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Things here in Asembo Bay aren’t flawless… there is poverty and young families broken apart by AIDS, and other imperfections. But inspite of problems like those, the people here are vibrant, optimistic and welcoming. Across the street from us, the auto repair shop plays Kenyan music from morning to night.  When we walk, a slew of small children usually gathers in our footsteps saying, “How are you, I’m fine!” because it’s the only sentence every kid has down pat. They all roam the village freely with their friends because here it really does take a village to raise a child. At night we eat dinner in the dark with a kerosene lantern. And it feels good.

Earlier this week I was in Kisumu city with our coordinator Michelle, helping run logistical errands, buying computer equipment and other supplies, like an extension cord, which we actually had to have hand-assembled by an electrician in a tiny hut because there were no 6-metre extension cords available in stores! (Ironically, the electrician didn’t actually have electricity in his workshop, so he had to test it next door).

We also spent a lot of time at a local orphanage in Kisumu called St. Clare’s, playing with the kids and teaching English songs and words to them.

Earlier this week, we held a small feast for the orphans because almost all the kids have distended bellies and yellowed eyes. So we made a trip to the market, where we got veggies and fruit to round out their meals for a day.

Two days ago I finally returned to Asembo Bay, which is the village that hosts the heart of our project: the computer resource centre. Despite the interesting ride over (I thought the bus window was going to shatter all over me when a barrel that was strapped onto it rolled off onto the highway), I’m so much happier here.

As of today, we’ve got three new, fully functioning computers set up with good internet connections! This may seem trivial, but since Tumaini Children’s Project set up the Computer Center last year, lots of things have been meddled with to the point that people could only access the internet on one (13-year-old) computer! So the fact that everything is up and running nicely is no small feat.

In the back of the computer centre, we set up a children’s library stocked with donated books that Robin and I brought from Vancouver. It looks AWESOME and the children absolutely love it.  Every afternoon they gather for us to let them into the library. You’d think it were stocked with candy. Maybe it’s my geeky background in English Lit coming out, but it’s really great to see the children so excited to have access to books.

Yesterday we met with the head mistress and headmaster at the local primary school to discuss giving computer lessons to the schoolchildren. We were thinking maybe 40 or 50 kids would register, but seems like we’re looking more at 160 children! Which means we’ll be hosting 6 hours of classes a day for the next two weeks!

That’s it for now. You’d think in 30 degree Kenyan heat, you’d get Malaria before a cold, but apparently anything is possible. I’ve got to go blow my nose.