LCA, Kenya 2017

As many of you already know, I will be spending the summer working in Migori County, Kenya with (LCA) Lwala Community Alliance. During the duration of my stay here in Lwala, I will be researching the use of e-Readers (i.e. Amazon Fire's) in primary schools in two models. The first part of the study will be exploring a library model for year 5-8 students, and the second part will analyze the use of e-Readers assigned to specific classrooms of year-7 students (tracked longitudinally). Given that, I will transition the blog to my current research on the ground over the next few months, but will continue to reflect on local policies surrounding the use of these e-Readers and ICT throughout Africa.

Over the past three days, I have traveled roughly 40 hours, most of which involved long plane rides and drives over bumpy roads. Today marked my first full day at LCA, which included plenty of meetings, handshakes, and disseminating information. Since my last time in Kenya, I sorely missed the chai and chapati (akin to a tortilla) which accompanied our lunch. Given the very rural location, we have been blessed with gorgeous weather and views of the surrounding countryside, and the staff has been generous enough to provide us time to settle and see the local area before getting to work next week.

In just the short time that I've been here, I've been met with enormous hospitality and care, despite my obvious gaps in Swahili knowledge (I'm pretty rusty) and social customs. In many of our meetings, social customs and culture became part of the conversation, especially as it relates to ongoing community projects. For example, while it is customary for men to be in the operating room or nearby when I mother gives birth, here it is frowned upon and considered 'taboo.' While it may seem a small gesture, it serves as a reflection of the role of fathers in pre/postnatal and maternal care. Many of the issues surrounding the community are very culturally based, and as such progress has been slow because of the ingrained nature of many ideals.

However, the way that the community has come together around LCA has been very promising, and the results have been outstanding. Not only is LCA involved in public health and education, but also economic development and vocational training. During our tour of the facilities, we were able to visit the place where training and mentoring for girls takes place. Much of the vocational training targets textile goods, (shirts, dresses, backpacks, wallets, etc.) Almost immediately mentors picked out a bowtie for me, which I embarrasingly failed to tie over the subsequent 5+ minutes. Eventually, with the help of the mentors, I got the bowtie on, which had everyone laughing. Despite the hiccup, the mentors showed their patience, knowledge, rapport with the children, and warmth, and I'm looking forward to spending more time with them in the future.

Although I just arrived, I'm very excited over what the next few weeks will bring, and I can't wait to share more of the work and experiences along the way!