help the babies get adopted faster.

Each baby has to be brought to court with his or her adoption files and argued that they are ready for adoption. The Kenyan Adoption Board decides yes or no, if no they say what else needs to be done. This process can take a week, a month, or a year. There's a lady who visits her soon to be son every day, but she has been in the process for the past 2 years. Effciency is crucial since New Life is almost always at bed capacity. The faster the turn over the more kids can come. When New Life has to turn away kids, they're sent to other orphanages. But New Life (I hope I don't offend anyone here who has worked with other Kenya Homes) but New Life is seen as the standard in the eyes of the government and very well respected among the people. They do things right, everything from medical care to good schooling and lots of love. But other orphanages have had problems and sketchy situations where they will secretly sell babies for not good reasons. So we want our records straight, clean, clear, and accessible so no bad accusations can be made against New Life.

Tonight and this weekend we will be talking about how to exactly right up these adoption files. Drew Rothenberg will be talking about how we should be filling out the Psyco-Social Reports and I'll be talking about the basic techniques for photographs such as the rule of thirds and when and when not to use a flash.

After the meeting with Rhoda we talked a little about what we'd be doing in the future. Each home will have a scanner and we'll scan the hard copies of police reports and medical reports and so on. On top of these scans, the psycho-social reports, and our photographs, we will be putting each child's report on an online password protected data base that can be accessed from any of the Kenya New Life homes and Amani in the US.

So basically the people here are amazing. I don't know how they get everything done without all the volunteers they have! Cooking, cleaning, laundry, yard-work, bathing, and playing with the kids is a ton of work! But here in Nairobi there are several volunteers from the University who have to meet service hour requirements. We talked to a few regular and local volunteers who have graduated but can't find jobs. They continued to explain, that of course when a Kenyan can't find work they give back to their community. Dang, like just imagine what the world would be like if everyone had that perspective on life.

My team is fantastic. A few of us make dinners together. Last night we made rice, curry spinach with walnuts. And tonight we made rice (for me) and pasta with tomato sauce eggs and broccoli. Since we haven't started the reports yet, we spend our free time playing cards, watching world cup, reading, napping, and talking about everything :) this is the way to live; in community, sharing everything, giving, and learning and growing together <3

I already want to stay for a few more weeks… hehe

Film wise I got interviews set up and basic questions written out. We'll be able to start shooting and photographing on Tuesday!

Nairobi_ day 1

Karibu! Welcome! We're here!
After a 6 hour flight to London and 8 hours to Nairobi, we finally landed around midnight to an empty air port wanting to go home as much as the workers. We took a bumpy ride to our apartment, which is awesome. We're split up into 2 different suites each equipped with a full kitchen, living room, 3 bed rooms, and 2 bath rooms. It's a gated community with a guard out front and feels very safe. We're a 3 minute walk to New Life Homes and a 10 minute walk down dirt roads to Yaya, our local mall/super market.

We woke up this morning and took a trip to Yaya to grab groceries and fresh fruit and veggies, fix cells phones, grab coffee, and get wireless internet cards. It's taken a while to get internet working but now that we have it I can post more regularly.

After grabbing groceries and other essentials we came back for some down time to unpack, make lunch, then walk the 3 minutes to New Life Homes, which happens to be on the same road as the place we're staying. We took a tour of the facilities which are divided into 3 separate ages (babies, crawlers, and toddlers). Then we grabbed aprons, picked and age group, and started playing. We did everything with them. We played inside, outside, fed them, then they took a bath and we clothed them, and put them to bed. It was amazing to see how independent and mature the kids were. They are on a strict routine and the repetition of times and activities lets the kids move around a lot on their own. They knew that after cleaning up their toys outside it was time to eat so they went and sat in their specific chairs for dinner. After getting a bath they knew they would be dressed so the toddlers (who I worked with) waddled over to the play room to get their onezies and sweaters. They are very social, outgoing and smiley, although they are not as talkative yet since they don’t know weather to speak English or Swahili yet. But they're all beautiful in their own unique ways, each with a shining and different personality from the others.

At this Nairobi home there are 41 children and lots of volunteers. It will be different at the other 6 homes because they aren't in big cities and they aren't near university which require service hours. Tomorrow we have a meeting with Rhoda, who's the New Life Home's social worker. She is the one who puts together the adoption files that we will be helping to compile and transfer electronically. She will tell us everything we'll need to do, so I expect after lunch we'll get rolling on work, then our daily routine will set in.

I can't film or photograph yet, I must be culturally respectful which requires me getting to know the staff, children, and other regular volunteers better. Plus, getting into a routine will help make filming more efficient as I will know who's best to interview and the best times of day to film. I have a general plan of action. At orientation I wrote a bunch of notes, outlines, and specific interview questions.

Overall, It was a fantastic first day!I'm exhausted from the 36 hours of traveling and 7 hour time change but I can't wait to see what the next few weeks have for us! :D

orientation

An incredible amount happened at orientation yesterday and today!
Basically, the people are incredible, and the work we will be doing is seriously going to make a huge impact on these kids lives.

The people:
12 beautiful people from all over; most of us are from UNC chapel hill, one from NC State, 2 from Emory, and 1 from Messiah University. We took a personality test and compared answers. This was to help us get to know each other better but also learn how we could best work with each other. I am a "Reformer: principles, idealistic, ethically conscientious, a crusader, teacher, striving to improve things but afraid to make a mistake as reformers are perfectionists. Wise, discerning, realistic, noble, and morally heroic." The test is called an Enneagram if you want to check it out! http://www.enneagraminstitute.com/dis_sample_36.asp
We got lots of time to talk and bond and goof around. I'm so excited to be living and working with these people over the next month! :D

How Kenyan Adoption Works:
1) A good Samaritan finds an abandoned baby and takes the baby a Hospital or District Children's office
2) New Life Home's is notified and we go pick the baby up
3) Then, we must go to the police station and get the baby an ID number and birth certificate
4) The baby is taken care of at New Life Homes
5) During the baby's stay at New Life Homes, an Adoption Packet is put together containing name, DOB, police reports, psycho-social, developmental timeline, case summary, medical records, etc…
6) The Adoption Files are then presented to a Kenyan Adoption Case Committee who then either approves, rejects, or defers the case. They meet twice a month.

As of right now, most of these Adoption packets are hand written. One of our many tasks in Kenya will be to introduce the 7 homes to lap tops and electronic files. This makes the process more efficient and less margin for error. The most common reason for deferral or rejection is due to a missing file.

This will make the entire process a billion times more efficient!

More work:
We will also be putting together Baby Booklets.
1) Each baby will have several pictures of him/herself
2) Information including first word and other developmental firsts, where the baby was born, and a personality summary
3) This book will be a way for potential parents to know the baby's better but also is a sentimental gift that they will be able to treasure forever.

so soon!

I leave for orientation tomorrow!
Today was a day to organize, sort, and start packing for the month ahead.
I had a pleasant surprise from Kelsey Dupere and her dad today; I'll miss all my Fever Lacrosse girls!
3 weeks away will be enough time to see and enjoy Kenya while building relationships with the people we meet, but it is also 3 weeks away from the team and my family. So, all in all it will be a perfect amount of time.

o the wonderful cross - swahili

i'm learning swahili by playing worship songs :)

1
C f c
Niwonapo Mti bora
C f c g
Kristo aliponifia,
C f c
Kwangu pato ni hasara
C g c
Kiburi nakichukia.
2
Na nisijivune, Bwana,
Ila kwa mauti yako;
Upuzi sitaki tena,
Ni chini ya damu yako

3
Tangu kichwa hata nyayo.
Zamwagwa pendo na hamu
Ndako pweke hamu hiyo,
Pendo zako zimetimu.

4
Vitu vyote vya dunia
Si sadaka ya kutosha;
Pendo zako zaniwia
Nafsi, mali, na maisha.

getting ready!

On Sunday I'll be heading to Winston-Salem for our team orientation meeting at the Amani Headquarters. There, I will be able to meet everyone I will be working/living/traveling/eating/doing everything with for the next month or so. I'm so stoked! I can't wait to meet everyone and find out who they are and why they want to come to Kenya and what's their backgrounds and such. I love meeting people and this will make our plane rides a little more easy going since we will all have already met.

At orientation we'll discuss Kenyan culture, tendencies, weather, transportation information, the cities we'll be visiting, safety precautions, a little Swahili, and other basic info. We will also receive a detailed itinerary of the trip (which I will do my best to post online)

We'll team bond for a bit then return Monday to say last goodbyes and pack last minute things then we'll take off Tuesday!

I'm not worried about anything particular, however I do wonder about the food situation. As a gluten-intolerant Vegetarian the Kenyan menu might be a little limited. So I think it might be rice and beans for me for a month; cheap is good too!

Today, Mama Memory and I ran around grabbing snacks, donation items, and I checked out my video camera so I'm ready to go :)

i guess i should probably pack soon....

guitar

anyone have a travel guityar or a 3/4 guitar or a ukulele i can borrow or have for the trip?

Guatemala documentary

Go to this website and on the left hand column is a documentary i made in higschool called a Ripple in Guatemala. It's about 20 minutes and its about The Memory Project where Broughton's IB art program recieved photos of kids living in a Guatemalan orphanage. The artists then created portraits of the kids. We flew down and handed the portraits to the kids themselves! its about how money isn't everything and how one act of kindness can spark something bigger... a ripple if you will...

http://broughton.wcpss.net/wcap/webcast.htm

amani

As a Media Production major I looked for an applicable and hands on internship that also combined my love for people and service.

I have the amazing opportunity to go to Kenya and work with New Life Homes and the Amani Children’s Foundation who rescue and care for abandoned infants in Kenya. These non-profit organizations are dedicated to raising awareness of the 13 million African orphans as a result of HIV/AIDS but they also respond to providing children’s spiritual, educational, medical and health welfare through their 7 different orphanages around Kenya. Through the work of nurses, physicians, social workers, caretakers, and volunteers, over 1,000 babies have been rescued and most have been adopted by Kenyan families.

I will be in Kenya from June 15th-July 4th working to:
- Prepare web-ready pictures and narrative reports on each child as well as on the home as whole
- Help update, run, maintain websites
- Consult with social workers, directors, and the rest of the public relations staff to implement a new strategy on how to make Amani and New Life’s names, goals, and children known to the Kenyan community and out of country families and organizations
- Create several short documentaries highlighting a child’s story, an intern’s experience, and the homes’ purposes

so i guess we'll see what more i can do when im there, im hoping to sleep as little as possible!

I'm so STOKED! :D

countdown

t-minus 12 days till kenya!
i leave the 15th: please continue to keep my group and the children we will work with in your thoughts and prayers :)

summer

its summer time again so i guess ill start posting :)
future adventures around kenya for a few weeks this summer!
lots of filming and photography to come