Being Taira..........Being Helpful?????

There is a fine line between helping and enabling. I am still learning where that line is here in Kenya. In my first few days at the orphanage I noticed a baby sitting outside in a wash basin, barely able to hold it's head up. One of the cooks from Sadai told me the baby (named Patrick) was sick and needed an x-ray for suspected pneumonia. I met the women I thought was the mother of the baby but turned out to be the Grandmother (the mother is a young girl who comes and goes) and through Moshila I understood that she did not have the funds to take a matatu to the bigger hospital that has the x-ray machine let alone the funds to pay for the procedure. I offered to help as it was only thought to be around $12.00 Canadian.....but then x-ray fees had gone up and there was medicine and a blood test and more medicine. I didn't mind helping, the women even offered to kill me one of her chickens for doing so....I didn't want payment I was glad tobe able to help. One week later, when I sitting up at the hospital waiting for Kelsey, the Grandmother appeared sporting baby Patrick on her back. She had been at the hospital for Patrick's check-up. He needed more medicine and she came over and handed me the prescription and said you buy. I don't know why but I suddenly felt I was being taken advantage of. This might have something to do with the fact that Patrick's Grandmother runs a tea house, (aka bar, where she sells homemade brew) so I know that she has some money. It also may be because as of late many children and adults have accosted me with I am hungry.....give me candy.....or give me money. They throw the word "Sponsor" out at every occasion! Everyone and anyone wants you to be there sponsor....even the guy where I did a few photocopies asked if I would sponsor him so he could expand his shop and fill his shelves with paper; or the man who sold us corn for the orphanage, wanted to know if I could sponser him as a runner.

I spoke with Grace about this and she said this is becoming a very big problem in the hospital too. So many of the poor just sit and wait for someone to help them. When they come to the hospital, they don't want to pay the 10 shillings (25cents), which covers the cost of seeing a Doctor and most medicines (if available). Because Grace is involved in so many groups and knows so many people, they often use her name assuming they will not have to pay. It puts her in a really tough spot with her colleges as well as her bosses.

This sense that white people.....all white people are rich and therfore should be taken advantage of is all pervading. This especially true on when riding the matatu. There is one price for the locals and one for the white tourist. Even the other day when I was traveling with Grace's sister, Momma Ronnie, she said she would pay for me. The wrangler (guy who takes the money) didn't know she was paying for me the white woman so when we got off and he handed her her change he kept an extra 10 shillings. Or should I say he tried to keep and extra 10 shillings(about 25cents).......she nearly pulled him off the moving vehicle before he finally gave her the money. And when I told this to Grace she said she too had once paid for Kelsey and when the driver asked Kelsey for her money (doubled by the way) Grace told him that Kelsey was the extra fair she had already paid for. The wrangler then asked her "Momma why are you doing this.....I could get more money from the muzungu, she is rich!" To which Grace replied, "Do you know her? She is my daughter and she is not rich!" End of conversation.

Just so you know I have bought the medicine for baby Patrick and I am happy to say he is getting better but I do wonder when I am gone who will foot the bill then?