Back to 'Normal', whatever that is.

As the morning alarm went off this morning, I felt like I was in a daze. Dreaming that I was home and just about to get up, and get ready for a full day at work.

That moment when you realise the alarm isn't part of your imagination, but actually a genuine sound that is trying to wake you from a deep sleep.

As I drove to work, and saw all the children walking to school, in their clean uniforms, and their nice new shoes, I couldn't help but feel that the children I have left behind in Kenya, are doing exactly the same, but with a few subtle differences.

It's funny to think that I was only there for one week, and feel like I have left a part of me behind in a new place that felt like home.

I genuinely believe that everyone should have the opportunity to go and see Africa, to experience what I did and impact the lives of children, just by being there.

It's a strange feeling to fall in love with something, and the people so quickly, and then leave them behind, some in desperate situations that you naturally want to save them from.

I thought I would be happy to come home, back to normality, and in some instances I am, to see my Husband, my puppy and my family and friends, but whilst I was out in Kenya, that felt completely normal to me, and I am sad to leave it behind.

I hope that through the footage that we produce from the trip, that we can give you a true picture of our experience, and inspire more and more people to take action against child poverty, in any country.

Please don't forget to follow us on Twitter and Like us on Facebook too.

Gem x

My Final Thoughts - Jim

Hi All.
I have once again taken over Gem's blog to put virtual pen to paper and record my thoughts via the media of blogging!

As I type, I am back home with my family having just enjoyed a lovely roast dinner and looking forward to an afternoon of snuggles and games, a far cry from the week that has just past.

Let me just finish off the experience of the week. On Friday morning we headed out to the other side of Eldoret to visit the last school that the Solomon Project feeds, Atnas Kandie. Whilst we were over that side of town Able, our driver/interpreter/tour guide from Mary's Meals, had arranged a visit to an orphanage close to the school called Huruma Children's Home.

This orphanage had been set up to take in children who were living on the streets. It only takes children passed on to them by the local authority and they house about 80 young people ageing from 3-25. Their goal is to get the children off any drugs or glue that they may be on and into school. The home then hopefully become's a safe environment where they are encouraged as they grow up. The home was pretty much empty when we arrived, as most of the children were in the local school. But there were about 4-5 kids playing out in the yard.

We were shown around by the manager of the house, Livingstone, and were told about the state of the children when they take them in. He introduced us to the children who were around, Jospeh...

Isaac...

and Joy.

There was one more lad, but he moved too fast for me to get a photo. His name was Rooney Eric. We laughed and joked at first as I am a Man Utd fan and it had become a common way of engaging with the kids in the school as many of them are football fans! Some even commented that I looked like Van-Percie, something that I embraced! We enquired as to if Rooney had been named after the United player and the answer completely floored me. Livingstone told us that a number of the children who are found on the streets are orphaned or abandoned at a very young age, some therefore turn up without a name. The local authority workers then give the child a name and in Rooney's case they were a United fan. This broke my heart.

Livingstone then told us the background to a number of their cases and how the children end up living on the streets and some of these reasons were due to family break down, the families being too big to sustain or parents/guardians dying. The striking thing here was that for some of these children their parents are still alive and living close by, but the children living on the streets can sometimes have a better chance of survival working as a group than if they stayed at home. They look to make money by selling plastic bottles and bags for recycling. They find food by approaching local hotels and restaurants  for left overs, or looking through rubbish. They also beg on the streets in the town centre. When they don't have enough they would look to drugs or glue to suppress their hunger.

The orphanage were doing a great job at looking after these boys and girls and getting them back on their feet and in to school. Just before we left something very unexpected happen, Livingstone started thanking us for all the work that the Solomon Project does. At first we didn't understand. The Solomon Project doesn't fund the orphanage or fund their food. He then went on to tell us that because the Solomon Project has put food in the local school 70 of his 80 kids are fed at lunchtime. This is food that he would normally have to buy as they would return for lunch. His food bills have halved and indirectly this is because of the Solomon Project.

We then went to visit the school.

This is the second of the schools taken on last September, so the feeding program has only been working here for the last year. The deputy head met us and showed us round the school, which has just over 2000 pupils. We were introduced to a number of classrooms and even a couple of classes that had hard of hearing pupils.

We then meet the kitchen team,

And then watch as they fed 2000 pupils in under 10 mins! It was crazy. They were lovely kids as well, I went around with my camera to film some of the feeding in progress and every single one of them wanted to be on film or have their picture taken. They all asked me "How are you?" and waited for my reply.

The joy in this school was tangible and they were clearly very grateful for the food that was provided, all the way from the senior leadership right down to the youngest child.

They were also little superstars when it came to video footage, only too willing to sing all together when I pointed the camera at them or to show me their dances moves!

From there we waved our goodbyes and shouted "Tuanami" (goodbye/see you later in Swahili) and headed back to get our bags packed in time for flying home!

So my final thoughts... Oh what to say...! How do I put across to you everything that I've seen, heard and experience in the last week in a couple of sentences? Where's Gem when you need her? She'd know what to say!

I think for me, the thing that really hit home is just what a difference the Solomon Project is making to the lives of not just the children it feeds, but the community in which they live. We heard stories of numbers increasing in the schools, in one case from 1300 to over 1800 within just one month of the feeding program starting up. We saw exam results that rose drastically in the year that the food was introduced in to the school. But not just that, we saw how the Solomon Project's presence reduced a children's home's food bill. We saw how the feeding program being in the school made it more appealing to funders for new buildings, classrooms & toilets. And we definitely saw how these beautiful children had boundless energy, enthusiasm and character.

One of the comments that we had made to us before we left was "how can my giving £17 really make a difference" and the answers we clearly all around us during our visit. By supporting this amazing project you are changing these young people's lives. They do not need to go begging on the streets to find food, they do not need to be addicted to glue to suppress their hungry, they do not need to be fainting in school because of their hunger, their families do not need to find that extra bit of money to be able to send their children to school with some sort of meal. They can get their education, they can concentrate during school time, they can have energy to play sports and they can respect themselves and have the chance to better themselves. You can make a difference.

What I am not saying is that this project will sort all of the problems in Kenya, but it's a start!

I'd like to thank the people that made this trip possible and I hope that we do you proud with the footage that we've gathered. I'd also like to thank all of my work colleagues for their support whilst we've been away. And I'd like to thank you for reading this and the past entries too and I would encourage you to get involved in the Solomon Project. That doesn't just mean giving money, there's loads of ways to get involved, even just sending someone the link to this page is helping spread the word, or looking out for innovative fundraising events like the supper club that my friends Al and Rachel (Who visited the Solomon Project a couple of years ago) have set up - the link is below. But in any case get involved!

Anyway I've got to go... Tonnes of video footage to start editing!

Jim

Solomonsupperclub
www.justgiving.com/Gem-Vaughan-Heys

My Final Thoughts

Well, that's it. It's all over, and we are all back safe and sound in the UK, getting ready for an early
night. What a fantastic, eye opening trip it was.

I thought it would be good for us all to share our final thoughts of the trip, Steven and Jim's to follow shortly.

It's been somewhat of a roller coaster for me, over coming personal challenges and barriers, and realising things about myself that I never thought possible. I am braver, yet so much weaker than I thought I was. I mean, I didn't freak out when a Grass Hopper made a home in my hair, and that is not like me at all.

The fantastic thing about the whole trip has been the ability to recognise the positives in desperate situations and to take encouragement from that.

I found many situations tough, like the complete disparity between the rich and the poor, the age of orphaned children who have had to fend for themselves from such an early age and the stories of the children who have not yet been lucky enough to have been positively affected through the feeding program.

There were times that I had to question things, as the problem is so vast, that the feeling could be of hopelessness. However, I realised there is not one single solution to world problems, each problem should be tackled with a sensitive bespoke approach. Working from the ground, alongside the people who need the help the most.

I am proud to say that The Solomon Project feeding program has seen a huge number of additional benefits to a child, other than that of nutrition. Children are coming off the streets, rehabilitating themselves from Drugs, excelling in education and attracting addition funding from other bodies to grow and develop the in school resource. Which, I have to say was probably never part of the original strategy, but creates such a natural synergy that it works so seamlessly.

I really feel it's time to think big about The Solomon Project and making people aware of both the problems and the solutions to child poverty in Eldoret, Kenya. This is why, it was a great privilege to work alongside some extremely creative colleagues out there, to capture the moments to share globally. Creating a virtual window in to a global world.

I am so happy that people are getting behind The Solomon Project and helping to make a difference to the daily lives of children in Eldoret, and I now have a heart to do the same.

Seeing the children has given me the pleasure of having my heart broken, as healing comes from a broken place first.

Hope you look forward to Steven and Jim's final thoughts, in the meantime you want to follow or like us, use the links below

www.facebook.com/SolomonProject.co.uk
www.twitter.com/Solomon_Project

Once the travel blog is over, we'll still update it with information on the progress of the Solomon Project, so don't forget to keep checking back.

Gem x

Feeling Uplifted

Wow! What a great day. We went to visit 2 more schools, one of which, Sosiana Primary School is the newest schools on the feeding program. 

The Solomon Project has been running a feeding program in Sosiana since Sept 2012, and brings the number of schools being fed through the project to 5. Which means, we are feeding an average of 9,000 children from all over Eldoret. 

As we were driving to the school this morning I suddenly thought to myself, I don’t think I can deal with being upset again today. Let me explain, whilst I have been out here, I have been eating like the children, one meal a day most days. With the exception of a few snacks in between. 

Many of you who know me will know that me and hunger do not go very well together. In fact we are absolute enemies. So, hungry and tired I was thinking how much I couldn’t cope seeing the children, hungry, hurt and all with such sadness in their eyes. By the way, hunger also makes me emotional. 

I sat back in the car thinking, I feel awful, I have a headache, I feel sick and I’m tired even though I have been sleeping. These children have that every day, and unfortunately not through choice. 

However, when we pulled up to the school, slap bang in the middle of Eldoret Town, a bustling, busy and very noisy area, the school emitted a sense of peace and calmness. Boasting beautiful lush gardens and stone built classrooms, not wood and metal like we have been seeing. 

Now, I am not feeling uplifted because the school looked nice, or was any different to the other schools. It is because we are able to feed more children, more hungry tummies, and see more smiling faces. All because of kind supporters, like you. 

I am feeling uplifted because, although I saw sadness and poverty and heard stories of abandoned children and child labour, I also heard that 50 children in school are street children, who are excelling in their education. 

I feel like I have made new friends, and seen something amazing happen in the transformation of these street children, to responsible members of the community, and for that I feel proud that the little I have done to help, as should everyone who works so hard day in day out to make The Solomon Project a success back home in Sunny Clitheroe! 

“Do what you can do, and do it well. Because if you judge a fish on the ability to climb a tree, it will forever think it is stupid” 

Baby Alex

Away from the Solomon Project, we are staying in the Open Arms Village, a children's home for abandoned street children.

One child you may have heard a lot about is Danson. His story is incredible. Addicted to Glue at a young age, abandoned and with no one to look out for him. Saved by luck through the kind heart of Rose Lancaster, and brought to the Open Arms Village.

Danson is now 15, top of his class and wants to be an Engineer when he grows up. He can also run a 4min mile. I challenged him to a race, but I bet you will all guess correctly who will win.

There are hundreds of children here, all in school, very well behaved, and thankful for the people who have helped them get off the streets. It has a real sense of calm in the village, unlike the slum schools. Although, across every child and young person in the whole of Eldoret, their respect for their teachers shines through every time. Perhaps because of their eternal gratitude towards them.

So, on to this evening. I had the pleasure of meeting the gorgeous Baby Alex.

Alex is 4 months old and was abandoned at 24hours old.

The story is, for some babies are born due to incest and are either sold or killed, these babies are called Taboo babies. `There are quite a number of these babies staying in the Open Arms Village, luckily none have congenital defects associated with Incest.

At 4 months old Alex has spent all of his life in Hospital, born prematurely and now still only weighs the same size as a new born baby.

I must admit, I fell in love as soon as I saw his tiny feet, hands and big brown eyes.

Although this post is not directly related to the work of The Solomon Project, I really wanted to share with you the fantastic work that Open Arms do in saving children like Alex each and every day.

Hope you've enjoyed the blog so far. Keep checking back for more updates.

www.justgiving.com/gem-vaughan-heys

How Long's A Long Drop?

Let me explain... A long drop refers to the toilets in the majority of Eldoret's schools. The "drop" indicating that there is no physical toilet, just a hole in the ground and the "long" being the distance to the bottom of the hole! Whilst we were at Racecourse school I found myself needing the toilet, so I asked where I should go, and was directed toward a small building with no windows and just the one "long drop".

I should at this point tell you it's not Gemma writing this post, it is me, Jim! That now known, those close to me will not be surprised that I have started my first ever guest blog post talking about a toilet experience!

Let me continue... This one small room, with a hole in the floor, had a door, but it had come off it's hinges and was covered in cobwebs, and I mean covered. Not only that but I had a quick look around to find that all of the corners of the walls were in the same state. Despite this, the room was filled with small flies and mosquitos! I then looked down to find out the source of the flies. The room was covered in human excrement. The stink hit me and it was this moment that I had a realisation of just how good we have it in the UK. There was no toilet roll, let alone a toilet. There was no running water to flush and certainly no basin to wash your hands in afterwards.

To save you, and mainly because I did not hang around very long, I did not take a picture to add to this post, but this is the world in which these young people are growing up.

Although the Solomon Project does not focus on sanitation but rather the feeding of these children, since our time in Eldoret we have seen that the Solomon project does not just affect the bellies of these children, but actually it makes the school more attractive to potential funders. An example of this is the biggest school, Langas, who just recently have received funding for a new toilet block, 4 new classrooms and an I.T. suite from 3 different funders, but all credited to the fact that the Solomon Project are feeding the 2900 pupils, which in turn raises their attention spans, concentration levels, and overall well being. This was not expected but was an absolute joy to find out that the Solomon project, and the money donated by it's backers is making such a great difference to these young people.

Anyway, on to today, Day 3, Wednesday 25th September.
Today we headed out with Ruth Major, from Open Arm International, to a feeding project that they run on the outskirts of a slum called Kambi Deso. The aim of the day was to film the shots that would tell the stories of these children living in the slums.

These guys do not go to school at the moment as they are usually faced with the dilemma of being hungry, but want to be educated. In this match hunger usually wins. The days of these children would usually be spent begging on the streets, foraging the dumps for food or being sent out to work to earn money for the family so that they can eat. Normally schools do not provide any sort of meals or school dinners. There are no free lunch places, so if a child wants to go to school they need to bring their lunch with them, which is hard if there is no food in the family home, or ignore their hunger and get on.

For some education wins out, as that is how you better yourself here. But we've been told many stories by teachers and pupils of how children would regularly faint during lessons and some even having to be rushed to hospital.

The feeding program run at Kambi Deso provides the children with a meal each day whilst working with the parents of these children to teach them life skills, business skills and take some of the pressure off the parents, many of whom are single and not working (or just working casual jobs), to provide for their families. The aim is the then get the children into school, where the food is provided and the children can hopefully excel.

My job, as a videographer, on this trip is to capture some of the essence of these children. Their nature to want to play, learn, sing, dance and have their photo taken! But also to capture the harder side of life living here in Eldoret. Today, for me, has been the hardest day. So far we have met thousands of children being feed by the Solomon Project and a huge majority of them are still living on the streets or in the slums, but they are in school being fed and being educated (the mission statement of the The Solomon Project). But today was the first time that we came face to face with some children who's families were not in the position to be able to send them to school. It was the first time that I did not have broken English spoken to me and it was the first time where the stories told to us were not stories of the past, but stories of the present.

This was heartbreaking, not least because it made me think of my two girls, Lydia (7) and Natalie (8). These guys are just children, much the same as my children, my niece and nephew, children of my friends and children that I see in school that I know back home. They do not chose to live in the circumstances that they find themselves, but find it very hard to change those circumstances.

This is why the Solomon Project is so dear to my heart. Over the last four years I've worked on numerous videos and presentations showing the project and trying to communicate the difference that the money donated is making, but I never understood, until my feet hit Kenyan soil, the absolutely life changing difference that the Solomon Project makes to the lives of these 4-17 years old. It takes a very hard decision, find food or go to school, and makes it a very easy one... Go to school and be fed!

If you give, or have given to the Solomon Project... Thank You. If you haven't then please consider joining us and giving these young people a leg up!

Cheers,
Jim

Be Deserving

So today we visited two schools, on The Solomon Project Feeding program. Kipkenduo and Race Course Primary school. 

Each have around 1000 -1400 children in the school. 

Today has been actually one of the toughest days for myself so far, and for the rest of the team too. 

The first school, Kipkenduo is where an old man won the battle for the right to an eduction, and became a First Grader at the age of 84. His fight was to revolutionize the way the education system works, and make sure that everyone no matter how old or how poor they are, they deserve an education. 

Sadly, 2 years later he died. 

I saw babies as young as four walking in the mud with no shoes on, holes in their jumpers and rips in their skirts. Yet, they were thankful that they were in school and being fed. 

One child said to me “If it wasn’t for The Solomon Project, we just would not survive”. 

Look at your children, and look at their faces, hold them close and deserve their love, cherish their happiness, because knowing parents myself you would do anything for your children, and some of these kids, have no one. 

Imagine how you would feel if you could not provide food for your child, warm clothes for them and a bed to sleep in, really, imagine that! 

We all got involved feeding the children their daily meal of Maize and Beans, which is actually quite delicious. Although I did try it very tentatively, but the bit I did have was great! 

One cup, a full bowl and hopefully a full and satisfied tummy for the night ahead. 

The vice head teacher Mrs. Omguru told us all about the history of the school, and the tribal violence and the post election fights had a huge impact on the numbers of children that attended. The school became somewhat of a battle ground. 

Since The Solomon Project the school’s numbers have grown 20% and children are coming off the slums mainly for food, but are also excelling in their education.

After sampling some of the teachers food, we then went back to Race Course Primary school where we organized a mini talent competition for all the children. 

We walked in to a class room of 90 smiling faces, who were ready to show us their talents. We had a body popping singer, a choir of 4 year olds, a poet and some native dancing. It was incredible. 

It made me sit back and think, what if these children were born in to different circumstances, different place, different situation. Would they have the opportunities they need to develop their talents. Would they be professional artists or performers perhaps? 

Which then made me think, why should they not have that opportunity. Why should they not get the chance to go for their dreams. Why should they be denied the right to a life that they deserve? 

To think, these children singing in front of me could have no parents, have come from the streets, and are still here. With happiness in their hearts and a huge smile on their face. 

So this makes me wonder if I myself have been deserving of all the great things I have done in my life, for my family, husband, friends and colleagues. For my talents, and my education. Have I deserved my chances, and my breaks? 

Have I done enough to make me any different from the children I saw today. Well the answer quite simply is, no! I am no different, I am not special. I deserve exactly what they deserve. 

I think how grateful I will be for all these things that I have for the rest of my life, and make it my life’s work to ensure these children have  a quality of life that they deserve. 

To know how many children would have died without the support of The Solomon Project is incredible. So from the bottom of my heart, for everyone who is supporting us, sharing, liking and donating whilst we are on this trip, I thank you. 

www.justgiving.com/Gem-Vaughan-Heys 

A picture paints a thousand words.

Today we visited 2 schools that are supported by The Solomon Project. 

Langas Primary School, one of the largest in the county with 2,900 and 70 to a class, and Race Course School, one slightly smaller but still with 1400 children and 60 to a class.

As we entered the first School, Langas and saw the beautiful green gardens and the beautifully crafted buildings, I was thinking to myself, "This is fine, I can deal with this emotionally". Little did I know, there was still so much to see.

As we walked around the school, we felt like celebrities. Children wanting to shake our hands, hug us and find out all about us. There was a huge sense of positivity, happiness and hope.

With lots of beautiful smiling faces. 

For people who live like us in the UK and in nice homes, you could never imagine the conditions that these children live and learn in, 

I guess what I am trying to say, is that happiness doesn't come from having a lot of 'stuff', it must come from somewhere else. 

After having a tour of the school, and hearing all about the great work they are doing, and how the children are developing, we then went to see The Solomon Project feeding programme in action. 

3000 children descended on one tiny kitchen, and formed an orderly queue. Well orderly that is until Jim and I try to point our cameras at them. Then we get this... 

Children of all ages queueing for what will be probably their only meal of the day, rips in their jumpers and toes popping out of their shoes. It is incredible to think that some of these children are street children. 

I don't actually know how we all kept it together. Although, a huge sense of pride shone through because if it wasn't for The Solomon Project, and the support of local people in Clitheroe and further a-field, these children would not have anything to eat, at all! 

Each child was being fed for 8p, staggering to think of the comparisons really for school meals in the UK. 

Sat here now, I am feeling quite reflective, feeling slightly teary eyed, but coupled with happiness and hope for the growth of The Solomon Project. As there is still so much that can be done. 

So, I'll end the blog post with some wise words I heard today, 

"It takes a single positive action to improve a person for a lifetime, but a lifetime to heal them from negativity" 

I hope you enjoyed the post, and don't forget, www.justgiving.com/Gem-Vaughan-Heys