Friday, June 27th, Visit to St. Nicholas Children's Home and School.

Clinic work done, Jackson picked us up at 9:30 am we headed to St. Nicholas Children’s Home and School, Karen.  Unfortunately Canon Naomi was away but we were welcomed by the school’s manager and head teacher who were eager to show us the updates that have occurred over the last year.  We first met in the Diocesan offices, had tea, and then headed up the path to St. Nicholas.  We were first taken to a classroom where 40 children or so, met with us.  They were all dressed in blue track suits.  Apparently an American supporter had purchased these for all of the children and this is their uniform on Fridays.  They sang us a song and had various other interactions with the “visitors”.  Staff and students are very appreciative of the dispensary that we keep well stocked.  The dispensary with bandages and medicines saves many costly trips out for treatment.  The social worker who runs the dispensary, can also call Dr. Stanley, relay symptoms, and then dispense whatever he feels is necessary.  We presented back packs to the children, made by the St. James’ Sunday School.  We continued our tour, visiting the 8 new classrooms, finished this year.  These classrooms are bright and airy, with new desks, chairs and blackboards.  The washrooms in the new building are very modern and clean.  It is impressive to see the advances they have made in the four years that we have been involved.  The children appear very healthy and happy.  The school continues to sell purified, bottled water as one of their fundraising efforts.  We left feeling quite satisfied with the progress at St. Nicholas, relative to the newly identified needs of the school children and orphans in Bungoma.

School Manager, Head Teacher, Ruth, Rosemarie and
Rev Makokha, as we present the Diocese Office with picture
of St. James' Church picture, entitled "Looking Up".

Plaque comemorating opening of new classrooms.

Front door of new building.

Old classrooms on the left, new on the right.

Courtyard in the new building, total eight new classrooms.

Updated (upgraded) bathrooms.

Bottled Water, fundraising project.

Bottled Water Project.

Rosemarie being thanked for bringing backpacks
from St. James' Church, Sunday School.

Student reading letter from St. James'
Sunday School.

Students display backpacks.

  We then visited the Karen Blixen Museum, set in Karen Blixen’s home (you will remember this from the movie “Out of Africa”).  Spacious house and beautiful grounds.  We had a lovely lunch at the new Karen Blixen Café located just down the road, at the site of her plantation manager’s home.

Karen Blixen's home.

Photo of Karen Blixen with her dog.

Lunch at the cafe with Jackson.

Next stop was the David Sheldrick Wildlife Trust-Elephant Orphanage.  Being foster parents already we were allowed to visit at 5 pm in a relatively small group.  As the babies and junior elephants came in from the forest with their keepers for supper (bottles of milk and alfalfa leaves),  it was basically a stampede, as they realized supper was waiting for them.  Both of Fran’s current fostered elephants have graduated to areas in Kenya where they are slowly introduced back in to the wild.  Fran fostered the newest arrival for her nephew Robert and Ruth also signed on. 

Here come the young elephants, on to supper.

No help needed with this bottle of milk.

New baby Mbegu, whom Fran fostered for her
niece and nephew.  Tired after a long day in the forest.

I love my keeper!!!!!

Returning to MGH, we tried the Orchard Restaurant, located in the Methodist Conference Centre next door.  The food served was less than stellar and sorry to say we won’t be returning there.