Goals for Kenya

Namunyak Maasai Welfare: April 1-12

• video clips for fundraising, website updates, and other stuff


• workshops and trainings for teachers on special education, literacy development, and other stuff


• interview, profile kids with disabilities around the community; caregiver consultation and training


• interview, gather info, discuss with Emmanuel for the book we want to write about his life


• work with Emmanuel to decide everything he wants for the website I'll create for him upon return, about his NGO and school


• profile children who need or have sponsors for website and sponsor updates


• determine people appropriate for wheelchairs and gather preliminary measurements


• Read to the children after school every day (Harry Potter!!!!)

Dago Dala Hera: April 12-20

• video clips for fundraising, website updates, and other stuff


• interview, profile kids with disabilities around the community; caregiver consultation and training


• gather caregivers to meet each other to form a support group


• determine people appropriate for wheelchairs and gather preliminary measurements


• discuss possibility of sending special education teachers to train a local teacher to run a special education program (which I had visited in 2008 but had since stopped because that teacher left and now those students with special needs have nowhere to go)

Sister Freda's Foundation: April 20-27

• video clips for fundraising, website updates, and other stuff


• interview, profile kids with disabilities around the community; caregiver consultation and training


• determine people appropriate for wheelchairs and gather preliminary measurements


• learn about the programs here: hospital, orphan feeding, clinic, etc. and determine therapy needs (this will be my first visit to this village)

Travel plans

Here's how it will work: I fly from Chicago to Amsterdam (4 hr layover) to Nairobi, arriving at 8:15pm March 30 via Kenya Airways.

March 31: take 8-10 hour bus ride to Oronkai village, transfer from bus to matatu (mini-van taxi) or be picked up by Emmanuel, local host

April 12: Go on to Dago village

April 20: Go on to Sister Freda's Foundation in Kitale

April 27: Return to Nairobi to catch a flight at 3:30am on April 28 via Ethiopian Airlines to Accra, Ghana

April 28: Arrive in Accra at 11:35am; work in Volta region

May 17: Return to Accra and depart at 11:45pm to Rome (3 hr layover) to Chicago by May 18 at 1:35pm.

Less hair = More water

I don't like having long hair in Africa. Besides it being uncomfortable in the hot weather, there is a very practical reason for preferring shorter hair while out there: to conserve time and resources.

Depending on the village, families might have rain collection tanks as their water source, or river water, or if they're lucky, they have a well. In most places, you use bucket of water and a cup for your "shower". In some places, you might be lucky to have running water and a stand-up shower like you're used to in the West.

I don't mean to discourage anyone from volunteering. It's just like going camping. In fact, you can also use camping shower bags that past volunteers have donated. You can bring one of your own, of course.

In the end, less hair means using less water and firewood or coals, and spending less time in the stall with uninvited flying guests. Also, the haircut, valued at over $50, was free because the salon was a partner with Locks of Love and I had 10" of untreated hair to donate.

Packing

When I volunteer overseas, I take 2 suitcases filled only of donations so that I can leave everything there and return with only my backpack of personal items. We haven't opened or distributed the suitcases for Manos Unidas yet, so I'll just summarize my personal packing list. Maybe it'll help you in your travels; it doesn't matter if I'm traveling for 2 weeks or 2 months. I don't take more than this. You can always wash clothes in the sink, launder them, or donate and buy. You can also purchase toiletries locally if you run out.

Here are my two things: backpack from REI and a personal bag (this time it's a slingback but the personal bag varies). I like having a backpack because I don't have to drag it over curbs and dirt roads and and it is convenient for all manner of vehicles (crowded bus, motorbike, shady taxi...).


In the carry-on (which fits under most airplane seats):


Toiletries
camp towel
<3oz>Sleeping
sleep sack (actually, sleeping bag liner. I haven't read anywhere that it prevents bedbug bites, but I prefer to think that I'm at least making it harder on them to get to me! also, it's the kind that can keep me cooler when it's hot out and warmer when it's cold out)
anti-allergenic pillow case cover (same reasons)

Clothing (I count clothes that I wear to the airport)
5-7 pairs of socks and underwear
pants for sleep
2-3 jeans/pants, including 1 outdoor pant that zips off into shorts
4-5 matching tops (mix and match all tops and pants!)
2 sweater-like layers + jacket if traveling to a chilly area
soft baseball cap
shower sandals

Electronics
universal plug
head lamp (in case I stay in a mud hut without electricity, or a hostel where others are sleeping)
SteriPen to disinfect unsanitary water for drinking or brushing teeth (in Africa it's rain or river water; in Latin America right now it's tap water)
chargers for: camera, cell phone, and netbook

Travel extras
book(s)
notepad/paperwork
snacks + multivitamins (in case the local diet is not nutritious enough)
tissue
neckrest collar for sleeping on the plane
2-3 spare ziplock and plastic bags (you'll always find a need for them)

In the personal bag:



netbook (I won't bring this to Africa)
eyedrops, chapstick, brush
wallet
ipod (rarely used)
sunglasses
tissue
hand sanitizer
passport + copies of travel health insurance and other docs in ziplock
small notebook + pen
cell phone (turned off; only used for emergencies)
camera
(gorillapod is missing in my house somewhere!)

[Note that depending on where you are, you wouldn't want to carry important items like your passport and netbook with you; OR you wouldn't want to leave them in the place you're staying unless there's a safe. You have to know your location and your activities.]

India? Not this time...

It has been decided that taking on projects in India is just too much for this trip and for the controllable size of Therapists Without Borders.

All those great reasons to visit the New Light organization in Kolkata still stand. They are in the center of the sex district and prostitution is a primary way of life out there. New Light attempts to stem the flow of children heading toward that fate, and give young women new opportunities for positive development. There's no doubt that psychotherapists, counselors, psychologists, and social workers would make an immense impact on their mental and emotional health.

However, after months of debating with myself, talking to a few key people about the situation out there, and taking a hard look at all the projects I'm already trying to take on as a newborn non-profit, we've concluded that India is too immense to take on at this early stage. Not only are there language barriers, but also deep cultural values that I feel I would need to give much more time to understand in order to better serve them in the future. In fact, Kolkata is not the only place in India that would stand to benefit from that kind of help. I almost took on another project just by hearing about another organization in the city of Kushalnagar!

On top of that, I have already been feeling like there are a million things I need/want to do for Therapists Without Borders without even leaving the country yet. By the time I come back from Cuzco, I will have my mind buzzing with work for them (ThWB will set itself up to screen, interview, and prepare volunteer therapists for them). Then I will be visiting 4 villages in Kenya and a school AND orphanage in Ghana. More information about those projects later. Needless to say, that's plenty enough work for the rest of the year!

What made the decision final, is that I have not yet heard back from the director of New Light. I am given to understand from the various people who have worked with her that she is an extraordinary woman, but is also extraordinarily busy. She has created many many projects beyond, and in support of, New Light... and has worked with the Dalai Lama (yay, my first name drop). It has been difficult to coordinate my visit with her for the past couple months, and with the trip coming up so soon, I just don't feel comfortable flying by the seat of my pants on this one, unless I'm a tourist.

Speaking of the trip, it's a good thing I still had not purchased plane tickets. I had been waiting to get things confirmed with New Light, and waiting to hear back from a pro bono travel agent who helped me look for humanitarian fares for flights. Now I can rearrange my time in Kenya and Ghana, and save money and stress from the issue of getting India's visa (I'd have had to pay $200 in total, for all the components of the application and to get it expedited).

:: phew ::

Vaccinations & Medications

My past (relevant) immunization history:

• Hepatitis A -- 2008
  
• Hepatitis B -- 1994, '95, '96
  
• IPV (Polio) -- 2007
  
• MMR (Measles/Mumps/Rubella) -- 1994
  
• Td (Tetnus, Diphtheria) -- 2004
  
• Typhoid -- 2007
  
• Varicella (from prior infection) -- 1986
  
• Yellow fever -- 2007

Vaccines recommended for my next travels:

• Flu: primarily because of being in enclosed airspace during my looong and multiple flights
  
• Hepatitis A: because this is a 2-dose series to get lifetime immunity, so I just need one more.
  
• MMR: because I will be working in close contact with people with disabilities who have unknown diagnoses, I should get a booster
  
• Oral Typhoid: because the first vaccine I received was a shot, which lasts only 2 years. Oral typhoid, which are 4 pills taken across 7 days, lasts 5 years.

• Tdap: Even though it hasn't been 10 years since I received my last Td, the physician recommended I get this new Tdap as an early booster because it also protects against Pertussis (Whooping Cough)
  
• Meningococcal (Meningitis): this has caused epidemics in parts of Africa. I couldn't remember whether or not I had received a shot for college (that was over 10 years ago, after all!), but the physician suggested I get a booster regardless.
  

Side Effects:

First, a side note. I asked not to receive any of those vaccines on the day of the consultation because I had not had eaten yet. Instead I scheduled to get them through my primary physician a day later, as I also wanted to consult with her about delaying my menstrual cycle through birth control pills. (There are many reasons for considering this, but the fascinating aspects of toileting in rural Kenya will have to be explained in another post. For now, consider yourself so much luckier if you are a guy.) After a long talk about the risks and benefits, I decided not to take those pills not only because I dislike taking pills/meds if I can help it, but also because they need to be taken at the same time every day, and the last thing I need is to keep track of the hours across 4 countries' time zones!

SO I received only the flu shot, Hep A, and oral typhoid. Firstly because I did not want 5 shots in one go. Secondly because some things aren't to be mixed with other things. Thirdly, I do not need all of them yet because the greater risks areas are in India and Africa.

Side effects of the flu and Hep A have been minimal. Flu (0.5cc) was nothing. Hep A (1.0cc) was super sore where it was injected, but lasted only a day. Oral Typhoid... I have to take on an empty stomach so that it can travel all the way to the small intestine. It has been causing some mild headache and nausea.


Prescriptions:

• Mefloquine (anti-malarial): I take this once a week and have to start taking it 2 weeks before traveling and continue until 4 weeks after returning to the USA. The most common side effect of this is vivid dreams. Not nightmares, but vivid and very weird dreams. I've taken this before, and the most memorable dream involved my flying on a broom through walls at a generic Hogwarts. I kid you not ;-)
• Azithromycin: for traveler's diarrhea. They called me "iron stomach" in Kenya, until I got food poisoning my 3rd time visiting and spent the night throwing up. No diarrhea though. That, I got in Vietnam.

Visit to the Travel Health Clinic

Next week will be my 6th trip to a developing country. But this week was only my 4th visit to a travel clinic since 2007. I had skipped a couple times because I don't like to shell out $$ to be told the same things... but this time I'm heading to new territories, and it's been a while since my last visit. Plus, I can't get anti-malarial medication without a prescription from a travel doctor... believe me, I've tried!

1) You fill out a form explaining your health/medical/medicinal history as well as where you are going, when, and for how long. They make copies of your immunization history if you brought it.

2) Then the receptionist prints out general advisories for the countries you write down. For my four countries (Peru, India, Kenya, Ghana), I was given 113 pages. Some excerpts for you (pages turned to at random; emphases copied from text):

It is illegal to wear military-style or camouflage clothing. Photography of sensitive installations, including military sites, government buildings, bridges, and Accra's international airport, is prohibited. Permission should be sought before photographing official buildings and individuals.

- Pg 8, under Ghana's country profile

High Altitude Pulmonary Edema (HAPE) is a buildup of fluid in the lungs that can occur along with HACE or as a separate illness. Like HACE, it is a medical emergency. Those affected will be breathless and very tired when walking and have a sense of fullness or pressure in the chest. Eventually victims will be short of breath even while resting. At this point the illness can rapidly progress to death. Victims must be guided back down and receive drug and oxygen treatment as soon as their illness is recognized as HAPE. They should be kept warm and assisted as much as possible, since exertion will make their condition worse.

- Pg 30, under "Altitude Sickness" (relevant for Cuzco, Peru)

Swimmers are especially at risk in choppy, windy conditions, when tentacles can get wrapped around an arm or leg. Waders, beachcombers, and divers who may see the float but not the tentacles are also at risk. Envenomation causes instant severe pain, local wheals, blisters, and necrosis of skin. General symptoms include nausea, vomiting, cardiac and respiratory difficulties, and loss of consciousness leading to drowning. Deaths have occurred in the Atlantic coast of the U.S. (including Florida) and some Carribbean islands.

- Pg 75, under Marine Hazards

It's definitely fun bedtime reading!

There was a secondary packet that is only 11 pages. It was a summary of general safety, security and other precautions... like not rinsing your toothbrush in tap water and avoiding rabid animals.

Check and check.

3) You go into a private room and talk for at least an hour about your past immunizations, places you intend to visit, activities in which you intend to participate, the seasons of your destinations, altitude considerations, flight lengths, time zone changes, diet and medical history, travel experience, and on and on. That all boils down to what kind of warnings they'll give and vaccinations they recommend. They don't do physicals or checkups like that.

At the time of my visit, there was a new hire RN who was observing the staff and procedures. As the doctor knocked on my door to enter, she glanced at my chart, paused, and turned behind her, saying to the nurse, "You might want to sit in on this one. This could be interesting."

That was funny :-)

4) Conclusions are made and prescriptions are written. I was prescribed 6 vaccines and 2 medications. This I will write about in a separate post. Needless to say, I will be immune to pretty much everything. And probably glow in the dark.

Good times!

To Do List

By 2:55pm March 2nd (time/date of departure)

• Make a to-do list
  
• 3 discharge reports for my remaining early-intervention clients
• 10:45am 2/22/2011 Travel Health Clinic appointment to make sure my vaccinations are up to date and to get anti-malarial medication for the Africa/South Asia part of my trip... and emergency meds for traveler's diarrhea
• 11:00am 2/24/2011 Follow-up appointment to get shots
  
• Cancel YMCA membership because I won't be here for 3 months.
• Call credit & debit card companies to notify that I might use them out of country
• Get travel health insurance
• Register with US Embassy so they know where I am in case of emergencies
• Buy plane tickets from Chicago to Kolkata to Nairobi to Accra and back to Chicago, using a discounted humanitarian fare, if possible.
• Collect Spanish children books, educational toys (things from Peru's list of requests) from people and from Goodwill stores


• Pack 2 suitcases full of donations; make sure they weigh under 70 lbs (these will stay in Peru)
  
• Pack my backpack of my own clothes and necessities (sanitizer, infrared water purifier, insect repellent, camp towel...)
  
• Get multivitamin chewables (bc I am NOT good with pills), in case the food is not nutritious enough (this is more relevant for Africa; I bet it'll be fine in Peru), and non-perishable, healthy snacks
  
• Get a pocket Spanish-English dictionary
• Get things to do during the 17 hours of travel on the way there, and 23 hours on the way back (upload e-books!)
• Saturday 2/26/2011 phone meeting with ThWB's Psychotherapist Consultant, part of the new ThWB Advisory Board
• Make sure I bring enough memory for my camera!
• Constant contact with India, Kenya, and Ghana people to keep planning/preparing
  
• Find my passport. I swear it's somewhere in my room.

I will return to Chicago March 15th. The next set of travel will be March 29 or so. While I'm back home (more to be determined):

• Submit my passport and other required items to Passportsandvisas.com to get my India and Ghana visas expedited. Kenya visa can be purchased upon arrival.
  
• Start the anti-malarial medication (2 wks before travel)
  
• Pay volunteer fees to Village Volunteers
  
• Get more suitcases and more donations to fill them with
• Upload all pictures and clear memory to prepare for more
• Update ThWB website as much as possible with new information!
  
• Finish my guidebook for caregivers of people with disabilities
• Cut hair and donate to Locks of Love
  

Updates and FAQ

Updates

~~ Whirlwind Wheelchair International, inventor and manufacturer of the rugged RoughRider wheelchair, invited me to train and meet with their team last weekend at their headquarters in San Francisco. It was an amazing experience to have been in the same room with these brilliant minds and open hearts. They taught me about wheelchairs (particularly how to measure and assess candidates for them, since that is my plan for my upcoming trip) and we eventually discussed how we can help each others' goals. We concluded that they will focus on making and delivering their wheelchairs by the hundreds, and Therapists Without Border will focus on recruiting and sending volunteers (who are wheelchair specialists) out to measure, fit, and orient new riders to their chairs upon delivery. It's a perfect match! I can offer my registry of wheelchair therapists to other wheelchair donating organizations, as well.

~~ Also present at the training was Carolina, the co-founder of The Walkabout Foundation, which seeks to fund research to cure paralysis and provide wheelchairs to people around the world. They also partner with Whirlwind and the Christopher Reeves Foundation. I mention Carolina because she is this amazing woman who has already accomplished more in her life than most people I have ever met, and all for the sake of people with physical disabilities. She is my new role model.

~~ Tickets have been purchased for flights from Chicago to Cuzco, Peru, and back, March 2-14. Staff at Manos Unidas and I are excited to meet and help each other. The co-founder, Celeste, and I decided that I can do my observations and interviewing in the first week and in the second week I'll jump in as a therapist to give ideas for language goals for some students and speech therapy techniques for the staff. Perhaps over the weekend I can do touristy things... Usually excursions are the last thing on my mind during volunteer trips, though, so I only know of Cuzco's proximity to Machu Picchu because other people have told me so. I haven't yet done any research on what else I might want to do out there.

~~ The Therapists Without Borders website is being renovated by a friend with an artistic eye and simplistic style that I like. He has already given ThWB a fantastic new logo, which you can see in the Facebook link in the column to the right. Now to recall the 250 business cards I ordered from Vistaprint a couple months ago...

~~ The Kenya part of my trip is being organized. I will interview people with disabilities and their families to create a list of their profiles for future volunteers to review before they visit, as well as for the volunteers to update as they return. If there are any adults who might benefit from a wheelchair, I will assess and measure them out to be put on a waiting list to receive wheelchairs. (Only adults for now; Whirlwind is working on a prototype for pediatric wheelchairs to be distributed by the end of the year.) In addition to these profiles, Emmanuel and I will discuss future plans for a rehab center on the grounds of Sirua Aulo, as well as methods of incorporating children with special needs into his school at Namunyak Maasai Welfare.

~~ ThWB staff are planning on creating a fund (bank account) for itself as an organization, so that when people donate to ThWB (through Village Volunteers), the money can be set aside to sponsor people with disabilities to get medical treatment, sponsor purchases of rehabilitation equipment, wheelchairs, and prostheses, and even perhaps sponsor future volunteers through scholarships.

~~ On a personal matter, I have 8-10 students left on my caseload who need a new speech therapist to start within the next two weeks. Otherwise these students will suffer a gap in services. I had a caseload of 33 clients back in December... that means I have a ton of discharge reports that need to be written and I am very behind on them! I keep saying that, yet I haven't been doing them because I have been trying to keep up with Therapist Without Borders work!

FAQ

Will you keep a blog to keep us updated?
Yes, you are reading that blog right now :-) In reality, I don't know how often I will be able to update this blog while in the field. The places I am going to are, in fact, quite poor. Access to internet is questionable, but not impossible. I haven't decided yet whether I will bring my netbook. If I do, I will be able to use battery power to write blogs to later upload at a place with internet. Some villages in Kenya will have cyber cafes nearby (i.e., in Kenya, they can have internet via their cell phones. It's the craziest thing -- you're sitting in a mud hut where you drink rain water and use oil lanterns for a light source, yet you have cell phones with internet. Not touchscreens or iphones, but internet nonetheless. I might be able to borrow or rent one and keep y'all updated. We'll see :)

How can I help?

• Donate: If you want your donation to be tax-deductible, donate through Village Volunteers and indicate "Therapists Without Borders" in the "other" field, either through a check or online. If you don't mind skipping the tax-deduction, you can donate directly to me by cash, check or money order. Contact me for my mailing address.
• Pray
• Spread the word
• Find me more therapists, especially wheelchair specialists
• Comment on this blog or email me to remind me that you are following my work and that it is worth my while to continue documenting my journeys. Through past experience, I have found it highly encouraging to receive such notes of interest, especially when the going gets tough, as they say.
  

Can I or my organization be acknowledged for donating?
Yes, in two ways. I can add an area on the ThWB website to acknowledge partners, sponsors, and donors, as well as format a newsletter with the same.

How will you sleep? Get around? What will you eat?
These I will answer in future blogs, as I describe my current location and lodging situations. You can be sure I will document the food I eat :-)

Will you be safe?
Well, I am up-to-date on all my immunizations (including Hep B, typhoid and yellow fever; I only need a booster shot for Hep A) and in areas with malaria risk, I will take prophylaxis. Otherwise, I have traveled alone to several countries before, including 3 developing ones, and do feel that I have a certain sense of street smarts and knowledge of what's edible for my western stomach. In addition, the countries I will be visiting are currently quite stable, politically. Furthermore, Village Volunteers ensures that escorts are provided where necessary.

That said, I still cannot guarantee my own safety. Tribal warfare still exists; dangerous bacteria will still hide in innocuous places; insects will continue to attack me despite the gallons of DEET I poison my skin with; I can still be suckered, cornered, or attacked by devious men; I am not immune to the hazards of unpaved roads and reckless drivers... But I can assure you that I will take all necessary precautions to ensure that the probability that I will return safely will be higher than not.

Are you crazy?
Perhaps. But someone has to be, right?

Therapists Without Borders: Spring 2011 Research & Development

Dear Friends,

Therapists Without Borders (ThWB) will take its inaugural research and development trip this spring to several rural villages that we have identified as focus points as we begin our work to bring highly skilled, trained therapists to villages with diagnostic and treatment needs. For at least three months, I will travel to Peru, India, Kenya, and Ghana. Each development site has been carefully reviewed by our team of advisors and partners, and our initial work is dependent on my visiting each site personally, to connect with the in-country staff, analyze the specific needs of the community, and determine together how ThWB can best support them. Furthermore, thanks to a new partnership established with Whirlwind Wheelchair International, I will also assess and measure candidates for RoughRider wheelchairs.


1. Cuzco, Peru
Trip length: 2 weeks
Organization: Manos Unidas Peru

I’d like to learn from this organization because it is successfully doing, on a local level, what ThWB aims to do at a global level. People with disabilities in Peru are seen as burdens, cursed, worthless, just like they are in Kenya and Ghana. Very few children with special needs get an education, as they are thought to be hopeless cases. Manos Unidas is working to desensitize the communities to people with disabilities, to instill a sense of value in them, and to train local people to become self-sustaining. The desire for a bilateral partnership is also there: they want to receive therapist volunteers as much as I want to send them.



2. Kolkata, India
Trip length: 2 weeks
Organization: New Light India

New Light is a safe house "to protect and educate young girls, children and women at high risk” of sex trafficking. I will explain to the program staff how ThWB volunteer counselors and social workers can help their girls and young women with their social/emotional development, coping skills, conflict resolutions, and identification of any psychological issues resulting from trauma. In the future, I would like to see to set up training programs for locals to do the counseling on their own.



3. Western Kenya
Trip length: 3 weeks
Organizations: Dago Dala Hera, Namunyak Maasai Welfare, Sister Freda’s Foundation

Directly from India, I will fly to Kenya, where I will visit at least three villages to develop ThWB infrastructure and prepare them to receive therapist volunteers who can help liberate people with disabilities and their caregivers. In these areas, they do not have electricity or clean water and rely on private farming for their livelihood. It becomes extremely difficult when they also have to take care of a child or adult with a disability in a community that does not understand or support them. In addition, for the young women suffering from societal disempowerment and forced genital mutilation/circumcision, for the widows and orphans suffering from the HIV/AIDs epidemic, for the young men struggling to make the right decisions… I would also like to set them up to receive and benefit from ThWB counselors.



4. Volta Region, Ghana
Trip length: 2 weeks
Organization: Kpando Community Inclusive Special School

Finally, I will go to a special school for people with disabilities in Ghana. Kpando has 40-50 students (up to age 35) and a few dedicated teachers who are desperate for volunteers who can train teachers, diagnosis students, and plan treatments. My time at Kpando will be spent doing therapy and teacher training, as well as setting them up to receive ThWB volunteers.


How You Can Help:
Therapists Without Borders is quickly setting itself up to be a viable, vital organization. The future development and success of ThWB depends on my personally visiting these areas with great need. However, all costs of travel are to be paid out-of-pocket.

ThWB’s 501(c)(3) partner, Village Volunteers, is organizing my in-country transportation, accommodations, meals and escorts through payment of volunteer fees amounting to approximately $3,000. If you feel moved, please consider giving tax-deductible donations toward these fees by specifying “Therapists Without Borders” either in the memo line of a check payable to Village Volunteers (5100 S. Dawson St., Suite 202, Seattle, WA 98118), or in the “other” field if processing online.

Donations can also be made to me personally to cover airfare, immunizations, visa fees, anti-Malaria medicine, and other costs amounting to approximately $4,500. I can receive cash, money orders, or checks (payable to Linda Szeto; contact me for mailing address).

Thank you! I'm touched and encouraged that so many people share this vision. Your support is greatly appreciated, and is the backbone of Therapists Without Borders. You can follow my travels here on this blog.

Sincerely,

Linda Szeto, M.A., CCC-SLP
Founder / Executive Director
Therapists Without Borders
www.ThWB.org

Barzakh Falah in Georgeville, Cayo District, Belize

"Barzakh Falah was established in June of 2008, to address the pressing needs of abused, abandoned and at-risk children living in Belize. An important component in this is the ongoing development of a sustainable and self-sufficient organic farm and its integration into each child's education and maturation."
(From the Village Volunteers website)

I will be going to Barzakh Falah primarily to assess, treat and counsel the children with speech/language problems and help them with whatever other projects they have going on at the time, which include "Earth bag construction" (infrastructure for the children's home) and sustainable farming projects.

Village Volunteers (VV) had already been supporting Kenya, India, Ghana and Nepal when they decided to add Belize recently. It's such a new addition that I will be the first official VV volunteer going there! I'll be able to scope things out for VV and help smooth out any kinks along the way. Barzakh Falah, though, has already been a functioning NGO hosting volunteers from other organizations, so my arrival will not be novel to them.

I'm so excited to volunteer again; this will be my 4th time through VV. It helps remind me of what being a speech therapist is all about, and it's definitely nothing to do with paperwork, insurance, or meetings. Remember when you first left school thinking you'll go out and change the world? Then taking your first job and realizing that all you're doing is charging people or the government for your time and spending that time documenting it?

Volunteering is pure, unadulterated therapy. Therapy that works both ways. I recommend everyone give it a try.

Books of cultural relevance

Thanks to the donations written directly to me (instead of Village Volunteers where they could've received a tax-break), I could afford to pick up a few more items when I arrived in Nairobi. We stopped by a book store and here are a few things I found that exemplify (exaggerate, really) the difference between our side of the world and theirs.

(Click on the images to see full size)

These are curriculum-based stories for the grades listed in the circles above the titles. They each are educational (e.g., "Doctor Tortoise" discusses common health problems related to basic care such as dental hygiene) or moral (e.g., the lesson Bogi learns in "Bogi Learns a Lesson" is to not be lazy and take advantage of others' kindness).

One of my favorite stories is "Sipoi and the Ogre", which is based on the Maasai. I've uploaded the first and last pages of this story, though I've copied the rest of the pages if any of you are curious enough to request it. :-)

The most intriguing book is the one on the bottom right for grade 4, "A for AIDS". For every letter of the alphabet, it gives readers reasons to be a part of eradicating AIDS, educating about its transmission, HIV awareness.

E for education
Listen and read all about HIV and AIDS
Learn how to avoid getting infected
Learn how to love those infected
Learn how to live with those affected

M for money
A lot of money is needed to fight HIV and AIDS
Rich nations must reach out to poor nations
And give them advice and help to fight AIDS

N for Nelson Mandela
A hero in our time
He stated that his son died of AIDS
He said stigma against people with AIDS
Was worse than the disease itself!

O for orphans
Mother went first
Father followed fast
AIDS is not a curse, we'll win at last!

X for experience
If you think AIDS is a curse you're wrong
If you ignore good advice you won't live for long
Having AIDS is not a good experience
Happiness in the future requires a lot of patience

Had a good day walking around downtown Nairobi. Bought 2 dictionaries and 12 more kid books for donation. These kid books are great because they are by Kenyan authors, and about village life. Future volunteers could do a better mix of donated Western books with in-country books.

We went to an Indian restaurant instead of Carnivore tonight. Great truly authentic Indian food. Rode in matatus all day, and that is such an experience -- the seats aren't always bolted completely to the van floor, some have flat-screen tvs playing music videos to attract customers, and they all have ticket takers who run on and off the van while it's still in moving traffic. Anyway, more on that another time.

A mosquito net has been draped over my bed; I took my second dose of mefloquine at dinner, and tonight I will resort my belongings to prepare for the bus ride to Dago in the morning. Breakfast at 8am, and out the door in 20 minutes. Here's where the real adventure begins!

Nairobi: Saturday, June 21

I've brought Seattle weather all the way here! It is completely overcast and mid-60's degrees, except the Kenyans aren't out celebrating the heat wave - they are bundled up in their winter gear and complaining about the cold!

The exciting surprise was an impressive gentleman named Junior Gaya being here in town to pick me up! He is a native Kenyan who hosts Village Volunteers volunteers in his Nairobi apartment with his sister, but moved to America and married last Fall, so I didn't expect to see him this time. I should explain about the news crew guess; NPR had interviewed Village Volunteer villages in the recent past, but I didn't know if it had been postponed since the unrest. So it was a wild guess. And the plane ticket upgrade was completely in jest, of course. :-) I spent the 17 hours on two planes in economy class splendor.

A few snafus in transit, though. London security confiscated 5 scissors from my carry-on, and would have also taken away my bag of compasses if I didn't react completely crushed the way I did. How could I have forgotten about sharp object restrictions?? Ironically, they ended up taking my carry-on away at the gate anyway because it was overweight. Fortunately, I have all day today in town, so I will replace those scissors myself, and purchase other items if I can.

Well, I just took my last running-water, temperature-controlled shower for a while. Today I will exchange for Kenyan shillings (KSH), get a cell phone set up for in-country emergency calls, attempt supply shopping, and maybe try a restaurant called Carnivore, recommended by a Seattle friend.

Talk to you another time when I have a chance :-)

I love my mom and her Engrish

(we are chatting on instant messenger)

Mom: Did you get some shock's yet?
Mom: You know what I mean? To pretend.
Me: Yes, Mom, I got my shots
Me: To protect
Me: :-)

See that girl, watch that scene, dig in the Packing Queen

WoW!!! 140 pounds of school supplies & books (including weight of suitcases) were donated in a month! I never get tired of saying it: THANK YOU!

Kamiak High School staff and Mukilteo School District SLPs have been so extremely generous with their donations of mostly brand new items!! I didn't expect that!

For the sake of packing space and the environment (because they burn their garbage in rural Kenya), I had to open all packaging that can't be reused for storage. It was like Christmas in June! ;-)

All told, there are over 130 books (Pic is of my sorting them by size into hard/soft covers), 1312 crayons, 584 pencils, 173 markers & color pencils (not counting an entire plastic box containing probably a hundred!), 22 rulers, 8 calculators (5 brand new! 1 TI brand!), 4 sturdy clip boards, and my favorite (b/c I didn't even think of it!): 11 protractors and 16 compasses with pencils! Not pictured are various educational toys, art/craft supplies, and my sanity.


How does one fit them all into 2 checked luggages and 1 carry-on?

Fragile items have to go into my carry-on for sure. Here's a glimpse of how tightly this is packed. (All those youthful years of competing with my brother in Tetris had to count for something!)

Layer 1


















Layer 2


















Layer 3


















Final layer! This little buddy is 40 lbs.













By the time I finished that one, I was too tired to tightly pack the remaining check-in cases. I put the hardcover books in my soft-cased green suitcase along with some durable toys.

Layer 1














Layer 2. This one is just about 50 lbs (thank goodness -- Anything over that there is a $50 charge)












And finally, the paperbacks are in the more structured case with fabrics, tote bags, and maybe some of my clothes when I get around to going to Goodwill for skirts and such (which I will wear and leave in Kenya as further donations).


This suitcase was generously donated from a colleague SLP! She said I can donate it along with my other suitcases later as I leave. Perfect! The tough part is, it is 15 lbs empty, and now it is just about 50 lbs without my clothes in it... Well, I have 3 days to sort it out!

I'll have to make room for 2 deflated soccer balls (and pumps?) because both Emmanuel and Patrick have requested it last minute. Hmm...





I will be updating about my personal backpack when I get around to packing it... It is also interesting to read about, I'm sure, because it includes such things as 5 rolls of handrolled toilet paper in a ziplock bag, and my all-in-one liquid shampoo/soap/laundry detergent.

Stay tuned!