He is a wise man who…..
“He is
a wise man who does not grieve for the things which he has not, but rejoices
for those which he has.” — Epictetus
Yoga was scheduled for 7:30 AM. I had decided to work on
a playlist and to offer to teach upon arrival. Musa was scheduled to teach, but
it is all of our hopes, including Musa’s, that we take turns and teach each
other. No one who is not on the research team will understand this, but I tried
so hard to down load “My Milkshake.” Sadly, I was not able. However, I was able
to find, “Play that Funky Music.” Which Musa found amusing in class. So, I
offered a 60 minute Catherine- Power-Hour and we rocked it out. Steve had a
breakthrough on wheel lifting each leg to the ceiling assuring to all of us
that he had completely recovered from his food-bourn illness!
The whole group met for breakfast and we prepared
to head to Thika School for the Blind. At our team meeting we discussed direct
communication and its power. With clear heads we headed out.
At Thika School, we met with over 40 children all
of whom had some form of visual impairment. The boys and the girls meet and do
yoga in separate groups. Some of our team met with the boys and some with the
girls. The work required patience from the research team members and they
brought it. Almost every demographic form had to be completed individually as
the children read brail and we only had print. The children had lots good
things to say about yoga. Some of the children that we met with did not
practice yoga and wanted to meet the visitors (i.e., us). Susan played with the
children who were not yogis, taught them the alphabet, and sang songs with them
(see Facebook for photos). It was super, super cute.
I don’t know how to express to you with my words
the strength of the students at this school. They know their way around the
whole school area, they run, they learn, and nothing holds them back. I am
brought back to Jerry’s thought that, “Joy is a Choice.” The research team that
I am working with in Kenya is so powerful in their actions. Nan and Susan
donated funds to bring 14 of the students and some teachers to AYP Shine Center
Community Class this Saturday. I have posted several very beautiful photos of
the grounds and the children at the school (see my Facebook page). Read more
about Thika school at the end of this blog post.
We had lunch at Qweru- Authentic Kenyan Food. Some of us
were adventurous and some were not. I have posted a great shot of Susan with
her Coca-Cola. Sometimes it is easy to find a little sip of happiness.
Then we were off to Kibera.
Kibera is the largest slum in Kenya. I have
information about Kibera below. I have also posted photos on Facebook. We
walked deep into the slums. You cannot be sensitive about hygiene or standard
of living. This aside, the people were making it work and seemed– happy.
“He is a wise man who does not grieve for
the things which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” — Epictetus
We practiced a little yoga and then commenced
brainstorming. We worked our way through the demographic form in English and
Swahili. The teachers brought benches into the space so that the children could
sit and complete their forms. They wrote so neatly and you could see the
benefit of their schooling. The children were attentive and wanted to help.
They took turns, reluctantly, standing up and sharing how yoga has affected
them. Like the other children we have worked with, many of them have noticed
the physical benefits of yoga and a few of them have noticed how yoga has
changed them body and mind. After we were done, the teachers moved the benches
away and we danced. We danced an African Dance choreographed by the school and
the children. It was completely grand and fun and sweaty and dusty and full of
laughter and singing. We were full of—joy—and not because we had bought
something at the mall or put in an in-ground pool. We were full of joy because
we were dancing, dancing right in the middle of one of the biggest slums in the
world. And then it was time for goodbyes and we headed home.
At dinner we were quieter today, reflective. We gathered
our thoughts for tomorrow (item generation day) and after a short meeting, went
to bed.
“He is a wise man who does not grieve for the things
which he has not, but rejoices for those which he has.” — Epictetus
Today and am so proud of the Power Yoga Buffalo
Community. I hear that they have raised enough money for Christian Robinson to
put out his demo track! Music is the song of the soul.
Today I am also thankful for my research team. They
raised money for many months and spent thousands of their own dollars to come
here to work hard all day, almost everyday. I am also thankful for our Kenyan
Research Assistants who are working just as hard and making this possible for
us!
Last, I am thankful for my two beautiful daughters
and my mother-in-law Barbara Harrigan who is watching them so that we could
take this research mission to Africa.
Namaste!
Catherine
Thika
School for the Blind is in Thika, Kenya, and offers learning facilities for
children who are visually impaired. The school is a mixed boarding school,
which can accommodate up to 250 children. Programs at Thika include: a
Kindergarten, speech therapy and living skills for children who have more than
one disability, Braille Class for those who lose sight in regular schools, Low
Vision Class for children with partial sight and Braille Learners Class for
children who are totally blind or partially sighted.
Life in the Kibera Slum of Nairobi,
Kenya
• The Kibera
Slum of Nairobi houses 1.5 million people (nearly 50% of Nairobi’s total
population) on less than 5% of Nairobi’s landmass.
• The people
of Kibera live in an area the size of Central Park.
• It is one
of the most densely populated places on the planet.
• Life
expectancy in Kibera is 30 years of age compared to 50 years of age in the rest
of Kenya.
• Half of all
Kiberians are under the age of 15.
• 1 out of 5
children in Kibera do not live to see their fifth birthdays.
• There is no
running water to most homes in Kibera. To obtain water, residents must
purchase water from private vendors, paying two to ten times what is paid by a
Nairobi resident outside the slums.
• Kibera’s
1.5 million residents share 600 toilets, meaning that on average one toilet
serves 1,300 people.
• “In many
parts of the world women are routinely beaten, raped, or sold into
prostitution. They are denied access to medical care, education, economic
and political power. Changing that could change everything” —
The New York Times Magazine
• 66% of
girls in Kibera routinely trade sex for food by the age of 16. Many
begin as early as age six.
• Young women
in Kibera Contract HIV at a rate 5 times that of their male counterparts.
• Only 41
percent of boys and 32 percent of girls know that condoms are effective in
preventing HIV transmission.
• “Women’s
empowerment helps raise economic productivity and reduce infant mortality.
It increases the chances of education for the next generation.”
– United Nations Development Programme
• Only 8% of
girls in Kibera ever have the chance to go to school.
• Educating a
girl in places like Kibera means she will earn more, invest 90% of her earnings
in her family, be 3 times less likely to become HIV positive,
and have fewer, healthier children more likely to live past
age 5.
Amnesty International made an incredible video that
depicts life for women in Kibera (www.amnesty.org):
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