We are well on our way with planning and projects for our July expedition. We have another full group, just over 20 people, and are very excited about the projects and activities that will be going on.
Some of the projects that are currently underway in our villages are:
Several cisterns being constructed in various villages. These cisterns are built close to the school buildings we build, and connected to that metal roof with a series of gutters. When the rains come, the cisterns fill up, and provide a ready source of relatively clean water (much cleaner than the water the villagers typically gather from ponds and water holes in the areas they live). The water is used by the school children and kitchen staff of the school during the school year. It is not used by the village women, they are still left to gather water for their families the traditional way.
Gona School: This has been a big fundraising project for Sue and Curt Tingey. The Gona school is receiving a 3-room classroom building, plus a latrine and water cistern.
Desks for Gona: So far, 30 desks have been built for the new Gona classrooms, and 30 more will be constructed while we are in Kenya. There is also teacher furniture either being made or purchased, such as desks, tables and chairs.
Miyani Classroom: We are building a classroom at the Miyani primary school campus. This is where the Sean Michels School for special needs is located. We have not built a regular classroom at this school before. We are also building a kitchen building that will be shared between the SMS and the Miyani school.
SRA Project: We will have visitors from Self Reliant Agriculture in Mnyenzeni in the next few weeks. We have prepared gardens in several locations, and planted using their guidelines. Members of the Koins board and SRA will be meeting with professors from Pwani University, with hopes of improving the planting, production and nutrition of the villagers in our area. This is an area I am really excited about. I truly believe that if we can get our villagers producing more than enough food for their needs, and more nutritious food, it will be the first step in rising from the poverty that defines their lives. With the help of SRA, I believe we can make a difference. The next challenge will be convincing the villagers to change. Change comes hard in Africa.
KCC improvements: The Koins Community Center has served us very well for several years now. Each year there are several expedition groups that visit and live there, and it is used year round for community groups and meetings. Last year we added a kitchen, and this year we are adding shower stalls in a building structure. The KCC is our home away from home, and it has provided comfortable lodging for our expeditioners. It has become the core of Mnyenzeni. The Kenyan government is building a clinic just a short distance away from the KCC, which is a huge bonus for our villagers, who have not had access to real health care. We keep hoping the clinic will be finished soon, but it is in much the same state it was last summer when we were there. If only they would let Koins finish building it. We could have it finished before the expedition leaves in July!
As I have observed the expeditioners who will be going in July, their excitement over projects they will be involved in, their dedication to raise funds for the work Koins is doing in Kenya, and the eagerness to go and do, I am confident we will have yet another great group of travelers, who will become close friends, and as committed to doing humanitarian work as each of our previous groups has been.
Asante sana!
IVL
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