February 27, 2004

Dear Friends,

Hello again from Nairobi. I've been in Kenya for about a week now, on my third trip as part of my ongoing project to document the lives of children growing up at the Good Samaritan Children's Home in Nairobi's Mathare slum.

Since December, when I was last in Kenya, there has been a tremendous change in Nairobi. The largest means of public transportation has been the matatu, a minibus which is crammed with people and driven by drug-addled young men at high speeds to deafening hip-hop or reggae. Many were painted outlandishly with themes such as "Vanilla Ice," "Totally Ugly," and "God Saves." Fatal accidents were remarkably common.

But the new government instituted a number of new regulations, and as of February 1, all matatus were required to have seat belts, limit the number of passengers, clearly label the route number and destinations on the side of the vehicle, and add a speed governor. The driver and conductor were required to wear uniforms.

I am told that at first, very few matatus met these requirements, and the police imposed stiff fines on any vehicle that tried to operate illegally. The streets were full of people who, for lack of transport, had no choice but to walk.

There are still long lines for matatus, but there are more and more matatus that meet the requirements and it is getting better. And riding in the matatus is now much more pleasant, and tremendously safer. Nairobi's roads feel a little more under control, though it is a shame that the "Monica Lewinsky" matatu is nowhere to be found.

With these new rules, more and more traffic lights actually working, and the demolishing of buildings on illegally grabbed land, the new government it making a concerted effort to undo the madness that developed during the 23-year Moi administration.

As I mentioned last trip, the new government has also instituted free primary education in Kenya, which has shifted the economic burden of raising children, and allowed the Good Samaritan Children's Home to send a number of its children to live with aunts, uncles, or other extended family who previously could not care for them. The children moved in December and January, and next week Auntie and I are going to visit some of the children at their new homes.

This has made room for a number of new children who have nowhere else to go, such as 11-year old Kennedy. His HIV-positive mother brought him to Good Samaritan on Tuesday. Because she is HIV-positive, her family has rejected her and her son. She is preparing to die, and didn't want Kennedy to see. As part of our travels next week, Auntie and I will visit her family with her and try to change their minds.

15-year old Lucy has a similar story. Her mother sells the illegal drink chang'aa, and is also a prostitute. Lucy moved to the Good Samaritan Home in January because her mother got too sick to take care of her. She will probably die within the next few weeks. Lucy starts high school on Tuesday.

11-year old Elizabeth was brought to Good Samaritan when her step-father threatened to kill her. When her mother returned home that night and didn't find the girl, he killed the mother instead.

The most horrifying story of the new children is that of 11-year old Mary. She moved to the street after her parents died a few months ago. Last Tuesday morning a local family found her lying in the street, having been brutally raped. The family went to Auntie for help, and they took the girl to a doctor who cares for abused women and girls.

It's too early to know if Mary will be HIV-positive. The doctor gave her a 21-day course of anti-retroviral drugs, which should decrease the chances. Luckily, he gave them for free, for at a little less than one dollar per day, they would be too expensive for Good Samaritan.

I first met Mary at the Home on Saturday, a few days after the rape. She stayed away from the other children, spent much of the day in bed, and would only really talk to Auntie.

This Tuesday evening, the family who found Mary wanted to check up on her. They brought her to their house where they were going to cook her dinner. One of their relatives, a women who regularly talks in tongues and seems a bit mad, decided to bring Mary back to her home in a different slum. She hasn't brought Mary back yet so Mary hasn't taken her medicine since Tuesday morning. Nobody knows how to find the girl in the other slum. Auntie has tried to get the family to help, but since transport has been so bad, the response has been very slow.

Boss, who is now 18-years old, has been given a job as a trainee at Colour Print, a major printing press in Nairobi. He goes on deliveries, loads and unloads the truck, helps keep the factory clean, and is learning about printing. He has bought a bicycle, and is saving up money to move out of Good Samaritan and get his own little house in Mathare.

And Chalo started his third year of high school in January at a new boarding school. Today I am going to visit him to see how he is doing.

All the best,
Randy