An Eduation

I've learnt a few things while being out here. I've learnt that lion in Swahili is simba - which is funny when you think about it as the protagonist in the Lion King is coincidentally named Simba. I've learnt that if you leave a window open and there is food in your vehicle in an area which is densely populated by baboons, one will get inside. I've learnt that in Kenya many pubs and hotels are attached to butchers shops (a business model I don't think will catch on in the UK). And today I learnt some 'facts' about lesbianism from a life skills class book. I learnt that lesbianism is painful and dangerous. I learnt it is delicate/can tear off (that is 'Lesbianism is delicate/can tear off'). I learnt that lesbianism is only practiced in boarding schools, jails andjuvenilee school. And that girls often become lesbians due to fear of being approached by boys.

On Thursday, Friday and today we were at the Hope for Victoria Children (HOVIC) centre, frequented by David Walliams as it is run in partnership with Comic Relief. They provide shelter, food, accommodation and healthcare for street children in Kisumu. They approach children on the streets offering them a way out. Many of the children are orphans, some have been abused by parents, step-parents, siblings or other relatives and 'escaped' to the streets where some of them as young as 8 had to beg and scavenge for scrap metal. Many were addicted to glue.

The boys at HOVIC are between 8 and 17. They're all full of energy and full of banter. Many were keen to play, others to learn (I did a few informal maths tests) and some just to sit and talk about their experiences. We also did a bit of touching up of paint work in the centre, spoke to the centre nurse about the issues faced by street children and also visited the womans shelter (where the above 'facts' on lesbianism were learnt).

The existence of HOVIC is in fact only half the battle. KOP and Comic Relief do not pay for children taken into the programme to go to school (although we've been told that primary education is free, in actual fact it isn't due to book and uniform charges and some 'levy's'), so many children rely on sponsorship. I was asked by a couple of my 'mates', as were most other people. Additionally, the resolution for many of the boys is to be reconciled with their parents/relatives, however many of the boys do not have this option (they are dead) so are at HOVIC indefinitely.

On Saturday we travelled to the second most popular national park in Kenya - Lake Nakuru. We saw some pretty funky animals such as zebra, lion, giraffe, rhino and flamingos. It was cool. And then on Sunday we went to another of KOP's projects called VIMA and had a little garden party with children who were on their programme receiving food and schools fees. As KOP is still a young charity, it would be nice to see some integration between the different local programmes supported, possibly allowing the boys at HOVIC to benefit from VIMA's school fee programme.

Finally, on Sunday I got my haggle on and bought some tourist tat at a local craft market before going to Lake Victoria to see some hippos and watch the sunset. The sun looked big.