tomorrow, tomorrow...

The last night before a big trip is always a fitful one. I'm so wrapped up in excitement and anxiety that I'm sure I'll hardly sleep at all. My last day in Canada was filled with things I won't be able to appreciate again for awhile: beautiful snow, a tofu sandwich, sushi and a long, hot shower. And of course seeing friends who I will miss dearly. But although I will miss all of these things, I've been aching to return to Kenya, and will be ecstatic once I finally arrive.

My first introduction to Kenya was through McGill's Canadian Field Studies in Africa program, in 2005. CFSIA allows students who read and attend lectures about international development, anthropology, biology and geography in a classroom to explore those subjects in the field, to gain firsthand knowledge and interact with a variety of fascinating people. That first trip allowed me to form great relationships which I still value to this day. It was on the CFSIA trip that I met my boyfriend George. George is the chairman of Mathare Roots, a youth group dedicated to community development in Mathare slum, specifically tackling issues such as HIV/AIDS, drug abuse and environmental degradation. Unfortunately, the youth group's activities are somewhat on hold at the moment until Mathare becomes more calm.

In 2006, through McGill's Arts Internship program, I returned to Kenya to work at Indigenous Information Network, an indigenous rights advocacy group. IIN helps to coordinate community-based organizations at a grassroots level with larger national and international organizations, for the purposes of lobbying and fundraising. Lack of infrastructure makes it difficult for small community groups to coordinate with each other, as well as access services offered by the government and international organizations, so that's where we come in. Many of our partner organizations are small groups working to encourage education in the community, achieve economic independence (i.e. developing a source of sustainable income without having to rely on outside donors), to preserve traditional languages or cultural practices, to assert land or environmental rights, or to achieve gender equality.

We serve mostly rural populations, who are attempting to maintain semi-traditional lifestyles and identities while integrating themselves into the modern state. IIN publishes a magazine, Nomadic News, with articles by members of our partner groups, chronicling the challenges and success stories of their communities, and of indigenous peoples on a global scale. We run scholarship programs for young indigenous women, conduct trainings on skills such as grant and proposal writing, and help organize conferences on issues from land rights to desertification to fundraising for women's rights. It's quite the busy office, and we always seem to be involved in a few dozen projects at once. I found the experience to be challenging and frustrating, but also a lot of fun, and very fulfilling.

This year I will be working with IIN again, this time with more of a focus on women's rights. I don't know exactly what I'll be doing, but I'm hoping to work on the website (somehow -- it's difficult when one is so technologically challenged), help organize conferences on sexuality and fundraising for gender-related projects, and do some writing for the magazine. I'm sure that no matter what I end up doing, it will be an amazing learning experience.

Of course the post-election instability has been very disruptive to all of my friends in Kenya and to my plans. It is unclear to me how much work we will actually be able to get done given the current political climate. Kofi Annan is supposed to be facilitating mediation talks tomorrow, so perhaps something will come of it. In the meantime, those wishing to help can donate to organizations such as the Red Cross, who are providing relief efforts to those who have been forced out of their homes during the conflict. Another worthy and timely cause is Canada-Mathare Education Trust. So much of the violence in Nairobi has been concentrated in the slums of Kibera and Mathare -- areas where gangs are active, and people have limited means of venting their frustrations and anger in the face of a botched election. Supporting education initiatives in this area can allow residents more options in terms of employment, which can in turn improve living standards and benefit the community at large.

I can't say that I'm not a bit nervous, but I do have good contacts and caution on my side. I leave tomorrow -- here's hoping it all goes smoothly. I'll update again on the other side to let you all know that I've arrived safely. Forgive me if this entry was a bit disjointed, I feel as if I'm suffering from jetlag already!

Hopefully another update will come on Friday. If anyone would like email notification when I post, please leave a comment with your email address, or email me at kdearham(at)gmail(dot)com, and I will let you know when the posts go up. For you el jay users, there is a feed here.