Kenya: Pomp & circumstance, and a sick child

N(5) hasn't been well since we arrived; when we touched down at Nairobi, just before we got off the airplane, she was sick. She hasn't felt well since then: although I managed to keep her constantly high temperature somewhat in check with three doses of paracetamol per day, in the hours before each dose was due she'd deteriorate again. Yesterday during the community clinic she went very pale and had to lay down... she's spent so much time in the last few days on me sleeping or being clingy - she's just not herself at all. Now as it's been six days, this fever has obviously made her quite weak and so when the doctors were at the school site again today, they actually checked her over and now she's on antibiotics as there's clearly some infection going on. Please pray she'll recover soon. As I write this I'm in bed with her, she is pale and weak and clearly unwell.

Earlier today, as it's Sunday, we joined the local community at the school village at their Sunday church service. This service was to start at an unspecified time (various people in our group were told various starting times ranging from 9.30 to 11am) and we left with the intention to arrive at 9.30, which of course didn't happen; by the time we actually managed to leave we were looking at an arrival time of 10.30 or so, and then at the main village we saw the local senator's car, who grew up with our travel group's leader Emmanuel, so he stopped for a chat and invited her to visit the school site. She agreed, so we carried on and made it there just after 11.

Just as well, as the service hadn't got going yet, although Sunday school was in full swing as we arrived. When we got there, the church service commenced and our pastor Jim preached while Emmanuel translated.

D(3) spent some time entertaining the kids.

After the sermon, every single item we had brought along was unpacked and ceremoniously handed over... I did wonder why such a lengthy ceremony, so Emmanuel explained it was to protect the teachers from accusations that they had pocketed some of the material to sell for personal gain, as well as to protect the teachers from the temptation to do exactly that!

And then at last, the senator arrived. With her entourage - two local councillors, a media team (all female!), and a large number of men in black suits: security. As I later learned, the briefcases these guys carried were filled with money, which was later - after our departure of course - handed out as gifts. Because a senator needs votes, of course.

I don't want to be cynical, though it's hard not to be; the local councillor did express her embarrassment that there was no school in this area and that foreigners had had to come in to help, and both the senator and the councillors promised to support the school's ongoing running. We'll stay in touch with the local pastor from now on so we'll see if those promises are kept.