Winter Symposiums in Kenya

My friends routinely want to know how hot it is in Africa.  I can't speak for all of Africa, it is a pretty big continent after all.  But I will say that it is downright cold here.  The high today was reported to be 22º C (72º F), right now it is 15º C (69º F).*  I am willing to swear that it never got to 22º today and I am seriously doubtful that we made it to 15º.

* Kenya, like most of the world follows the metric system.  I'm trying to adjust and use metric measurements as often as I remember.

It is winter in Eldoret, Kenya, which at first may seem strange.  Eldoret is located at about 30' north of the equator and when you live near the equator winter should just not be a factor.  That is what I thought before leaving the sweltering summer of New York.  However, some things you should know.  First off, Eldoret sits at between 2100 and 2700 meters (7000-9000 feet) above sea level and this keeps temperatures generally pretty mild, falling within a narrow range of 22-30º C (75-85º F) during the day. Also, as the sun moves north during the northern summer, the temperatures here go down and the rains come.*

* If you want to visit Kenya, avoid the coming from June to September.  Unless you happen to like mud and rain. 

I attended an Informatics Symposium today, held at the Naiberi Campsite and Resort, about 30 minutes away from the AMPATH Center in Eldoret.*  I and most of those in attendance were freezing the whole morning and a good part of the afternoon.  It was cold enough that the staff brought in a bunch of coal fired heaters (I believe they are called Jikos) to try warm everyone up. Unfortunately, the room was too large for the jikos to have much effect.**  It was not that much fun sitting there trying to keep warm.

* From what I little I could see of the place, it seems quite nice.  The staff took good care of us and provided a very good and filling lunch.


** The jikos did have a positive effect in that they became natural places for us to gather around and talk while warming our hands.  It made me think about depression era scenes of folks standing around an open flame trying to keep warm.

This was the first day of a two day symposium organized to explore ways to develop the local human capacity for health care informatics in East Africa.  In attendance were people from Ethiopia, Rwanda, Uganda and Kenya.  We spent the day covering a number of topics.  For me, it was a great opportunity to better understand the challenges ahead and to meet others who are engaged in similar work as me.  More on all this later.