First Impressions of England - by Caroline Kiugo

In January 2015, New Country Manager Caroline came to the UK for training and to meet the UK team in Sheffield. We asked her to blog about her experience. Here is the first of several blogs on her visit to the UK.

"This is my first blog to write, all my thoughts, feelings, opinions in England for a short time will not know any boundaries. I have had so much happen in such a short time that I can't squeeze into one blog post.

This was my first time out of Africa (It always has to start from somewhere) and I was nervous as a worm in a henhouse. My friends thought I was going to get lost when connecting my flights in Dubai..... I was too. But I got to my destination safe and sound.

I always had this picture of England in my head, from the movies (Pride & Prejudice), books like Jane Eyre... I wanted to come to the land of the queen, ever since I was young, TO SEE THE QUEEN! When you grow up reading Cinderella and beauty and the beast... all you want to see a palace, the queen and squirrels on the compound. Or better yet my adult imagination made me think that it would look like.

View of Sheffield from Caroline's Accommodation

My colleague Ben, picked me up from the airport and something was unusual as we drove to my hotel. No one was honking on the roads and as tempted I was to ask him, I held back but luckily I got an opportunity to raise the question when we had to follow a cyclist, Ben wasn’t impatient, he wasn’t hooting he drove at 0 speed, in short he gave a cyclist WAY. I phrased my question on what I would have done if I was the one driving or someone else in my Country ‘I would have honked, passed the cyclist, shout at him and honk as a sign I was angry for 5 minutes’ (Old habits die hard) . He answered my question, it’s an offence to do so, its noise disturbance in England while it’s a day to day norm in my beautiful country.

We passed through this big ‘white’ park covered in snow and many white animals (sheep), it was beautiful. Although, it was a disappointment in a humorous way to see such a big park with no elephant, lions, buffalo, leopards or Rhinos or small ones like gazelles as I AM USED TO SEE IN MY COUNTRY.

I noticed everyone observed the traffic lights, the city was so quiet and in an orderly manner and that made me to recover from the matatu (local buses in Kenya) fragrance oven! Until the winter weather and its meaning struck me.

First day when the clock struck 3 am I was already awake…3 hours difference to my usual wake up time, this happened for 3 days and by the fourth day I was an English timer. I woke up not feeling my toes, curling like a cat at a corner and under a heater which was reading… heat 30 degrees. I had so many mixed feelings, emotions were running high how will I survive this weather? I promised myself to enjoy the ‘moments’ whether cold or warm, it was time to push doors that clearly say PULL!

Furthermore, adventure doesn't come without its own set of surprises. In this case winter was my adventure.

The first day to the office was full of anxiety of meeting the UK team, as we walked with Ben from St. Mary’s street to Ashland Road I was grateful for life, it's the most wonderful experience to be able to give and receive. To be able to see different things, colours, faces and places. Although I lost count of the many bars in Sheffield…

As a pedestrian you have right of way, not only can you use zebra crossing but also there were press buttons (sorry didn’t ask what they are called). They were at every sign of zebra crossing, pressing the button stopped the moving vehicles to give you right of way; when it buzzed all the vehicles stopped. (It was hilarious but the most important road technology I wished we had in our country).

By the end of the day I was grateful for so many things and people that were adorable especially Dig Deep UK team (Thanks guys), I have no idea how I would have made it through if it were not for the kindness, warm welcome from you.

The rest of week 1 went on well. Snowballing and sledging, every piece of this experience was to cherish for a lifetime. The fact that I had to sledge.... was a completely new phenomenon to me nonetheless I enjoyed it."

Caroline enjoying the seasonal weather and demonstrating some fearless sledging.

Beating the January Blues - By Ben Skelton

As our British readers may be aware we just lived through what some people think is the most depressing day of the year if you live in the UK – ‘Blue Monday’, the third Monday of January. Apparently someone somewhere has calculated that this is the most depressing day of the entire year because it’s so very cold, everyone has spent all their money at Christmas and no one has kept their new year’s resolutions.

In our office all this was not helped by our heaters breaking or the fact that we are sat shivering on the end of Skype meetings with our colleagues in East Africa who are complaining about the fact it’s ‘too hot’.

The 'fundi' or contractors, showing us the newly constructed pit for the latrines in August 2014.

So, in this depressing time it was especially wonderful to receive an email from the school management and parents of Ndanai Township Primary School who we’ve been working with for the last year. They wanted to let us know that:
“… the project has yielded instant positive results: there were minimal reported cases on hygienic problems, the learners were able to entirely concentrate on learning, and as a result, the school has managed to produce the best boy in Sotik Sub-county [the county in which the school is based]”

That was all we needed to shake the January blues. Now just need to get the heaters fixed…

The finished latrine block, January 2015.

Thank you to all Dig Deep’s volunteers and supporters as well as all the teachers and parents who support the students for making this possible.

A year of Digging Deep… Blisters, Burlesque and Boreholes - by Jessica Wood

Just a few months ago I sat at Mweka Gate looking out at the luscious rainforest of Kilimanjaro waiting for one of our student fundraising groups to reach the gate and finish their six day long challenge of conquering the highest free standing mountain in the world. I suspect I will see them all slowly walking towards me any minute now looking emotional, exhausted but ultimately relieved and excited to have finished what I am sure will have been one of the most mentally and physically challenging things they have ever undertaken.  I can’t help but feel exhilarated too whenever I see any climber reach the gate. Having conquered Kilimanjaro myself, all those emotions quickly bubble up as I laugh, cry and celebrate with our fundraisers. I watch people of all ages and nationalities skip, sing and dance their way to big group hugs in front of the Mweka gate sign to chants of ‘we made it!’ It’s clear that every climber feels as though they have just accomplished something extraordinary. Climbing one of the world’s tallest mountains is not, however, the first challenge that our fundraisers have overcome this year; to reach the summit of Kilimanjaro, they were required to fundraise £2990; half of which is a donation to Dig Deep, the other half pays for their trip costs.

Our 327 student fundraisers that signed up to a Dig Deep challenge back in September 2013 spent the last year digging deep by raising thousands of pounds for the charity… and what a year it has been! The fundraising challenges are aptly named; it isn’t easy taking on a fundraising challenge whilst at university; organisation, time management and lots of determination are key to raising money alongside studying for a degree.  However, I know from personal experience that by signing up to a Dig Deep challenge they sign up to an experience of a lifetime. Students not only get the opportunity to go on an incredible trip and forge friendships and memories that will last forever but are also able to develop or gain many new skills throughout the year.

It has been an absolute pleasure to watch our students grow in confidence as they have thrown themselves into their fundraising; venturing outside their comfort zones and getting involved in things they never thought they would. Standing in the street with a bucket asking strangers for donations or selling cakes to poor students requires salesmanship, creativity and perseverance; skills that they will need in their professional careers. They push their own boundaries by throwing themselves out of planes, jumping off cranes and performing on stage in front of their peers all in the name of charity. I want our fundraisers to enjoy fundraising as much as I did when I was at university and see it as an opportunity to meet new people, get involved in extra-curricular activities and learn how to organise, advertise and sell events. We love working with students as not only do they come up with crazy, fun and original ways to fundraise but they also throw so much energy into seeing their ideas come to fruition. We have seen some fantastic events organised by our fundraisers this year: summer fayres, Santa-cyclethons, speed-dating, comedy shows, club nights, sports tournaments and a dazzling burlesque night in which one of our fundraiser’s was brave enough to perform! On top of this, maybe for the first time our fundraisers are part of a team project and over the year and during the trek they bond in a way that is incredibly touching. At the end of each year, they come to refer to each other as families and I like to think that they have all become part of the Dig Deep family too. I know that they will leave university with so much more than a qualification and that, to me, is what makes the student challenges programme so invaluable.

It is difficult for us to express to our fundraisers exactly how much of an impact the money that they have raised has in the communities that we work with in South-West Kenya. It is probably hard for them to visualise that the money raised from a pub quiz or car boot sale could pay for a teacher training session on hygiene promotion that will cause a dramatic decrease in illness and absences amongst school children. I was lucky enough to visit our projects a couple of week’s ago and it was amazing to not only see where the money from this year’s fundraisers has been spent but how many more projects the charity has been able to fund due to the challenges programme.

One of my favourite Dig Deep projects is at a wonderful girl’s school called Kagasek, which I visited two years ago. I was taken aback by the issues that the girls faced; they missed hours of school each week collecting water from a fetid pond (that they had to pay for) and missed a week of school every month when they were menstruating due to the lack of any facilities at the school. It was hard to see the girls suffering from problems that could be so easily solved with a little help, but the commitment of the staff to change their circumstances and build a better school was overwhelming and admirable. Last year Dig Deep built a rain water harvesting project at Kagasek along with a new toilet block and the transformation was incredible; enrolment went from 50 to 150 girls and absences decreased by 85%. This project cost, which is the amount that just 5 of our fundraisers raised throughout the year. The money from the challenges will be able to fund 24 more projects like the one at Kagasek which is just brilliant.

So I would like to take this opportunity to thank our student fundraisers for their hard work and commitment to Dig Deep in 2014. Your efforts have already made such a big difference to the people we work with –I hope you feel your blisters and bruised toes are a worthy sacrifice!

First thoughts on latest visit-by James Haughton

The dust has settled on another 4 week visit to East Africa even if the stomach has yet to recover! During the trip I visited Dig Deep's projects capturing over 100 hours of media and thousands of photographs for the year ahead. Special thanks to Tina Dahmen who volunteered her expertise to help us make the step up in quality of media material the charity needs to reflect the work we are doing in Kenya. The conditions under which she lived and travelled with us were hardly ideal but she displayed her adventurous and stoic nature.

Tina battling the midday sun at Monsonik School, Ndanai

Celebrations at St Theresa's School for the Water, toilet and hygiene promotion programmes opened this month.

On the projects front we have undertaken in the last 7 months more projects than we have completed in the last 7 years. The scale is breathtaking. The impact huge. We visited no less than 5 opening ceremonies and visited around 20 schools that will soon benefit from our WASH programme. WASH stands for Water, Sanitation and Hygiene. The interrelatedness and symbiotic relationship between these three things has long been established in research.

Rain water harvesting taps at St Therasa's

Clean drinking water reduces disease in the form of diarrhoea by around 20%, having hygienic toilets reduces that further by 35% and education about handwashing reduces it by a further 35%. The approach we are taking has compound benefits. The communities around Ndanai are taking the steps that are needed to bring about change by sending their teachers to learn how to train children, by selecting the contractors to build their projects and by stocking up on the soap and materials that are needed to sustain those improvements. By assisting us to support the community you have removed some fundamental barriers for these communities to receive the education and increase the opportunities to live healthy lives that will ultimately enable development from within.

Directing the thanks to Field Officer Justus, who has been co-ordinating the programme in the Ndanai Region.

On my last trip we left a copy of our Impact Report with several communities. It was clear they had done the rounds and we were delighted as we feel its important that what we write about these distant places is read by those featured. One thing repeatedly mentioned was our student Kilimanjaro climbers. The legend of Kilimanjaro extends throughout Africa, even to villagers who have never left their county. That people would donate to charity because an individual was undertaking such a challenging and often unpleasant adventure is not quite understood. When you think about sponsorship it is quite an odd abstract idea! One headmaster pulled me to one side and said if it were his son or daughter he would pay for them NOT to have to do it. 

After a fumbled attempt or two to explain we eventually nailed it. In the UK, we explained, when you are passionate about a cause you make a sacrifice to your friends and family to show them how dedicated you are to making a difference. Promising to climb Kilimanjaro is a physical, and mental, sacrifice. The cultural chasm conquered and with much chatter the communities extended their thanks and prayer for all of the students and climbers.

Members from the Kingston and Leicester group climbing Kilimanjaro

This method of fundraising attracts some unwarranted criticism from some parts. Only we and our fundraisers know that half the sacrifice is spent throughout the year organising and orchestrating the fundraising. It requires new skills to be learnt, dedication and produces a legacy of experience that will hopefully stand the future of philanthropy in great stead. On behalf of Dig Deep we simply cannot thank you guys enough.

It is such a privilege to visit our projects and to receive the heartfelt thanks of the communities. Really though the thanks is for everyone that has donated and for all of those community members who are standing up for themselves and making these improvements on behalf of the people they share their lives with. Standby everyone for more project updates and videos than ever before. And on that note I need to get back to categorising all that material!

Challenges 2015-By James Haughton

The curtain has closed on another year of incredible support from our student fundraisers. Hats off to all of them and their efforts to raise sponsorship to take on challenges such as Kilimanjaro. This coming year we are delighted to be organizing our own trips using our experience and knowledge of working in East Africa.

By removing UK suppliers from the chain we have created a win, win, win solution that will mean that we can ensure that all the ground staff receive the very best pay possible, keep all the economic benefit of the climbs in the local economy and ultimately ensure that we receive more donations to get clean water to more people. In addition we are able to offer a better deal to our fundraisers by putting them directly in touch with local companies to arrange their independent travel after the climbs and reducing the registration fees. It’s a big move for us but so far the response has been excellent. We have 35 group leaders ready to go for 2015 and registrations pouring in after opening the portals last week.

All of this has been made possible by the support of the Kilimanjaro Porters’ Unions and organizations such as the Kilimanjaro Porters’ Assistance Project based in Moshi. Their expertise has allowed us to build partnerships with local companies that are true to our people first attitude.  We are delighted that all of our climbs this year and next year will be addressed by representatives of the organizations to give our climbers a real insight into the lives and challenges of the porters.

You can find out more about our international challenges by visiting www.climbforcleanwater.org

Thoughts on Kenyan security situation right now - By Anna Banyard

I just got back to Kenya after a month at home in the glorious British summer time. Seeing my family and my friends and my pets and almost everyone I spent time with that had the ability of speech, voiced their concerns about the security situation in Kenya and whether safe it is to be here.

Of course this is all my own opinion and is by no means a validation of security or insecurity. It’s just a subjective insight in to what it’s like to live in what may be depicted in the international media as a dangerous city. I can only generalise based on those I know and what I have observed.

Nairobi is a vibrant place where flash mobs break in to dance in unexpected places, and trucks blaring Chris Brown full of people singing and dancing crawl along the streets, and ladies try to sell you second hand Zara skirts amidst festivals, art exhibitions, music concerts, yoga centres, graffiti workshops and tango dancing. This is the norm and it all continues as planned and people always seem to be having a great time. Perhaps security is something that is on everyone’s mind, but it is by no means the only thing on people’s minds. My mind is full of all the usual issues and although security is part of the pie chart, it’s not usually the biggest slice.

Over the last three years that I’ve lived here, the threat of terror in Kenya, and especially Nairobi, has increased and in response, life has changed. However, in my opinion, not to the extent that foreigners, or people with homes outside of Kenya’s borders, are choosing to leave. Of course if a terrorist attack shakes your city people may feel a sense of post-traumatic stress that manifests as a certain paranoia, a thinking twice about approaching certain situations. We have seen this in the West too. This does not however, mean a descent in to chaos, a total lock down or a fear of leaving the house.

The Kenyan government have responded to attacks with an increase in security in shopping malls, at the airport, and just about everywhere. Life continues without a huge deviation from the norm, changes to routines are slight and tend to be manifested mostly in subconscious decisions to decide to avoid large crowded gatherings and low security areas, or not to watch that particular football match in that particular bar tonight. Yet even in these situations, people seem to be calm and composed, not obviously uncomfortable and preoccupied with worry that they may be a target.

To close I should mention that although the British Government travel warnings have to be precautionary and sometimes can evoke fear, they do also say that most visits by British nationals have been trouble free. Most relevant for Dig Deep’s Kilimanjaro Climbers travelling from Nairobi over land to Tanzania, they also note that the “FCO’s advice against all but essential travel to low income areas of Nairobi does not include or affect transit through Nairobi airport.”

Whilst it’s true that people should only travel to places they feel comfortable going to, I personally wouldn’t think twice about flying in to Nairobi and travelling by road to the Tanzanian border. Last time I took that journey I saw some of Kenya’s most stunning landscapes, people, small towns and brilliant horizons. There was even a giraffe in the road at one point.