Amazing things are happening.

We’ve been collecting stories from women and girls that we have met here that will blow your mind… women who have risen out of extreme hardship growing up, who have fought and worked SO hard to get their education, who have gone on to do great things with their lives and careers… and most importantly how that has empowered them and empassioned them to look out for and HELP girls growing up in similarly tough situations. It’s both heartbreaking and inspiring… and makes the Girl Impact mission so much more real to us.

This morning Girl Impact was introduced to the entire Limuru school at morning assembly in the chapel courtyard. It was their Devotion assembly, and we were so privileged to see these 800 girls gathered together, and they danced and sang the most moving songs. I was standing at the front taking some pictures and video, and it was one of those magic moments of such intense beauty… well, I’ll admit it, I lost it. Tears streaming down my face, and I didn’t even understand the words to some of the songs.

Principal Margaret invited Marnie to the stage to give a short talk to the school audience, and she did us proud. She told her own personal story of how hard she had worked to become an Olympian and the obstacles she had to overcome to get there, and she used her story to introduce the Girl Impact mantra to the assembly…”This is what a girl can do.” And she encouraged and challenged every girl standing there to keep TRYING and embrace the little things that lead to success -- and by the end, every girl standing in that field was calling out “This is what a girl can do!”  My heart was full to bursting.  (Funny moment: the school chaplain followed Marnie’s talk with a short sermon and at one point he said “And this…” expecting, as per usual Anglican custom, for his congregation to answer back “is the word of the Lord”… but to my extreme delight , instead, he said “And this…” and the girls answered back “is what a girl can do!” Rock on girls.) Marnie’s speech incited a 2-hour autographing session later in the day.

The Girl Impact girls then piled on a bus and we drove into Nairobi to Kibera, which is Nairobi’s (and one of Africa’s) largest slum areas. We were there to visit a Unicef sanctioned public school to see how they are implementing water hygiene programs, and HIV/AIDS education into schools – both critically important programs here for these children. We were a bit apprehensive before going, because we didn’t know how it was going to be – these children come from extreme poverty in many cases and we half-expected that many of us would be overwrought with emotions of pity or despair.

We opened the door to the first classroom that we were invited into, and were greeted by 87 little kindergarten faces, singing us a welcome song in English. They were SO happy and excited to see us and they clapped and did a little dance routine and then proudly showed us what they were learning in class – it was SO cute and joyful, and immediately opened us up again to the African warmth and happiness that we encountered at the Limuru school. Can I just say again? -- we all LOVE it here.

Then we were given a tour of the rest of the school and a few of the older kids (boys and girls) gave really great presentations to us about what they had learned about HIV/AIDS, and water hygiene – they have murals all around the exterior of the school that they designed and painted themselves that show all the different points they are learning to live by with respect to these issues and how to manage them in their own lives.

Just before we left, the girls of a music class did a spoken word performance of some poems that were written by African women for girls, and it was another spine-tingling experience in this day that now feels like 3 days. The words were all about maintaining their pride and integrity as girls, about becoming strong and powerful African women, about holding strong against male oppression, abuse and violence, about the importance of education. These girls were about 12 years old, and they were so refined and elegant in their postures, proud and confident in their voices, and united in their passion… it was a beautiful performance, but such a sharp reminder about the horrible situations African girls too often face… being pulled from school to look after their siblings and never making it past grade 8 in their education, rape and domestic violence, being married off to an older man at a very young age, disease, the burden of caring for a family in poverty… and as much as I heard hope and power in the words that they recited, there is an undercurrent of fear. It still happens. They want so badly for it to NOT happen to them. They want to be strong enough to get out of that path. They need support from their families, their schools, from African communities and greater global networks for this to change.

The rest of the day was devoted to class and hanging out with friends for their last day at Limuru. Here are a couple of Catherine's beautiful portraits from today.

I wanted to just give a shout-out to our 2 fabulous TDSB faculty members who are with us on this trip, Wendy and Felicia, because they too have integrated into life at Limuru in an unbelievable way. Wendy, with her gregarious way and an infectious laugh always at the ready, has made her way into the hearts of students and staff alike here, so much so that they invited her to help make lunch for the students yesterday, and everywhere she goes, someone is inevitably hugging her.

Every time I have seen Felicia the last 2 days, she has said “I just had the most amazing and interesting conversation with…” She is soaking everything in like a sponge and putting her calm and thoughtful presence out into the school community here. Yesterday she led the most amazing yoga class I have ever witnessed – 125 students in the soccer field, and she did it in SWAHILI. It was brilliant. The students LOVED it.

And most importantly, the two of them have been an incredible source of care and safety for our Toronto girls, and a huge source of support for the Girl Impact mission. Thank you ladies.

And a final p.s. from your faithful blogger… the title of this post was inspired by a fun moment I had this afternoon, as I had the opportunity (on an errand to get flash cards to our videographer) to run through the tea fields I described the other day. As I was running down this big hill on a red dirt path past the row of little shacks where the workers live, I could hear a little kid hollering, but in an abstract-noise-kind-of-way – when I finally tuned in, I heard her yelling “Moozungu, Moozungu!” – which I now know means “White foreigner, White foreigner!”. When I stopped and turned to look, she threw me a big wave from across that stunning field and hollered “Jambo!” Hello. I waved and hollered back. I love it here.

The other night when I was writing the post for this blog, I wanted to tell you all about some of the insights that our girls were sharing with us and with each other. Their observations about the Limuru girls, their school, their routines, the way they live, the differences between them and the similarities. But as I was trying to write a few of them down, I started to feel a bit self-conscious about translating their thoughts -- I didn't want it to come out with my "spin" on it.

So instead, we gave the girls a little assignment. We asked them to write about what their preconceptions were about the girls and this experience, and how that's changed since they arrived.

We also asked a few of the Limuru girls to do the same assignment... about OUR girls.

At the end of the day, we gathered in circle under a big beautiful tree and let them read the letters from the Limuru girls, and got them to share their reactions.

So here, in their own words, are some of the insights. The rest -- you'll have to wait to see the documentary footage... let me just say it was a day of breakthroughs. Also, the lovely and talented Catherine Farquharson arrived today, so please enjoy her beautiful photographs.

"I was not sure what to expect of the girls here, all I knew is that they would be welcoming and most likely different from Canadian teens. Little did I know how different it would be. These girls are amazing. They strive for excellence in cleanliness, academics and dedication. Along with that these girls have hearts of gold and are so incredibly sweet. They give a new meaning to selflessness here, one that I've never truly seen in Canada. Their constant joy and friendliness has made this incredible adjustment to the other side of the world seamless and unforgettable. I love them all, nawapenda."
-Diana (Toronto)

"Before I arrived here I thought that I would be surrounded by a group of sad, poor lost souls. However upon my arrival I noticed the excitement, energy and smiles on their faces. None of them feel sad or very distressed. In fact, they are more loving and accepting to me than my own Canadian peers. I don't think they should feel honoured to have us, we should be honoured to be here."
-Danica (Toronto)

"Before I came I thought the girls would be shy, and in a way not include us, especially when speaking Swahili. Now I have realized that I was wrong in a lot of ways. They are always smiling and willing to lend a hand. These girls are so eager and ready to get involved."

-Tori (Toronto)

"I associated Kenyan girls with how Canadian teenagers are on the first day of high school: introverted, afraid to connect and skeptical of anyone who makes eye contact or gives them a smile. The girls at Limuru are nothing like this. They are the most welcoming, friendly and special people I have, and probably will ever, meet."
-Cara (Toronto)

"Personally, I must say that I really am overwhelmed by the way they just fit into our systems right from the word go. They were so friendly from the very first day as they exchanged warm greetings with us, allowed us to help them carry their bags, spread their beds as well as show them around the school...
What shocked me the most is how they accepted us the way we are. They ate the same food we ate, showered in the same showers we use, wore almost the same uniform as we do, sat with us in class where they didn't even understand what was going on...
They have actually impacted on us, how they love each other and work together as sisters irrespective of their different skin colours, it's so amazing."
-Faith (Limuru)

"I'm sure you know that the stereotype that foreigners who come to Africa are filled with pity, some dislike for the people still stands. But you girls fit right in. You ate our food, slept in our beds, befriended us, walked with us, admired us, encouraged us and genuinely liked us. For that you make me proud to be African and I have respect and love abounding for each one of you... Thank you 'Asante Sana' for embracing our culture, and for visiting Kenya and in particular Limuru Girls High School. Thank you for loving our motherland so much and for every smile you gave, every "Jambo" you hailed us with and for everyone you can now call friend."
-Brenda or "Bri" (Limuru)

Monday. The Toronto girls get the full experience of going to school at Limuru. It is a LITTLE BIT different than at home... here's what their day looked like:

5am: Wakeup (but in fact, most of the girls wake up earlier) and wash up (showers are buckets of cold water...)

5:30am: Preps. All girls have to be in their assigned classrooms by 5:30 to study and do their homework. The dorms get locked at 5:30, so if you get locked in, you get punished by being assigned extra duties (like scrubbing something with a toothbrush), or if you're late, you get duties too, and then you have to make up for your missed schoolwork time on your own time.

6:30am: Breakfast. Bread and a sausage and tea.

7:00am: Chores. Each girl has assigned duties (like sweeping or mopping or washing toilets, etc) and they have to make their beds and keep their rooms tidy.

7:30am: Assembly. The whole school meets in the chapel courtyard.

8:00am: Classes start. Each class is 40 min. long, and in total, there are 10 classes a day.

10:50am: Tea Break

1:15pm: Lunch (Lunch is the big meal of the day, which consists of some variation of rice with beans, potatoes and cabbage. I had some today, it was very tasty.)

2:15pm: Back to Classes

4:30pm: Activities (Games, Choir, Clubs, etc)

5:30pm: Supper (something simple like bread and sausage again)

6:45pm: Preps. More studying and homework in classrooms. This is very disciplined quiet time, and there are student monitors who have the authority to either rat you out or assign you some kind of punishing duty if you get out of line.

9:30pm: Back in the dorm to get ready for bed and socialize a bit (it's VERY animated & noisy)

10:30pm: Lights out.


So here's the thing. The Toronto girls did ALL of this with the Limuru girls. They wore matching uniforms. Their classes for the day consisted of Swahili lessons, English, Math, Biology, Phys Ed, Chemistry, and Geography. The school is surrounded by tea fields, and the phys ed teacher announced to the class that he thought it would be nice to show the visitors a bit of Africa... so instead of playing soccer, they went for a run in the tea fields, which are VERY beautiful. So imagine a big long line of girls (like we're talking 125 girls!) in very colourful gym costumes running through a rolling patchwork landscape of bright green... gorgeous.

And all the while, the girls traded back and forth about a million questions and became friends. Our girls commented often about how hard these girls work, and how respectful and proud they are of being in a school such as Limuru.

P.S. While this was all going on, Leanne & Jane and Roz (our amazing videographer) went on a Unicef reporting mission. A mere 2 hours away from here, with our lush surroundings, they were greeted by an entirely different landscape... dusty and bleak, devastated by drought. They visited a health care center for women and children who are in acute stages of starvation, and also visited a Masai village where the men had all left with the few remaining animals to try to find food and water. The women and children were left alone, to fend for themselves with little hope of success. It was a shocking and emotional day for them, and they were speechless when they returned, but all the more determined to find a way to help build programs and support networks to assist girls and women in marginalized situations.

OK, I'll admit it (on behalf of all the adults on this trip) -- we were nervous when we woke up this morning about how the girls fared on their first night... we basically dumped them in a new country, at a strange school, in the dark, with a piece of bread and a sausage before they went to bed, in dorm rooms that were decidedly more rustic than they probably expected.

So when we saw Taleisa, Diana and Tori walking up the path after the worship services this morning, in their school uniforms... not only did we breathe a hugh sigh of relief at seeing smiles, but upon closer look, their faces were utterly transformed. I mean, these girls were BEAMING. And as we caught up with the rest of the gi's, their stories were all the same. They LOVE it here.

Above: Tori, Taleisa & Diana...elated.

The Limuru girls have so completely embraced the Toronto girls... they're open, friendly, curious and caring, making sure they have everything they need and know where to go, but also making fast friends and talking with ease. Our girls have been blown away by their kindness and hospitality, and their conversations have ranged from school, to boys, to whether they can facebook each other (!), to sharing stories about their families and their roots, and to their future ambitions. Many of the Limuru girls they've talked to want to be lawyers, professors,  doctors, scientists... they dream of going to Harvard. After attending a prep class this morning, Kodee made the comment that their classes are much harder than ours at home!

Above: the front gates to the Limuru Girls School

Above: entrance to one of the large dormitories at the school.

Above: Cara and new friend.

Above: the lunch line-up.

Above: lunch on our first day was rice and beans and potatoes -- all declared it delicious.

Above: Each girl is responsible for her own cleanup after meals.

At lunch, while the girls were all lined up to fill their plates, a Limuru student named Fatima came over to introduce herself to us. She said "I heard that there were 11 girls coming from Canada... I've been waiting for you!" And then she told us that she is one of the recipients of a Unicef Scholarship from the program that our girls have been fundraising for, and that she is so grateful for it. We'll get the chance in a couple of days to talk more with her and the other recipients to find out how this has impacted their lives.

Above: Fatima, a recipient of a Unicef Kenya Girls' Scholarship, now in her final year.

After lunch clean-up, we got our sports clothes on and piled on the bus to go to the soccer tournament. Turns out that verrry bumpy road takes a long time to get anywhere on, so we were late again... but we loved the opportunity to see our settings and a bit of Nairobi on our drive. We passed by bright green tea fields, and vividly dressed locals on their way to or from their Sunday services. We saw skinny cows, and crazy ramshackle lean-to's built all along the sides of the roads with merchants selling bananas or furniture or shirts (merchandised by hanging from tree branches)... juxtaposed against giant slick billboards for Free Pizza Delivery and competing mobile phone companies.

Finally, we arrived at our destination, a soccer tournament held by a youth organization that gathers young people together through sports as an opportunity to educate them about HIV/AIDS. After a couple of fun ice-breaker games, all of the kids were split up into two teams for a lively soccer match.

Above: Wendy Blain makes friends everywhere she goes.

Above: Danica stands ready in the warm-up games.

Above: Jane from Kenya's Unicef office, with our own fearless Jane Shaw.

Some interesting tidbits came out on the bus ride home... the girls shared how some of their preconceived notions about Africa now seemed misguided after their conversations with the Kenyan girls, and the wide eyes that we witnessed last night coming from a place of uncertainty and fear, have changed to wide eyes that are curious and want to learn more from these girls and from this whole experience...

Overnight, their worlds really did get a whole lot bigger.



P.S. (A final note from the adults -- we've said on many an occasion to the girls that the Girl Impact experience has been designed to make them uncomfortable at times... so they can learn to push through their fears, and build their confidence by tackling situations that they didn't think they could handle. The training they've been through the last few months and the supportive bonds that they've created as a team have really shone through the last couple of days, and we're extremely proud of them.)

We've made it to Nairobi, safe and sound! It was a long day of travel, and the first time in an airplane for some of our girls.

(Above: Felicia (faculty chaperone), Maedy, Wendy (faculty chaperone), and Taleisa get ready to say goodbye to the parents.)

(Above: the gi's get their final briefing from Leanne & Jane prior to take-off)

It was dark when we arrived, and we were greeted by Jane from the Unicef office here. She told us that the school girls were awaiting us with great excitement and anticipation. The bus ride to the school was longer than we expected, but after our final haul down a verrry bumpy dirt road, we arrived at the Limuru Girls School, and sure enough, a group of about 15 or 20 girls was there to welcome us with big friendly smiles and handshakes.

As we walked down the driveway to unload our bags near the dormitory where our girls would be introduced to their sleeping quarters for the next few nights, we passed by the other school buildings and pressed up against the windows, backlit by the light inside, we could see dozens and dozens of girls watching our arrival, waving to us when we looked up, the chattering of their voices reaching down to us below.

The yards all around the dorms were spread out with hundreds of pieces of drying laundry which was quite a beautiful sight with the dim light...

The Toronto girls are spread out among the dorms, completely integrated with the Limuru girls. The dorms are very rustic, humble dwellings -- each sleeping quarter has about 4 to 8 sets of bunk beds with very simple mattresses, and each girl has a trunk above her bed to hold her few belongings. Many of the girls were already sleeping, so we'll try to post some photos up tomorrow when we can get some good shots in the daylight. I think it was a bit of a jolt for the Toronto girls to see the dorms for the first time -- they looked pretty wide-eyed as they were being shown around and some got a bit shy... I'm looking forward to hearing their thoughts and first impressions tomorrow.

Margaret and Ann, the principal and head of boarding of the school, gave us a little introduction to how things go at the school on a Sunday, and as they were describing what our meals would be like the next day, our bus driver was pressing Ann to serve chicken for dinner, for the "guests". But Ann very practically pointed out that this is a public school, and there are certain things, like chicken and pork, that they simply cannot afford, and she reinforced that the school is not fancy, but it is very decent.

The rundown on what's happening tomorrow -- Sundays are for rest, worship and study here. The girls will wake up at about 5am, and have breakfast and clean and mop the dorms. Then there are worship services, 3 different ones for Catholic, Protestant and Muslim girls. Tomorrow afternoon we are playing in a soccer tournament in the city. And we shall see our surroundings for the first time in daylight.

Welcome to Africa...