The following is the sixth in a series of journals written by members of the SRU Athletes for Forgotten Angels service group chronicling their trip to the Hekima Place orphanage in Kenya. All entries in the journal can be viewed at the Forgotten Angels page.

Day 6 (Written by Noreen Herlihy)  |  Photo Gallery


We hope you have been enjoying our daily journal entries and getting a tiny glimpse into our adventure here at Hekima Place. This blog tonight will be a bit longer, none-the-less, enjoy.

Let me first start by sharing that the meaning of Hekima is wisdom. Kate Fletcher (founder of Hekima) is an amazing woman. Getting to know her over the past few days has been a true joy. She is a strong, determined woman who is not afraid to speak her mind. She is tough and disciplined, yet shows tremendous compassion and love for these girls. She has done a wonderful job, not only with taking these kids out of poverty and often-unspeakable circumstances, but she insists on making sure they are educated. As importantly, she empowers them to love themselves first and foremost, and love their sisters here at the home, all of which paves the way for them to move forward in a positive direction with their lives. With "Mums" living on site in each of the houses, chores assigned each day, older 'sisters' taking care of the younger girls, etc..., the intent is to mirror as best as possible the sense of family and community.  This is a place where they can feel loved and safe.

As we are getting more familiar with our surroundings, we are learning more each day from the local people. Here are some of the points of interest we have learned: Kenya, from what we are told, has a population of 40 million, of which 20 million are under the age of thirty. It is said that the middle generation was basically wiped out during the HIV and AIDS epidemic. That is simply astonishing.

The official language here is English, but the national language is Kiswahili, also the common language for the 42 noted tribes in Kenya. All the girls at Hekima speak the native tongue, but Kate requires them to speak and learn English, and they do so very well. It's all a part of their development and preparing for their futures.

Across the road from Hekima Place, live the Maasai tribe. They are herders, wear a custom red outfit called a shuka, which looks like being dressed in a red blanket. They move from country side to country side and live on raw meat, milk and the blood of animals.

On our travels yesterday, we saw lots of donkeys among other animals. On the dirt roads and dirt sidewalks, it is common to see people, cows, donkeys and goats all sharing the same space. The majority of the donkeys are used as work animals and that was very evident to see. The taxi driver told us that the donkeys actually get a month vacation each year. They are sent to a certain part of the countryside, and feed on a specific plant that is medicinal in nature so that they are healthy returning to work. And yes, he was telling us the truth.

We have met other volunteers here staying at Hekima Place. Mark Rucci (Italian name, but I am working hard to bring out the Irish in him), and Molly Parson (a self-proclaimed jack of all trades) from North Wildwood, N.J. Both are cousins of Kate Fletcher and have seamlessly blended in to our group. Also here is Janette Mo Gesholt from Skien, Norway and Christina vaksdal Eriksen from Arendal, Norway. They are university students studying child welfare in a multi-cultural society. Everyone is getting along really well and late evening conversations are always interesting.

Today, we went to The David Sheldrick's Elephant Orphanage Project, raising baby elephants (up to five years old) and baby Rhinos, and watched the baby elephants being fed. Basically, these are elephants that have been rescued from various areas in the country. Baby elephants cannot survive up to the age of two without their mother's milk, and if orphaned in the wild, will die. Those that are rescued and brought here to the nursery are taken care of and fed with milk that is closest described like baby formula. They can't use cows' milk because of the fat composition, as it cannot be digested. This formula the baby elephants are given was researched over a 28-year span. Elephants weigh 80-100 kilos at birth, and up to seven or eight tons as an adult and have a life span of seventy years.

The two main reasons why these baby elephants are orphaned is 1) human wildlife conflict and 2) poaching. The human wildlife conflict started when humans started taking over the land that the elephants would simply roam, cutting down the trees, building structures, and growing crops. When the elephants arrive in these areas, they can damage the crops and structures, and this leads to the conflict.  The Mother elephant will fight back to protect their young, but most often succumbs to death at the hands of humans. Poaching is where they are killed so that the elephant's tusks can be cut off and sold for profit. While one might wonder how we can help, it is a simple choice: don't buy ivory or anything like jewelry or accent pieces that has been made from elephant tusks. No market means less elephants will be killed.

On a lighter note, elephants do have a perfect memory. It is said that if you blow into their trunk, they will remember your scent even after ten years. These orphans stay in the nursery for three years and then are reacquainted into the wild. It takes most elephants five years to acclimatize, but it can take some up to ten years depending on the circumstances of why they were orphaned in the first place. The work this foundation does is nothing short of impressive.

We also went to the African Fund for Endangered Wildlife Kenya today and we had the distinct pleasure of being able to be up close and personal to the giraffes and feed them. Most all of us put a piece of giraffe food (pellet) in our mouths and the giraffe simply took it from our mouths. Now that was something to experience! We also learned that the warthog and the giraffe travel side by side in the wild, an unusual friendship indeed. The warthog is probably a little bigger in size than a pig so it's lower to the ground but it has excellent hearing. The giraffe is high up and has excellent vision and they use both abilities for protection in the wild. And who says animals are not smart!

Once the girls finished school, playing in the yard was at a premium again. It is so wonderful to hear the laugher of these girls whose personalities become more evident every day. Dinner was at 6 p.m. and after dinner homework is done until bedtime.

So for now, cheerio, and thanks for joining us on our journey!

Shoutout to all the SRU Athletes!

Nakutakia siku njema!  (Have a nice day!)

- Noreen