Kakuma Day 1

How to describe what I saw today. I think the best approach is to start with the facts. After arriving at the camp and meeting the staff, we were ushered into the office of the Camp Director, an employee of the Kenyan government. It was a rather surreal meeting. We all introduced ourselves, and he proceeded to talk for a few minutes about what the Kenyan government is doing to help refugees, and how groups like the IRC are a critical part of the process. What was strange was that it felt as though we needed to pass muster in some way in order to be let into the camp (not that there’s any entrance, btw). I guess in the end we were there to pay respects, but it had a very odd feeling. Then we drove through the camp to the IRC office. Refugees everywhere, all of them walking or riding bikes, all of them looked like they were going somewhere. Many people in traditional dress (I was told they were mostly members of the local Kenyan tribe who live in this area), and many in a mish-mash of western clothing. Everyone looked at us as we drove past, but no one seemed to pay us any particular mind.

Next, after a brief stop at the IRC offices, we were given a few minutes to freshen up in our rooms. We’re staying in a UNHCR guest house. The rooms are spare, but there is air conditioning and a mosquito net. After regrouping at the IRC compound again, we were off to see the hospital, which is one of the larger components of the IRC’s program in Kakuma. What a drive. The roads are abysmal. Even in a Land Cruiser, we had to slow down to a crawl every 20 feet or so to negotiate a large hole. Even when it’s relatively smooth, the jeep shakes like it’s about to fall apart. The main impact of all this, besides loosening everyone’s teeth a bit, is that vehicle maintenance is a major issue. Land Cruisers last about 4 years, and these are about the toughest vehicles you can get.

The hospital is very impressive. We were given a tour by the head administrator. They have just about all the services of a modern hospital, and provide services to everyone in the camp. They also run 4 clinics that are located in various places within the camp. What I was most impressed with were the Kenyan staff who run the place (and most of our activities in Kakuma). Many of them are highly trained professionals who have chosen to work in one of the most difficult environment on earth. And they are all incredibly positive and hard working.
After the hospital, I came back to spend a little time with Nenad on some of the IT issues in the Kakuma office. The most significant issue, of course, is bandwidth. They can’t afford what they have, and that isn’t even sufficient. We talked with the local IT staffer (who’s based in Nairobi and comes to Kakuma every other week or so) and discussed various options, none of which are particularly good. They also have issues with inconsistent power, dust, and, of course, the typical IT issues of replacing old equipment, tracking what people have, getting them the latest software, etc. One interesting issue we uncovered was that they can get to any website except www.theirc.org – our own website! Very strange. The best theory is that the ISP is blocking access for some unknown reason. As Nenad, my International IT Manager says: It’s Africa.

After the tech session, we had lunch, and I took a much needed nap. I was feeling pretty lousy at this point, probably because I hadn’t been drinking enough water. I need to be more focused on this. After the siesta, we went to visit a program which is educating Darfurian women on basic hygiene, then went to see the location for the newly arrived Somalis. They were relocated from another camp in Kenya, and were put in the most desolate part of Kakuma. It’s really hard to imagine how these people are going to rebuild their lives, but with the help of groups like the IRC, it’s definitely happening.

Had dinner with the IRC team. We had goat, among other things, which I ate like a trooper. Luckily, there's always plenty of starch at these meals. Very tired now - must sleep...