Arriving in Kisumu

Margaret, the head of TaC-Nairobi, and I catch the afternoon flight to Kisumu. When the plane is about to land, Margaret confuses me by asking „Where is the lake?!“. Turns out that we have been landing on a very new runway and therefore approaching Kisumu airport from a different direction that usual. We then catch a taxi to our hotel and the driver praises the newly restored roads and states that things have improved. I try to remember the last time a local has told me that things have improved. I cannot recall any such statement. The hotel is very new and lovely as well. We rush to town in order to do the shopping for the field trip. Back to the hotel we sit outside and go through our schedule, prepare our task-list and print the last documents needed. Margaret tells me that the hotel was built by a medical doctor who runs a clinic in Kisumu. Somehow, I feel that I really want to talk to this man and convince a staff member to call him. The doctor happens to be at the hotel and listens carefully to my explanation about TaC. Surprisingly, he does not only run a medical clinic, but also a big NGO in Kisumu. And he has been sponsoring needy orphans through secondary education and is fully aware of the challenges! As we both sense great potential for cooperation, we agree to meet again on Thursday evening.