"You have come at the right time"

I am extremely tired and in need of a shower. I have been out all day. But let me start with yesterday:
I was starting to get rather bored on my fourth day spent mostly in the house, so I was excited when my host Steve suggested in the late afternoon that he take me to my church and to the fairgrounds nearby where the displaced people were staying. Things had quieted down quite a bit - people were out, going about their business, and there was traffic (though not as much as usual). Everything seemed to be quite normal - that is also what Kenyans are longing for, to get their lives back to normal. Though the political situation is not resolved, they are trying their best to resume their everyday life.

Jamhuri
Many of the people from the Kibera slums whose houses have been burned have moved to the Jamhuri fairgrounds (Messgelände). This place is ideal because it is only used once a year but has all the facilities (Anlagen, Einrichtungen) needed for them to stay there: halls and buildings to sleep in, toilets and water. Different organisations and churches have come in to help organise the distribution of food and other necessary things. Nairobi Chapel has also been involved in collecting food and clothes for the displaced people.

Steve knew about the situation at the fairgrounds and decided that I might as well go and help there instead of sitting at home, so that is where we went yesterday afternoon. When I got there I was very surprised and happy to meet a number of people there whom I knew. They all work for African Enterprise, the organisation that had hosted the outreach I was part of two years ago. They were just as surprised since even those who knew I was coming did not know when I was arriving.

"You have come at the right time," one of my friends there said. "Most people back home would say exactly the opposite, " I replied. But I agree - I believe that I have come at the right time. There is great need here now on many different levels, and even after the political situation is resolved, there will be many people who are suffering from the effects of what has happened. "When elephants fight, the grass suffers," an African proverb says.

The Challenges of Trying to Help
So today I was at the fairgrounds again, trying to help with whatever was necessary. There are about 2'000 people staying there, and the challenge with such a situation is the coordination of all the people involved in helping. Another challenge is the fact that there are always people trying to take advantage of the help being given, going back into the slums or onto the street with the food or items they have received and selling them.

What did I actually do today to feel so tired? I was supposed to help with "logistics" which is everything and nothing. It took a while for me to figure out what I could help with as there was no clear direction. The main thing I did was to help register the people arriving who wanted to stay at the fairgrounds. This gave me the opportunity to use my little bit of Swahili - especially my numbers when asking how many children they had! After the registration I helped in the office, entering the names into a list and typing up the minutes of yesterday's coordination meeting. So, actually I do not know why I am this tired!

Tomorrow is church and I hope to get hooked up with the pastor responsible for the interns (25, by the way!), since I have not heard from her since arriving.

News is on soon and I have not heard any news yet today, so this is the end of my blog for today!