Headed Back To Kenya

• Post-election violence in Kenya has prevented 2,391 HIV-positive people from accessing antiretrovirals, the country's National AIDS Control Council recently said. (2/28/08)
  
  
• Over a month after Kenya’s disputed election, the repercussions continue to be felt throughout the country. According to the Kenyan Red Cross, more than 1,000 people are thought to have been killed and 300,000 displaced. (Doctors Without Borders, 2/6/08)
  
  
• According to a 2007 UNAIDS report, HIV prevalence in Kenya has decreased from a high of 14% in the mid-1990s to 5% in 2006. Mutie said that if the violence is not "urgently contained, we expect a sharp increase in infections and death of patients due to the poor conditions in the camps and lawlessness that makes it easier for sexual offenses to be committed." He also noted that the economy will suffer as people who cannot access their medicines become ill and are not able to work. "If the situation does not go back to normal, Kenya is going to suffer very much in the fight against AIDS," Mutie said (Business Daily/AllAfrica.com, 2/25).
  
  
• About 1,000 people in Nairobi have been infected with HIV since post-election violence broke out. (The East African Standard, 1/29/08)
  
  

Despite these ominous headlines, I am excited to know that I will be stepping off on an airplane in Nairobi next Friday evening. Some may say to themselves, ‘Is he crazy?’ And my response would be, ‘yes, of course I am.’ However, that has nothing to do with my desire to return. It is hard to convey the peace and calmness that I feel in knowing that I will be able to reunite with friends overseas. The gratification and personal growth that I gain in doing volunteering allows me to be more effective in my local volunteering here in Portland.

In the 2 months that I’ve been home in Portland, I’ve had the opportunity to rest up from volunteer commitments for the first time in 6 years. My return is something that, deep down inside, I think I knew I would have to do as long as my health allowed. Fortunately, I can say that I am probably in a better place health wise than I have been for several years. Those massive doses of antibiotics seemed to have had the added benefit of boosting my immune system. My family and friends are mostly supportive (albeit still a little worried) about my return. I hope that they understand the intrinsic drive that feeds my work at the international level.

The programs are going to be slowly starting up during the month of April, but really won't take off again until the middle to late May. It will be interesting to see what has happened on the ground since I left. From reading the paper online each day, it seems that things are returning to normal. I'm sure there is still much uncertainty in terms of resolving all of the political/tribal issues, but there is an understanding that it needs to be done. It's also good to know that the US Embassy has lifted their travel warnings. Stay tuned for my new entries.