Village Life

The original Yehu office and our home in Mwambalazi.

So we survived the village! I won't lie, it was rough. The people who live like that are tough people - we are less tough! The hardest part was not sleeping. It was so hot with no fans and we were both in a bed just barely bigger than a twin with a mosquito net that didn't really fit over it, so it was pretty miserable. We walked about 15k (we think that's about 10 miles) and with no sleep it was brutal. Other accomodations included solar electricity which gave us a little light at night and no running water. We had to take what we wanted to drink with us. The bathroom was like and outhouse, but no toilet, just a hole in the ground! That was a challenge for some of us. :)

Our bed that we didn't sleep in!

The "toilet".

Other than the aforementioned challenges and general really hard-ness it was a great experience. We are glad we went, glad we stayed just one day and just 2 nights and glad that it's over. We met with 3 centres (groups of women or men) and saw how Yehu disburses loans, and collects payments and savings, etc. We also went and visited some of the businesses that the clients were running which was very interesting. Emily bought a kanga from one lady and some treats from a man with a food stand (both were clients).

A Centre Meeting

The Centre Chief conducting business. Justin looking interested. (We couldn't understand a thing.)

Buying a kanga.

It was hard to belive that people live like that, and that is actually how about 95% of Kenyans live. At the office where we stayed we kept seeing people walk by with water jugs and then coming back with it full on their heads, so we asked one of the employees in the office to take us to see the well. It was just a hole that had been dug at the bottom of the hill to catch the rain water. The people use that water for drinking, cooking, and bathing. It was amazing.

Laundry at the well.

For me one of the neatest things was how bright it was at night time. A few hours after sundown we would walk about a half mile to eat dinner at a little restaurant (a very small mud hut with some small hand made bench seats and tables). We did not need flashlights for the walk. We could see the road, and everything around us with ease. I couldn't believe how bright it was. The sky and stars were very clear and beautiful.