Do they have cellphones in Kenya?

(photo- me catching a ride on the way back from Karima Secondary)

My first week back in Kenya has been, in more ways than I expected, a return ‘home’. For all its problems, Maai Mahiu has become a community and a place of belonging for me. I enjoy shaking hands not just the first time, but each time I meet my friends. I left Canada feeling very much alone; I’ve arrived feeling part of something larger.

I’ve called this blog “mtu mmoja” – which, in Swahili, means ‘one person’. I’ve been thinking recently about the impact that one person can have on my life, on the life of my family, of my community. I’ve also been reflecting on the myth thaat we North Americans hold so firmly to – that we are an individual, a ‘one person’, whose prime purpose is to consume. Here consumption is not a choice, and community is an assumption. More on that later!

RAFIKI LINK

New Ideas

This community is full of emerging leaders! Rocky Muuri, a member of PCYI and head of environmental clubs at the three schools, has been working with community members in Longonot township, a small community at the base of the (now-extinct) Longonot mountain. They’re discussing a new model of stoves, made of mud, which reduce the amount of fuel required.

Schools

I’ve visited all three schools, and enjoyed re-uniting with teachers at each school, and sharing some of the ideas proposed by amazing Bodwell teachers in Canada. The schools are much as I left them – but are growing rapidly, as the government has subsidised part of school fees for grade 9. The demand for education here is remarkable - !

This is the math club, meeting outside. They've been given a sample 'math contest' and will be doing the Rafiki Summer Math League this year.

Maai Mahiu Secondary has a grade 9 (form 1) class with 135 students. Can you imagine the marking??!

Longonot teachers send their greetings & regards to all of the Bodwell teachers. They look forward to setting up a Longonot blog, and they’ve tried out “Facebook” for the first time - !

Karima school is very dedicated to and excited about the Rafiki Link, and despite having only 7 teachers for their 200+ students, the Chemistry, History, English, and Math teachers are all excited about involvement.

Internet

On Friday, I visited Nairobi to purchase modems for the three schools. I’ve filled out an ‘application’ for the modems – involving copies of my passport, credit card, and an official letter from CTC. By next week, I should be able to pick up the modems.

PEOPLE

“One person” – there is one person this week whom I”ve thought of quite often. His name is Lawrence, and he graduated from Maai Mahiu Secondary last November. If you’ve looked at the Facebook group videos, he is the student giving the ‘introduction to Maai Mahiu secondary’. Like most students at Maai Mahiu schools, he is unable to afford post-secondary education of any kind. Being an enterprising student, he has taken a job with Celtel – a local cellphone company. His job is ‘sales agent’ to local shops.

Maai Mahiu has as many cellphones as goats, perhaps - if you don't count the goats out in the fields. If you have any money at all, the first thing you'll purchase is a cellphone. How to run a cellphone on less than $1 per day? Cellphone companies here have the answer - tiny 'recharge cards' of as little as 20-cents of prepaid credit. "Flashing" is in vogue, here - dialing a number and disconnecting quickly, in hopes that the recipient will see your number and return the call quickly.

Lawrence benefits from this culture. He walks along the street, stopping in at tiny little stores, asking if stores want to purchase pre-paid cellphone cards for resale. He sells a 100 Ksh card for 95 Ksh - the store makes 5 Ksh profit, about 8 cents. Lawrence gets a small commission on top of his salary - $50/month. He reminds me of many of our Bodwell graduates – young, bright-eyed, and keen to impress in his new job as sales agent. Youth like Lawrence are the future of this country...

THOUGHTS

Cellphones

Today I saw something new. Shocking, I know – who would think that travelling 10,000 km across the world would show me something new.

It was a 5” long device, twisted on its side, which with a small antenna could offer its viewer a selection of channels. MTV was playing, when I first noticed it – the friendly salesman offered BBC, or the comedy network – any channel I want, he said. And it’s only 34,000 Ksh – a mere $800.

Only $800 in Kenya – a phone on sale for the same amount of money that could pay for 2 years of school at a local high school. $800 – 6 months salary for underpaid workers of local non-profit organisations. $800 – well above the Kenyan national average of $500 per year.

That’s the thing about Kenya. Last I hear the stats, 60% of Kenyans live on less than $1 per day – less than $365 per year. However, there is an elite – the top 5% - who live a life in some ways very similar to Canadian life.

Nothing in life is simple – and if it were, it would not be worth exploring...

More photos to come next time – when (knock on wood) internet is steady & the camera battery is recharged!

Enjoy the Long Weekend!

PS - here's me at my new place...!

Mali