CYEC!

After a couple exciting days touring Kenya's capital Nairobi, we have finally ventured to the CYEC lying in the outskirts of Nyeri.  I love Nyer's smaller town feel and physical environment so much more than Nairobi's.  Nyeri has significantly less people (250,000 compared to 4 million + living in Nairobi) and therefore has less pollution in the atmosphere.
The people are even more friendly and welcoming at the site than in Nairobi as well.  As soon as we arrived at the site the children greeting us with hugs and smiles.  Although the children here have went through horrific circumstances, they remain upbeat and optimistic about their future plans.  The children and staff are so inspiring...it's impossible not to fall in love with them.  I know these next eight weeks will fly by while in their company.
Since we arrived on Friday evening we have just been relaxing and getting to know the local town and children better.  Most of the children will attend primary school or high school nearby Monday through Friday. (Several of the children do not attend high school because of the fees attached - primary school is free besides books and uniforms.)  During their times at school we will work on our projects by ourselves, with the staff members, and the remaining children.  There are numerous projects which have been introduced to us.  One is a peer mentoring program which involves older students being matched up with younger ones.  Younger children at the centre need the motivation, guidance, and support to further develop.  Another program, one that I am very excited about taking over, is the Art Therapy program!  As of recently is has been dwindling so I would be thrilled to add new ideas or just further aid in the art room where youth paint and sculpt.  Volunteers from Penn State are also starting to make profiles of the children, before they leave for home, to put online for potential donors to the children or the centre.
Furthermore, I will also spend my time volunteering in the shamba (garden) helping some of the youth with their chores.  I've been helping feed and water the goats, rabbits, and cows; there are also ducks and chickens (which I stay away from).
I also look forward to working on more environmental programs in a couple weeks when another former Penn State graduate, and soon to be staff, Carolyn returns to the centre.  She would like to see trash cans returned and a new system of waste be further developed.  The waste at the centre, just like the rest of Kenya, is thrown on the ground and (some of it) collected and burned.  Everything is burned right beside the children's soccer feild and near the cow pen at the centre.  Yesterday I cringed while watching one of the cows standing in the trash pile eating garbage.  The children and staff are unaware of the damaging affects they are causing the environment, themselves, and their animals.  Carolyn and other Penn State staff/volunteers and introduced a machine (one of the only two in all of Kenya) that converts plastic to diesel.  However, very sadly to say, there is a significant lack of communication between everyone at the centre, so the machine is barely in use.  When Carolyn returns in mid-June she will provide more structure and sustainable guidance to the centre to have programs like these in better use.
This coming week I am looking forward to observing and helping existing programs.  I am also thrilled to have the opportunity to (hopefully) volunteer at a Red Cross event where we will clean street children's feet and provide them with shoes.  After volunteering at the event we will visit a neighboring orphanage and school to learn about their current programs and strategies for child and student success.