We have to caveat this blog entry by admitting how hard it was write. We have done, seen and felt so much over the past week that articulating everything has proven challenging. So, we're going to start at the beginning and describe our general expectations and initial experiences in Africa, Maai Mahiu and CTC and go from there. Long story short, all three have blown us away.

Brendan and I landed in Nairobi, Kenya six days ago, after 24 hours of traveling through three continents and ten times zones on four different planes. One taxi, one van and one day later, we were getting settled in at the Transit Hotel in Maai Mahiu, our home for the next two weeks and CTC's Kenyan headquarters.

Maai Mahiu is a town of about 64,000 people located (depending on traffic or "jams") about 45 minutes northwest of Nairobi, in the Rift Valley. It's a highway town, situated on a major thoroughfare for both safari operators taking tourists out to the Maasai Mara and truck drivers shuttling goods from the Capitol to the rest of East Africa. It's rough around the edges to say the least and driving in was admittedly a bit intimidating. However, it didn't take us long to look beyond the problems and see the potential, thanks in large part to CTC.

The CTC building is the literal bright spot of the town. It's blue exterior, green grass and treed fence line are a stark comparison to the dust, litter and cinder block that make up the majority of Maai Mahiu. Apparently, as recent as twenty years ago, the town was rich with vegetation, trees and wildlife, but over the past two decades, the influx of people to the area and the lack of environmental education and care has stripped the land.

Just inside the entry way, there is a small courtyard with eight doors, each housing a different CTC program. We cannot say enough about the efforts of the people in those eight rooms. Our first day in Maai Mahiu, we had the privilege of spending time with each department to get a glimpse of the many initiatives that make up the whole of CTC. The list is not short... Special needs care and support for parents of special needs children (great article here)... HIV and AIDS education, prevention, screening and counseling... Adult literacy courses... Waste management... Environmental education and enrichment... Youth soccer (football) and dance clubs... Health clinics... Support for grandmothers left in charge of kids orphaned by HIV and AIDS... To name a few. Please check out CTC's website for more details - they say it better than we do.

The most admirable - and perhaps logical - thing of all is that each of the programs are striving for sustainability. Boiled down, that means each CTC initiative will eventually be able to run without financial support from CTC and their donors. Even now, nothing is a handout. It's about providing knowledge, skills and opportunity and empowering people to better their own situations. CTC taught the Malaika Mums (mothers of special needs children) to sew bags and coin purses that can be sold through international partners to generate income for the Mums and help fund Malaika Kids (special needs care at CTC). The Maasai grandmothers in the GAPA (Grandmothers Against Poverty HIV & AIDs) program learned to make liquid soap, goat cheese and beadwork bracelets to support their families. And the Waste Management program educates the community about proper trash disposal and then employs youth to do the pick up. Each program currently has, or is looking for, the right income generating partner project to close the loop. We could learn a thing or two from this model.

Over the past week, CTC has not just talked about their programs, they have encouraged us to participate. We learned Swahili numbers and tried to recall percents and cross multiplication at the Adult Literacy class. We quality controlled bags for the Malaika Mums who are working hard to fulfill a big order for Whole Foods (look for them this Fall!). We met with Maasai grandmothers to bring supplies for bracelets and hear more about their needs. And, in the process, we've been welcomed into the CTC family wholeheartedly.

In just one short week, these people have made such an impact on our lives. Coming into this experience, we could not have imagined how connected we would feel so far away from our friends and family and now we can't imagine having started the trip any other way. We are so thankful to everyone here at CTC... For making us feel at home in Maai Mahiu, for introducing us to the warm people of the Rift Valley, and most of all for allowing us to be a part of this incredible organization.

We're looking forward to week two.

To learn more about our efforts at CTC and to donate toward our fundraising goal, please click here.

Heads Up: We're trying to catch up, so the next post will be up soon! Highlights to include a mountain bike safari with giraffes and an NPR correspondent and more on our special day with the Maasai grandmothers.