Computer training began yesterday at UCRC. There are six 2 hour lessons in a day, with around 15 students attending classes Monday to Friday. That means only 3 or 4 computers leftover for the many UCRC staff to use in their day to day work. Things are hectic, and it seems like everyone including Julian and I, have a million things to do. In the midst of the chaos I'm getting lots of quiet time when there's nothing to do until a computer is available.
In one such quiet moments, Victorine, was sitting beside me at a large wooden table in the library reading the Nation, one of Kenya's daily newspapers. She glanced up from her paper and told me that she was applying to do a distance education course in Business and Administration. She is 5 years younger than me, but has had two kids (one, Macy Milke is only months old and still breastfeeding). Together with her husband Charles, Victorine decided not to have any more children for now, and instead to focus her energy on her own career development.
I asked her what opportunities there are around Ugunja for someone with business administration skills. Youth usually have to leave for the city in order to get a job, because of little opportunity around Ugunja, though it is a rapidly growing town. Victorine plans to use her Business Admin skills at UCRC for several years, but thinks that eventually she’ll leave the area and find a job in another NGO, a business, or a government institution.
Victorine said that compared to most around here, she is privileged to have the chance to study and pursue her career goals. Partly it is thanks to her equal relationship with her husband, that Victorine has these opportunities. Charles and Victorine are part of a small, but growing minority of young people approaching their marriage in new ways.
They live in town away from their “dala” (home compound) in the village. They have no extended family in town to turn to for childcare support, so Charles cares for the children during the day while he runs his business in Ugunja. Victorine laughed and said he will even sometimes cook lunch for himself and the kids – something quite rare in a local married man. Neighbours used to laugh at Charles when they saw him doing woman’s work like fetching water or even, when Victorine had recently given birth, doing dishes, but he ignored them. Now some of the men around their rental housing compound have also taken on some of their wives’ tasks.
Earlier in the day the Victorine and I were getting a description of the UCRC library ready for the new website. Most people around here see books as only useful for school or career development. Victorine knew all to well, before listing off all of the things most woman do during their days – working the farm, fetching gallons of water, fetching firewood, preparing meals, scrubbing dishes, doing laundry by hand, and watching their children – that woman’s responsibilities leave little time for reading. Men might have less chores, so more opportunity to read, but since most of their leisure time is in the evening, the lack of electric light makes it difficult for them to read.
Victorine, and other staff at UCRC love reading. George, the IT coordinator told me about how Luos love literature. He recommended a bunch of Kenyan writers to me, and I’m making my way through the list.
It was good to have a close chat with Victorine. I’ve been missing talking to women. I’ve had some great talks with Betty too, usually when I’m helping her to wash dishes or prepare dinner. But what with language barriers and the busyness of the women around me, these talks are not as often as I would like.
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Funny things overheard during computer training:
While George was teaching students to save files he approached a student, pointed at her monitor and said “Can Jesus come and save that too”
When Paul was teaching students how to choose “No” in a dialogue box, he said “Say no” and a bunch of students said “No”. Paul said, “Not with your mouth, with the mouse!”
