Kenya Gappers celebrate the fruits of their labour

COUNTRY: Kenya
PROGRAM: GapBreak
PROJECT: Community & Conservation
WRITTEN BY: Aram Geleris

What an incredible and busy two weeks it has been here in Kenya! Last week was for some, the last they would spend at Camp Muhaka. Because of this, we were determined to make the most of our experience, and this attitude was reflected in our work.

Yaya and our team continued work on the dispensary, making good progress on the walls and polishing the walls with cement, adding that extra touch that makes the building just that much better. However, it truly was the week of Baba’s house (Father house), with its completion by Friday, and then a truly wonderful and moving handing over ceremony. Our group took part of the morning off and went to watch, and we were amazed at the effort and care that Sampuli and his group put into making this the best experience possible for Baba. There were flowers, an arch of vines that Baba sat underneath in his brand new chair, and the words “Karibu Baba” (Welcome Dad) written in stones out front.

The group also wrote a small song to the tune of Happy Birthday essentially welcoming him to his first ever house. It really was just one of those moments where you know that you’ve made the right decision being in Kenya.

As I looked around the group I could see the same expressions on their faces; this was a perfect example of pure charity. We arrived in this country, started from nothing, and built something for someone that will last for not just the remainder of his life, but for generations to come, and have a lasting impact on the community.

There was laughter and tears from us, Baba and Eustace who was just so proud of us and what we had done. That by itself was reward enough and true acknowledgement of a job well done: that sort of talk from Eustace means so much to us, and he really took on a father figure for us over the first month in Muhaka, and it was with such a heavy heart therefore when so many of us had to say goodbye.

Even though most of us will be back for another three weeks, even being Eustace-less for that long will be a considerable struggle.

Wednesday was also a big day as it was the arrival of the new group. We were excited to meet new people and it certainly was an experience having another 22 people sharing our camp, however we soon adjusted and bonding came quickly and naturally. This was however, disregarded when it came to the sports competition the following weekend between the Oldies and the Newbies.

The first game was an exciting and fast paced football game in which the Oldies won a decisive 4-0 victory with James and Connor scoring one apiece, and Joe coming painfully close to a hat-trick several times but only managing to put two away. We then moved to the volleyball pitch, where the competitive nature of the two sides came to the forefront. After coming back from a difficult 11-17, the Oldies managed to take the first set 25-23. After another nail biting set in which there was another impressive comeback from the veterans, the score unfortunately finished 27-29 to the new arrivals. After that we called it a day, and headed back to our respective camps.

Another momentous occasion this weekend was the event that everyone has been waiting for. After weeks of practice, the stage was ready for the Battle of the Bands. Although there were impressive performances from One Direction (James, Joe, Shane, Paul, myself and Connor making an appearance as DJ Burns), Jay-Z and Kanye West, (Sophie and Grace), Ke$ha, (Courtney), The Spice Girls, (Becca, Sally, Emma, Becs and Eliza), Olly Murs and Flo Rida, (Eliza and Lana), and the interesting Destiny’s Child/Macklemore crossover, (Julia, Lana and Lucy), even the enigmatic and buoyant hosts Bri and Gabby, none could stand before the awesome force of the incredible awesomeness of Beccy and Rosanna’s ABBA. Performing an edited version of “Gimme Gimme Gimme” with a Camp Kenya twist to it: “Gimme gimme gimme chapatis at midnight, oh won’t someone help me chase these cravings away.”They were met with rapturous applause and demands for an encore which we gracefully were granted. Cheers to the two of them for putting on a truly amazing show.

There was still much to come however, with us leaving for Camp Kaya the following Monday. It was, to our surprise, just up the road, and yet right in the heart of the sacred and incredible Kaya forests.

On that same day we were introduced to our hosts, namely Ken, the Camp manager, Peter, our wide eyed and ever grinning Project Manager, and the quiet but immensely powerful Mzee Sururu(Elder Sururu), who is in charge of taking care of this area of the Kaya forest, and his love and reverence for this place.

He explained to us several times how quintessential this place is to Kenya and even the world, as it is one of the few forests in the world that has retained the majority of its indigenous fauna even after extensive contact with humans.We also took a tour through the forest on the same day. It was a truly humbling experience having Mzee Sururu pray to the ancestors at the entrance to Kaya to ask permission for us to enter. They must have said yes, as we went walking for almost two hours though this incredible place.

We stopped for several places for Mzee Sururu and Peter explain the significance of the forest, its history and the history of the Swahili people. Throughout the week we took part in several different kinds of project work, including clearing around young native trees in order to let them grow faster, finishing a grey water system that a previous group started, working on a future chilli plantation, and a tree nursery.

We were also able to go on a cultural tour through the Kaya Village and experience how it is that the locals manage to be self sufficient. We learnt how to create dried leaves mats, coconut oil, and maize flour that can be used to make ugali, the staple food for Kenya. A small, yet extremely significant detail was something that Peter mentioned. He said that the more love and friendship within the people that made the coconut oil, the more oil would be created. I am proud to say that there was plenty of coconut oil, a testament to how well our group gets along.

The final cultural activity we did on Friday afternoon was Julius, Kaya’s boisterous and booming chef, teaching us along with some local women, how to make chapati’s, our favorite meal when served with any sort of sauce. Because of this, the chapatis tasted even sweeter with the taste of success.

We have had a phenomenal time here at Kaya, and it will be tragic to leave such an incredible place after just one week, but we depart for Camp Makongeni this Saturday, and because of this, excitement is running high in the group. After Kaya we are excited to see another aspect of this multi-faceted and incredible country.

We had the large community feel in Muhaka, and the far more intimate and spiritual side in Kaya.Hopefully Makongeni on the coast and Tsavo in the desert will live up to our expectations, although I seriously doubt they won’t.

As strange as it is to say this after five weeks, we already feel very much at home in this country and the idea of home across the seas seems a strange and fantastical idea, as do some of the things we do. Is it necessary to flush the toilet every single time? Perhaps not. Can we put our recyclable goods to better use? Absolutely !