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Driving into the Mukuru slum in Nairobi, the kids are all smiles
to see a Micato Land Cruiser. Micato provides hope!
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Early in the morning of November 29, 2023, Gym and his lovely sidekick, had to check out of their deluxe accommodation on the banks of the Mara River, They were bound for Nairobi later that morning. They enjoyed a lovely breakfast in the main lodge of the Fairmont and then strode past the reception desk and out the door to find Joseph and Kintai waiting for them by the land cruiser. The safari-goers would enjoy their last game drive on the way to the airstrip, about an hour away through the bush. Sadly, after a week of daily game drives, in all the most beautiful settings in Tanzania and Kenya, it was time to to leave the savannah and return to civilization.
At the airstrip as they waited for the chartered Cessna Caravan, a troop of baboons played nearby and elephants and giraffes browsed in the distance. Soon they were in the air though, flying directly back to the capital. It was important that they get back to Nairobi as early as possible because Micato had one more thing for them to see in Kenya. The itinerary included a tour of Mukuru, the second largest slum in Nairobi. Mukuru is where AmericaShare is dedicated to improving the lives of children in the community. AmericaShare is the social impact arm of Micato Safaris. It has been helping the kids of Mukuru for decades. Part of the cost of every safari is donated to AmericaShare.
Soon after Gym and his safari group landed in Nairobi, they met their new driver Anthony. They also met a young man named Tobit. Tobit grew up in Mukuru, benefited from the resources that AmericaShare provided him and today is in his second year of university, majoring in Computor Science. He was poised and polite and as the land cruiser made its way to Mukuru, he told the group about life in Mukuru and how AmericaShare had changed his life. At one point he got a little emotional and Gym could tell how sincere his gratitude was for the opportunities that AmericaShare had given him. Tobit was living proof that AmericaShare was making a difference. After touring the AmericaShare project in Mukuru and saying goodbye to Tobit, Gym and Mrs. Gym felt good about the contributions that they had made as part of the Micato safari fee.
After the tour they checked into the Four Points by Marriott and the Micato itinerary was concluded. Bree had a connecting flight back to the United States later that night. Gym and his fetching bride would overnight at the hotel and leave in the morning for a bit of a beach vacation, before returning to Canada. That evening, Kintai, who had been with the intrepid threesome since they began the Micato itinerary, hosted the final dinner in the hotel dining room and everyone said their goodbyes.
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Anthony the Micato driver, smiles as Kintai snaps a photo
of a family of five on a scooter, passing the SUV in Mukuru |
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Mukuru is lacking in basic infrastucture that we take
for granted in Canada. |
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| A street in Mukuru after the rain |
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| More kids posing for the visitors in the Micato SUV |
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| The AmericaShare oasis in the middle of Mukuru |
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| Inside an AmericaShare library for the younger kids |
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| A computer lab for the older kids |
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| wall art on the boundary fence of the compound |
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Huru is another charity in the compound which
helps young females remain in school during the
most difficult time in their menstrual cycle. Elton John is
a sponsor with Micato.
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