I got my almost daily dose of news from Kisii as usual, by Skype. This is my friend and colleague, Vincent, who, amongst other things, runs the Mercy Gate Children's Home.
As always, little Josephat asked Vincent if Dad Mzungu was coming today, and as always, he was disappointed. Never mind, I will be there soon.
When I met Josephat, a 4 year old orphan, he was recovering from a bout of malaria and to me, resembled an anorexic stick insect. But he is lively, friendly, even to the Mzungu who gave him such a shock, and has a ready smile.
Vincent and I are planning on starting up a business in Kisii, the idea being that I will have a modest income, it will supplement Vincent's income and the rest can supplement the home's food bill, which is now over £600 a month.
I am hoping to find a suitable house to rent. I don't need a palace, but electricity and running water would be nice. Vincent assures me that I can rent a four-bedroom house in a secure compound for about £150 a month. That seems reasonable!
Why four bedrooms? Well, for starters, I would like my girlfriend and her children to move to Kisii (although there is some resistance at the moment), and then there is the influx of OVCs - that is, orphans and vulnerable children. Vincent thinks I could house 3 or 4 if my house were big enough!
So many elderly grandmothers are now finding that they have outlived their children and are the only family remaining to look after their grandchildren. They have no income to speak of, so the whole family live in terrible conditions in dilapidated mud huts.
The family shown here are typical of families all over Kenya - all over Africa even - with the HID/AIDS pandemic taking so many working age adults.
Kids cannot go to school. Although schooling is free, children cannot attend unless they are wearing something approaching school uniform. Most families cannot afford this, especially when there are several kids to equip.
