Equator, Nakuru and Street Kids

Kenya lies right on the equator and we passed from the north side to the south side on our way from Eldoret to Nakuru this past weekend. You can see me with my friend Jen who's also a Pediatrics resident from Indiana. After making this stop we proceeded the rest of the way to the city of Nakuru which is the 4th largest in Kenya. We stayed in the city but next to the city is Lake Nakuru National Park which is a great place to go on safari. I saw many animals - rhinos, waterbuck, giraffe, baboons, hyenas and even a couple of lions among many others.

The safari was a lot of fun but one of the most interesting things about this past weekend was actually the time spent talking with individual we hired to drive us to Nakuru and then through the park. He’s one of the employees of the IU house and is from Kenya. In most large Kenyan cities, Eldoret included, there is a group of homeless kids and young adults that are called “Street Kids.” You see them everywhere in busy areas of town and they usually approach you begging for food or money. Kenya doesn't have the established social system with shelters and support for homeless children that we see in the United States, so this is a rampant problem. What was so interesting this weekend was our driver, Francis, used to be a Street Kid after both his parents died when he was 1o years old. He lived for 4 years on the streets in Eldoret. He said Street Kids usually find enough food by eating spoiled food and going through the trash but when they ask for money will often just use it to by drugs. Francis was able to move beyond this past and is now a productive member of society, married with a couple of kids. I think a lot of this was in part because Dr. Joe Mamlin (basically the founder of the program I'm involved with here in Kenya) gave him a chance and allowed him to work for him. Now in fact, Francis actually has taken in two street kids whom he supports in addition to his wife and own children. It was so fascinating watching him interact with these kids as they came up and begged him for money knowing that he was in the same situation earlier in his life. Also amazing to think about what he has overcome and how much different his life is now. Plus, he was an incredibly nice guy, who, without a lot of education had a lot of inciteful and intelligent things to say about the Kenyan education system, health care, government, and culture. I really feel like the most valuable part of the weekend was not the safari but really meeting and learning from this incredible guy!