Hi All, Amy and I have been visiting Mtwapa for almost 10 years now and that got me thinking about some of the things which now seem completely normal but were the most surprising / exciting things when we first arrived. For me, I think that transport is one of those areas.

The vast majority of Mtwapa's residents do not own their own car but instead use the vast array of public transport options which cater for both short hops and long journeys. In this article I'll talk about a few of the most popular options which are part of daily life for our kids and their families.

Matatus

Probably the most common and useful form of transport in Mtwapa is the Matatu. A Matatu is a small public bus which officially holds 13 passengers although if the traffic police aren't looking the number has been known to rise (on a particularly busy day we had 32 people on the bus).

I remember the overwhelming sense of trepidation I felt the first time I boarded a Matatu, worrying that I would not be able to squeeze my way through the cramped and crowed bus to reach the solitary free seat at the back or that as a newbie I would end up paying way over the going rate. But with time, the whole process has become normal and I can now slide my way into a tight spot (and almost always avoid sitting on another passenger on the way) and, now that we know the standard costs (which have been raised only once in 10 years), paying is simple too.

For our kids, matatus are a way of life. For any journey that takes them out of Mtwapa it's likely a matatu will be used and there seems to be no restriction to the amount or type of luggage you can carry - over the last few years we've seen a sack of live chickens, 50% of a motorbike and chainsaws without a guard (which handily slides under the seats).

Boda Boda

Matatus are great, but they can only get you so far. There is a large main road running through Mtwapa (see the photo above) which is made of tarmac but the majority of roads running into the residential areas are rough dirt roads and many are not wide enough for cars nevermind matatus. This is where Boda Boda come in.

Boda Boda are bikes (or more commonly motorbikes) which can be flagged down almost anywhere in Mtwapa. They charge a flat fee of 50 Kenyan Shillings (about £0.40) and will take you anywhere in Mtwapa; with a little negotiation you can go further afield but it's not to be advised as a bike on the main road is very exposed to the wrangling of the matatus and lorrys.

The first few times we came to Kenya we would generally try and avoid boda boda as we could never be sure if the rider would have much experience or even own a licence. But there were times where there were very few alternative options and we had to bite the bullet. Before long we were bouncing through the winding streets of Mtwapa holding on just a little too tightly!

Although the boda boda are officially allowed to carry just one passenger it's not uncommon to see the rules be bent a little. When demand is high it's not surprising to see 3 or 4 adults crammed onto a single bike. More recently the traffic police have cracked down on over crowding but that doesn't stop the riders being ambitious with their loads and a particularly note worthy sighting was a broken motorbike strapped to the back of another motorbike - how the rider wasn't continuously pulling a wheelie I'll never know!

Over time, the number a quality of riders has increased and we now regularly hope on the back of a bike if we're tight for time or are going a particularly long way. They are generally pretty safe (on the back roads) and you can't argue with the price!

Boda Boda have a really interesting history and got their name from carrying goods across the Ugandan border (Border Border became Boda Boda). The BBC World Service made a radio show about Boda Boda earlier this year and I'd really recommend giving it a listen if you're interested.

Tuk Tuks

To anyone who has traveled through Asia or parts of Africa, the Tuk Tuk will be a familiar sight. The slightly odd 3 wheeled vehicle combined with a noisy (and often underpowered) engine which provides it's name.

Tuk Tuks are used when ever a bike cannot carry the load but the destination is not on a matatu route. Tuk Tuks are my least favourite form of transport, they lack the speed and agility of the boda boda but provide little in the way of comfort - especially when they are a little older and their suspension has seized up!

Their saving grace is capacity, they take 3 passengers (sometimes a few more) and as much load as can be piled on top of the canvas roof. We have used tuk tuks when distributing nets and food parcels and we would not have been able to do it any other way. Some ingenious people have modified tuk tuks to make them into light goods vehicles - coke cola have a fleet of these which keep fridges stocked all over Kenya!

There are obviously more types of transport (coaches, taxi and handcarts to name a few) but these are the most popular ways to transport people in and around Mtwapa and it's not an exaggeration to say that the combination can be used to get you almost anywhere in Kenya... for not very much money!

Richard

Hi All, It has become something of a tradition for us to hold an event to welcome new children on to the Milele programme and celebrate the achievements of the children who have been working hard all year. In the early days these tended to be small events held at school with a few sodas and a pile of sweets but as we have grown, so have the events. This year we wanted to add in something a little bit special.

Every child has made amazing progress this year whether it be academically or socially so we decided to hold a prize giving celebration to let the children and their parents know just how proud we are of them and their hard work. Rieder called each child up and spoke a little about the progress they have made throughout the year and presented them with a certificate commending their hard work and a celebratory cake.

Emmanuel received a special award for being so exceptionally hardworking all year and in Rieder's words 'being perfect'. He has really focused on his studies and is showing great progress but he has also made a special effort to look after his books, uniform and school bag and has an impeccable attendance record.

We were also really lucky to also have Emmanuel Kai attending the event so he was able to speak to the rest of the sponsored children and share some of his experiences of University. We are so proud that he is being such an amazing role model for the other students and doing amazingly well at university! I'll post an update about his university life in a separate post.

Once everyone had received their award and a big round of applause, we celebrated with a huge amount of Pilau, Kachumbari and sweets before jumping into the swimming pool! There was so much Pilau left over that each family were able to take a zip lock bag home with them! (Thanks for packing the zip locks Jan!)

Thanks to the sponsors who donated so we could run this event!

Richard

One of the biggest differences between Kenya and Europe is the attitude to safety. If a well needs to be dug then it will be left uncovered overnight, if a drill needs power then bare wires will be pushed into a socket or if a child's pencil needs sharpening then they will use a razor blade. (These are all things we have seen over the past few years) All of this means that accidents are common but unfortunately, help is not easily at hand as ambulances are rare and it is uncommon for people to have first aid training. This got us thinking, would it be possible to train prominent members of the community in basic first aid skills which may be able to save lives if serious accidents occur?

As Amy has recently qualified as a Nurse and just completed her advanced practice training she decided to reach out to healthcare professionals and see if anyone would like to come to Kenya to teach first aid. We were very fortunate to meet Janet who has been a senior nurse for many years and was super keen to come to Kenya and help out.

Whilst here, Amy and Janet (with a little assistance from Georgie and myself) will be teaching first aid classes to teachers and carers from a number of different schools, kindergartens and children's homes. We have already ran sessions at Victory Academy, Casuarina House and Utange Baptist Primary School which have proved to be a huge success. Over then next week we have a number of other places planned in and hope to have taught around 100 people the basics of first aid.

Richard

Last year I started writing a series of articles about businesses which were being setup in Mtwapa with help from Milele business grants. Having arrived back in Kenya a couple of weeks ago we went around to find out how things had been going. The biggest success story has to be Fauzia (Mother to Ummy) who has been running her cookery business for the entire year and is still going really strong. She continues to cook three times a day and has been able to support her family with the profit she has been making. Fauzia is the perfect example of how a business grant can work, providing a small amount of money upfront enabled her to purchase the basics she needed to get started and then her skills and passion made it work!

Khadija (Mother to Saidi) got off to a great start and had been running a profitable charcoal business via a local shop for over a year. Unfortunately she started to pay into a ill-fated saving scheme which collapsed just before her pay out was due, this put her into a really difficult situation which meant she was unable to continue operating. We have spent some time talking to her about what happened, whilst we are here we will be working with her to improve her financial planning and try to find an alternative business for her to run in the near future.

The final story I have to tell is about Isaac's Mother; we originally helped her to setup a cafe business which was going well until her landlord decided to redevelop the plot which she was using. This was a big set back and we were really disappointed to see all her hard work go to waste, but we needn't have worried. Mama Isaac regrouped and adapted, she took the profits from her cafe and bought the ingredients needed to make soap and bleach which she now sells around Mtwapa. Building on this success, she has started to make pillows with recycled materials and foraged cotton pods which she plans to start selling (for a tidy profit) in the near future. Not content with 2 business plans, she also collects any small glass bottles she finds on her travels which she cleans (with her bleach) and sells. I have honestly not met a more dedicated business woman in Mtwapa and it just goes to show that if you have the will to succeed and a positive attitude there can be opportunities everywhere!

Richard