...The Sisterhood of Girls Scouts and Girl Guides

Girl Scouting and Girl Guiding is a sisterhood. This is a fact. Anyone who has ever been part of the movement knows this. 

During our final days in Kenya,  J. and I had the chance to meet up with some wonderful sisters.  First off, for those of you who dont know, the Girls for Girls programme, has strong ties to the World Association of Girl Guides and Girl Scouts movement. The Girls for Girls programme in Kenya was the result of one passionate woman's presentation to a WAGGGS event in 2011. Since then Eva, member of the Kenya Girl Guide Association, has been the inspiration for the project. Sadly, Eva is no longer in Londiani but she did make the trip to St. Kitzo's to meet up with us and introduce us to her beautiful daughter. Sisters forever.

After J. and I left Londiani we headed to Nyeri in the Central Highlands of  Kenya. The Central Highlands looks nothing like the Great Rift Valley. The hills are rolling and green and full of plants. We were in Nyeri to visit the final home of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell. Lord and Lady Baden-Powell are the founders of Boy Scouts and Girl Guides, respectfully. Girl Guides  inspired Juliette Gordon Low to create the Girl Scouts in 1912.

The final home of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell is now a small scouting museum at the Outspan hotel. We had a lovely time touring the museum with its curator, Benson. We did present the museum with mementos from the Girl Scouts of the USA and the Girl Scouts of Greater Atlanta. 

We also took some time to sit on the porch and enjoy the view, which on a clear day includes Mt. Kenya. I loved the amazing bamboo that grows in the nearby garden. It was planted by Lord Baden-Powell and reminds me of the ever common and every enjoyed Brownie Trees found the world over. 

Our visit, the next day, to the grave of Lord and Lady Baden-Powell in the town of Nyeri was very moving. They are buried in the same plot facing Mt. Kenya: if  Lord Baden-Powell wakes up his first view will be that of the mountain he loved. We were escorted to the gravesite by Kenyan Girl Guides Claudia and Irene. We visited with Irene before the visit to the grave. We had a good discussion about girl retention and staying relevant as an organization. 

When we returned to Nairobi on Monday afternoon we were graciously welcomed into the Kenya Girl Guide office. We chatted with old friends and made new ones. We were even treated to some amazing popcorn. 

Finally, before we departed for our flights, we caught up with Evelyn. A KGGA friend we met in 2011.

I love that any Girl Guides or Girl Scouts that I meet in my travels, want to make the world a better place. There is no doubt, that scouting is a culture of good. So I have got to say, way to go, Lord and Lady Baden-Powell and way to go Juliette Gordon Low, the three of you created something pretty awesome. 

...Sustainable Finance

Wednesday March 19^th -Friday March 21^st

Our first day of the course was focused on laying the foundation for the Girls for Girls programme, facilitation and money earning. I think the dramas (aka: skits) on the different ways to access funding were the highlights of the day. I think the “Mico-Finance” team, my team, did a great job! It was fun and informative.

Our second day was focused on building business skills. We did several activities with the participants that focused on setting a price for an item and writing contracts. The market research game was a fun new element and of course the “run my biz” market game was a crowd pleaser.

A guest speaker also come and talked to the group about Table Banking. Table Banking is a phenomenon that is sweeping the region. At the most basic level, Table Banking is a group model that works like a traditional bank with lower fees for loans etc. A saving element is built into each transaction and members of each Table Bank pay a monthly fee to be a part of the group.

One of the moments I loved most from the course happened on the third day. I arrived in the training room and found some math on the board. Someone was trying to figure out price of an item by including depreciation. After I chatted with the other members of the training team, we discovered that the figures must have been from one the participants who were working out how to price an item or product. Excellent. Not only did the participants understand what we were trying to share, they were working to figure out their own pricing. Very cool.

Our third training day concluded with the famous Steps to Change activity and preliminary work on action plans. The group did super on their action plans. I am very excited to hear which plans become realities. I think there is a ton of potential.

Our final day did also involve a very important discussion between Friends of Londiani and the school teachers and principals. The discussion centered on cost sharing for the Girls for Girls programme and making sanitary towels accessible to all girls in Kipkelion East and West.

From my perspective, the most interesting part of this discussion was the demonstration of how to care for the reusable sanitary towels and the feedback from participants on which towels they thought would work best for the girls.

The girls will be giving the most important feedback. Once the schools turn in an approved action plan for an income generation project, they will receive one of three types of sanitary pads on the market. The girls will test them and give feedback to Friends of Londiani. The goal will be to settle on one or two choices for the girls to use as part of the Girls for Girls programme.

Our third day ended with a bit of a celebration that included singing and dancing. It was brilliant. Of course, my dancing made the crowd laugh, but it was all in good fun. At one point, I closed my eyes and just listened to all of the voices signing. The sound filled my soul.

Londiani is a special place but I think what makes it incredibly special is its people. They care so much to make their community better for the girl child. It is a long journey but they aren’t afraid to take Steps to Change to get them to the goal and in my opinion that makes all of the difference.

...Inspiring School Visits

Thursday March 18^th

It has been a super busy few days.

On Tuesday and Wednesday, we had lovely visits with two schools that have the Girls for Girls programme. I am so happy to hear from the girls how the programme has positively impacted in their lives. I think I was most happy to hear that the girls who were part of the pilot programme in 2011 were no longer around because they had graduated from secondary school and were at university!!! Awesome!

While visiting Sacred Hill Girls High School on Wednesday we were lucky to attend the official opening of the new shower room for girls. The shower room was a project in partnership with Friends of Londiani and the school.

After our visit to Sacred Hill we joined the Friends of Londiani-Kenya team to prep for the start of the course on Wednesday. The Friends of Londiani-Kenya team is phenomenal especially, Norah, Caroline (Chela) and Caroline. These women work tirelessly on the Girls for Girls programme in the district. They are incredible people and tons of fun. We are lucky that they are part of the Girls for Girls USA family. 

...A Return to Kenya

Sunday March 16, 2014

Hello from Londiani, Kenya!

This is something that I never thought I would say when I left Londiani the first time in 2011 but I am back. I have to say that I can sense at change in Kenya and in Londiani. There is much more development overall. There are newer roads and a feeling of better utilities. The electricity has even stayed on for the entire evening but no guarantees for tomorrow.

We did have a lovely game drive at Nakuru National Park this afternoon. We were able to see giraffes, baboons and some of the pink flamingos that made Nakuru famous. We also saw a gigantic rhinoceros. He was quite amazing.

I truly enjoyed the overlook view of the lake. It was breathtaking. I was actually surprised how little movement there was in the water given that the lake’s size. The lake was actually so still that the treetops were reflected in the water.

I also enjoyed the stillness and the quiet at the park. It was wonderful to only hear the calls of the birds while standing in the safari truck and feeling a light breeze. This is quite a world away from the rumblings of Atlanta.

I actually feel quite at peace. I told J on our way here that in the past couple of months, I have started to feel more like myself than I have in a long time. I think this is a very good thing and Kenya is a very good place to be at this moment.

Tomorrow we will start to prepare for the course. The course starts on Wednesday but the teachers will arrive on Tuesday. We do have lots of work to do before the bell rings at 9am on Wednesday AM. 

...a 5K or Two

There is nothing like temperatures in the 20s to get this So-Northerner to think about exercising outside.
Yep, this is just such a false statement about me. Its true I am scared of the cold but when not one but two friends asked if I wanted to join them for 5K races this past week, I just couldn't say no.

On Monday, I joined my friend Andrea for the MLKDay5K. What fun! The race started off with all runners dashing across the meadow in Piedmont Park. It was a blast. Once up the hill, the crowd thinned leaving Andrea and myself in the middle of the pack. I loved running past all of the drum corps from the local middle and high schools. I think thats why I keep calling the race the MLK Drum Run.

Then on Saturday before a full shift at the office, my friend Stephanie and I braved the 20 degree temps for the Atlanta Union Mission 5K. It was chilly fun for a cause but I think we both couldn't wait to get indoors for cups of coffee and tea.

So, two 5Ks in six days, that is a personal record. I guess I am just gearing up for the Cicero Triathlon this summer. I have convinced my sister and my dad to be my teammates for the race. Yep, and guess who is responsible for the run? Yours truly. I do have my work cut out for me. My times for the runs this week came in at 49:09 and 53:19 respectfully.

...a Sketchbook

In August I was feeling creatively confident so I signed up for the Sketchbook Project. Well, as the deadline of January 15th loomed, I had lost enthusiasm in my own ideas. I questioned myself.
But, being a TV producer, I just just couldnt miss a deadline so I pushed though the doubt.
This was the result.

I am pleased with the outcome. Overall its less self-reflective than I had thought it would have been when I came up with my concept back in August

This project taught me that it is time to push myself. It is time to take risks. Its also time to also give up my blue jacket. Wow, its been around way too long.

My sketchbook and I will meet again this summer. I will use that meet-up as a benchmark for change and for accomplishments.