Playful: The Women's Team of Kainga

On Saturday at Kainga, I taught the warning signs of dehydration and a formula for making a rehydration drink. After the  lesson the women excitedly talked about the Changu Changu Moto cookstoves. I learned that  while George and I were away learning how to make them, they were planning to collect the materials they would need to build them.  They told me they would mold the  26 bricks each and collect the sand, water, clay to make the stoves. They said that since it is rainy season, molding the bricks will have to wait. In the meanwhile, they will be gathering all the materials.These women really are amazing.

I told them that it is important to me that each woman have a quality of life, and I underscored the fact that my husband, George, shares this view. When I said that, they all cheered and clapped. On that note, we dismissed the class and the women filed out of the mosque cheerful and smiling.  George and Samuel were finishing up a little round of football (soccer) with the children nearby. My interpreter, Helen, overhead and told me some of the women were saying that they wish they could play football. 

George stopped the children's game and asked for everyone's attention. One of the boys tossed George the ball. Then, while all were listening, George told a story. He said, "Although football  is played around the world, it was not a big sport in the US  until about 20 years ago. Each year, the US enters a big competition called the Olympics. In the Olympics teams come together from many countries around the world to compete in sports. Then in a recent year, the US sent a men's team and a women's team to compete in football."

Here, George's voice slowed and softened, and he said, "The men's team lost," then smiling, he shouted, "but the women's team won!!"  With that, he tossed the ball in the group of women, and the game was on! Suddenly, they were  jumping and running to catch the ball. Their broad smiles and giggles told us they were really enjoying themselves. I loved watching the women playing and having fun.