Glimmers of Shianda

Emma and I were discussing the term ‘glimmers’ at the beginning of our deployment. Glimmers are described as small, spontaneus, moments where you feel calm, peaceful, present, joyful, or all of the above. During the time we were having this conversation, everything was still new for us. We still took notice when somebody was carrying half of a tree on their head, or a family of four generations fitting on one boda boda with two chickens, a goat, a cow, and some furniture. I decided to start documenting these beautiful every day moments.

Glimmers in Shianda:

• Riding a bodaboda in the pouring rain after dawn, only getting visibility when a lightning bolt hits the sky.  

• Working from home accompanied by 3 cows and 2 goats cutting the grass. 

• Playing football with kids at the neighboring school. 

• Having a movie night at our home cinema when a neighbor comes over & surprises us with food.

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  Reading on our terrace.

• Eating what taste like the best fruit you have ever had!

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  Maintaining our litlle kitchen garden.

  
  
  

• Walking on one small, side street in the middle of what feels like nowhere and bumping into someone you know.

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  Go to your safe spot to think & breathe but accidentally catch a beautiful sunset & a naked man washing himself in the river & start laughing instead.

  
  
  

• Sitting in a full matatu trying to embrace the little breeze coming in from the half-open window while being squeezed between curious locals. 

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  Waking upp to the sunlight hitting your face.

• Getting electricity back after an 11 days powercut. 

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  Jogging home from the gym in the morning accompanied by a school class.

• Watching people dance at the bar while the sky is falling outside. 

• Going on safari in Nairobi National Park.

• Waking up for suhoor and finding Mohammad cooking pasta on the floor of his room. 

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  Finishing & celebrating Ramadan with friends & an abundance of food cooked by everyone.

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  Having plants growing taller than you in the garden.

• Children getting excited & cheering when seeing us mzungus pass by the street.

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  Learning afrobeat dances with friends.

• Buying fruit from our regular fruit lady at the market. 

• Walking up and being served breakfast by your amazing housemate. 

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  Getting stronger at the gym without knowing how much you are lifting since weights are not marked.

• Admiring how a mother with a child in her lap can sleep peacefully on the bus, while you, alone in your seat, struggle to find a comfortable position.

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  Emma & Mattia enjoying breakfast at a hostel.

• Replanting an avocado seedling that was randomly found growing in our compost. 

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  Finding humongous veggies & fruits (it is not a small pineapple but an avocado on steroids).

  
  
  

• Overhearing a conversation in Kiswahili & understanding the context and a few words. 

  

  Emma, Valery, & me having Ndere island for ourselves, only surrounded by dragonflies & peaceful nature.

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  Leaving the house to a beautiful sunset.

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  Traveling to the coast was too good & beautiful to be true.

  
  
  

• Sitting in a mud house with chickens, kittens, and kids running around your feet.

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  Learning how to cook ugali & leafy greens over an open fire.

  
  
  

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  Saying farewell to your wonderful fellow volunteers.

Documenting these moments made me realize that there are so many beautiful things happening right before our eyes every day, without us paying too much attention to it. By appreciating the small things in life, the rest gets easier. Don’t miss the forest for the trees. 

My time in Kenya has come to an end and though it is sad to leave the wonderful people and nature, I am also looking forward to what is to come. I leave this experience with happy memories, a wiser mind and a desire to discover more of our beautiful world!

Cherishing Memories and Accomplishments

 Over the past few months, life in Shianda has been a whirlwind of changes and memorable experiences. One of the most delightful changes has been welcoming a new family member into our home: Valery. Valery is incredibly nice, funny, and has a knack for making everyone laugh. Her constant joking brings smiles to our faces and brightens our days.

she is trying to go out in the rain 

whenever she find a chance to sleep she take it 😴🛌

On a professional front, I am thrilled to share that I have completed my first ICT classes. This accomplishment is particularly rewarding because out of the eight students who participated, four have already secured new jobs thanks to the skills they acquired. To celebrate this achievement, we organized a joyous ceremony where we awarded certificates to the students. The day was filled with dancing, playing games, and sharing emotional moments.

Our celebration was bittersweet, as we also had to say goodbye to one of our cherished family members, Ebba, who is leaving Kenya. Her departure leaves a void in our hearts and our home, and we know that life will be different without her presence. However, we take comfort in knowing that she is moving on to something better. Though Ebba may not be with us physically, she will always live on in our hearts.

I can tell you she cried :)

In Shianda, we continue to embrace the changes and look forward to the new experiences and memories that lie ahead. Through every arrival and departure, we grow stronger as a community, always finding ways to support and uplift each other.

Our sweet Family Photo (some of us might have stroke 😝)

Embracing the Pace: Reflections on Life in Shianda

 After spending two months in Shianda, I’ve come to a profound realization: we often don’t have time to appreciate the little things in life. Back home, we’re constantly racing against the clock, rarely pausing to notice the beauty of the sky or listen to the calming sounds of birds in the morning. Instead, our days are filled with the noise of cars and the hustle of daily life, leaving little room for reflection.

In Shianda, the pace is entirely different. There’s no rush to get things done, which has its benefits and drawbacks. On the positive side, this slower pace allows for a more relaxed and mindful way of living. However, it can sometimes be frustrating when things take much longer than expected. For instance, if you schedule a meeting with locals at 9 am, it might not actually start until noon. In Europe, we often go to the other extreme by rushing everything, whereas here, the opposite is true. I can’t help but wish for a balance somewhere in between.

Living in Shianda has also been a cultural eye-opener, thanks to my housemates: Emma, Ebba, and Mattia. We come from four different nationalities, which means I’m not only immersed in Kenyan culture but also learning about various other cultures from around the world. Each of my housemates has a unique personality, yet they all share common traits: they’re smart, loving, kind, and genuinely passionate about making a positive impact in the community here.

This shared purpose and sense of community have turned my housemates into a second family. Although I’m far from my own family, I’ve found a new one here. We cook together, and our dinner times have become a cherished part of my day. We use this time to share stories about what made us happy or annoyed throughout the day, creating a space where we support and uplift each other.

This experience has shown me the beauty of slowing down and appreciating the simple moments in life. It’s a reminder that while our surroundings may change, the core values of love, community, and connection remain universal.

The half-way blog

 My mid-stay here has just passed, and many feelings storm through my body. I can’t say it’s solely related to time. I am one to stay busy, and I am already anticipating the next steps (yes, yes, it is too early for that). Having studied international development and disaster management, there are different pathways I am looking forward to further developing myself. But my mind is racing now that I am exposed to this development experience, continuous reading into the aid industry, and discussions with peers. 

Anyway, let’s get into life in Shianda, so for those of you who are interested or preparing to come to Shianda can know what is ahead of you. At the beginning of May, we finally organised the 3-day training, an objective I’d had since my arrival, but one that had many roadblocks. Little things that could have easily been avoided continued to add up, making the process of designing and organising the training difficult, to say the least. I honestly wouldn’t know where to start explaining it all, and for future volunteers ready to embark on this wonderful adventure, I have a lessons learned file stored in the WEFOCO and MONDO drive. Now, finally deciding I was ready and it would be a now or never was a personal turning point to go through with it - and what was that worth it! For three intense days, we talked about gender, gender-based violence and violence against women, including different forms, types and consequences, land-human-child-disability rights, psychosocial support, and reproductive health. We re-established a president, deputy, secretary, and treasurer with the group, allowing for a more structured pathway forward. Sixteen people successfully completed the training, meaning we now have 17 wonderful GBVA in and around Shianda.

The participants' eagerness to learn more about these topics, to learn from each other, and to start with advocacy work has left me speechless. Although three full training days, from 09:00 AM (!!) to 16:00 PM (sometimes even longer), were exhausting, it was not enough. I will focus on facilitating more information and training the GBVA ambassadors to do continuous advocacy work within the wider communities. 

Another side project is the GBV library, which is improving slowly but surely. To make the trainings more accessible, we have added extra Kiswahili versions, instruction cards in English and Kiswahili for each training, and replaced the paper covers that are constantly ripping apart with more durable plastic ones.

With the first bigger GBVA meeting, we discussed numerous points; we continued the plan of doing smaller workshops to continue learning, introduced an M&E form to better understand how many cases we are handling, and started discussing how we can make the GBVA work more financially sustainable.

With these work-related updates, it’s time to understand that life is definitely not only work! Some of the most wonderful things about being here are integrating into the community and exploring the country. As my Kiswahili is getting better pole pole, I see some connections with the people here are improving warmly and comfortingly. One of the most important things I am learning is just to show up, and you’ll notice that you are welcome! So now I am becoming better at cooking ugali and am learning how to make a delicious and slimy dish called mro - which I am not sure my western friends would be too happy about if I make it for them, but I gotta say, I enjoy that slippery green meal! 

We’ve also been lucky to travel to some new places. Being accompanied by hundreds of dragonflies while exploring Ndere island, hearing nothing but nature as we are the only ones on this little piece of land, together with some zebras and baboons (I’m sure there are other animals; we just didn’t see them). We also had a weekend trip to the coast, which, despite Mo’s malaria and Ebba’s bacterial infection (making both of them sleep at every opportunity), was an amazing trip to discover a whole different side of Kenya. The white beach with coconut trees, the relaxed atmosphere, and the ocean inviting us to learn some kitesurfing was a true bliss.

Being here is equal to being constantly in awe, finding beauty in the small and unusual things around you. We find ourselves in situations such as learning how to cook mro and ugali on a jiko in a small kitchen hut, learn shortcuts between peoples houses, become fashionably on time to our own meetings, and start conversations in Kiswahili. You realise that the morning sun shines just a bit differently than you are used to at home and it makes your whole body warm up. The billion of fireflies lighting up the dark road on the way home from a rough gym session in the rustic gym. Spotting wild animals on little weekend trips while being accompanied by a hundred dragonflies along the way. The rough bodaboda rides that leave you with mad respect for the driver and the overful matatu rides that have you counting 24 heads in one small transport van.

So yes, many feelings storm through my body as I think of the fact that I’ve passed half of my stay. But right now, I feel mainly excited for all that is yet to come, which is still a staggering four months filled with opportunities!

Our 2024 family Christmas card is ready!!

Already Halfway!

Time flies when you're having fun!

Hello again!

A few days ago I passed my halfway mark, meaning I have around three months left before I have to leave Kenya. Honestly, I have mixed feelings about it. Part of me would like to stay much longer, as things move fairly slow here, I reckon that it would be necessary to have more time to have an impact, to be able to overcome the obstacles that prevent us from having the impact that we would like to have.

During this first half of my deployment I have certainly learned a lot; not only about the technical aspects of what we are doing here, but also abut the importance of the system, and to adapt to things that are not in our control.

One of the reasons why I decided to come to Kenya was to face a very strong cultural shock, I have had the opportunity to live in different countries beforehand, but I purposely chose a project in a country whose culture was supposed to be very different from my native one. This proved to be true.

I will try to explain myself with some examples. In the past weeks I have been focusing on financial training (after identifying it as a pressing issue to the economic growth of the local communities). The already mentioned very different perception of time is certainly one of the first cultural barriers that we get to face. People tend to show up a few hours late to trainings (or at 1pm when the training was scheduled for 9 a.m.) and this takes energy. Additionally, it is very challenging to suddenly become a teacher (although I do have a bit of experience from University). What I mean is that the illiteracy of some of the group members makes the sharing of information much more difficult that one would expect.

Group picture from the Financial Training given to the
Chairladies and secretaries from all the support groups

Nonetheless, I would say that this struggles and challenges make the achievements even more satisfying! 

When I see that the women we work with are genuinely happy about completing the exercises we do together, or they understand the importance of working on their skills rather than us just distributing items, it makes the difficulties seem (if not easier) worth it. 

As they say, no pain no gain! 

Currently, after having had two days training all the groups together, I am once again visiting the groups (with the support of Valery and David - the attachee/intern that will work with me for two months -) and apart from discussing and making sure that also those who did not attend the trainings understand the concepts, I am giving them a small notebook each to make sure that each one of them keeps track of their finances. I hope they will make use of it, and in a month or so I will be able to see the results from the groups. Fingers crossed!

Financial training with a single group

On a separate note, around 10 days ago was my birthday. Three of our housemates had to renew their visas, so we combined the two events to cross the whole country: from Western Kenya we made it all the way to the coast! It was a 30 hours journey, with buses, trains and matatu but it was fun!

We spent the weekend in Diani Beach, it was very nice, peaceful and relaxing.

Mohammad, Ebba, Emma and Valery threw a small breakfast surprise party by the pool of the AirBnb we were staying in the morning of my birthday, that was very nice :) 

We also spent a whole afternoon playing beach volley, Mo went from complete beginner to semi-pro in a few hours! I tried kitesurfing again after not having done it for one and a half years, but the wind conditions were not the best so I did not have much success 😅 Such is life!

Our attempt at taking a group picture ended up
with both Emma and I falling inside the swimming pool!

On our way to the coast, I also got to show Valery, Emma and Mohammad one of my favourite "spots" of Nairobi: the Gikomba Market.

During my last visit in Nairobi I lost my dear bucket hat, so I had to find a replacement! 

The Gikomba Market is a very interesting place, it's fun but makes you think and reflect at the same time. 

In fact, it is the size of a small town where everybody is selling second hand clothes, most of which come from western countries. It really shows the impact of the behaviour of consumers in our countries, and how many clothes are purchased and "thrown away" while still in very good conditions.

During my two visits, I was happy to buy two pairs of pants and two buckets hats, everything in very good contditions and for a total price of 12 euros. Both times I went there, my group represented the whole wazungu (white people) in the market. It's very authentic, and that's also why I like it! 

A selfie of the four of us after I found two bucket hats 

A picture of the Gikomba Market, you can find anything here! 

We keep going,

Baadaye! 

Mattia

Karibu Kenya

As I write this blog, it has been exactly one month since I boarded a plane (three, actually) bound for "the middle of nowhere" in Kenya. I usually don't have expectations for my new destinations, and this time was no different. I just wanted to wait and be surprised. The only thing I knew was that I was going as a communications volunteer to Shianda, Kenya.

Bound for Shianda

Just as I boarded the plane in Madrid, I was leaving behind the last 9 months of my first long-term volunteer experience. The experiences, the people, the learnings, the routine, and everything that makes up "living" in a place.

Turning the page from that chapter to this new one felt more like changing books. With zero expectations, but a lot of experience living in contexts similar to Kenya, I found myself navigating an environment that felt familiar; not familiar to the last 9 months in Spain, but familiar to my 21 years in Colombia.

There is something magical about the African connection with Latin America, and I found that this magic is based on the familiarity of our customs. I feel very fortunate in this aspect, as the daily chaos of life in Kenya does not cause me any discomfort.

Seeing boda-boda in Kakamega feels just like home

Upon arriving at my new home in Shianda, after sleeping the entire way from the airport in Kisumu, I found a beautiful place. A week earlier, I had had the opportunity to talk with my colleagues, roommates, flatmates, and now new friends. A situation I was grateful for as it greatly reduced my social anxiety.

Karibu Kisumu

Upon arriving home, everyone was there: Ebba, Emma, Mattia, and Mohammad. Even my mentor, Hanna, was virtually present, and having arrived with Esther (my new boss) who picked me up at the airport, suddenly and like a great coincidence, the entire team was at home to welcome me.

Eating together by candlelight

For the first two weeks, I was in sponge mode. A somewhat passive mode for my liking, where on one hand, I absorbed all the training information at the WEFOCO office while noting down names and positions that I could hardly remember the next day. On the other hand, I tried to understand the dynamics and new customs at home without making much noise. Honestly, when arriving at a house where four people had already built some sort of unity, you can feel a bit out of place.

However, I couldn't have asked for better companions. They have always done everything possible to make me feel part of the new home. They have helped me with everything I have needed and fortunately, our personalities get along very well. I've been very lucky.

A snapshot before some people got wet

We just got back from a trip together to the coast. A very picturesque group trip; one of them surviving malaria while spending hours getting covered in sand while playing volleyball, and another in her second week of bacterial infection, ensuring us that each day she felt better than the last.

It was a very fun trip and personally, very enriching. Seeing giraffes and zebras on the train ride, finding dog-sized monkeys crossing the road to the beach, and arguing with other monkeys to keep them from stealing the bread off the table; is unforgettable.

On a more serious note, the last two weeks at WEFOCO have been more active for me. I have learned all the names I noted down. I understand my functions and what is expected of my role in the organization and I have had the opportunity to start creating the foundations for an internal and external communications strategy that can improve the impact of the activities carried out by the NGO.

I have created some of the social media channels, am finding a better way to manage the website, and looking for resources to allow for more appropriate and sustainable internal documentation over time. Although my role is a bit behind the scenes, I have also had the opportunity to meet many of the members and beneficiaries of WEFOCO's activities. Their stories, their motivation, and even their smiles are invaluable lessons for our work here.

I swear I'm there

Although I understand that it has only been two weeks, I feel a bit frustrated (and I had already been warned about this feeling) by the slowness with which I have had to develop certain initiatives. I know it is my anxiety and need for achievement speaking in this case. That is why I try to keep track of all the tasks I have started and their status, as instead of starting a task and finishing it to start another (as I was used to), the work pace here dictates a different process. Here I start tasks simultaneously and keep an eye on all of them to ensure they reach their end.

This pace has a very positive pro: it keeps me motivated by all the tasks that are in progress. It excites me to see them completed, which keeps my mind active, looking for ways to speed them up. I am eager to see the results of all the ideas that come to my mind. Surely soon (or not so soon), I will write about them.

To conclude, one of my favorite colleagues is ending her volunteer work soon (this really is very soon) and I am already beginning to feel the emptiness of her departure. I will surely miss her funny and very intelligent inputs, as well as her positivity in the face of adversity (like assuring us she is okay after fainting twice). It has been a pleasure to have her at my arrival as she has greatly helped make my adaptation easier.

I believe it is these kinds of experiences, connections, and emotions that make this experience so fascinating. It is my first month, and it feels like a full cycle of highs, lows, good, bad, and better. What will come next?

Válery J Serrano U.

It is not over until it is over

I have now lived in Shianda village for 3 months, which means my halfway point as a volunteer in Kenya has passed. I try to prepare myself for how fast the remaining time will go, but I know it will feel like a blink of an eye no matter what. 

An attempt to slow time down a bit is to think back on what has happened so far. To begin with, the house was enriched with two more volunteers. Their arrival has brought a lot of positive energy and laughter to the group. We are like a family who do basically everything together; grocery shopping, cooking, eating, training, and of course, we work together. My favorite part is when we go touristing together. We have visited museums in Mumias and Kisumu, waterfalls, the Crying Stone and Kakamega Forest. One highlight has been our trip to Nairobi. I was lucky to have friends from Sweden visiting Nairobi at the same time, and I really enjoyed spending a couple of days with them! To be in a big city, meet new people and eat food that is not found in the village, was refreshing and gave new energy and motivation.

Friends visiting

The Crying Stone 

Kakamega Forest

Ambururu Waterfalls

Nairobi National Park

Nairobi National Park

Nairobi National Park

The weeks that followed were busy with planning and carrying out activities. Mattia and I visited the women groups of WEFOCO to see what they are working on, what their challenges are, and what they can improve. Based on our observations, we arranged two days of trainings focusing on agricultural practices and financial keeping. The topics we discussed were the importance of soil health, methods to enhance crop production, and strategies to become financially literate. Preparing and facilitating a full day of training is something I have never done before but I am happy and proud over how it turned out. With translation support from our mentors, we managed to create a good learning atmosphere where the participants were engaged, asked questions and shared their own experiences with each other. We look forward to continuing with the practical parts of the training and are planning to carry them out in the coming month! 

Group visit

Group visit

Training

Training

Training

Training

My fellow volunteers, especially one (not to mention any names), are joking about how little time there is left before I leave. But it is not a joke anymore: time is really running out and I am looking at the calendar trying to figure out how to fit all the activities and trips I want to do before leaving Kenya. The math is not mathing so the only option is to start planning the next visit to Africa :) Jokes aside, it is not over until it is over and for the remaining time I will enjoy every minute; gorge on fruits from the market, dance in the pouring rain, slide around in the mud, embrace the darkness of power cuts, and throw ugali in the air like a true local!