February 28th, 2010

Simon, Becca, and I traveled to Nairobi yesterday, to spend Becca’s last few days away from everything, to ensure we have the time to meet and make sure everything is on track. To be honest, things have been challenging for me these past few weeks. I am definitely growing up quickly here and learning a lot about business and politics. I met with Dan from Matibabu today and he said it perfectly, with NGO’s you have to learn the organizational politics involved. Some people are truly trying to make a positive impact on the community, and some have lost site of that. My role will continue to be learning which organizations we desire to partner with and which ones do not align with our mission. These lessons are invaluable but they do come at a cost. Sometimes when I travel I try to only talk about the exciting adventures, but one thing I have realized through listening to my own voice while talking to volunteers, is the reason I am here is not to simply have this unforgettable experience. I am here to dive into the culture of Kenya, all of the good and all of the challenging parts. I am here to bring quality access to healthcare to a community that is in desperate need of change. I have aligned myself with an NGO whose mission statement I can stand behind with pride

  As we regroup after a few tough weeks, we make our plan for March, filled with community mobilization, dental camps with my mom, meetings with community elders, and the first week in April we will have a community celebration, celebrating the opening of our clinic! All of this takes time, but things are moving, and in a few weeks we will officially be able to tell the community our date to open, which is very exciting!