The Joys of Poop.

I originally planned to title this post "Well Shit". I was exhausted and annoyed by the buzzing of mosquitoes hovering around my hospital bed and it seemed like a fitting title for the post I had written in my head; 48 hours of consistent diarrhea would make anyone shrug in a "well, shit" kind of way. Phil was in the hospital bed next to me, exhausted and also suffering food poisoning and being treated for malaria (just in case). The diarrhea continues but I'm out of the hospital, probably should have stayed longer but I wanted a toilet that I don't have to pour water into to flush and don't have to carry my own toilet paper and hope the sink has running water to scrub my hands. My mom always says to just wash wash wash your hands. Sometimes that's easier said than done, especially in this part of the world.

I'm suffering from moderate typhoid, which is a water borne disease, along with food poisoning and a bacterial infection. The antibiotics are strong but all I really want to do is eat. I envisioned the Santa Ynez Valley was in my hospital room, with all the comforts of delicious cuisine teasing my taste buds and the beautiful countryside sending a sweet breeze my way. I'm certain I asked Phil to bring me a 'barking bulldog' from the Bulldog Cafe in Solvang, and sitting here in bed now I'm craving anything from Mattie's Tavern in home sweet home of Los Olivos. Comfort is something that has been stretched for me this week. I've been sick away from home before so thankfully I'm okay where we are staying, but I don't think I've ever experienced such discomfort in my life. My body is hating me right now, and it's just not comfortable.

If you've been following our blog then you know we are also here in Kenya working on a water project. The team all arrived today, and they're on their way to Kisumu. We'll leave Kitale and meet them there in a couple of hours. Phil and I aren't familiar with Kisumu, and are even less familiar with water, but let me tell you, we are more motivated than ever to find water there. Typhoid, one of the diseases infecting my intestines today and causing so much poop, is from contaminated water. We've been drinking bottled water, washing our fruits and veggies with 'veggie clean' and filtered water, and yet I still got typhoid. When I went to the clinic to get tested, there were about 30 other people who were also sick. If you remember the post about Peter, we helped him get medicine for typhoid and malaria. Basically what I have is very common here. More common than the cold in the States, or allergies. If there was clean water, then this wouldn't be a problem!

Our hope is to drill as many wells as possible using a simplistic technology, where each well will cost roughly $1200... that's it. We're partnering with a drilling company that has been doing the $50,000+ wells and they're not sure what to think of our 'cave man' system. The problem is that the people who need water the most are the people who don't have thousands of dollars to get water. They walk to the nearest water source, which is usually where livestock also go for water, and 99% of the time get infectious diseases from it, such as typhoid. This is where Freewaters come in. They are a shoe company based out of California, and I am so in love with them right now. For ever shoe purchased, they are going to provide clean water for one person for one year. They are footing the bill. What you can do is buy their shoes. Unfortunately you can't do that until February when the company officially launches, but you're going to want these shoes. They specialize in sandals, and I've been a "rainbow" girl, but I'm leaving those behind and will be rocking my Freewaters for the rest of my life. I have a sample pair and they've held up beautifully here in Kenya.

If you can't wait until February to be a part of this water project and want to donate a well, you can contribute through the 'donate' button on the top right of this blog, or go to www.UntilThen.org and contribute on the homepage.

By providing clean drinking water in villages, we are helping to prevent children going to the streets.

Feeling empowered,

Dalene