Ngong WEEP Center
Ngong, Kenya
After spending two days in Kibera, we drove to Ngong. Along the way, we drove through the town of Karen. It was pretty funny driving past Karen's Hospital, Karen's Police Department, Karen's Nakumatt!
Ngong is a semi-rural area - a complete change from Kibera slum. Instead of muddy hills, there are flat roads. Instead of sticky mud, there is grass. Instead of half-dead dogs, there are cows.
The ladies of Ngong are different from the ladies of Kibera. They are very mentally very strong but they have a "softness" about them. I think living in the slums hardens women.
Mary is the director of WEEP. She's affectionately called "mom" by the ladies. Since each of the women has been displaced from her family due to the virus, the love felt when they say "mom" is undeniable.
One of our projects at WEEP (besides delivering food for each woman) was to paint the meeting room and sewing machine room. The men in our group did the painting while each WEEP woman partnered with a Team Kenya woman and worked on a bead project. I was partnered with Tabitha. Tabitha is a beautiful woman with two young children. By American standards, she could be a model. And yet, she stunned us when she said, "I wish I could be fatter." It dawned on our group that to be overweight meant to be healthy and virus-free. Tabitha explained her antiretroviral medication routine. Nevirapene was part of her regiment. She said her counts were vastly improved over the past year but she was having difficulties gaining weight.
Tabitha made a beaded ring for me. Then she saw my foot and was astounded I wore a toe ring. She asked its significance. Wearing sandals is unheard of there so they all laughed when I said we painted our toenails and wore toerings when we wore sandals to show off our feet!
We had a great lunch there of stew, rice, chipati and mokimo. Their chai tea was a
little different than Kibera but just as good.
After lunch, we shopped in their gift area and just spent time with these ladies. Then it was time to celebrate the completion of the painting. The women broke into song and dance and encouraged us to join in. The women particularly loved Dave. And when he volunteered to have a dance solo while they sang - it brought true tears to their eyes! And those true tears of love quickly turned into tears of song and laughter! We were all laughing and crying and clapping and dancing! In the movie The Bucket List, Morgan Freeman's character says he wants to experience true laughter - the kind that brings tears to your eyes and you feel down to your soul. We all experienced a Bucket List laugh that afternoon.
And then the la
dies shared their stories of bravery, abuse and struggles. Paris, a Maasai woman, was attached with machetes by her own father and brothers. They called her a prostitute and said she gave the virus to her husband, who died of AIDS. Paris' 10 year old son ran and got help and saved her life. Paris and her children were kicked out of the tribe and she found her way to WEEP. She is a gifted seamstress. There were so many other stories but there was a common denominator - being blamed for giving the virus to their husbands.
We left Ngong in such an upbeat mood. We all chatted about these ladies all the way back to Nairobi. It was a good day. God is good.
Ngong, Kenya
After spending two days in Kibera, we drove to Ngong. Along the way, we drove through the town of Karen. It was pretty funny driving past Karen's Hospital, Karen's Police Department, Karen's Nakumatt!
Ngong is a semi-rural area - a complete change from Kibera slum. Instead of muddy hills, there are flat roads. Instead of sticky mud, there is grass. Instead of half-dead dogs, there are cows.
The ladies of Ngong are different from the ladies of Kibera. They are very mentally very strong but they have a "softness" about them. I think living in the slums hardens women.
Mary is the director of WEEP. She's affectionately called "mom" by the ladies. Since each of the women has been displaced from her family due to the virus, the love felt when they say "mom" is undeniable.
One of our projects at WEEP (besides delivering food for each woman) was to paint the meeting room and sewing machine room. The men in our group did the painting while each WEEP woman partnered with a Team Kenya woman and worked on a bead project. I was partnered with Tabitha. Tabitha is a beautiful woman with two young children. By American standards, she could be a model. And yet, she stunned us when she said, "I wish I could be fatter." It dawned on our group that to be overweight meant to be healthy and virus-free. Tabitha explained her antiretroviral medication routine. Nevirapene was part of her regiment. She said her counts were vastly improved over the past year but she was having difficulties gaining weight.
Tabitha made a beaded ring for me. Then she saw my foot and was astounded I wore a toe ring. She asked its significance. Wearing sandals is unheard of there so they all laughed when I said we painted our toenails and wore toerings when we wore sandals to show off our feet!
We had a great lunch there of stew, rice, chipati and mokimo. Their chai tea was a
little different than Kibera but just as good.
After lunch, we shopped in their gift area and just spent time with these ladies. Then it was time to celebrate the completion of the painting. The women broke into song and dance and encouraged us to join in. The women particularly loved Dave. And when he volunteered to have a dance solo while they sang - it brought true tears to their eyes! And those true tears of love quickly turned into tears of song and laughter! We were all laughing and crying and clapping and dancing! In the movie The Bucket List, Morgan Freeman's character says he wants to experience true laughter - the kind that brings tears to your eyes and you feel down to your soul. We all experienced a Bucket List laugh that afternoon.
And then the la
dies shared their stories of bravery, abuse and struggles. Paris, a Maasai woman, was attached with machetes by her own father and brothers. They called her a prostitute and said she gave the virus to her husband, who died of AIDS. Paris' 10 year old son ran and got help and saved her life. Paris and her children were kicked out of the tribe and she found her way to WEEP. She is a gifted seamstress. There were so many other stories but there was a common denominator - being blamed for giving the virus to their husbands.
We left Ngong in such an upbeat mood. We all chatted about these ladies all the way back to Nairobi. It was a good day. God is good.
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