I Can See Clearly Now

It's amazing what a good night's sleep can do. This morning, my head felt clearer than it has in....a week.

This evening marks my first full week in Nairobi. Instead of feeling daunted, I'm actually quite proud that I HAVE moved into my apartment, and I'll get started at The Nation newspaper soon. I've gotten a lot accomplished in the past week, considering the fact that I spent most of it in a zombie trance.

What really cleared my head this morning was watching a CNN International report on clean water (or lack thereof) in parts of Nairobi. I've written before about how much I appreciate being a news consumer abroad, because there's so much more access to information about other parts of the world. Well, this morning's "Going Green" segment featured a young female Kenyan researcher who's been testing water samples in Kibera.

If you followed coverage of the Kenyan post-election violence earlier this year, you know that Kibera is one of the largest slums in Africa. Nearly 1 million people live in this impoverished area of Nairobi. Long story short, nearly all of the water samples collected by the researcher tested positive for e-coli. Some levels were so high, they were sure to result in cholera for anyone who drank it.

But the report didn't stop there. The researcher was working with Kibera residents to teach them a solar-fueled water purification process. It's cheap, relatively simple, and could save thousands of lives if implemented broadly.

This story is fantastic on so many different levels. First, I was thrilled to see a young woman modeling her scientific prowess and commitment to bettering her country, in this male dominated part of the world. Also, this kind of solution based reporting excites me, largely because I came to Nairobi to work with reporters who cover health issues. I'd love to see lots of these kinds of stories in The Nation newspaper, because I think it would make a tremendous difference in the lives of so many people.

Finally, I'll be visiting Kibera soon myself. My friend Ron, the newspaper design expert from Chicago, spent a lot of time in Nairobi recently, helping with the redesign of the Standard newspaper. While he was here, he met with a community activist in Kibera who's trying to start a program for children and youth there. Ron mounted an exhibition of photos he took while in Kibera a few weeks ago, and wants to continue working with his contacts there. I'm happy to be his proxy, to help move things along for him.

That's why I became a journalist back in ...... 1986. (I know, it's hard to believe, given my youthful joie de vivre, eh?) That's why I keep coming back to Africa, because I find the work so much more fulfilling. I know that from now on in my life, I can never take a job that doesn't reflect who I've become....a Citizen of the World.

And if I get another good night's sleep tonight, look out Nairobi! Rachella's getting her groove back, and she's ready for whatever comes along. As long as it isn't slithering.