So far I have been at the Osiligi compound for two days and already it feels like home. It was sad leaving my host family, especially the kids but it was time to move on. It's funny, during my time here I have stayed in so many different places but that really was a home away from home. The compound is a great place to live and there is a lot to do. There are four Italian girls staying there, one of who is a clinical Psycholgist, so we have been having lots of long chats about the ups and downs of the job. Their English is not great so we have a laugh trying to communicate some things. Dan, the head VCT counsellor is really helping to push my questionnaires to his clients and in the youth centre. It's good to have a translator as the kids English levels in this part of town are quite low and I think the teenage boys look up to him for guidance. He is also very passionate about his work and is helping to fill me in on all the aspects of VCT counselling. It is inspiring how much he loves his job. This is useful as Jayne has said that if I come back when I graduate and take the 1 month VCT course, I can work as a counsellor in her VCT and live in Kenya for a while. Of course, I'd love to do this, perhaps for six months, but I have to think about it carefully. I have to fulfill some essential work experience after uni, in order to gain a place on the PhD course. But I guess I am still young and it would be fantastic experience for a Psychologist to have. So just as we arrive in Osiligi, I am off to Western Kenya. One of the women who came to the mobile clinic has a function on in Western Kenya where a group from Nairobi are giving out food and blankets to rural villages. We asked if there was anything we could provide and she said that as Saiya has a very high rate of Malaria, Mosquito nets are in high demand. So tomorrow we are going to buy a hundred and give them out in the local church. It takes ten hours to get there and we are getting the overnight bus there on Thursday and back on Friday night. Kind of a hellish trip but we wanted to go ourselves to give them out rather than just donating money. It's always good to meet the people who need them to see just what exactly is going on. When I get back I'm going to be working with the women in the WEEP (Womens Education and Empowerment Project). Jayne started the programme to enable women with HIV to earn a living and empower them to be able to look after themselves by making mosquito nets. One of the women is forbidden by her husband to take ARV's. He knows they are both positive but he is in denial and she is sufferring for it. She spends a lot of time sick in bed. I hope I can offer her company and sympathy and somebody to talk to. So now I am going back to Kibera quickly to pick up the CD's I ordered as my whole CD collection was stollen at the border on the bus back from Uganda. So now all I have is a whole lot of local Reggae, some tribal drums and Masai songs. Still they are about 1 pound per CD in Kibera as they are mostly burnt or stollen so not to worry. I'll write again when I return from Saiya. Thanks again for all your messages. Please keep them coming. love, Helen x