Monday was a day of firsts for me, personally.
We started early, with a van-load, and headed for Tumaini Clinic in in Korogocho slum - I'd never been to either place before, so thankfully we were following the lovely Ceri who manages the clinic. Traffic was nuts, and with all the new roads and roadworks going on I wasn't sure what was where and where was who! At one point there were 8 lanes of traffic going our way, 1 coming the other and people in the middle going every which-way. Added to the chaos were matatu touts who were directing traffic in order to let the matatus through. I decided to ignore their directions (because it would mean being separated from Ceri) and boy did I make them angry! I've never seen a Kenyan so angry, let alone 5 of them!They even tried to push us out of the way (while the car was in gear, with the brake on, and no-where for me to move to)!
At the clinic we were given a tour of the facilities and had the processes of the outpatient clinic and maternity clinic explained to us. We met a day-old baby and her mum and were able to 'pack drugs' for the pharmacy. We had a short walk through the slum, which was a quite confronting and heartbreaking experience for all involved. Just before we left we prayed for a lady who was struggling with her delivery. I think I can speak for everyone and say it was a morning of mixed emotion. For me personally, it was nice to finally see the clinic which I've heard about for years, it was, as always, difficult to see the conditions that some people live in day after day and it was wonderful to see brand new mums and bubs being cared for and supported in such a practical and life-saving way.
Thankfully we got home without much incident (unless you count getting slightly lost in the city - it's not my fault they took away a roundabout and replaced it with new roads!)
