Righteous Indignation & Compassion Fatigue. Huh?

It's about the kids dummy!

Well today marked the last day for this group of Malezi kids and their computer education at the generously donated and quite magnificent General Electric IT lab in Karen, Nairobi. Six new Malezi kids will take their places next week and hopefully get the same great benefit from this wonderful program. My gratitude to Ksenia for getting this program going and also Teacher Grace and Olivia for their tireless efforts in maintaining it. Also many thanks and kudos to the other volunteers who show up as often as possible to lend a hand.

Access to all that Internet information is wonderful though it's not a substitute for industriousness like Alphonse's' notebook pictured here on the left. On the outside of a sheaf of paper, he has hand stitched some thick brown paper discarded from something. It protects what is likely one of his only prized possessions. And as I worked this week on a separate project, I read and gave thought to the term "compassion fatigue". The notion that people are bombarded with information about the world's shared tragedies, and like a rubber band that's been in the junk drawer too many years, it doesn't stretch to where it once did. I vow to not let compassion fatigue get the better of my humanity. People like Alphonse, who strive to do great things must depend upon others. It reminds me of my favoriterest quote by Theodore Roosevelt;

 Righteous Indignation

I'm pissed off that 5 years after the last East Africa drought and the deaths in Somalia we are again seeing people dying of starvation. I am and want to remain Righteously Indignant in the face of such a cataclysmic failure on the part of governments and Aid Groups to attend to the worlds poorest. In Somalia in 2011  - 10 million were impacted and of that 250,000 died horrible deaths. Many - children.  At a meeting of the top Humanitarian Aid providers recently I listened as excuses were made about why we can't help these people. Terms like - no access - insecurity - insufficient funding  - unexpected. We are now faced with an even larger crisis than Somalia 2011 and I would add terms like uncoordinated efforts - poorly planned response - lack of operational effectiveness - lack of cooperation - and lastly fat bastards sitting on their hands doing fuck-all to earn their god-damned money.


Well how do you not see a drought coming? All the well meaning people of government and Non-government organizations and actors who are charged with this weighty responsibility need to do better. I unfortunately must share in the hand-wringing and excuses but I refuse to yield to compassion fatigue and commit to being righteously indignant and in fact outraged when faced with the world's anemic response to such an horrific and largely preventable tragedy. I urge you to learn what you can about this tragedy and what you can do to help both now and in the future.




Next weekend is the summit attempt of Mount Kenya and I can feel the uncertainty and concern starting to invade my consciousness. Not fear... just niggling concerns that don't go away. Ahhhhh sheesh - it's simply a couple days climbing up a mountain. I've been doing this since I was a kid!  What could possibly go wrong?
Brief memories of Kilimanjaro flit through my mind... those moments were I wanted to give up.. where I thought I didn't have the strength to reach the summit. The nausea and headaches, the fatigue and pain all coming back to me. It's all coming back to me now. Eiiissssshh!!!
A close friend of mine Frank once said "instead of doing something so tough - why not just hit yourself repeatedly over the head with a stick...then stop...you'll definitely feel better". Well - this is different. You climb because you can 😁











Thanks for reading ........Layno !

Is it really the Pebble in your Shoe?

Or is it in fact the mountain you climb.....

One of the greatest philosophers of our time Mohamed Ali,  talked about small challenges in life preventing us from attaining enduring happiness. That little things compete for focus and attention and prevent us from accomplishing our goals......our dreams.... our wishes and desires!  Well - far be it for me to try and understand the man who floated like a butterfly and stung like a bee, but I think that's what he meant. And I guess I shouldn't take my interpretation and assume all behave and think the same way, but those are the things I think about when  hiking for hour after hour training for a major ascent. In this case, the training and the attempt on Mt. Kenya is all about the mountain you climb.






In 2 weeks, April 1 2 3 4 - Irene, Andy, Chris and I will attempt to summit 5000m above the sea at what will be my second highest climb in my life. Kilimanjaro is the highest at 6000m summited last year. Mount Kenya is the highest peak in this country and a much tougher climb than Kilimanjaro in terms of the technical aspects though mercifully, it is at a significantly lower altitude. I had horrific altitude challenges at Kilimanjaro so am glad that we are 1000m lower on this climb.

Mt. Kenya beautiful in morning light  - usually a 5 day climb but we will attempt in 4.... just because :)

Chris, in the best shape of anyone I know and unfailingly cheerful regardless of how tough it gets. Irene poses in the background....

Andy - climbed Kilimanjaro with me last year. Mentally very tough and wouldn't say shit if it was in his mouth.

Irene: An exceptionally strong climber with an unshakable desire to achieve

Training has been ongoing for some time now with both short hikes and a regular weekly cross-training exercise program. Now though, with the climb only weeks away, we must spend some time at altitude getting our bodies ready for the punishment doled out when you're so far above the sea. Available oxygen drops from 21% to 11%....which is almost half .... and that changes everything!!!!

So we went up high, climbing Mt. Suswa ( 2350m) Mt. Satima (4008m) and Kinangop (3856m) on this, and the previous weekends. Satima nearly crushed me only a couple hours into the 12 hour hike. Just after 3000m my stomach went out and then all the other inside stuff starts to complain making life - well - uncomfortable. My head was pounded so hard I could barely think! I was so relieved to roll into my bed 18 hours after leaving the house but with now some lingering doubts about handling another big climb.....

On the way home our transporter came across a single male Buffalo who took serious exception to our presence in the region. He feign charged a number of times coming within a meter of the big glass windshield. It was so eerie in the dark watching him charge angrily into the lights of the bus. Solitary male buffalo are the most dangerous animal in Africa...and there are some pretty nasty other characters. In the end the ranger (you must always accompanied by rangers on hikes) shot over the head of the animal eventually scaring it off.  He shot out the door of the transporter.... would that happen in Canada? Haha - doubt it. Later we ran into a whole herd intent on ramming the bus and again thankfully we got through the ill-tempered group without incident. It was as if Kim Jong-un and Philippine president Duane had a family Bar-B -que. 😉

This week we summited Kinangop (pictured below) - and well, that was a different story entirely. The peak is obvious in the picture below but what does not show is the valleys along the way. It was 18 hours of hiking altogether over 22 kms (x 2) of very rough terrain featuring a 500m drop into a valley and near vertical decent and then climb back out. Making it even way more fun was the thunder storm that rolled into the valley on our way out. It dropped a lake-full of rain on us and a bunch of hail for good measure. If that wasn't fun enough, it slowed us down enough that we ended up coming out in the dark. The lower part of the trail is a bamboo forest with a muddy floor. We fell so much it looked more like a Vancouver Canucks hockey game than hike. 

On the peak you look down a couple hundred meters straight down. Damned cool!!!!

Video of the trip to Kinangop by Africa Adventures

A note on Irene mentioned above. We've know one another for quite some time now having been introduced by Chris somewhere along the way. Quick to smile, thoughtful witty and bright, she is a great companion on the hillside or an evening with friends. She gives herself tirelessly to Kenya wildlife outreach education.  I'm really grateful that she is a part of my life and hope that our friendship continues through the upcoming hike to Mount Kenya and adventures well into the future.

This week I received a care package courtesy of Canadian donors to MSF. In it was a chocolate bar some lip balm, a book, some moose stickers and a bunch of candies etc... but best of all was a series of post cards thanking us for our work out here. It was touching and greatly appreciated. I note it was mailed in November to get here in time for Christmas ... well almost 😊

Thanks for Reading Layno!!!! 

Friends and Famine

Partying on the Coast while others go hungry... is it wrong?

 

My good friend Barry came for a visit from Canada bringing with him news of the politics and the continuing "struggle" of Canadians as they battle a financially reckless and feckless government while braving shockingly cold weather accessorized draconianly with heaps and heaps of snow. Even in Victoria  where you are more likely to see unicorns than than fluffy white stuff  - there are wide-ranging complaints of the categorical unfairness of it all.  I tease - not about the snow.... and Barry didn't make any complaints really - I'm always of the aware of "suffering" of my native peoples in a somewhat tongue in cheek manner, contextually speaking. Barry also brought me some vitamins and a few other hard to find items for which I am very thankful. (Vitamins are almost always counterfeit .... who would know?) Also thanks to Stevie for rounding up a few things in Victoria for Barry to pass along to me. Love you girl 💕

But it's what Barry left behind that is far more important and a mark of the remarkable man he is. He very unselfishly gave up holiday time to work with the slum kids teaching computer skills for a day. More than that, he generously agreed to some financial support for Brunah pictured here on the side. (Or did the kids teach Barry a few new skills he he)
Brunah is a quick-witted, pleasant crazy-smart girl from the Malezi school deep in the heart of the worst slum in Kenya. School is taught by caring adults with little or no formal education training at all. So even without formal education, Brunah is very smart indeed. I'm a puzzle guy and was surprised during our last session when the 11 year old Brunah reached the answer to a puzzle well before me. Hmmm ... my ego was so badly shaken I may take my volunteer efforts elsewhere !!!!!

Here's the thing - underprivileged does not mean dumb. Unbelievably I forget that there is simply no correlation and here is an poignant reminder that Brunah may never make a contribution to the world simply because she's a girl and comes from the slum. That's all. Does she have the potential to be the next President of Kenya. Why not? Who knows for sure....
For Brunah, she has nothing by North American standards ... no running water, sewer or guaranteed place to sleep each day. Her school meal is likely the only one that she can count on...and that is through the volunteer efforts of caring community outside Kenya. This slum is famous for a place where one can get sex for around 75 cents and there is filth and disease throughout. Her family life is - well complicated - as she and her 4 brothers and sisters make their way along in an intensely violent and uncertain environment. More on Brunah in the weeks months and perhaps years to come.

Friends and time well spent

Hmmm not a bad breakfast spot I'd say...

While Barry was here we caught up with Chris on the coast for a few delicious day.  Introduced earlier in my blog, and clearly living the Vi da Loca  here in Africa - Chris continues to do the important and serious work of bringing Savannah pirates to justice for their inexcusable sins of killing and then trafficking in rare animal parts. Shame shame shame!!! for these pirates are truly despicable.

That said, we had a brilliant day mountain biking in the wild. As we cycled past Giraffes and Zebra under a bright azure African sky we shared a wonderment of the world. So wild yet peaceful, serene yet busy, beautiful and so so very fucking hot!!!!

We did a bit of trekking into Hells Gate marveling at mother natures' artistic endeavors seemingly created for just us to marvel and enjoy.

The most challenging part of living abroad is the absence of those friendships that have a sense of permanency about them. In Africa - people come and go as missions start and end.. governments move funding from this to that and the human resources flow with it. I've been fortunate to build a wonderful friendship with Chris and a number of others here in Africa and am grateful for their efforts offering that important and much needed component in my life. I spent a number of years concentrating of being a father, husband, and business guy and am fortunate to be able to now concentrate on being a friend to my family and others who make my life so rich and colorful. Nameste to that!!!

Famine... what does that mean exactly?

 

 

Famine is a pretty clear term for all of us and like pornography, you know it immediately when you see it. Formally (WHO/ UNICEF etc)  would say that famine is defined when 2 out of 10,000 are dying daily and 20% of the population is not receiving sufficient daily caloric intake to sustain life. However -  it is also a vehicle often used to secure funding and can be used incorrectly to link images like the one above with people so that they will open their wallets..  There are 5 stages in food shortage terminology.... from food secure through to famine. To be unequivocal, and to not rely on shifting definitions - for the first time in a quite a number of years, large numbers of people are currently dying of hunger.

Four countries are officially declared - those being Somalia, Yeomen, Nigeria and South Sudan. In all cases  - the famine is due to a combination of insecurity caused from warring factions and drought.  People are dying today... mostly old and children... dropping dead as they walk with their emaciated and quickly thinning  herds of goats and cattle. There are reports of kids in South Sudan dropping dead on their way to school as they walk along. So what do we do? Nothing really. I have the unique perspective from Africa and relationships with the folks at the agencies who are best able to respond to these crisis. In conversation with various colleagues in other NGO's  ... I have been fairly direct in saying that like the ease of seeing weather coming a week away on the Great Canadian Prairies, how do you not see this coming from a long way off ????

Sadly and pathetically, there's little that can be done now as there is not the logistical infrastructure to get the food to where it needs to go. Also - for the first time in humanitarian history - workers are being targeting. This  stops the Aid workers with help in the way of food supplement (peanut butter with some goodness thrown in) from to where the starving are waiting. And equally unfortunate is that reality that starving people don't have the strength to walk to centralized and secure distribution points. Again the people are paying the price for a war they didn't ask for....

So!!!!!! The concept of resilience as a program approach to hunger is the key. We simply can't respond to food shortage disasters once they are identified as such. The work needs to be done well before to ensure that sufficient food is available and the infrastructure to facilitate response is adequate. There are many NGO's doing great work in this area and they need continued support. It's easy to get money when people see the pictures like the one above. But it's much harder to get funding for genetically modified drought resistant maze. Partying on the coast while others starve is the reality of our world. We are haves and have nothings. And as long at the Trumps and like minded people ignore the suffering of others and restrict funding for resilience programs our future is full of these massive contradictions.










Thanks for reading...Layno!