Communicating in rural Kenya: cell phones & the Internet

(Editor' Note:  I just discovered I never posted this blog entry while in Kenya.  Apparently I was having Internet connection problems when I wrote it, just after arriving in Migori by cross-country bus from Nairobi.  Now that I'm home, I want to post it, but also add a postscript.  Looking back, I was surprised how easy it was most of the time to connect to the Internet in Kenya-even in rural areas.  Kenya's communications industry has done a great job  getting Kenyans "connected" by building an extensive cell phone network throughout the country over the last few years.  It seems nearly everyone has a cell phone or access to one.  This means you can connect to the Internet through the phone system if you have a WiFi modem for your computer.  Although many rural villages like Bware are just starting to get limited electricity (e.g. none of the six schools where we conducted screenings have electricity yet), many adults in Bware have cell phones.  So how do they get their phones charged if they don't have electricity?  Well some people have solar chargers while others use a cell phone charging system Kate discovered---she took her phone to a little shop where she paid a small fee & left it overnight; in the morning it was charged.  She thinks they used some type of car battery system to charge the phones.  So just like in the USA, having a cell phone lets people connect to each other, conduct business, and even pay bills using a system called "M-Pesa."  All in all, pretty cool!)

So this is the blog I originally wrote 9/27/12:

Having lots of trouble connecting to Internet so won't be able to post as much as I hoped unless problems can be worked out. Have been unable to connect to Internet using my tablet computer using the Internet modem purchased in Nairobi. (Editor's note: I discovered that although I had the correct modem, no phone card had been purchased to "charge it up."  Once I did that, the modem worked fine).  Tonight using a friend's computer but connection is slow. It's just started raining outside but it's nighttime-8:30 PM, so it's not a problem. Arrived in Migori in western Kenya yesterday after 7 1/2 hour bus ride. Passed through gorgeous country inc dry Rift Valley-saw herd of zebras, lots & lots of small cattle & goat herds being tended by men or boys. Also lush countriside as we climbed in altitude; lots of banana trees, sugar cane, corn, tea. We're staying in two cottages in Migori on the St Joseph Mission Hospital campus.  Will write more later.

Personal safety in a developing country

Upon our return to Vancouver WA, friends ask:  did you feel safe during your visit to Kenya?  Our answer:  yes, we felt safe & we didn't experience any scary incidents during our visit.  However we were encouraged to be aware of our personal safety & to take precautions .  Ray of Hope organizers urged us not to go into town alone at night & to walk in groups whenever possible.  If one of the women on the team needed to walk home  to their lodging nearby after dark, another team member always accompanied them.  In Migori,  a high hedge and gate protected our housing compound on the St. Joseph Hospital property.  The gate was closed & locked at night & a guard was stationed just inside all night long.  We were reminded to lock the doors to our house when we were gone during the day, but also at night while we were sleeping.  In Bware, our host family lived far off the main road.  Nevertheless, they had a steel door with three deadbolts they slid into place each night after everyone was ready for bed.  In Nairobi, the nicer homes in the more affluent neighborhoods had walls surrounding their property, topped with broken glass &/or barbed wire, steel gates with guards, and sometimes security cameras.  During our stay in Migori, we learned a female Peace Corps volunteer was raped.  However, most alarming to us was an incident that occurred on our last weekend in Migori.  Alice, our wonderful cook & housekeeper, was held up at gun point on her way to work!  Her assailant stole her money & cell phone but she was not injured.  Occasionally we read in newspaper about incidents of political violence.

We're concerned Kenya may experience a repeat of the 2008 violence that occurred after their last national elections when over 1,000 persons were killed and over 600,000 persons lost their homes as a result of ethnic violence.  The Kenyans we talked to don't expect a repeat of this level of violence when national elections occur again in March 2013.  They believe Kenya's new constitution, adopted 2 years ago, will head off any repeat of violence.  However, with over 40 ethnic groups in Kenya, many who are distrustful of other groups, additional violence is definitely a possibility.