A day at the garbage slum

What a day!
Woke at 6am this morning, got ready and set off to town to jump on the matatu. Arrived at Nakuru for 9am and i was met by Ross(volunteer) and Pastor(a kenyan volunteer). We had a few jobs to do before going to the slum, this was to organise with the local supermarkets to get public support for our project. We are making up tins to go at each checkout to collect money, but first we have to get permission(which we got today) next we will design and make up the tins. They have also agreed to have our box that we have also designed and made up to collect clothes/shoes and sanitary pads. When we finally arrived at the slum it was extremely hard to take it all in and i was very chocked up. Ross had previously explained to me but its totally different when you see it for yourself. The family's that live there were all picking through the rubbish including children as young as five, there are thousands of flys everywhere you go, rats skins piled up high and pigs running all over eating the garbage. We were greeted by the kenyan family's and Pastor showed us around. Myself and Maddy rounded up all the girls and took them away from the slum to a local field to play games and distract them away from their daily dutys. Whilst Ross took the boys to play football. I have left my toys with them and have warned them(the adults) not to sell them and that i will check each day to ensure they stay there. I have told the children if they look after them i will bring more. At 12 it was lunch time for them and i spotted a garbage truck coming in, they all rushed towards it to grab the fresh stuff. We walked with them to the sorting area. Men gathered around the sacks as another poured it out. They sorted out what to them was edible and what they could not eat they chucked to the pigs. Myself Maddy and Ross stood watching in astonishment as the children picked up bits of chicken smothered is shit and ate it. How do people live like this! Going around the local town showing pictures that we had printed, bare in mind its just up the street from the town. People had no idea about the slum and that people are living like this they seemed shocked when they saw the pictures. But how can they not no...I think they choose to ignore it as its out of there hands. I feel somthing good is going to come out of this project and we are all dedicated. We have Pastor whom lives in kenya and we can trust him. It does not stop here we are going to make somthing positive happen i can feel it and i am proud of everyone who is pulling together to make it happen.