Nairobi insights

About to leave Nairobi, I thought I'd give you a little insight of what I have actually been doing here.

My experience has been pretty amazing and far from what I expected. I have been working with African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC), an NGO working to promote and enhance research about health in Africa, carried out by people from various African countries.

They just moved into a beautiful new campus and there is some really impressive research and work going on inside - and outside -  that building.

My main task at work has been to conduct a literature review that will function as part of the research proposal that we are preparing over the next couple of months. The plan is to start a worldwide study on development of 'healthy sexuality' (what ever that is) and relationships through the transition from childhood to adolescence. There is more or less no data on the age group 10-14 years concerning this particular field. It's not what I have been working on before, but burying myself in the literature has been pretty fascinating. Thank god I never (?) have to go through puberty again. Oh the horror.

I have also gotten to experience the Nairobi traffic phenomenon. Here, driving 2 km during rush hour can easily take 2 hours. Some people sleep in their cars overnight because they are stuck in the jam. The city has tons of roundabouts - there to relief the traffic - but there are no rules for how to enter or leave them. So it is a common struggle for life and death trying to make your way into the lanes. 

Not my picture, but it gives a sense of what I am talking about.

However, some roads are strangely quiet. Like the last part of my way back from the bus each afternoon.

 

Lastly, I have done a couple of field trips - together with friends as well as work - to the Nairobi 'slums'. A more formal way of describing slums is 'informal settlements' and although I have worked in and visited such settlements, simply visiting for a day always makes me feel very weird. I guess I don't like the touristy part of it. There is so much happiness among many people living under such conditions, but still so many challenges impossible to grasp if you have not grown up there yourself. My instant reaction is always 'what can I do'; I feel powerless just observing and now having a mission. I guess the take-away message is that it really underscores my notion of having  chosen the right field and that I hope to use my education to make an impact in the future.

Community health workers (CHW) outside a youth center in Korogocho

Condom stock in a public maternity health care clinic

We met some truly original people in Korogocho. One example being a retried nurse with his own private health clinic consisting of a small house-like box. He almost crushed my hand with his handshake while explaining that he is an ex-army officer. The sign outside told about 'efficient circumcision at low prices' and 'emergency delivery', all carried out under the roof of the box. The nurse suffered from diabetes, couldn't hear on one of his ears and had trouble with his sight. He wore a nice white coat with the word 'doctor' written on the back. I guess if worse comes to worst, anyone can be anything.

I also got the chance to visit the youth-organization 'Maono' that my friend Kha works for. They engage young people of all ages in art, music, acrobatics, dance and drama, in Dandora - a Nairobi slums with extremely hostile conditions for young people to grow up in. One way of battling circumstances such as crime and violence is to find other ways for young people to express themselves. Many Kenyan acrobats and hip-hop groups have emerged there and 
Kha is one of the most famous rappers.

Street dancers in practice.

View from Maono office.

Monday is my last day in the office before I enter the 25 hour trip back to Charm City. Some places of Baltimore are not far from Korogocho, to be honest. Let's see what these four last months in the MPH program brings.