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.

Dago Donations

At a primary school in Dago Village, in western Kenya area near where Obama has history, I was a welcomed visitor.



Following a speech about the importance of education and hard work (which was mysteriously NOT recorded!), I presented the faculty and students half of the donations my Kamiak High School colleagues and Seattle friends gave me. I saved the other half for Sirua Aulo Academy, which I visited afterward.

(Note particularly minute marker 1:40, after I tell the kids they can each have a new pencil, and near the end when a teacher discovers sticky notes)

Follow-up: Jacqueline Achieng

Over two months ago, I wrote a post about a lovely 12 year old girl named Jacqueline. She has had a history of 30-minute epileptic seizures and is one of 8 children. Her disabilities has impaired the daily lives of the entire family (lacking the father who prefers to spend his time with his other wives) and threatens their survival.

Thankfully, Jackie now has a sponsor! An outstanding woman and sister in Christ, this person has helped send Jackie, her developmentally delayed sister Rose, and their mother to get to the hospital. Below are some excerpts of emails I have received from my in-country contacts (emphases are mine).

Sept 4
... We are just from Kisumu [where the hospital is] now. The gals have been attended to greatly, the doctors recomended lab tests for both especially the blood & urine samples. They have been given prescriptions, jackline was given reglol200 gms tabs for a whole month pending review that was recommended to be on a monthly basis. They also suggested a city [CT] scan on the head that they said will cost kshs 12000. They also recomended a protein enriched meal for her coz they feel her diet is not good for the kind of medication she is introduced to. All in all the family & i are so greatful for your support. Thank the lady who helped in the fundraising as well as all who donated towards their medical care & support. Can you believe this is their first time in a car? Just as you know our matatus, they had several convaltions & vomitings because of the crowding the seats. I know God will help them. ...

Sept 9
... Jacklin & her family too are good, i have been helping monitor her medical care. She's doing good though, with regards to the protein enriched meals, the mom has a slight problem. With the poor harvest, she does not have enough. If you guys can help in anyway,just do it. Otherwise just lets focus on her next medication. ...

Oct 4
Its so amazing that Jackline has so improved. Im at Dago and things are great. Imagine Jacklyn can count numbers upto 50 now and can write her name. Im so greatful. She is finishing her medication tomorrow and should be going back to hospital for check up and pick medication. Please if you can, help us get her the check and medication. ...

Dago welcoming their visitor: Part 1

At the end of my week at Dago Village, my host planned for me to observe the math class again till the end of the geometry lesson, and, at my request, observe Rose Achieng (Jacqueline's younger sister, with apparent developmental disability) in her class. Afterward, during their morning break, they were to gather the students in the center for me to present the donations officially.

Well, as per usual, things started much later than scheduled and it was all very informal. I gave my camera to Edwin to record for me. I told him that the microphone picks up best at 3 feet or so from the speaker and he took it to heart! He walked right up to all the speakers/performers and was almost in-their-face which made them shy away even more hahaha...

Anyway, enjoy! I captioned what I could and apologize for the gaps, probable inaccuracies, and poor color contrast. I've been using Windows Movie Maker to edit and publish these videos, then load them onto Youtube to embed onto this blog in order to save memory and make sharing the videos easier.

Mzungu in the Orphanage!

Saturday, June 28th

At Dago, my hosts suggested I go to the orphanage around 2pm to do something with local kids. As per African Standard Time, they sent me at 4:30pm. When I arrived, there were about 14 children waiting for me.

By 6pm, there were 42 kids... and growing.

Apparently they had heard a mzungu was around and kept trickling in, even as we left the building.

My Dago host, Mr. Odoyo, suggested I make crafts with the kids like the other volunteers have done in the past, but I insisted on using books somehow (even though I had no clear plan except winging it SLP-style!). Mr. Odoyo also said not to go alone to see the kids, because "they are too much to handle without help." Susan came with me, and I'm so glad she did because she helped with translating back and forth between Luo and English whenever we didn't understand each others' accents.

They started off like the kids I came across last year, pushing & shoving, loud & rowdy, and extremely eager to touch/grab any part of the mzungu and her belongings. But after my experience at Kamiak High School, I gained some guts and disciplining strategies (thanks to some great special education teachers there!!). So even as the crowd swelled, I actually had control of the room using my ONE book, which held everyone captivated because... well it's a book. Something new.

(I took this video after I released the book.
They were all fighting over The Three Little Pigs until they noticed I was recording.
This is also a glimpse at how the kids were before I got stern, and before the crowed tripled in size.)

We went through a couple books that night. I kneeled on the table and read a page or two for them at a time, then asked a comprehension question. They were very simple picture books, and my questions were extremely basic (e.g., "What is the boy doing?"). I also found a pack of math flashcards and did that with them as well (I know, once a nerd, always a nerd. Everything's gotta be educational with me! But they apparently enjoyed it!).

The kids initially all raised their hands and shouted "Me! Me! Me! Me!" even though none of them knew the answer or even understood the question. They just wanted the stickers I was giving as rewards. I didn't want to run out of stickers before I got to Sirua Aulo Academy (where I was headed the next day), so I changed the reward to getting their picture taken. At this point, Susan sat behind me and was in control of my camera.

These boys each earned their picture taken several times, and eventually started posing for them in their own ways. So cute.

Afterward, I taught them Simon Says, which took a while with lots of examples and Susan translating for me. But when they cottoned on finally, I let an older student take over and I was able to sit back, enjoy the game, and rest my voice.

<--"Simon says, 'Stick your tongue out!'"

"Simon says, 'Pat your head and rub your tummy!'" -->






By dinner time, we had to stop. Mrs. Odoyo, who entered during the last hour, told the children to sing something for their guest. Here's what they came up with:

And finally, I suggested they gather in front of the orphanage for a group photo. This one is our "silly poses" picture. I love that they always show off their stickers (Thanks again to the MSD SLP who donated them!).

"The Ditch"

Similar to Greg Mortenson building a bridge to overcome his first obstacle into Korphe (See: "Three Cups of Tea"; more info on this blog later), Emmanuel Leina needs to build a bridge.

Badly.

This is the only connection between the main roads and Sirua Aulo Academy.

If it rains during the day, then all bets are off. If it rained overnight, at least he'd have to wait till it dries up a bit before trying to pass it. It is a 45 minute walk between his home and school.

It's hard to appreciate The Ditch from pictures, so I clipped together this 3 minute video for you. Among the many requests for donations I've presented in this blog, this one is just as important. Supply trucks cannot pass through this, so Emmanuel drives everything to the property himself. Right now, there are only temporary structures at the school, but the goal is for permanent buildings to be ready ASAP, including a clinic and library on the property. I will blog more about the property later, but for now suffice it to say there is currently no easily accessible clinic in the area, and no library in the entire Transmara District.

Well, except for the one massive suitcase of books I brought.

---


Again,

Village Volunteers is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization and all donations are tax deductible.

100% of your contributions will go directly to the project of your choice, and all fees associated with wiring the funds to the villages are absorbed by Village Volunteers.

To donate by check, please make checks payable to Village Volunteers and note the purpose in the memo line ("Emmanuel's Bridge"). Checks should be mailed to:

Village Volunteers
5100 S. Dawson St., Suite 202
Seattle, WA 98118
USA

You can also make a donation online. Village Volunteers uses PayPal to securely process all online donations.

Or, if you would like to wire a donation to Village Volunteers, please email Florinda Peralta at florinda@villagevolunteers.org for our account information.

Name: Nathan Parningo

Chronological Age: 7
Grade: Introductory (i.e., Kindergarten)
School: Sirua Aulo Academy
Vision Screening: Appears to be WFL
Hearing Screening: Appears to be WFL
Evaluation Date: July 5, 2008
Evaluation Location: Transmara District
Examiner: Linda, M.A., CCC-SLP, through Emmanuel as our Swahili/English translator

Reason for Referral: Nathan was brought to the school at my request to meet all children in the area with disabilities.

Educational History: Nathan attended nursery school with his twin brother, but was refused entry into the next and consecutive classes. His brother is now in Class 2 (i.e., 2nd grade) in a public school, while Nathan has been forced to stay at home for the past 3 years.

Medical History: Nathan presents as a healthy boy with a normal birth and developmental history.

Interview: They say he has a "heavy tongue" and that he "doesn't talk." However, further questioning revealed that he does speak, but it is not often and inaudible. I did not hear his voice in my short period with him. Mom reported that he can follow directions and if he wants something he can do it himself. Her biggest concern is that he has not gone to school.

I was not able to do a complete oral-motor examination with him; he did not imitate or follow directions much, though Emmanuel stated that he "understands everything." My clinical judgment is that he is selectively mute, and his segregation from his brother and peers has not helped his emotional-behavioral development. The tongue thing? Habit. He was able to close his mouth sufficiently, and I see no other reasons for him to maintain that open mouth posture. (Check sinuses? Darn, I didn't think of that! But I didn't see or hear about respiratory problems to indicate it)

In any case, Nathan's situation drives me crazy! He would do perfectly fine in school alongside his brother! In fact, we incorporated Nathan into the Intro class right away, and during break time he played soccer along with the other boys his age just fine! He didn't verbalize then either, but the boys allowed him to kick the ball and participate. He could catch up to his brother in no time, at least to Class 1, with tutoring and the higher quality education Emmanuel's school is providing.

For a tax-deductible Dollar A Day, you can help Nathaen get quality education, food, clothing, and in the near future, shelter, for A YEAR. $365 is a fraction of what you spend on coffee every year. Please help to ease the burden for this one family, and let this child realize his full potential. Contact me at autosmiler at gmail dot com and/or donate through the Village Volunteers website.

Name: Naeku Nkilasi

Chronological Age: 10
Grade: Nursery
School: Sirua Aulo Academy
Vision Screening: Appears to be WFL
Hearing Screening: Appears to be WFL
Evaluation Date: July 5, 2008
Evaluation Location: Transmara District
Examiner: Linda, M.A., CCC-SLP, through Emmanuel as our Swahili/English translator

Reason for Referral: Naeku was brought to the school at my request to meet all children in the area with disabilities.

Educational History: Naeku has not attended school. No public school will accept her (even if they could accommodate her), and family cannot afford to send Naeku to a private school, though there are none in the area anyway.

Medical History: Born normal but had delayed milestones such that by two years of age they "realized something was wrong." As she grew up, she has had epileptic seizures lasting a couple minutes each, with up to 4 month breaks in between. Fortunately, she has not had one in the past three years. Naeku has a mental age of approximately four years old. Receptive language appears to be a relative strength, as she speaks about 10 Swahili words.

Interview: Mom reported that her biggest concern is that Naeku has not gone to school. She can wash dishes, sweep, wash clothes, and bathe herself.

Naeku is a very sweet kid. Although she was fearful of me as a mzungu, she clinged to Emmanuel right away, who is a stranger to her, and seemed to really enjoy socializing despite being kept at home for her entire life.

Here I do a simple oral-motor evaluation with her, which not only reveals any potential structural or coordination deficits but also gives a sense of her stimulability and expressive/receptive language skills.

And since I didn't feel like captioning this, here are a couple notes:
"Mzuri sana" means "very good" in Swahili.
"Asante sana" means "thank you very much" for those people-in-a-cave who haven't seen "The Lion King"

I suggested that Naeku and the other child with a disability (who will be profiled in my next post) start school in October when I return so that I can try to get them sponsored and come back to train the staff on how to accommodate them. But Emmanuel accepted them immediately into Sirua Aulo Academy, saying he's sure I could find them sponsors.

If you are touched by Naeku as I am, and want to sponsor her education, feeding, clothing, and in the future, her sheltering as well (when the dormitories are built) for an entire year, please contact me at autosmiler at gmail dot com. It is only $365 [a dollar a day!] to support her for an entire year. And don't forget, donations made through Village Volunteers are tax-deductible.

For the Nkilasi family, Emmanuel, and myself... Asante Sana.

Name: Jacqueline Achieng

Chronological Age: 12
Grade: none
School: none
Vision Screening: Unable to complete
Hearing Screening: Unable to complete
Evaluation Date: June 24, 2008
Evaluation Location: Dago Village
Examiner: Linda, M.A., CCC-SLP, through Edwin as our Luo/English translator

Reason for Referral: Jackie was referred for intervention due to significant concerns regarding her health, development, and cognitive status affecting the family's daily living and survival.

Educational History: Jackie has not attended school. Public schools cannot accommodate her needs. She is unable to walk to school or be unsupervised.

Medical History: Hospitalized for severe malaria at age 3 and has had epileptic seizures ever since. Mom reports doctor recommended she eats several small meals instead of 3 normal ones in order to decrease her chances of choking on reflux or vomit during an attack.

Family History: Jackie has 7 siblings and lives with her mom in a small mud hut in Dago village. Jackie's father has other wives and rarely visits this home. They suspect it is because of the disabilities in the family: Jackie's 10-year-old sister, Rose, is developmentally delayed.

Interview: Mom reported that Jackie zones out particularly when the moon is in its ascending phase for 5 days, and when it's in the descending phase for 5 days (so, a total of 10 days). Her seizures last an average of 30 minutes, and there are times when she stares off into space.
Mom reported that she constantly falls, resulting in scars on the back of her head. Mom says she "can't think straight" so she does everything for her (feed, bathe, etc.). I noticed she drools as well. During my visit, the moon was not in the right phase for me to see her in her more 'active' state, during which she can help with simple chores, talk, and feed herself.

On an average day, Mom must get up very early to make breakfast for her 8 children. This involves gathering firewood, getting water from the river, and preparing all food from scratch. She also does the laundry for all the kids, and by 10-10:30am she has to make another meal for Jackie before her other children return for lunch.

Around 4pm, Mom makes another meal for Jackie, and later makes dinner for everyone before bedtime. Dishes, farming, cleaning, and other chores are done somewhere along the way. Jackie has a habit of wandering around in addition to falling during seizures, so she has to be constantly supervised.

Mom's biggest concern, beyond her worsening state, is Jackie's inability to bathe herself. Jackie likes to follow her sisters to the river and tries to even copy washing panties, but she is ineffective and wastes their soap and takes up a lot of Mom's time.

Caregiver Education: I educated Mom about epilepsy, grand mal seizures, how it affects her growth and learning, and the different treatment options available to help her function normally. Having only cursory knowledge of epilepsy disorders, I couldn't do much else. I explained again my background in rehabilitation, and the training I can provide after the seizures are controlled. I had to emphasize that only through medical intervention like medication, which can be a long, complicated process to find the effective dosages, can she be able to function and learn.

However, I was determined to do SOMETHING to help while I was there. I returned the day after with some felt and a headscarf I bought in Kericho last year. At least to prevent more major scars from falls, she can wear a wrap like other women do, yet hide the extra padding underneath. Mom liked this a lot.



Next, at my request to observe the bathing process, Mom set up a little area out back with a tub of water and a wall of leaves. Mom said when she's not in her dazed period, she can do almost everything herself except bathe herself. The best way I thought I could help was to see what the problems were in person. Over the next half hour or more, I observed how Jackie bathed and how Mom interacted with her throughout the process, then taught Mom about teaching techniques, and finally spent time practicing with Jackie. I tried to give just some basic ideas like keeping to a routine, giving hand-over-hand help with verbal cues, and keeping her instructions short/simple. The best I could do then was leave her with some notes using donated paper and markers (Thanks again, folks!).


I wish you could each see the pained expression on Mom's face as she talked about her children, her sense of helplessness, her fear for their future. She was desperate for help. No, she IS STILL desperate for help. She's already doing everything she can for Jacqueline and her family, but has nowhere to turn. Mom is also a devote Christian, and said that she "trusts in God because He made her, and will do anything for her to improve her life".

Before I left her home for the last time, I committed myself to helping her and her family. First thing's first, Jacqueline needs medical attention. Edwin is still helping me figure out the costs and logistics of transportation to/from the hospital, potential medical fees, etc. so that I can have a ballpark figure to target when fundraising. Meanwhile, I think I can now start the process of creating awareness, arousing sympathy and requesting help.

To donate by check, please make checks payable to Village Volunteers and note the purpose in the memo line ("Jackie Achieng of Dago"). Checks should be mailed to:

Village Volunteers
5100 S. Dawson St., Suite 202
Seattle, WA 98118
USA

You can also make a donation online. Village Volunteers uses PayPal to securely process all online donations.

Or, if you would like to wire a donation to Village Volunteers, please email Florinda Peralta at florinda@villagevolunteers.org for our account information.

Lugging the donations across Kenya

On June 22nd, during the 7 hour journey from Nairobi to Dago village, Edwin (aka "Morning"), my arranged escort, and I took two matatus and so did my luggage.

That is, we had to fit two suitcases into one matatu heading toward Kisii ahead of our own matatu and pick it up later when we arrived.

In Kisii, we transferred to another matatu but didn't have the option to separate my 3 cases since we were going to a more rural area.

So... they tied the largest suitcase to the roof and stuck the other two in the back. My backpack with only my personal items in it stayed with me on my lap, where I was crammed in the middle of the front with the gearshift jamming into my leg.

From Kisii, we rode into the Dago village center. Edwin found one of his friends with a motorbike and talked him into riding my suitcases home for us. Following the motorbike, Edwin and I walked the rest of the way home. I don't know the distance and don't remember how long it took to walk... It could've been anywhere between 20-40 minutes... Everyone who handled my suitcases, together weighing almost 200 lbs, lifted them as if carrying the grocery home. Men carried on their shoulders; women carried on their heads. Incredible strength and balance! (They weren't impressed with the wheels and handle method, which proved sensible since the roads are so bumpy).