Blog Posts for Katie Burke

Eight Times As Clear; Ten Times Louder!

Katie Burke — Wed, 21 Oct 2009 00:36:39 -0700

Last month, I attended a panel presentation at the Mechanics Institute Library in San Francisco, led by Ivory, Bob Cauthorn, and Mark Coker. The topic was "Plugging Into Digital Publishing: Where Do Freelance Writers Plug In?" The content was informative, all three panelists were engaging, I left feeling energized to publish online, and [reader: mentally insert other assorted praise ...

Pen Pals

Katie Burke — Sun, 27 Sep 2009 22:21:03 -0700

Evelyn emailed me on Friday, to let me know she received the letters I sent to Celestine and Lawrance. Evelyn told me they were very happy to receive their letters, and that she took photos of each of them holding her/his letter. She will attach the photos to the return letters that each of them writes me.On Friday, a lifelong dream of mine came true. When I was a child myself, I watched the ...

Mzungu!

Katie Burke — Sun, 20 Sep 2009 23:46:38 -0700

(Originally posted on Karibu Kenya on June 29, 2009.) "Mzungu! Mzungu!" the children on the side of the road shouted, as they pointed at us, their eyes full of light. With stray goats and chickens taking over their space on the vast expanse of the dirt, they expressed only joy, beaming the truest smiles I'd ever seen.Evelyn, our friend from the Ray of Hope, clued us in to all the ...

Defying the Odds

Katie Burke — Mon, 07 Sep 2009 22:36:56 -0700

I saw their "homes" - well, not theirs in particular, but those of a few classmates at Ray of Hope, their unaccredited school. All the dwellings I saw in Kawangware look the same to me - corrugated tin, dark inside, highly unstable, and not at all insulated.Without electricity, food, or water at home, I wonder how the children I met this summer subsist. Thankfully, Ray of Hope feeds ...

To Kill a Lion

Katie Burke — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 23:02:55 -0700

(Originally posted on Karibu Kenya, June 3, 2009.)We are on retreat at a beautiful lodge, with several small Maasai villages surrounding us - the nearest, from what I understand, being about 20 miles away. Out in the open air, I feel so far away from the densely packed slums we've left behind. I am grateful to be resting, even as more sadness sets in: I won't see the Learning Centre children or ...

Children of Africa Hope Center

Katie Burke — Tue, 28 Jul 2009 22:10:21 -0700

(Originally posted on Karibu Kenya, June 1, 2009.)We returned to Riruta United Methodist today, which transforms on weekdays to the Children of Africa Hope Center: an unaccredited school and former orphanage that educates and feeds approximately 250 children, who would not otherwise eat or learn. Their admirable vision is to ultimately serve 5,000 children.After spending the morning at the Hope ...

Riruta

Katie Burke — Sun, 26 Jul 2009 22:05:07 -0700

(Originally posted on Karibu Kenya, May 31, 2009.)Today, we celebrated at Riruta United Methodist Church, located in Ngong, a neighboring slum to Kawangware. Reverend John and his wife Anne - who is also the Executive Director of the Riruta United Methodist Women Community Based Organization - are on the progressive edge, with their inspirational work championing the rights of LGBTQI people in ...

Saying Goodbye

Katie Burke — Mon, 20 Jul 2009 23:27:18 -0700

(Originally posted on Karibu Kenya, May 30, 2009.) Today, we said goodbye to the Learning Centre children and the Ray of Hope staff, but not before taking the children to the Nairobi National Museum in the morning and to a local park in the afternoon.The Nairobi National Museum is beautiful - spacious, with beautifully designed exhibits and a well-told history of Kenya. As we walked into an ...

Near-Death Experiences, and Then Dancing.

Katie Burke — Sat, 04 Jul 2009 00:00:46 -0700

(Originally posted on Karibu Kenya, May 29, 2009.)I spent most of today with Baraza - Ray of Hope's Coordinator - and my teammate Robin. We took five million buses and matatus to travel fifty feet ... or so it felt. I didn't mind at all, as I was excited to see the big city of Nairobi, having spent the previous seven days in Kawangware, the slum I've come to love, but not the only part of Nairobi ...

The Power of the Purse

Katie Burke — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 23:47:52 -0700

(Originally posted on Karibu Kenya, May 28, 2009.)This morning, several women who utilize Ray of Hope's feeding program and/or HIV support group sang, danced, and performed theatre for us. Elation abounded during the song, as our Glide team members were each called forth to join hands and dance with various women. Here, I'm not a "white girl" in the sense that I am in my home of San ...