Appleseed Travel Journal

Thanks to the magnanimous efforts of those who gave financially and physically to the pads for girls project, three enormous suitcases maxing out at the limit of 50 pounds each and filled with 50 washable sanitary pad kits somehow miraculously arrived in the tiny western village of Bikeke last week. And, today over one hundred women and girls at Liberty School would tell you that God sees them and knows exactly what they need on a very basic level. This is a miracle for them! Just look at these smiles!!!

Without the pads, these two girls and all the others needing them would not be able to attend school for at least one week this month. Because of this gift, they won’t miss a second of class due to having their periods. These kids are poor, very poor. Many of them would not be in school at all if Liberty School had not been established in their midst offering an education to those unable to pay school fees or buy the required shoes and uniforms to attend public school. Imagine you own literally nothing, then to be given something so personal, so needed and yet so basic.

BUT, I had no idea the undertaking to bring these washable pads to the girls. Basic hygiene is not known. Why? Soap is expensive; water is scarce. Boarders share one bucket. Sometimes the borehole runs dry. Clothes are rarely washed because what will you wear while they dry and if you have seconds, there is no clothesline, no pins. Space is limited. Bushes are used to dry what you have and no teenage girl wants to hang their underwear or worse, washable pads, where others can see them.

Understanding the importance of hygiene and female anatomy and what is happening in a girl’s menstrual cycle is new information for most of these students. I had my work cut out for me. Assumptions are pointless and starting somewhere that your audience is not was never more clear to me! So, we began…the long, slow, but important process…

First I met with a British friend familiar with my project to understand the limitations of village life. This was my first awareness of how severe the situation is and the needs being far greater than just delivering the 150 kits!

Then, I met with the Director to start to educate him as to what was required logistically from a hygienic perspective. For girls to be able to wash their pads, to hang their pads in the sun to make sure that they were getting dry and bacteria free was imperative if the project would be successful and last for the girls for the expected three years. This would require enlarging the girl boarding students’ wash room, acquiring rope for drying pads, soap for washing pads and raising the sheet metal walls to ensure privacy.

The girls’ washroom for bathing as it was two days ago.

Once again I am so grateful that this won’t be a problem for this project, thanks to all of you who gave financially for it. We have been able to purchase iron sheeting, buckets for each of the 40 girls living on site, soap for washing themselves and the pads, clothelines, clothespins, wood for construction. To be able to do this to make sure this project is successful is such a HUGE gift. Thank you for providing for this so there were no obstacles to moving forward.

The new and much improved washroom:


even with cement flooring!

Each girl now has her own bucket for washing. Also huge plastic barrels were purchased for water storage, so now regardless of the water level, there will always be water.

Then, I met with Naomi, the Director’s wife, the Director’s secretary, and one of the high school teachers and one of the primary teachers. To get them on board with the project was easy enough. Without their support and oversight for the girls, it would definitely be problematic. Even teaching some of them about the four stages of their cycles was new information and the necessity and importance of basic hygiene for themselves, their families and the girls.

Then, I met with most of the female teachers in the school and did the same. Again, the questions, the comments, the interest and ease with which they engaged on the subjects was phenomenal. Typically reserved and shy with a mzungu, this is a subject that really interested them, especially as I assured them it is shared by every woman on planet earth!

Happy, happy teachers!

Then I met with the high school girls.

Then, the boarding students.

There was quite a learning curve with each group, whether it was on female issues of having your period or pregnancy, or the very fun part of giving each girl her kit. Demonstrating the use of the kits was undoubtedly the funniest as trying to use them and what do with them made some very interesting configurations! The girls LOVED the colors and fabrics and kept saying, “These are very smart!” This is the highest compliment for how a woman looks in appearance here in Kenya, so I’m hopeful they won’t use them for scarves or decorations and use them as intended instead!!!!

The remaining kits are under lock and key to be distributed to girls needing them in primary school (grades 1 through 8 by our system) who are living at home. I have educated three teachers well who will now in turn educate these girls and their mothers or guardians about the use and care of the kits. Without this intense process the girls will take them home and they will either be sold or discarded or seen as taboo. The VERY hard decision had to be made that only the girls attending school would be able to receive a kit. There is need for their mothers, their sisters, even their neighbors to each have one. But, this is Africa…the needs are endless and great, and I constantly have to remind myself that we may not be able to save all of the starfish washed up to shore, but we can at least help this one. And, this one deserves it and appreciates it so much. The difference in one young girl’s life, speaking love and worth and her unique specialness to her in such an intimate way has the potential to change a family, a village, and a nation. You guys are AWESOME. Your love is profoundly making a difference. Thank you; thank you!!!

And…asante sana from just a few of the very special girls whose lives you have touched:

Anne

Cynthia

Jackline

Margret, Eunice, Lorine

Elizabeth and Esther

…and a few of the girls from primary class 8

Thank you so much for standing with us in prayer for this time with our leaders from five nations who converged in Nairobi!

Brooks writes: “It’s been nothing short of miraculous!  Roger and I spent time this morning debriefing.  His first question to me was, ‘What could we have done better?’  Now, you know me, sometimes bestowed with the gift of discernment (or extreme negativity), I’d typically have plenty to say nit-picking things to death.  But, quite honesty, there was NOTHING to be negative about!!!!  When God puts something together, it’s just so, so right...down to the very last detail!!!”

By God's grace and your prayers, we managed to bring the right material (especially the training on reaching Muslims which was excellent) to the right people at the right time. It was a perfect fit and perfect timing for our gang. They have tools in their hands that they are ready to go home and implement!

Furthermore Kim G, who has been doing this type of training for 20 years, had never seen a more receptive group and had never been involved in a group that is as fruitful in disciple making (his own words). He was most excited and impressed. I hope that you receive this affirmation yourself as you are a key part of this work in Africa!

Here are a few comments from the guys themselves:

“We have never had a higher level of training in this area (of impacting Muslims) before.” 

“We can take and use this immediately.” 

“These are practical tools for building loving relationships with all people including Muslims.” 

“Please let’s take this teaching to our teams; this is very important.” 

“Thank you to everyone who has supported this conference.”

P.S.
Lest you think life is easy whilst in the midst of this, here is a note I sent to a friend the morning after the conference ended: “Oh, man. This is the morning after the last participant has left the building. Besides the busyness of the week (what was I thinking) there have been all of the logistics, hosting westerners and Africans, people flying in and arriving from all directions (and then leaving), Burundi going to hell (impacting not only that whole nation and families of our participants but the travel of two of our teams), and, oh right, a full week of training, plus interacting with the western trainers and each of the teams. Oh, and did I mention that in the middle of the week I came down with a cold. OK, so if that's not enough, on the final day of our meetings (that I was facilitating), trying to work through my cold, I accidentally took a double dose of Mucinex maximum strength which sent my head a spinnin’.” Thank God He works despite us!!!

And thank you again for your prayers!