Gatoto computers have arrived

Two posts in one day - clearly I am trying to make best use of the good connection that I have here!

Just got news that the 25 computers for Gatoto primary school are in place. The camara volunteers arrive tomorrow morning at 6.00am (Sunday) and so training on the computers begins on Monday on schedule! The school is in Makuru slum which holds about 180,000 people most living on less than 1$ a day. Gatoto primary school is an extraordinary place run by fantastic local people. I really hope the computer lab can be a tremendous learning resource for all involved (including us!).

I am sure there will be issues - there always is - the key thing would seem to be to not shy away from the challenges!

The picture shows the raod into Gatoto school...

Arrived in Nairobi

Well I have arrived. By the far the most challenging part of the journey was to get through the enormous traffic in Dublin airport at 5.30am in the morning to get the flight to London. Gone are the days when you could arrive 30 minutes before a flight and be sure you would get it. I honestly could not believe how busy the airport was....

I am staying with the Mill Hill missionaries whilst in Nairobi. I was chatting with two of the priests this morning and was put to shame. Both men have spent over 40 years each in Kenya and had amazing stories of both success and disaster. That they had devoted their lives to serving people in need really struck me. I could not help but feel regret that people like this are not celebrated any more....

One man is heading to his home in Clare this evening. Most of his family have passed away. He will be hardly welcomed at all. Only last week, after discovering that a thief had broken into his house in Western Kenya, he saved the young man (trying to feed a drug habit) by fending off a lynching mob. He pleaded with the mob, armed with machettes, to spare the life of the thief....

Isn't this sad that people like this are not celebrated?

Anyway before I forget my phone number in Kenya is:

+254 721 239 658

Not that I am expecting you to ring but just in case you fancy texting me!

All good so far...

Gary

Penultimate day

Tomorrow I fly to Nairobi. As usual I have a million things to do before I go - somethings never change (Hence this post at 6.30am in the morning...!) Yesterday I picked up a minidisk player from Newstalk (thanks Aideen!) with the view to doing an audio diary of the trip. Newstalk might consider broadcasting the diary which would be wonderful. I just have to make sure its interesting;)

Gary

A good start!

I met one of my great hero's, Bishop Desmond Tutu, on Sunday. He was in Dublin presenting awards for the Niall Mellon Township Trust. I actually met Desmond Tutu in 1989 in remarkable circumstances. I was on my way to a Taize meeting in Wroclaw in Poland, was reading his biography 'Tutu: Voice of the Voiceless' by Shirley Du Boulay, in Heathrow, lifted my head and discovered him sitting two seats away from me in the waiting area. He was on holidays in the UK and waiting for a friend of his to arrive into Heathrow. We had an amazing conversation and he wrote something really special in my book which has meant a huge amount to me ever since. Me being me, I forgot to bring the book to the event hoping he might write something else! However, he loved the camara project and encouraged me to stay with it....a good start indeed!

Getting ready for Africa

I will be flying to Nairobi on Friday 29th June so the countdown begins. It looks like I will be staying in Nairobi for a few days to help with setting up the computer lab in Gatoto (www.gatoto.org) primary school in Makuru. I have been there before - a wonderful place.

We have had a couple of training weekends and meetings with the Kenya team - its a fantastic bunch of people and I am looking forward to spending time with them in July.

Gary