Koins for Kenya

Bret's January 2012 Journal, Part 3 -

2012-01-26T15:49:00.000-07:00

A Mnyenzeni primary school student

As I sat on the porch early this morning, the cool breeze was welcome. A small group of seven local chickens casually hopped onto the porch with me and each one, within a few feet of coming aboard, ceremoniously christened the clean cement with a nice plop of chicken poop. These birds are always running around our place, and we won't even allow our own flock to meander the area. Two small boys were passing, so I paid them a handsome bounty to catch me a couple of the birds. The chase was on. Within two minutes each boy strolled back to me with a squawking bird held by their legs upside down. I took the birds and placed them with our flock, asking the boys to notify the owner where they were, and why I had captured them. He'll need to repay me the bounty I paid the boys, or he'll be out a couple of chickens. He has been warned on numerous occasions, so my actions will not be a surprise to him. Just like the goats in our garden plots - if they come onto my land, we'll talk. If you ignore the issue, I'll eat your chicken or goat.

A couple of our board members showed up wearing winter coats since they had been riding their motorbikes in 85 degree temperatures, producing wind chills of around 83 degrees. It's hilarious to see their intense reaction to anything cold. They can pick up a pan of boiling water with their bare hands, but place an ice cube in their palm and watch them writhe with discomfort and pain.

I had an appointment with the scholarship students and parents up at the Secondary School. Our new guidelines were put into place, and some of the children lost their free schooling due to performance issues. As difficult as that was, the parents were fully supportive of our position, recognizing that those students who were given a scholarship out of Primary School were to maintain a high level of performance. For those who did not, we were forced to remove them to make room for other students who have proven themselves.

Once finished with the students I headed towards the Koins Rotational Gardens. I am always intrigued by the crowd at the dispensary, so I detour just a bit to run in and say hello to Naomi and her staff. Vyani was trying to weigh a baby, while Joyce was chatting with a young lady in Swahili about something. I went into the main treatment area and found Naomi completing some hand-written documents for her medical files. Two boys from the Secondary School from where I had just departed rushed into the door carrying one of their fellow students. He was panting like an overheated dog, semi-unconscious, and beginning to convulse. They laid him on the bed and Naomi began calling his name to get him to respond. In hasty Swahili Naomi raised her head and shouted some orders into the air so the other assistants working in the adjoining rooms could quickly respond. This public address system is as basic as it gets, but it works just fine. The medical staff witnesses so many situations in the course of the day that in the middle of their calmness it actually unnerved me. This poor kid was in serious trauma, and the orderly way in which they attended to him never came close to entering the realm of panic. Like a conductor having her choir stand in unison, Naomi's over-worked, under-appreciated, under-staffed, under-equipped medical staff, responded to her call. Blood pressure was taken as another nurse serenely pricked the boy's finger, placing a few drops of blood on a microscope slide. She vanished as quickly as she appeared since she had a slide to prepare with a special dye, then she had to read it properly, and finally, see if she could help decide what created this situation. Vyani, the male assistant rounded the corner and meaningfully sauntered into the room with a small cup filled with two tablets and glass of water. Supposedly this would calm the boy and reduce his fiery fever. Three of them grabbed the boy's arms and torso and sat him up. Naomi continued calling loudly to the limp-bodied boy "Kalimbo, Kalimbo," trying to get him to respond. The pills were placed in his mouth, head tilted, and water poured in. Kalimbo choked, but the tablets went down.

Within 5 minutes a note came from the other room detailing the results of the malaria test. Kalimbo tested positive with the disease that kills more than 2 million Africans each year - Malaria. An I.V. was set up and a drip line attached to Kalimbo's hand. Anti-malaria drugs were administered while Kalimbo's body writhed in pain and fever. Cold cloths were applied, and the boy's schoolmates watched from an outside window with great apprehension on their faces. This parasitic malady is derived from the bite of a tiny mosquito, and once it attacks, the suffering is severe. All of the children here have had someone in their family, a close friend, or neighbor die, from this malicious disease, and they were praying for Kalimbo. In a couple of hours we'll know the reaction to the medicine. If everything goes well, Kalimbo will be in school tomorrow. If they go badly, we will bury him tomorrow.

As I make my rounds to our various projects, there is a sense that everything is very much under control. The sound of saws cutting our lumber into desks resonates from our workshop, chatter from our workers goes back and forth across the yard, the tractor has just pulled away with a load of freshly made block, and life is good here in the village.

Old Dzendereni classroom with students

View of old Dzendereni classroom and new Crossfit classroom

Dzendereni teacher's lounge

Dallin and Thomas have returned from Mombasa with CrossFit. They are now here for the next 6 weeks finishing the Dzendereni School and water cistern. Thomas is looking at the nutritional side of things there and how to get a garden started for the school, so we'll see what he finds out.

Dinner for me consists of fresh pineapple and mango, so I enjoy each bite as I read the latest download of USA Today. WOW, the Giants against the Patriots in the Super Bowl!! I was disheartened to see the outcome of the Baltimore game, as I would have liked some of my friends on the Ravens get to the big game, and possibly a Super Bowl ring.

It was dark when I strolled to the dispensary to check up on Kalimbo. Sheets were being changed on the bed and a bucket sloshed as Vyani mopped up the room. As I entered he kindly greeted me with a tooth-lacking smile. I inquired about Kalimbo, and Vyani shook his head. I was momentarily shocked until he walked to the doorway, pointed down the road and told me he was taken home. The drugs had worked! I went to Kalimbo's place, a small mud hut with dirt floors and a paraffin candle flickering inside. I called out "hodi," to which several boys responded, "karibu" (welcome). As I entered their musty rented structure, Kalimbo was lying on a grass mat on the ground. He was conscious, but very weary, unable to stand and greet me as he wished. His roommates agreed that this boy was lucky to have had the facility so close, or otherwise he would have never seen another day.
Still no moon. Where has that heavenly body disappeared to?

Roosters! Incessant, noisy, roosters. Since bringing some new blood into the pen I believe these strutting rock stars think the first one to crow has some kind of sovereignty from being placed into one of our pots. Silly fools don't realize that they are our valued progenitors and have full immunity from their previous ancestors. However, If I could find out which one is doing it so early, he just might be the first to lose his exemption.

Emily prepared banana bread, so I filled my glass with chai and retreated to the front porch. The pink and blue uniforms headed to Primary School is like a constant river in the morning. I feel like the greeter at the world's busiest Wal-Mart, shouting back at the children who call out to me. Just down past the gathering tree I see three boys from the Secondary School walking to class. They're a little late, but walking deliberately slow. As they neared I could see it was Kalimbo and his mates. I walked to the road and greeted them, giving each a piece of Mama Emily's world famous banana bread. They were most grateful, as this would now be their breakfast. Kalimbo will go to the dispensary during lunch for another drip bottle, the third and final. I'll meet him there and make sure he has some food. He is weak and achy, but he recognizes the importance of keeping up in school, so he disregards the headache and nausea, meandering slowly to class.

Top student prize giving ceremony at Miguneni

Off to Miguneni for the Awards Assembly where Koins recognizes the top students, teachers, and schools of our service area. It was pure pleasure to hand out prizes to our top kids since they receive very little recognition for their efforts. We now have students scoring higher than anyone else in the Kinango District right here in our area, and Kenya Government scholarships have been given to several of our students, allowing them to attend the National High Schools (equivalent to the best Prep Schools in the U.S.). What used to be the Koins benchmark for a scholarship is now below the median score for two of our schools. That is progress.

On my way back to the Koins Center I passed by our Special Needs school. As I rode up the children shrieked and those who are mobile ran to greet me. I have grown to love these special kids and spending time with them brings them such joy that I can't stay away. I plopped Beja onto the seat of the bike and we went to the playground of the Miyani School, chasing the children all over the place. They love the excitement, and Beja feels like a king perched on his motorized throne. Several of the others played some games with me at the SMS porch before I had to leave. They know I'll be back, and they know that I'll bring mayhem with me.

I dropped the bike at the Center and sauntered to the dispensary where I found Kalimbo just ending his third and final I.V. drip. His energy had increased, and his spirits lifted. He smiled widely as I handed him another piece of Mama Emily's banana bread. Kalimbo was going to be just fine, one day after a very real, life-threatening situation.

I visited with some of the mothers waiting to be treated. There seems to be an outbreak of flu right now. I've not seen so many older children lying on the cold concrete, waiting to be seen. Vyani was weighing a baby girl who was really kicking, so I helped place her in the swing which is then hooked to a scale similar to one of those that we use in grocery stores for weighing vegetables. She was 9.1 kilograms, or about 20 lbs. She was a thin baby, but then I discovered that she was three years old. I can't even think of what this means, or the problems that might exist. It grinds at me so deeply that it's better that I leave and get busy doing something else.

I returned to the Center only to be greeted by a large man with one eye and a large, gaping smile. He came to me as I walked up, telling his wife to come quickly and that I was Baba Bret. She shyly shook my hand and returned to her place behind her husband. I recognize the man as I've seen him working in the fields just passed the Mwache Bridge. He was happy that I knew where he lived and began telling me (through Eliud) that he wanted to provide me with a gift of appreciation for everything Koins does in this area. He admitted that he had never done anything before because he had nothing to give. But someone had paid a debt to him, so he brought it to give to me. Koins is now the proud new owner of a brown and white sheep. We'll add this to our flock until he is brought to optimal health and figure out what to do with it next. Mutton anyone?

Finally I could see a sliver of a moon low in the horizon. It is barely visible, but at least I've confirmed that the lunar object is not missing.

Gathering of students at Dzendereni

Dallin and I rose early and made our way to Dzendereni. We had an appointment to look at possible dam sites in a nearby creek, not too different from what we just dammed in our central village. We suffered a tire puncture on the way, so we hid the bike in the bushes, piled a bunch of rocks on the road to indicate where we had hidden it, and proceeded on one bike to the village. We walked for over a mile alongside a riverbed which was mostly dry with potholes of water. Millions of years of water and erosion have made the banks steep and perfect for a dam. Capturing the commodity of water before it washes downstream to end up in the Indian Ocean is severely necessary. Once we construct a dam we can proceed with year-round rotational gardens and feeding the kids at Dzendereni. Monumental endeavor!

We visited with this woman while looking at dam sites. She delighted in the horror her grandson felt at our presence.

We were advised that the bike had been repaired and left where we had stowed it. However, when we arrived the bike was nowhere to be seen. A telephone call confirmed that the bike was exactly where we had left it, so it appears as though someone had found it. We questioned some kids who were passing if they had seen our bike, to which they said "no." Within moments a man appeared and told us that he and his son had taken the bike for safe-keeping at their home, leading us to his place. He somehow knew it was mine, and wanted to protect it. I gave him a few shillings for having done so, and we were on our way.

At the Guro Junction I went right towards Miguneni while Dallin continued straight towards Bofu and Gona. We had tried both directions and wanted to see which way was quicker, so we separated. We were to maintain normal speeds to truly indicate the road we should take in the future. I enjoy going to back roads anyway, and heading into Miguneni through the back way allows me to shout at my many friends along the way. Once in Miguneni I turned left, heading towards Mnyenzeni. I remember passing the sign board of the Sean Michel's School, then everything from there went blank. According to the witnesses who were watching me, I was just traveling normally down the road when I hit a hidden hole. I went flying over the top of the bike, landing on my shoulder and head. The bike followed, landing on my back and leg. I was not conscious and bleeding profusely from my head. You can only imagine the panic the onlookers experienced watching their white friend face- planting into the rocky road. They rushed to my aid, calling Antony Yama's cell to notify him. When he heard the news, the story was that Baba Bret was dying on the road. When Yama arrived he found me seated with the bike still on my legs, my video camera on my had (I guess I wanted to film something), and not wanting anyone to help me. I was okay!! With Yama there I settled down and they coaxed me into the car. We immediately headed for Mombasa with Dallin and Eddison coming to our aid, too. An hour or so passed before I regained full consciousness and my memory is somewhat clear.

Bret's head after stitches. That's gonna leave a scar!

Upon arrival at the hospital I had been bleeding pretty badly and the mess was pretty big. They cleaned me up, took me into their surgery room and began stitching the holes and gashes in my noggin. We had a few laughs at my expense as Dallin took photos of the mess. The doctors were a little bewildered over the antics of the situation, but soon they too were joining us with humor. A CAT scan revealed no further damage to my head, and a chest x-ray exposed a coronary contusion and probable cracked ribs. I can't remember most of it, but the repairs they could do to my head were completed and a request to have me admitted for observation was denied. I kindly thanked them, but declined their suggestion, as I would have plenty of observers once I returned to the village. I was given pain meds and antibiotics from the pharmacy, and they let me go. Total cost - $300

My ribs and shoulder were sore, but not until we turned from the tarmac road did I fully realize how painful it was going to be. The condition of the road is not dissimilar to the trails we use to access our favorite deer hunting areas. Being tossed inside the car back and forth was almost unbearable. We had to stop so I could get a breath, so the going was slow until we hit the Center. Lying down was impossible, so everyone fixed me a sitting up bed from a mattress placed on one of our porch chairs. It worked well into the night until the hardness of the surface made it too uncomfortable to continue. I tried lying down again in my own bed, which I was able to do. Every hour based on doctor's orders, I had someone coming into the room to check my eyes, make sure I was conscious, and observe that I was doing okay. All I wanted was sleep, but they had promised the doctors. At 5:50 the roosters started crowing.

BVL

Burt Matthew's Video - Kenya 2011

2012-01-23T21:21:00.000-07:00

Burt and Morgan Matthews were part of the Koins July 2011 expedition to Kenya. Burt spent a good amount of time putting together this video that is a compilation of stills and short videos from that trip. It really is a good video in that it shows little pieces of what an expedition is all about. There is the travel part of it, traveling through Europe to get to Kenya. There is the travel within Kenya, and experiencing a country so different than our own. There is the time spent within the Koins service area, which is a cluster of small rural villages in the southeast coastal area of Kenya, a little over an hour away from Mombasa. There is time spent with fellow expeditioners, and time spent with Kenyan villagers, both adults and children. And there is the option of a brief safari, which offers an opportunity to see wild Kenya, and animals we would otherwise only see in a zoo. If you are considering going on an expedition, this video is worth your time to watch.

Burt Matthews - Kenya 2011 from Ingrid Van Leeuwen on Vimeo.

Asante,

IVL

Bret's January 2012 Kenya Journal, Part 3

2012-01-20T14:56:00.000-07:00

The third installment of adventures from Bret's current trip to Kenya. On a personal note, today is Bret's birthday, and just after midnight a new grandson entered the world who will share his birthday. While Bret wasn't here to welcome Maxwell Alexander into the world, they will have many years of birthday celebrations to share.

Cattle on the road near Mnyenzeni, Kenya (photo from a previous trip)

I cannot tell how many times I have negotiated one of our dirt roads around a herd of cattle or goats. The scene is so common around here that you don’t even realize you’re doing it until everyone in the vehicle from the states wants to take a photo. When the Massai are moving their cattle from up-country to market down here, you could see a dozen large herds between here and the main road, just 10 miles away. It sure messes with your timing to get somewhere, but it’s the order of the day when animals are moving. The Massai will buy cattle for $80-$100 each in Sudan and slowly push them on foot 800 miles down here to the South Coast where they can sell them for $150-$200. They spend a couple of months walking down, using roads, pathways, and sometimes city streets. Some of the weaker cattle will die along the way, and the Massai leave them where they lay as an acceptable price that is paid to make the journey.

Bret and a new baby Gala Goat

Today I took a small herd of our Gala Goats to graze just for the experience. These animals go every day, so they are extremely adept at reading the body language and motions of the shepherd. The most difficult task is to keep our billy goat from wandering to nearby herds where he could not be challenged by the typical East African Goat at more than twice their size. Worse yet, if he wanders and a male goat from another herd gets loose with one of our mama goats, we’ve spoiled an entire breeding season until the cross-breed is born. My brief experience had no incidents to report, but it did give me an appreciation for what these people do when walking for hours each day in the dry season in search of grasses for their animals.

Village women being instructed on rotational gardens

Village women preparing rotational gardens for planting

Our rotational garden groups are fully established and working diligently to prepare their family plots according to what they have been instructed. As I addressed each group over the last few days the level of excitement and anticipation was truly palpable. When I tell them that I have never suffered hunger, and my children have never known going to bed with an empty stomach, their faces collectively contort to expressions of incredulity. When telling them that they will be the pioneers in this area with our agricultural programs, and their children will also not know hunger if they follow our guidelines, these excited mothers become giddy at the mere thought of this being reality.

A matatu, a common form of transportation for many Kenyans

Our group from the U.S. begins arriving today, so some final preparations have to be made in Mombasa. Yama and I went down there and quickly took care of business. Our trusted driver, Johnson, met up with us, and I decided to head back to the village instead of paying for a hotel and staying in town. Accidents are not uncommon on the crazy, nutty, psychotic roads in Mombasa. For the amount of cars, narrow streets, disrepair, and overall chaos, I’m actually surprised there are not more. Matatu’s are the main method of transportation in the South Coast. Hundreds of 13-passenger vans are packed with 15-20 people and move from one area to the next. They jet around without regard to anyone, or anything else on the road. They cause most accidents, yet they are such a vital means of transportation, everyone just accepts them. There are always two people staffing a matatu (ma-tah-too), the driver, and a conductor who calls out their destination, collects money, and helps the driver negotiate traffic, changing lanes, etc. You commonly see the conductor dangling from the side of the vehicle calling to people like a circus act promoter. They are quick to hop off the vehicle, open the door while collecting money, and jump back aboard while the vehicle is pulling away. During my two-hour drive back to the village I was behind several matatu’s when one of the drivers sped away quickly from a stop while hitting a pothole at the same time. His trusty conductor was actually thrown from the side of the vehicle, and the following matatu didn’t see him in time and ran over him at the knee level……..with both front and rear tire. This happened 15 feet in front of me, and I actually had to swerve to avoid hitting the guy again. When telling my story the Kenyans were almost unmoved, kind of like hearing that a hyena had been eaten by a zebra.

It appears as though I’ve picked up a little gift that is affecting my stomach. Hopefully it’s just a bad piece of papaya and not something more “moving.” We have another night without the moon, and another bucket shower for me under the black sky that is heavily dusted with the shiny crystals of the Kenyan night.

BVL

Bret's January 2012 Journal, Part 2

2012-01-19T14:24:00.000-07:00

Another update from Bret, with no photos because the power outages he has experienced have made sending photos impossible. I feel lucky to have received this update in an email. He has discovered how to use his iPhone as a wifi hotspot, and use it to send emails from his computer. During past trips he has had to make a trip into Mombasa to the Blue Room to send emails to me.
____

The young lady walking in front of me as I strolled to the dispensary
to chat with Naomi about a location for our Gala Goats, was bent over in
pain, almost tumbling into the dirt. I rushed to steady her, and as
she stood I discovered a woman heavy with child. She groaned deeply
and reached for her back and began tilting once again. I picked her
up and rushed to the closed, blue door of the dispensary. I called
for Naomi, the nurse, and she beckoned me to come inside, not knowing
I had someone clutching to me.

This girl of her mid-20’s had been on her way to the weekly clinic
where pre-natal drugs were being distributed, along with immunizations
and tests of all kinds for the toddlers in the village. Along Mwaka’s
(M-walk-ah) 2 mile path to the dispensary her labor pains came
quickly, with her water breaking onto the sandy path below her feet.
This was her second child, and she did not experience the same pains
during her previous pregnancy, so this was new territory. In between
contractions she would walk as quick as she could until she finally
reached the boundary of the dispensary property……and me. Mwaka’s
greatest discomfort was in her lower back. As I gently laid her on the
green, vinyl-cushioned gurney that has surely been used hundreds of
times by ladies using its soft padding as a place of comfort, Mwaka
seized with pain, so I remained there and massaged her back. It was
obvious that this relieved great pressure and pain.

Naomi had seen Mwaka on several occasions over the past months, so she

knew it was time to prepare for the birth. As I stood at Mwaka’s side,

providing the longest back rub of my life, the nurses scurried about as they

had not planned on a baby this busy morning.
The contractions were less than two minutes apart, with almost a
minute of duration, so even I knew this wouldn’t be too long. Men are
NEVER allowed in the birthing rooms during delivery, so I was breaking
new ground. Even the husbands are nowhere to be seen while their
wives suffer to deliver the children. So to have a man, a white man,
a man that is not your husband in the room was, to say the least, over
the border taboo, and I knew it.

Mwaka’s pain grew more intense, and the beads of sweat on her face and
forehead dripped onto the bed. As she tightly grasped one of my
hands, I continued to rub the growing knots from her lower back, much
to her relief. Her teeth were stained from the water they are forced
to drink in some of the outlying villages, her hair speckled with dirt
particles from the life of living in a mud hut in an arid area. Naomi
brought in her medical card which had Mwaka’s thumb prints at the
bottom, a common way for the illiterate to sign their name. Naomi
quickly reviewed the history and saw nothing alarming, so full
preparations for a normal delivery were made.

At one point Mwaka grabbed the sinew at the back of my leg during a
particularly excruciating contraction, thinking it was the rail of the
bed which she had been squeezing. For the entire duration of the
spasm I received the most painful horse bite I have ever experienced.
I didn’t have the heart to pull her hand off of me for fear of really
embarrassing her, but even after 9 hours I still have marks from the
ligament crushing she provided me.

Naomi had to check Mwaka to see how dilated she had become. I offered
to leave, but Mwaka begged me to stay with her. This was really odd,
but somewhere I had been before many years ago with the birth of my
own children. Naomi was thrilled that I was there helping her and
taking some of the heat off as I provided what coaching I could in my
Tarzan-like Swahili. The moment of truth came about two hours after I
first plopped Mwaka on the bed, and again I asked about me being
there. Both Mwaka and Naomi demanded that I stay, so everyone took a
final deep breath and the pushing began. As I whispered pumua
(poo-moo-ah) pumua into Mwaka’s ear, reminding her to breath
correctly, Naomi was shouting twende, twende (Twen-day) which is
Swahili for go, go or push, push. I lifted Mwaka’s head towards her
knees, something Naomi had not seen before because there are never any
father’s around. On the second big push the baby’s head went from
crowning to fully exited. Within 5 more seconds the rest of the
pale-colored baby boy was out, and layed on his mother’s tummy. Mwaka
blew out one final deep breath as I placed her flat on the bed. It
was over. Naomi placed rubber gloves on me and now had me cutting the
umbilical cord and handling the newborn. I wrapped him in one of the
many colorful blankets that we have brought here to encourage mothers
to come to the clinic for birthing, and held him for a few moments.
One of the other nurses came into the room and began to assist, so I
went back up to Mwaka and told her how well she had done. She looked
at me through her tired, bloodshot, eyes and said “nashikuru.” She
didn’t have to say it, as I knew she was grateful, but my Africa
experience had just been enriched in multiples, and I was the one who
was truly appreciative to have taken part in this tiny miracle. I
don’t know how many this makes now, but I have another namesake who
will run the hills and valleys of this difficult place, hopefully
knowing me well as he grows.

My activities were postponed by the delay in the delivery room, but I
picked them back up as soon as I could. The sun was strong overhead,
and within an hour of walking around attending to my commitments, I
could feel the sting of the rays beating down upon me. I had
forgotten my hat as I left the dispensary, so I cut a palm leaf and
fashioned an umbrella over my head. I was quite unfashionable, even
by African standards, but my head was covered, so I continued on. By
nightfall I could feel the tingle of my crispy dome.

Two years ago an awards assembly was initiated with the top performing
students from each of our schools, along with the teachers who had the
highest overall grades in their respective classes. A committee
oversee the program and we go into Mombasa to purchase the prizes for
the award winners. Do they want iPods, Xboxes, or remote helicopters?
What these children desire most is to have their own books, a study
guide, or pens and paper. We are giving the top teacher a solar panel
to recharge their cell phone or radio. The committee was almost giddy
at the thought of their counterpart receiving this wonderful gift.

A new tailor has been hired at the workshop for our sewing projects.
I met with her as a formality and chatted about our uniform situation
with each of our schools. The kids are forced to wear uniforms, and
many of them are tattered, especially those who wear hand-me-downs
from older siblings. We are designing a handsome shirt absent of the
traditional buttons and pocket, replacing that look with something
more comfortable, but durable. We’ll see how this works out, but we
have the overwhelming support of all the headteachers.

Porch meetings in the dark were the order of the evening. Power
outages are more common than ever, stopping work several times during
the day. In fact, I am on battery right now. The moon has decided to
stay hidden, so the sky was as black as Anthony’s eyes. The stars
were as glorious as I have ever seen, and the voice of my bride on the
other end of the phone as sweet as ever. I grumble at the thought of
being here while my grandson is born, but the newborn baby that I
delivered today is named in his honor (Max), so that softens the blow.
As I hear of the weather turning bitterly cold back home, a drop of
sweat drizzles down my back, and I’m conflicted as to whether I would
prefer being cold, or extremely hot.

Sleeping in feels soooooo good!! Too bad I have no capacity to
actually do that here. I had requested an early arrival from our next
group of rotational garden families, so by 7:00 a.m. they were gathering at
the KCC. We asked them to bring something to eat for our goats,
directing them to pass by our fields near Kevin’s Creek and tote corn
stalks up to our pens. After a brief kickoff meeting
with this second group, they almost jogged to the fields where they’ll
be planting their crops because they were made aware that I was
heading to Mombasa to pick up seeds for them to plant and the ground
must be fully prepared before I would give them any seeds. Placing a
border of slate rocks around each garden is required, then a mixture
of manure, grasses, and topsoil is to be churned to make the perfect
bed for our new seeds. It is fantastic to see the excitement in the
eyes of these families at the prospect of providing themselves with
nutritious meals.

Going into Mombasa is always problematic and frustrating. We need to
buy hundreds of packets of seeds for our rotational gardens, some
supplies for our center, a few veterinarian supplies, and the all the
items listed for our awards ceremony this Saturday.

Dr. Kimeni, the District Education Officer hooked up with us at the
Blue Room, a local dive where they have food, drink, and WiFi. It’s
very popular with the tourists and locals who can spend $5 on a meal.
There are so many issues to discuss that our meeting extended over 2
hours. I truly enjoy being with this guy, especially after his
predecessor was such a dud in getting anything done. I am becoming
more convinced that the generation of politicians and leaders coming
up through the ranks will make colossal changes to this country. It
has so much potential, such a desire from the people to change, that I
am convinced they will not be denied.

When I walked into the store where we usually buy our school supplies,
Jenny, the sister of the store’s owner, greeted me so kindly, and
stated, “I knew you were in Kenya.” I was surprised at how this was
possible unless she knew someone from the village. Then she explained
that she follows the Koins blog and website and saw that I had returned. So,
if you’re reading this, Jenny, thanks for taking such wonderful care
of us while at your store!! Hopefully we’ll host you this weekend as
we had discussed…..so bring your husband and brother, too.

Upon return to the KCC, large boxes containing steel crates were
sitting on the front porch and just inside the doors in our meeting
area. It looked like John Paras furniture had delivered us a bunch of
chest freezers. But, could it be???????? Yes, our Pitster Pro
motorcycles had finally arrived!! The motorbikes that we have used
for the last 5-6 years have been held together by chicken wire and
some bad welding jobs, all evidence of the roads and the beating they
take going back and forth to our work sites. But since the engines
are now beginning to fail, we really needed a solution. In September
we made arrangements to have some good bikes sent here, along with an
ATV for those on our board who do not ride motorcycles. They were to
arrive during my last trip in November, but T.I.A. (This Is Africa)
took over and they never came. After a lot of kicking and making
noise, we finally located them at the port, and with great excitement
for everyone, they are here for our immediate use… Some assembly
required 

It is another dark night with a phenomenal starlit bucket shower since the lights
appear to be out for the duration.

Asante,

BVL

Kenya Bugs

2012-01-17T16:20:00.000-07:00

Yes, that is a bug, a very large, although harmless, bug. They grow them big in Kenya. I guess you would call this a walking stick, although maybe walking branch would be more appropriate.

I have been waiting for a journal update from Bret, but a power outage left his computer unusable, and although he brought a GoalZero solar charger with him, he does not have an adapter that will allow him to use his computer plugged in to it. The 10 hour time difference does put a cramp into the communication process, but hopefully tomorrow I will get an email with updates.

Applications for the July expedition, and the Youth Leadership expedition in July have been coming in steadily. Pretty soon those expeditions will be full. If you plan on going with us this summer, it would be good to get your applications and deposits in as soon as possible.

Asante sana!

IVL

Bret's January 2012 Journal, Part 1

2012-01-16T14:43:00.000-07:00

Bret is currently in Kenya. With many projects planned for 2012, he wanted to be there to get things off to a good start. Here is a summary of his first few days in Kenya:

Bret with Elder Tuttle and President Broadbent of the Nairobi Mission

Having never really spent any amount of discernible time in Nairobi, other than to and from the city center to the airport, the two days spent there left a much improved flavor in my mouth for Kenya’s largest city, and home of the world’s largest slum – Kibera, where 1.5 million people reside.

I met with Church dignitaries and national politicians, updating them on our activities in the Koins area. Most of the time they are astonished at what we accomplish from visit to visit, but this time renewed interest in working together is more than just sparked. President Broadbent of the Nairobi mission is truly a motivating man. His methodic approaches, mixed with can do/will do attitude clarifies why he is serving in this part of the world. His humanitarian missionaries, Elder and Sister Tuttle, are two very strong individuals who compliment each other’s strengths in peculiar way. She’s all about BYU, he is Crimson Red. He can’t wait to kick some programs off while she takes a very reserved approach. He can’t wait to go on a hunting safari with family members at the end of their mission, and she just rolls her eyes with understanding love. I’m just sorry we’ve not met prior to now since they only have 6 months left to serve, and we have a lot of work to do.

I was excited to go to the airport and begin heading for Mombasa. My bags were not even close to the weight provisions of domestic travel, so I reached deep into the hypnotic charm library and ended up paying 1,200 shillings ($14) for being 45 lbs overweight and having one bag over JetLink’s limit.

Mombasa has a small airport, so when you’re the only arriving plane, luggage handling goes quickly. Upon exiting the baggage claim, Anthony Yama was standing almost in front of me. I was wearing a hat, pulled down tightly, and sporting my salt-and-pepper (more salt than I’d like to admit) goatee that I began growing a couple of weeks ago. Since white people almost always look the same to these people, Anthony had to take several looks before he was convinced it was even me. The slightest change in appearance throws these guys off, and they don’t care for change. Since I was wearing a t-shirt that contained a brilliant blue “Anthony Yama for County Supervisor” slogan brightly emblazoned on the front, he knew it was me.

As he always does, Yama handed me the keys to the car. I hopped into the right side, pulled out of the lot and we were on our way down the left side of the road. It feels so natural that I don’t have to even think about it, kind of like speaking another language. The traffic was light since it is Sunday, and we darted to Tusky’s, the nearest shopping mart. Since I’m the only one in the village for the next several days, most of the goods were for me, so our buzzing around the aisles went quickly. I recognize some of the employees, and they make it a point to greet me back, so I feel even more comfortable. Yama wanted a double chicken cheese burger from the food kiosk inside the store. I had a diet coke and let him enjoy his feast.

Corn and wheat flour prices have doubled in the last year. Rice has also shot up nearly 50%, and the oil with which everyone cooks has risen so sharply that our people are feeling an even greater pinch when trying to feed their families. It is more apparent to me now how important it is for us to intensify our agricultural activities. At some point the world will quit feeding Kenya as they worry about themselves, and if Koins doesn’t step up and place our people squarely on their feet, our issues with food and diets will become astronomical and we’re going to lose a lot of folks.

On the main road finally heading towards the village area we ran into an uncharacteristic, Sunday afternoon traffic jam. We took the only alternative route and lucked out……for once. At the last junction before departing the city, large trucks, a sea of matatu’s (13 passenger vans filled to the brim with paying customers) scrambling private vehicles, and motorcycles culminate at a place that resembles more of a lumber mill road than the main artery between Mombasa and Nairobi. The tarmac the Chinese put down just 3 years ago has all but chipped away. With chuck holes and large stones everywhere, everyone trudges through the area, cussing the government, the traffic, and the abysmal condition of the road……including me. It’s not my first rodeo through here, so I keep my eyes on high alert and move forward.

As we pull up to the Koins Community Center (KCC), I have the sensation of being home. I enter my bedroom and find all of my belongings in order, everything washed and ready for me. Several visitors pass by to shout a cheerful hello, and I settle in.

One of the guys that has worked for us on some of our construction projects came by to see Anthony. His condition has worsened since the last time I saw him. I find it difficult not to stare, but his condition is terrifically mesmerizing, and you cannot help but gaze at the obvious situation. This poor 30-something man suffers from a fairly common disease in the south coast area that is caused by the bite of a mosquito – elephantitis. The specifics of the body parts affected by this disfiguring disease can be anywhere, but usually in the lower extremities. Our construction worker has an apple bag the size of a 5 gallon water jug dangling between his legs, and now you might understand why it’s difficult not to stare. As he and Anthony finished chatting, this guy walked slowly away, swaying to and fro, ever so slowly, ever so casually. It was then that I noticed the trail this suffering man left behind that resembled a large snake slithering through the dirt as waddled back and forth. Unbelievable! Yama was shocked to hear that I have never known anyone in the U.S. to suffer from a similar disease. Come to find out that the only reason our construction worker doesn’t go to the hospital for a procedure to remove this prodigious body part is because the man is still fathering children. Now tell me you wouldn’t stare. Liar!

After a dinner of fresh fruit and a rice dish I grabbed my bucket of hot water and headed to the shower area. I was alone, under the dark, African night sky, scrubbing the layer of dust from my skin. I look up as I dowsed myself and saw Orion, the astrological constellation shining vibrantly overhead. I realized that it was only a few days ago while lighting fireworks in celebration of New Year’s that this same sky warrior gazed down upon me in Alpine. Now, standing in a completely different hemisphere than my home, similar stars light up my sky, although in a slight differing configuration. My thoughts create a parallel between my snowy, mountainside home and the tropical summer heat I am experiencing here. The creature comforts vs. the difficulties of Koins Village, and the skin tones of the two respective “villages.” Orion gets to see both from high overhead at the same time. I’m sure he loves them both the same as I do.

Emily in front of her oven at the KCC, with her delicious banana bread

Due to being summer here south of the equator, the sun rises quickly, so with the growing number of fowl in our chicken operation it only exacerbates the morning clamor. The only redeeming quality about this fussy flock is that they taste good. Mama Emily brought me my chai and a huge surprise, three loaves of her now infamous banana bread. Unfortunately it truly is so good that I keep it a secret from everyone else so I can hog it for myself. Yama and Buffalo will kill a loaf themselves, as will Eliud, our trusty scholarship coordinator and Chakaya, Yama’s Boy-Friday. (If you don’t know what that means, I’m just too old)

Kevin's Creek

At first light I strolled down to the damn on Kevin’s Creek to assess the site. Even with all the rains, flash floods, and constant pounding in October and November, our dam stands defiantly strong in the middle of the stream, taking all the water that dares to challenge it into deep captivity. There is more water sitting between Mnyenzeni and Vikolani than in the history of this place, and the dream of farming year round is going to be realized this year.

A quick inspection of the goat facility also proved impressive. We have baby goats now being born, and our herd is increasing every week with knobby-kneed kids bawling for their mothers when separated.

Joyce, one of the nurses from our dispensary joined me at the goat pen and we had a wonderful discussion about our milk objectives for the HIV mothers. We have some high hurdles to surmount with local nattering and scandalous stigmas, but at the end of the day, we will be saving babies lives and the loving mothers will not be denied because of the nonsensical chatter of their busy-body neighbors. We have arranged a meeting with women’s group from near Mazeras where HIV positive ladies who have successfully waged battle against traditional stigmas will help us address methods to assist our women and avoid these problems. Imagining that the daily struggles of being infected aren’t enough, especially when they are RARELY the root of the situation.

My appointment in Mariakani with the Area Education Officer was fabulous. Rarely do I leave a political meeting with true feelings of hope, but Mr. Mangale has either fooled me like no other, or action will be taken. As Yama regularly states, “the proof is in the pudding.”

I dropped Yama off in Mazeras, greeting Mama Lucy, Eddie, and little Bret Cougar, Anthony’s youngest. We stopped at the small shanties along the main road to Mombasa to pick up some food items so I could offer Lucy a small token. Eddie is so shy, but his English is fantastic. Little Bret is a pistol, and the wrestling match lasted until I was sweating. Their daughter, Milly, has returned to boarding school where she has garnered the #1 position in her class…….not a significant feat when you are at a national school, Kenya’s crème della crème.

Instead of dragging Yama back to the village, I drove back along the dusty, bumpy, miserable roads. Buffalo and Emily waited for me to return, and we ate a bowl of noodles, fresh pineapple, and yes, another chunk of banana bread. I did share with Buffalo this time, but he was rationed.

As I write this I’ve lost a pint of blood to the hostile mosquitoes infesting the KCC. I have a 36 inch fan blowing full blast on me from two feet away, and these little virus-infected, blood-suckers actually fly into the forceful wind to viciously gnaw on my legs. There’s not a salmon in Alaska that can match the “upstream” determination of these annoying pests. I have one word for them……..R*A*I*D!!!!!

BVL

The Frampton's in Kenya - Dzendereni Crossfit School Project

2012-01-08T21:22:00.000-07:00

Dallin Frampton and his father, Jason, spent a week in Kenya in December 2011. Dallin had previously lived in Kenya for several months while building a school in the village of Dzivani. This time, the school was built in the village of Dzendereni, and built with funds donated by Crossfit. This is a journal of Dallin's experiences in December.

Jason and Dallin in front of Crossfit School in Dzendereni, Kenya

After a long flight and 32 hours after leaving Utah, my dad and I finally got into Mombasa late Thursday night, December 1st. Only he and I went on this trip, which lasted just over a week, in order to finish up the Dzendereni Crossfit school project and hand it over to the village.

The new, unpainted Crossfit School in Dzendereni

Dallin mixing paint for classroom walls

Jason painting the interior of the school

We spent all day Friday, December 2nd in the town of Mombasa purchasing everything from food, paint for the school project and supplies we were going to need for building the 20 desks we were making for the school. After Mombasa wiped us out and we got into the village later that night, the excitement and suspense of getting out to the school that next morning began to set in. The plan was to head out to Dzendereni early and start painting everything we could with the soft white base color we had, and then kind of play it by ear from there. They welcomed us that Saturday morning just like any other Koins village would, with all the board members and school children waiting for us to arrive and the opportunity to get down and dirty with us on their newest building. I don’t think my dad knew what he was getting himself into as all the board members rushed to his side to meet him, and it was pretty funny watching him shake his head uncomprehendingly as they would smile and greet him in Duruma. All day was spent in that beautiful village with the work crew getting as much painting done as we could. Unfortunately, we ran out with only a few more gables to finish up. Anthony was heading into town the following morning, so he picked us up a couple more gallons and we were going to finish up the base coat of white and start the brown skirting the following Monday.

Water available to villagers, a result of Kevin's Creek Dam project

Kevin's Creek Dam

Women waiting at clinic, recipients of new baby blaknets

Jason giving a new dress to a Kenyan girl

Sunday was more of a mellow day for us as we started out by taking a walk down to the newly constructed dam to take some pictures and check it out. We also had a lot of baby blankets and dresses we had been given to give out, so we found new owners for those over the course of our stay in Mnyenzeni. After a cool little church service we had in the KCC, we headed out to my second home in the village of Dzivani where I was lucky enough to live for 5 months during the months of March-August 2010. I was blown away by the way in which these teachers took my advice to heart when I left them over a year ago to head back to the states. I told them that when I returned to the village, I wanted to see as many trees as they could plant on the school property, and they weren’t messing when they took that project on. The school grounds of Dzivani use to be dry and desolate, and now it looks like there could be monkeys swinging from the trees in the year-old forest that is now on the grounds.

New trees in front of Austin Frampton School in Dzivani

Villagers with Jason and Dallin in front of Dzivani school

Dallin addressing villagers in Dzivani classroom

Giving pencils to school children at Dzivani

Dallin in front of the hut he lived in while building the Austin Frampton school

Dallin with the Dzivani soccer team

It was amazing, and almost surreal as I walked into the Austin Frampton school after a year and a half away from there, thinking about all the long days I was able to work with the crew on that building. We walked around for a little while and checked out old and new sites, then the soccer team played a game for us out in the Dzivani field which was really fun to watch since we had brand new team uniforms donated to them during the summer expedition of 2010. We didn’t get back to Koins until late that night because it was so hard to leave the village that I had grown to love so much.

Dallin in the Koins workshop, cutting wood for desks

Dallin assembling desk parts

Finished desks ready to take to Dzendereni

Jason painting the Crossfit school at Dzendereni

Dallin and crew painting the exterior of the Crossfit school

Final touches on the Crossfit school

Monday was when we really had to get after it. The guys from Crossfit HQ were coming out to Dzendereni for the handing over ceremony on Wednesday, so we had to make sure all the painting of the school was for sure finished, but we also had desks to build to fill up the classrooms. We headed out early Monday morning to paint the dominant Crossfit brown color on the school for the skirting inside the classroom and more of an outline color on the outside. All the school board members and even the head teacher all helped us paint, so we were covering a lot of ground fairly quickly. We only finished the two classroom skirts that morning, and still had to do all the outside painting and the Head Teacher’s office the next day. We then headed back to Koins around lunch time so we could start knocking out some desks. The wood that comes in from Mombasa is in bad shape, so we first have to spend a while planing it just so we can get it down so it is smooth enough to measure into all the different sections we need for the desks. So we had a total of four guys working on these things including me, my dad, Mwanzara and John. Luckily they already had a bunch made, so it wasn’t quite as stressful as the thought of trying to finish up 20 desks in one afternoon. My little brother’s school also did a little fundraiser before we left for this trip and were able to provide an additional 3 desks to the mix and so we were able to paint “Rosecrest” on the front of a few of them. We finished all the desks just before sunset and we were able to crash after another tasty meal provided by my second mother, Mama Emily.

Dallin paints Rosecrest on desks for Dzendereni

Finished desks ready to go to Dzendereni

A fine Kenyan meal of ugali and chicken

Tuesday called for some serious African improv, which I tend to be pretty good at after living among the great people of Kenya for 5 months. We were running seriously short on our brown paint, and we still had a bunch of painting to do on the outside. We did, however, have plenty of turpentine and that mixes very nicely with oil based paint. So we ‘watered’ it down to perfection and it still looked awesome and we ended up on having plenty of paint to finish up the Crossfit School. Then we talked a little bit with the school board and chairman about how the handing over ceremony would happen in the morning. After we left Dzendereni, Anthony, my dad and I all cruised into Mombasa to meet up with the Crossfit guys and give them a bit of a run down on how things would go the next day. They were staying at the White Sands hotel, so they were very comfortable compared to us out in the village. When we met up with these guys, it was just Sevan who is the media guy/film maker for Crossfit, and then Greg was there as well, who is the founder and CEO of Crossfit. We had a lengthy conversation about what Koins was all about, our service area and everything Koins has accomplished in the last ten years or so. They were still waiting for one of their team to arrive the next morning, so they would meet us in the village the following day and then we would cruise out to Dzendereni together.

Crossfit group touring Koins/SRA garden

Crossfit group in Mnyenzeni

Greg planting a tree outside Crossfit Dzendereni school

Finished Crossfit school

Opening celebration for Crossfit Dzendereni school

When they arrived at Mnyenzeni, we continued to take them around to all of our sites, the workshop, the new garden and of course the KCC. I was fortunate enough to ride out in Greg’s car to the village, so we were talking about everything from Crossfitting, to why the people in Kenya do the different things that they do. The handing over ceremony was one of the best and one of the shortest I have ever been to. When we arrived, the school board took Greg and the crew down to the old school so they could see everything that they had been working with, and then they were escorted up to the new school building and the difference between these two structures is night and day. The children actually have a concrete floor and a tin roof over their head rather than dirt floors and mud walls. Greg and his team were all given Duruma names along with other gifts like canes, kikois and kanga cloths. After only a few people talked and Greg said a few words, the school was officially opened and then we took a walk into the actual village of Dzendereni. Greg was able to shepherd a few goats and Lisa was able to mill a little bit of maize in the way in which the ladies of Kenya do everyday. We were leaving for back home the following morning, so we got back to the KCC that evening, began packing, and looked back on a trip that was definitely worth every minute.

Dallin Frampton

Dzendereni Classroom Before


Dzendereni Crossfit Classroom after

Asante Sana, Crossfit, for your generous contribution to the village of Dzendereni. You have built classrooms that will benefit generations of village children for the good.

IVL

Youth Leadership Expedition 2012

2012-01-06T16:40:00.000-07:00

A Message from Jami Quesenberry, Koins for Kenya Expedition Leader

Youth Leadership Expedition 2012

As the application deadline for the Youth Leadership Expedition fast approaches, I wanted to share both the genesis of this idea as well as introduce our wonderful mentors.

I have been the Expedition Coordinator at Koins for Kenya for 2 years. One of the joys of this position is being able to see the “before” and “after” of our participants. The transformation from “my friends can’t believe I’m going to Kenya and honestly I can’t believe it myself!” to “that was an amazing experience- when can I go again?” is gratifying to witness! And I should know. I went through it myself.

The most meaningful transformations, though, are the ones I see in the youth. Time after time I’ve seen youth with varying degrees of privilege go to Kenya – three of those youth being my own – and then come home grateful for all they have and anxious to get involved in causes bigger than themselves.

I have pondered how to get more youth involved in these trips. For, just as I appreciate the very real problems in third world countries like Kenya, I also appreciate the very real problems our youth in the US face. Believe it or not, there are problems associated with having too much!

Thus, this idea of having an expedition geared exclusively towards youth. I’m hoping that the youth who participate will:

1) Gain greater gratitude for their freedoms and advantages;

2) Grow in their sense of responsibility that comes with freedoms and advantages;

3) Develop survival skills - both physical and emotional - that they may not get to develop in our cushioned country and thus increase that feeling of empowerment that comes from developing those skills;

4) Learn leadership, decision-making, and team work skills that will help them as they navigate their educational, professional, and family life;

5) Find lifelong mentors and friends who will encourage and counsel them in their lives; and

6) Recognize the spiritual and emotional sweetness that comes from meaningful service –and commit to make service a habit in their lives.

To help with these goals, we have recruited three warm-hearted, talented, and enthusiastic mentors. Their passion for volunteerism is infectious and I am honored to work with them.

They are:

Emery Blanchard

Emery in Kenya, 2011

Emery fell in love with Africa and the Kenyan people in 2011 on her first expedition to Africa. Since returning from that first expedition it was clear that she would return to Africa to serve and learn more about the culture. Emery has a deep love and respect for all cultures and beliefs and actively seeks out cultural experiences. She also has a passion for volunteerism and service. Emery has served over nine years in the US Air Force. She is an avid naturist and outdoors woman who always welcomes fun and adventure.

Brian Gelsinger

Brian Gelsinger

Brian grew up in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan where he was lucky enough to spend some of his childhood living in a home with no running water, heat, or electricity. At the time it was a struggle, but this experience proved to have a profound impact on Brian's life. A seed was planted in his mind that grew into a deep appreciation for a more natural way of living that relied less on modern convenience. He studied Sociology at Northern Michigan University which further developed his appreciation for human diversity and different ways of living around the world. Since then, Brian has worked in a variety of fields. His favorite job to date has been working with at-risk youth at Second Nature Wilderness Program, teaching them outdoor-living skills and therapeutic tools. There he was able to combine his love for wilderness with his desire to help youth find new opportunities for growth in their lives. Brian currently lives in Utah where he enjoys hiking the desert and mountains, riding his bicycle, cooking (and eating, of course), reading, and doing most of these things with his dog, Smoke.

Lacee Frampton

Lacee Frampton

Lacee watched her brother Dallin live in the village of Dzivani, Kenya, for five months while building a school. This inspired her to join the 2010 Koins for Kenya expedition. Lacee currently works as an elementary school teacher at Challenger School. She spent the last three summers as a counselor with Especially for Youth (a summer camp for teenagers). Lacee currently lives in Holladay, Utah with her family, 2 dogs, and her bird Molly.

Applications for the 2012 Youth Leadership Expedition are due January 15, with pre-expedition meetings starting the next week. There are still a few openings available. Please email me if you would like more details.

Jami Quesenberry

seqesq@msn.com

Koins Year End Newsletter

2011-12-26T15:46:00.000-07:00

Happy Holidays from Koins for Kenya!

Below you will find a summary of our year end activity, as well as a glimpse into the projects planned for 2012. It is exciting to see the work that has taken place in 2011. As I post items articles to the blog, there is a realization of what is going on, but to see it listed out, it is quite amazing to see the amount of work our little organization has accomplished.

We at Koins are so very grateful for wonderful donors and volunteers who make all this possible. Each year brings surprises, as more doors are opened to us in the way of opportunities and partnerships. We are seeing solid educational work achieved, and new dreams realized as we work with SRA and WhoLives.org in the areas of agriculture and water. We are now working with Crossfit to build a brand new school campus for gifted 5th - 8th grade students, which will prepare them in every way for high school and beyond. The possibilities are amazing. We are looking forward to 2012 and expect it will meet and exceed our expectations. Please keep checking our blog and website for updates.

Asante sana,
IVL

Analysis of the Koins/SRA Projects in Mnyenzeni

2011-12-19T12:39:00.000-07:00

Analysis of the Koins for Kenya
and Self Reliant Agriculture Projects in Mnyenzeni

By Lonny J. Ward, M.S., M.B.A.
Endowed Prosperity International

Eddison, Patrick and Lonny

From October 28th to November 10th I had the opportunity to work in the village of Mnyenzeni with Koins for Kenya (Koins) and The Institute for Self Reliant Agriculture (SRA). My purpose in going there was to evaluate the program and to assist in designing and implementing a goat milking project. The following is a report of my visit and an evaluation of the SRA program and the Koins project in general.

Overview
The Koins for Kenya project is very impressive. The key to the success of the project lies with Bret Van Leeuwen and his love for the Kenyan people. Bret has surrounded himself with some good people to help carry the work forward but the project still rests heavily on his shoulders. There are great synergies between the local Kenyan people and the American staff. This cooperation has led to a very efficient use of the funds raised by the Koins staff.

Bret inspiring the school children

The focus of Koins for Kenya is to improve the education of children by building and furnishing schools. There have been 5000 to 6000 children taught in these new and improved school facilities. Thousands of other people have been positively influenced by Koins’ presence in the Mnyenzeni area as the Koins’ projects have gone forward.

By combining Koins’ efforts with SRA it is hoped that their influence will reach broader and deeper into the lives of the Kenyan people. Families will be educated and assisted in developing their own gardens and small farms that will greatly improve their diets and eventually provide them a significant source of income. The focus of this project is to improve their diets so that the people will be healthier and the children will grow and learn better. There have been instances where improvements in the student’s diets have already had dramatic positive effects on their ability to learn. SRA and Koins together make a good team.

The Institute for Self Reliant Agriculture (SRA)
The focus and goals of the SRA are to help the villagers become self reliant by growing their own food. This goal is reached through a program where the SRA staff teach and train the local population how to raise their own food. Most of these villagers have access to land where they can plant gardens and raise animals but the land is not used efficiently. The SRA model is very appropriate for this situation where the resources are available but not well used. The program’s success depends a great deal on the ability of the staff to inspire and teach the villagers and the willingness of the villages to make the plan work.

Koins provides a fertile location for the SRA to implement its program. The structure is such that the SRA staff can set up their demonstration plots on the Koins’ land. The trust that the Koins staff has earned among the villages is critical to their acceptance of the program. This trust and respect can be leveraged by SRA as they start to teach the people. As the SRA program succeeds, the people can better feed themselves. As a result the students will do better in school. There will be more money produced and retained in the village. The combined Koins and SRA projects give the people the tools to lift themselves out of poverty and starvation.

SRA Staff
Tom Rasmussen is the vice president of The Institute for Self Reliant Agriculture (SRA) and has been the face of the SRA in Kenya. He has limited experience with agriculture but has a passion about the program that is key to its success. Tom hired two well qualified Kenyans, Patrick and Eddison, as the animal and garden experts. They are both well qualified for those positions and are aggressively pushing the project forward. SRA is able to leverage the Koins’ Kenyan staff so they can run very efficiently. As the project expands it will be necessary to hire additional staff to coordinate the project.

Tom, Patrick and a worker at the Rotational Garden and Hen House

Rotational Garden
The rotational garden is set up to produce all year round. Each garden is divided into four sections that are planted several weeks apart in a rotational system. At least one of the garden sections is producing and ready to harvest at all times. Each of the four garden sections contains similar crops which are customized to the nutritional needs of the family and the availability of water.

Eddison has four plots set up and two of them planted. These gardens are well on their way to producing food. In addition to the traditional gardens they have a nursery for starting the plants. The seeds start out planted closely together, then once they have grown a couple of inches tall they are transplanted to the regular gardens. This is a way of jump starting the program for those who are planting their first garden.

Another innovative idea that they are working on is the “feed sack” garden. The feed sack is filled with soil and has seeds planted both on the top and in small holes on the side of the sack. Because of its compactness and vertical positioning it is very efficient in its use of water. Villagers can wash their hands and face above the sack and the water that falls onto the sack can provide enough water for the plants to grow.

The principle purpose of the rotational gardens is to provide a balanced diet to the family first. Once the needs of the family are met, surplus produce could be sold providing some income to the family. The family would be better off because they have a balanced diet and some additional income. The community would be better off because there would be more food for consumption. This would result in a net increase in the economic prosperity of the village. Less money would be going out of the village for food, and more money would come into the village as food was sold to the surrounding areas. For example, the tomatoes sold in the Mnyenzeni store and purchased in Mombasa but are grown near Nairobi. Mnyenzeni could easily grow their own tomatoes and sell their surplus to markets in Mombasa.

Animal Projects

Chickens
The chicken project was created to teach families how to raise chickens in a small enclosure near their home. The eggs are collected and stored by the family in a cooling chamber. This is done so that the laying hens will continue laying eggs instead of just nesting. One or more hens will be selected to nest on a dozen eggs at a time for the 21 day incubation period.

As chicks hatch out of the eggs, they are separated into a nursery and new eggs are introduced to be incubated. Using this method, Mwayele, a neighboring farmer, has raised close to 2000 chickens from an original flock of 12 hens in only two years. The sale of these chickens paid his children’s school tuition and gave him seed money to start a goat project.

Eddison and Patrick with a trainee in front of the hen house

Patrick has set up a hen house next to the garden area on the Koins compound. The structure has layer hen boxes on one side, a roosting area in the middle and a nesting area on the other side. The structure is built up off the ground so that the manure and urine will fall through the floor onto the ground below. This model keeps the pen clean, breaks the cycle of internal parasites and makes it easy to gather the manure to use as fertilizer on garden plots.

The hen house was made from locally available materials by a local builder and will be used as a model to build smaller hen houses for village families. It will also be used in the training program for the villagers. Families will be given training and a few chickens with the expectation that they will return the chickens once they have offspring.

An important part of this project is to require the villagers to purchase or earn everything that they receive so that they will feel ownership of their project. Patrick’s goal is for each family to be able to eat one chicken weekly as part of their diet. They will also have enough eggs that each person in the family can eat one egg weekly. The rest of the eggs will be used for growing the flock. Even though this may seem like a small amount, the nutritional benefits will be enormous compared to the low-protein diet that the majority of villagers normally eat.

With proper training and ongoing support from the SRA, each family could be successful at raising chickens. These chickens would provide food for the family, a source of income and fertilizer for their rotational gardens. It would be an achievable step for them and make a significant positive impact for the community.

Goats
The purpose of the goat project is to raise goats that will provide both milk and meat for the local schools and eventually for families. SRA and Koins will develop a goat herd that will be used for training. This herd will also produce goats for sale to the schools and families that have been trained. The schools will use the goats to provide milk for their lunch program. The villagers and the school children will learn firsthand how to care for the goats properly.

The milk from the Koins herd will also be made available to the local dispensary to be used for babies that cannot receive milk from their mothers due to AIDS, other illnesses or death. Goats that are not used for milking or breeding will be slaughtered for meat.

The greatest immediate effect of this project will be the milk for babies and young children. In some cases this milk will be life-saving, either immediately or in the long run. The milk will provide critical nutrients that will help with their general health and their physical and mental development. There will likely be an increase in the test scores of the children who receive milk at school.

Mwayele is a nearby farmer that has participated in Patrick and Eddison’s animal program and currently has 90 goats. Among his herd are Gala goats that are faster growing and produce more milk than the local breeds. They are doing well on his farm and would be a good choice for the Mnyenzeni area.

Mwayele showing his goats and chickens to the Koins and SRA group

In two years, Mwayele has gone from a poor farmer with 12 chickens to a successful farmer with 300 chickens and 90 goats. He has been able to feed and care for his wife, four children and his two nephews after their parents died. He has now opened a small store and has purchased a solar panel that provides electricity to the store and home.

Mwayele purchased his goats at Eicheha Farm in Taveta so Patrick and Lonny went there to identify the best goats to use for the training herd. They selected 3 males and 21 females from among the best goats on the farm. The goats had been recently vaccinated and were ready for transport to Mnyenzeni at the end of November.

Using local materials and laborers, a goat house was built to be used for the Gala goat herd. Bret and the Koins staff worked out an agreement with the neighboring school to harvest their grass. The grass will be dried and stored to be fed during the dry season.

Lonny, Patrick, Tom and Eddison with school children taking a short break from the construction of the new goat house

The goat project will be more complicated than the other projects and require more training and follow up by the SRA staff. However, if managed correctly, this project has the most potential for dramatically changing the community. This is because the goats will provide enough income for a father to provide for his family without having to procure outside work. Currently many of the men leave home and travel to Mombasa to work a week at a time, leaving their families without a father for long periods of time. This social situation causes many problems which can be resolved if the fathers are able to work in their own village and be with their families. Overall, the goat project can and will have a major positive effect on the community.

Water
A critical component in the lives of these people and a major focus for Koins and the SRA is providing them with clean water. There are two rainy seasons where water is plentiful, but these seasons are separated by months of very dry conditions where water becomes scarce. There is one small water line that runs past the village and provides a little water to some of the people. However, most of the people obtain their water from puddles in the roads, the river bottoms or man-made storage ponds.

The water storage tank that collects the water from the KCC roof

Koins has implemented several water storage projects and is currently implementing several other new ideas. Large water tanks have been constructed to collect rain water from the tin roofs of the community center, the church, the hospital and the dispensary. This water is much cleaner than what is collected from the rivers and puddles. A significant amount of water is collected this way but is not enough for the needs of the compound and new ideas for obtaining, cleaning and storing water are needed. As the garden and animal projects expand, it will be critical to have more water available for these projects.

Koins partnered with engineers Kevin Nielsen and Shad Roundy from CH2MHill to build a retention dam in a river bed that is near the village. This dam will provide a significant amount of water to be used for the garden and animal projects. It will also serve as a model for building additional dams in the future on this river and on others in the surrounding area.

Kevin and Shad surveying damage after a sudden downpour

Kevin, Buffalo and Lonny as dam construction continues

In order to provide more clean drinking water for the village, Koins is also working with WHOlives.org which has a hand-operated well drilling machine called the “village drill”. It is hoped that the Ben Taylor Workshop on the Koins compound can serve as a manufacturing site for these village drills. It is hoped that they will be able to drill wells in all of the surrounding villages at very reasonable rates. Because of their simplicity and their manual component they can be used with a limited amount of training and skill. The villagers drill their own wells which gives them pride and ownership of the wells.

Obtaining, cleaning and storing water is critical to improving the lives of the Kenyan people and is central to the success of any projects. Koins has developed successful ways of retaining the water and is continuing to look for and develop additional water resources. The lives of these villagers will be forever improved as they learn to better use the resources that are available to them.

Summary and Analysis
Overall I am very impressed and excited about the cooperative project between Koins for Kenya and The Institute for Self Reliant Agriculture in the Mnyenzeni area. The land has incredible resources that will provide food and income for the people as they learn how to develop and utilize them. Koins has the confidence of the villagers and provides a location for training. The SRA provides the model for success and the staff to implement the training.

The SRA model of teaching basic self reliance to alleviate poverty and death has been well researched and proven successful in other areas. Because it takes time to gain the respect and confidence of the villagers in a new area, partnering with an existing organization that has already developed this confidence means that more lives are saved faster.

This same type of cooperative effort should be used in many other villages to hasten the work of teaching people how to lift themselves out of poverty and into a successful, flourishing condition. Positively changing the lives of these wonderful people is exciting and fulfilling.

Patrick, Lonny, Eddison and Jones in front of completed goat house

More Info on the Youth Leadership Expedition - July 2012

2011-12-13T17:33:00.002-07:00

Youth Leadership Expedition 2012

The dates of the expedition are approximately July 6-22. The actual dates may be a day or two in either direction. Just depends on the airline price and availability. The cost is $4400 per person, including airfare. There is an optional Mt Kilimanjaro hike that will cost an additional $1900 per person and add another 7 days to the trip.

However, before the trip we are planning to have twice monthly get togethers with the participants, starting in January. In these meetings, the group will: decide together on a project that they will work on once they get to Kenya; plan fundraising and other details associated with the project; learn some survival skills; plan a leadership seminar that they will teach at the village secondary school; and learn about Kenyan language and culture. For the kids that decide to go on the hike, there will probably be a few group hikes once the weather improves in the spring. There will be some outside reading involved, too.

Youth that live too distant for the meetings will join us through video conferencing.

Once in Kenya, the group will stay overnight in Mombasa, relaxing on the beach for a day, then head out to Mnyenzeni - the headquarters of Koins for Kenya. They will stay in the main village for a couple of nights where they will teach their seminar and get accustomed to the time change, etc. Then they will move out to a more remote village for the rest of their stay, working side by side with local villagers on their chosen project. They will be staying in sleeping bags and tents, will be doing some of their own cooking, and all of their own laundry. Kind of like girls' or boy scout camp. Midway through the trip they will go on a 2 day, 1 night safari at Tsavo National Park. At the end of their trip, they will have the opportunity to stay overnight with a village family. Depending on how the flights work out, there may be the chance of spending a day in our hub city in Europe - usually Amsterdam.

I will be personally heavily involved in the pre-expedition meetings, as will the mentors I've chosen to work with the group. One of these mentors is Emery Blanchard. She went on our expedition last summer and was an inspiration to all involved. She is an occupational therapist, was in the Army for several years, and has a wonderful, accepting, fun, and caring attitude. The other mentor is Dallin Frampton, a young man who lived and worked in Dzivani, Kenya, for 4 months in 2010, building a school in honor of his younger brother, and just recently returned from Kenya after raising funds and building a second school in Dzendereni, which was funded by Crossfit.

We will have a regular expedition going on at the same time as the youth expedition. So, there will be lots of back up and help if needed.

The Mount Kilimanjaro hike will be 5 days, 6 nights. We have made arrangements with a reputable and experienced local guide. The cost covers transportation to the base camp, all food, and lodging.

We would like each person considering going to fill out an expedition application (available on our website), and send that in to me, along with a $100 deposit in the form of a check made out to Koins for Kenya. We would also like each youth to write a 300 word essay detailing why they would like to go on this expedition. All of this needs to be in to me by January 15. We will do a phone interview with each participant, too. Nothing scary! Just in an effort to get a feel for each participant's personality and expectations.

We are capping the number of participants at 10. If we get more applications than that, there will be a selection process (which I hope doesn't happen!) based on the essays and interviews with a decision made by the end of December. The deposit will be returned to whomever is not selected.

Feel free to tell as many people as possible about this. It will really be a life changing experience!

Jami Quesenberry
Expedition Leader, Koins for Kenya
jami@koinsforkenya.org

The Village Well

2011-12-09T13:22:00.000-07:00

During 2011, Koins for Kenya partnered with WhoLives.org, an organization that has developed a human powered drill for more affordable water well drilling.

This Village Drill is very suitable for rural villages that are off the beaten path, with limited or no accessibility to the traditional large drilling rigs needed to drill a well. This is new technology that has the potential to change the face of rural third world poverty and water related issues.

With the BTW workshop already in place in the Koins service area, we are preparing to work with WhoLives.org to manufacture and distribute these hand operated drills throughout Africa in 2012. We are excited about the possibilities. Clean and accessible water has always been a problem in the Koins service area, and in many third world countries around the world.

Here are a few water related facts:

• 884 million people lack access to safe water supplies; approximately one in eight people.
• 3.75 million People die each year from water-related disease, 84% are children.
• Diarrhea causes 1.4 million children’s deaths every year. More than AIDS, malaria and measles
combined.
• The ability to bring clean safe drinking water to impoverished nations is the number one concern of governments and NGO's, yet the problem still remains wholly unsolved.

Here is a short video about the Village Drill:

With the help of LDS Humanitarian, Koins has established 3 wells within our service area in the past. Each well cost over $10,000 to provide. The Village Drill will allow a perpetual water source to be provided, at a cost of approximately $3,500 per well. In addition to the gift of fresh water, the Village Drill project will also provides jobs to Kenyans, both on the manufacturing side, and in the labor of the actual well drilling.

Your donations are needed now more than ever. We have a real chance of creating a new world at a cost of about $2 per person. A $3,500 donation will bring clean, fresh, accessible water to an entire village. Join us today and be a part of history. Donate here. Choose Water Projects as your donation destination.

Asante Sana!

IVL

How Would You Save Africa's Children?

2011-12-05T11:14:00.000-07:00

Bret will be a guest on VoiceAmerica Talk Radio tomorrow, December 6, at 11:00 a.m. MST. The link to the radio program is www.voiceamerica.com/show/1994/growing-people-from-the-ground-up

This is in conjunction with our partnership with Self-Reliant Agriculture.

The discussion will be the food crisis in Africa, and what Koins for Kenya and Self Reliant Agriculture see as a small scale solution to the problem.

Listen in and see how you can be part of the solution.

Asante,

IVL

A Gift of Hope

2011-11-26T09:52:00.001-07:00

This Year Give a Gift That Lasts…

…the Gift of Hope for a Family in Need.

Every year millions of gifts are given, but sadly, most are soon forgotten. Instead of presenting gifts that will one day wear out, get broken or be overlooked in just a day or two, why not give something that will change a life, not only for a day, or even a year, but for generations.

All measures have been taken to ensure that the villagers who receive your gift do their part prior to anything being given them. Below you will read suggestions as to the everlasting gifts you can give. Not only will the villager see the blessings of your generosity, but you will be given reason to rejoice as you receive personal letters from the villagers when they write you about how you have changed their lives. Give the gift as a family, individual, or business, in your own name or in the name of a loved one.

Choose a meaningful gift to give a loved one and help children and families in Kenya receive gifts that will help them become self-reliant. Koins for Kenya will send a gift card directly to the gift recipient indicating the gift they are receiving and the giver.

Agriculture: The Gift of Health

Rotational Garden - $100
Rotational gardens are *one-time sponsorships. The donation provides your sponsored family, of whom you will become familiar, with everything they need to create the garden that will provide their children with the nutrition they need for brain, muscle, and bone development. The rotational garden sponsorship provides all the seed, soil treatments, insect repellent, water, and protective fencing for goats, chickens, and curious little people.

Perpetual Chicken Program - $120
Perpetual Chicken Program is also a *one-time sponsorship program. Since farmers have very little, or no extra money, participation in this program can be difficult because of our requirements for bird housing, flock health, and initial feeding of the chickens. A one-time sponsorship of $120 provides the initial chickens, housing for the birds, the necessary vaccinations against avian illnesses, and a feeding/watering start-up kit.

Galla Goats - $200
Gala goat sponsorship will add one goat to the Koins/SRA herd. A *one-time donation of $200 purchases the goat, all vaccinations, and feed seed for the life of the animal. These fantastic dairy goats will give milk to the babies born to an HIV positive mother. Babies usually do not contract HIV until they breast feed from their infected mothers. Now, with your sponsorship, mothers who have no choice will have an alternative, and our babies will survive. In addition, when mothers are lost during childbirth, these dairy goats will provide our newborns with life-supporting milk until they can take solid foods at 6 months of age. The babies we save with your generosity will fill our classrooms in the future, so please help, if you can.

*One-time sponsorship - This means that your gift will provide the foundation for the distant future needs of a family. They only need a kick-start in these vital programs, and from then on self-reliance is attained through our ongoing instruction and hands-on assistance from in-country staff.

Water: The Gift of Life

Cistern at Gona School

Water Cistern $2,700
Water cisterns are a valuable commodity where water becomes scarce during 6-7 months of every year. Our cisterns last for many years, and we simply do not have enough to keep up with the growing student enrollment. At many times over the years our cisterns have been the difference in survival for innumerable children. A 35,000 liter cistern only costs $2,700, and can be adorned with school or sponsoring company logos, family names, or a simple saying to our community as they pass.

Bore hole in Koins service area

Bore Hole $3,500
Bore holes will provide the best, long-term return for the dollars we spend for water development. For only $3,500 we can drill a borehole deep into Kenya’s aquifer, tapping into an almost endless water supply. One bore hole can provide clean water for over a hundred men, women, and children of a village, ending sickness and even death from the lack of water.

Education: The Gift of Enlightenment

Windridge school at Chikomani

Classroom Building $6,500
Facilities - Koins for Kenya schools have an enrollment exceeding 6,000 students….and growing. New facilities are always a top need. Classroom buildings currently cost $6,500 each to construct, with a current shortage of 16 classrooms in order to bring our average classroom size to 65 kids throughout our various schools. Sponsored classroom buildings can be adorned with family crests, sister school logos, or the name of a loved one who shared an enthusiasm for education.

Mnyenzeni secondary student sponsored by Koins for Kenya

Student Scholarships
Option 1) Students who excel in the classroom need not be held back because their families do not have the capacity to pay school fees. Secondary students are required to pay $350 per year for tuition, equivalent to a year’s salary for many villagers.
Option 2) The superstars who qualify for university (less than 2% of the students), are those who will make the most impact on our area in the future. They are required to pay $2,500 per year for tuition, books, room and board to attend one of the few Kenyan universities.

Nancy Littlefield and Purity Mrabu, a Koins sponsored university student

Each sponsored student will write letters to you at least three times per year, sharing their progress, including a copy of their recent report cards, and where they rank in their class. These wonderful students recognize that their sponsors hold their future in their hands, and are grateful beyond measure that they have an opportunity to continue their education. Monthly donations for our university students makes it easy to sponsor one of our gifted children who have fought a valiant battle to arrive at this unbelievable pinnacle of diligence. You will not sponsor an empty name with the Koins for Kenya scholarships, but will develop a true kinship with a student whose education and training will impact the future of our village area.

Secondary Student Scholarship $350
University Student Scholarship $2,500

Chikomani students try out new desks while waiting for their classroom to be finished

Desks
Desks are the most popular item for the students that we provide. Those who have sat for years on the ground find a throne-like delight in sitting at a simple wooden desk. These hearty, wooden desks are made in our wood shop for $25 and last for years, with dozen of students filling them everyday.
You can buy one, or fill a classroom for $600 (24 desks). Since three students fit comfortably in each desk, you’re providing a long term, improved learning environment for a worthy child.

One Desk $25
Classroom of Desks (24) $600

General Donations
A general donation will be used for the most immediate needs within the area you indicate.

Agriculture Donation Amount $_________
Education Donation Amount $_________
Water Donation Amount $_________
General Koins Project Donation Amount $_________

Payment

You can make a donation by check. Simply print the PDF Donation Form, which you can find on the Koins website, or cut and paste it from the bottom of this post, fill it out and mail with your check to:

Koins for Kenya
252 N. Preston Drive
Alpine, UT 84004

If you would prefer, you can make an online donation here via our secure online merchant.

If you are giving this donation as a gift, fill out the Gift Recipient information on the mail-in or online donation form, along with any message you would like to share. Koins for Kenya will mail a Gift of Hope gift card to your recipient, indicating the gift you are giving.

You will receive a postcard in the mail indicating the donation you have made. Use this as your tax receipt. Koins for Kenya is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, Fed. EIN #20-5053322. Donations to Koins for Kenya are tax deductible. Consult your tax advisor for details.

As is the case in all donations made to Koins for Kenya, the funds will be channeled directly to the projects in Kenya. There is no portion kept for administrative needs or overhead, as everyone working with Koins in the United States is a volunteer, giving freely of their time, talents and resources.

We at Koins for Kenya continue to be amazed and humbled at the generosity of our donors, and at the growth and progress our little organization has made in the past year. It is through these donations, and the time, effort and inspiration of board members and volunteers that we are able to do as much as we do in Kenya. We expect that 2012 will be another year of great activity and progress in Kenya.

Our wishes for the happiest of holidays seasons to all of you.

Asante sana,

Board of Directors,
Koins for Kenya

Fighting Hunger in Kenya

2011-11-23T13:26:00.001-07:00

This article came from the BYU campus newspaper, published 11/20/11. Dr. Paul Johnston, a professor at BYU and affiliated with the organization Self Reliant Agriculture, has been working with Koins for several months now, and the results are developing into an education based program to help villagers learn to grow year-round, nutritious gardens that can feed their families.
______________________________________

The daily ration for a 10-year-old child in Kenya might include getting a fist-sized portion of ugali, ground-up corn with water; a tortilla-sized piece of mandazi, a kind of fried bread; and a serving of dried fish, equivalent to five guppy fish. That’s only 30 percent of the total daily calories a child that age should eat.

Professor of nutritional science Paul Johnston is working with BYU students to help fix this problem affecting children across Kenya.


SRA Garden at the Koins Community Center in Mnyenzeni, Kenya

Photo by Paul Johnston

Johnston was invited to collaborate with Koins for Kenya, an Alpine-based nonprofit organization, to fight child hunger and starvation in Kenya by planting gardens which will provide the locals with food year-round.

Currently, locals and Koins for Kenya are working together to plant 100 gardens for families, which will begin producing food in January. The gardens are planted with a variety of foods indigenous to Africa as well as others Americans might consume. Locals will harvest the vegetables every two weeks to provide a variety of fresh food throughout the year.

“Our idea is to take the [food] we are raising and use it as a way to teach the children about nutrition,” Johnston said.

Children will be able to pick a sweet potato from the garden and know its nutritional qualities, Johnston said. Ideally, the children will be able to teach their parents about nutrition to prevent future nutrient deficiencies.

Koins for Kenya founder Bret Van Leeuwen said the program is also meant to help people be self-sufficient.

“We don’t want to create dependency,” Van Leeuwen said. “So we focused on education because that’s the way out.”

In order to get a garden, the locals volunteer to participate and learn farming techniques and practices from agricultural specialists. The gardens will work similar to a co-op, where they give up 10 percent of their crops to sell at the market. The money will go toward buying more seeds and farming equipment for future harvests.

In preparation for the gardens, Todd Gardner, a nutritional science major, analyzed the diets of the children. Koins for Kenya collected the heights, weights and diets of more than 300 children from villages across Kenya.

He compared their diets to world health standards and found the childrens’ nutrient intake was extremely deficient. Compared to world health standards, they get only 13 percent of the normal calcium intake, 8 percent of the normal vitamin C intake and 1.8 percent of the standard B12 intake.
“I took their diets to see what they were eating to see how we can implement nutrients to catch them up, in a sense, with other people,” Gardner said.

According to Johnston, Vitamin A and C deficiencies are major problems in the region. A lack of vitamin A is the leading cause of blindness in children in Sub-Saharan Africa, and other deficiencies lead to health problems like stunted growth, which about 50 percent of the children suffer from. Johnston said their heights are significantly below the norm, indicating severe malnutrition.

Luiz Belo Neto, a senior nutritional science major, is working on a booklet to be distributed to the people; it will include charts outlining the daily nutrient requirements for people of different ages, weights and genders.

Gardner said working on the project has helped him understand hunger.

“As a nutritional major … you hear about nutrition and fats and carbs,” he said. “The only experience I’ve had is with my own diet, an American diet. Their diets are so unbalanced compared to ours. We take so many things for granted. … There is food all around us.”

The gardens will ideally be a successful, lasting system.
“There is a greater chance that people are going to accept it and use it over time,” he said. “The goal is that this will be adopted as part of the society.”

Johnston hopes the idea will spread, reaching to help more people.

“Over the period of the next few years,” Johnston said, “we’d like to see as many as 1,000 gardens being planted within individual families’ homes.”

They’re off to a good start with spreading the program; Johnston also worked on a similar project that provided the same opportunity to orphans in Ecuador.
“They’d never eaten broccoli before,” Johnston said. “They’d never even heard of it.”
But working in any country with limited infrastructure and trying to implement lifestyle changes isn’t easy.

Van Leeuwen said the limited water supply is the main issue threatening the success of the gardens. There is enough water available during the rainy season, but they need a way to capture it so they have a supply for the gardens when the rainy season ends.
They have found one solution, however.

Koins for Kenya just finished a dam that will be the water supply for the gardens. Van Leeuwen helped engineer the project that will now bring water a mile closer to the people.
“It started raining literally the day that it was finished,” he said. “In a matter of a couple of hours we filled our dam to the brim … and captured millions of gallons of water that, up until that day, would run into the next river. … All the water we captured would have been wasted.”
Johnston has confidence the people will succeed in their endeavors with the gardens.
“They are ingenious … and they’ll figure out better ways to do it than we will,” he said.
________________________

Watch for a blog post with follow-up photos and descriptions of the dam project.

Asante!

IVL

Rachel Fitzgerald's Kenyan Experience

2011-11-17T12:10:00.000-07:00

A recent group of expeditioners to Kenya has returned, and this blog post is from Rachel Fitzgerald, a recent high school graduate. It is always good to get a young person's perspective on their experience.

Rachel and a new Kenyan friend

Going to Kenya was a life changing experience, and it was only possible through the Koins for Kenya foundation. There is something about seeing the world that helps you to realize what life is really about. I no longer looked at my small scale problems as the end of the world, instead I viewed what it was really like to have to fight to survive every day. I was no longer worried whether or not I had the latest clothes or technology, I was gratefull to have anything at all. I came to the realization that maybe road construction and speed limits in Utah were not such a bad thing, that I'd much rather take that than unsafe roads. I found that maybe, just maybe, going to a full day of school was a blessing, not a curse. I was able to see that I would much rather spend a day at work, than spend a day walking under the hot sun to fetch muddy water.

Rachel in Kenya

I still cannot explain to people exactly what it was that I learned and saw in Kenya. They are all in the same position I was six weeks ago. Its one thing to read about or listen to the stories, and its another thing to live them. To most people they are just stories, to me the stories are real experiences continually happening every day around the world. Going to Kenya has changed me because I will never be able to forget whats really happening beyond our comfortable borders. Before it was so easy to see just my life in Utah county through a funnel. After seeing what I saw and doing what I did I will never be able to forget the world. I will never be able to forget that it is a much better use of my time changing THE world, rather than changing MY world.

I am so gratefull for Koins and everything they do. I have seen first hand the hundreds of organizations that pull at the heart strings of people not to make change, but to get personal gain. Koins is absolutely not one of these! Koins for Kenya is changing the world, and doing it because their motivation is love not greed. Not only is Koins assisting in education, nutrition, and health, they are spreading hope. I would encourage anyone to help with the Koins cause because they truly are making a difference, and doing it the right way.

Rachel Fitzgerald

____________________

Thanks to Rachel for her comments and photos. My experience has been that the best way to develop a young humanitarian is for them to experience life in different circumstances than how they have been raised. It is impossible not to leave a changed person.

Asante,

IVL

Run For Your Life

2011-11-14T18:08:00.000-07:00

A blog entry by Karen Timothy, a participant in the July 2011 Koins Expedition.

The phrase “Run For Your Life” took on a whole new meaning this past July as we held the Koins second annual Half Marathon; this time from Myenzeni to Gona. As Monica Woodland was pondering what to do for her project in Kenya, she heard about last year’s race and knew without a doubt that this was what she wanted to put her energies into…and what a lot of energy that was.

American and Kenyan women ready to start their race

The race is quickly becoming the opening ceremony for the dedication of a new school. Last year about 100 Kenyan men showed up for the race but the only women to participate were a few girls from the expedition. The race went from the KCC (Koins Community Center) to the new school and not all starters finished the race. Speculation has it that when it became apparent to the slower runners that they were not going to be able win the $100 prize money, many of them lost interest and dropped out.

Monica had a different vision for the race this year. Knowing that Kenyan women are not treated with the same deference American women are, she wanted to provide an incentive for women to enter the race and be able to win some money of their own. Word soon spread around the village that there would be cash prizes for the 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place winners for both men and women and we American women were quite excited about the idea of a Kenyan woman being treated equal to the men. The night before the race, Monica and I sat at one of the school lunch tables that were our only furniture in the KCC, playing out scenarios of how much money to award and when to award it. As we were tossing around our ideas, Bret (Koins founder, Baba [father] Bret to the Africans and bigger-than-life-shaved-headed-America) joined us and threw a wrench into our brainstorming. He was quite firm in his feelings that the women should not receive as much prize money as the men. Monica and I both felt the hackles on our necks raise a little at this. He explained that they would not expect it and that their husbands would just take it anyway –“ it’s just the African way.” He also said it wouldn’t be wise to award the women’s prize money along with the men’s at the Gona school celebration. “But,” he said in parting, “it’s your race.”

After Bret left, Monica and I talked a little more. She got opinions from a few of the other women in the group and finally made a decision. We proceeded with our girl-power pride intact to prepare the awards, placing the money into envelopes.

Monica on the road from Mnyenzeni to Gona

Water stop on race route

The next morning, Tara and I were stationed at the second water stop with an African college student named Charles. We were dropped off on a dirt road with our water and cups and went about setting up our things on a school desk that had been placed there for our use. Immediately a group of children started waving and shouting their now familiar greeting, “Jambo,” drawing closer each moment as their curiosity piqued. Shortly, three teens on a motorcycle drove up and demanded water in what to Tara and I, were rather challenging, if not angry, voices. Charles barked back at them to leave…the water was for runners that would soon race by here. Without further argument they sped off and Tara and I were grateful that someone had the sense to see that we were accompanied by an African. No sooner had we settled back down when out of nowhere we were confronted by two tall, thin African men with huge dangling earlobes, dressed in the red robes of the Maasai tribe. They carried their trademark walking sticks and barked out an order to Tara…”Sista, give me drink!” When she gave them one of her “I don’t even see you standing there you scary stranger” looks, they shouted their demand again….”Sista, give me water!” There was no way she was going to engage with these men so Charles stepped in and told them they could have water but to take the cups themselves. They did so, then threw their cups on the ground (another Kenyan behavior we Americans just can't understand) and left as quietly as they had come.

-(The Maasai tribe is a group of nomads that live out their lives wandering the land with their cattle herds, often not coming near villages for a month or more at a time. They are “Googleable” for those interested in learning more about them.)

KweKwe in the lead

Again we were grateful for Charles’ presence but soon forgot about our thirsty visitors as we saw in the distance what appeared to be an African woman running towards us with a big white number pinned to her chest. (The fact that she was running should have been all the clue we needed to identify her as a one of the contestants. We never once saw a woman hurrying there. They always just trudged along with their babies on their backs and their loads on their heads.) Sure enough, in another minute a beautiful, tall African woman came flying by us in her flowing chiffon dress and bare feet, refusing the proffered water. Tara and I jumped up and down and cheered like fools. Not far behind, a second woman was tearing up the dirt path. She, too, was barefooted and only paused long enough for a quick drink before making the turn. The only other women that passed our station were those from our expedition. They did not qualify for prize money so they were in no hurry! We later learned that only 2 women and about 31 African men had entered the race this time. Again, we wondered if the fact that so few could win anything prevented more from entering. It was suggested that next year they offer some sort of prize like a t-shirt or water bottle for all those who finish the race. It’s my guess that this would generate far greater interest and motivation.

Race winners honored at Gona celebration

Later that day, at the celebration of the Tingey School of Gona, all of the marathon winners were introduced and the men were given their prize money in front of a duly impressed crowd. There was just a brief mention that the women had already received a prize earlier in the day. I think there were more than a few Americans who were disappointed that they hadn’t let the people know that the women had also received their prize money. However, this is not our culture and change is a slow, tedious process. It was a frank reminder that we cannot just go over there and change their world in a day – nor should we. They are a beautiful people with a long history and while we ache for them to have the comforts and advantages we do, there are many obstacles to overcome and change will take time. The fact that Koins now has the first female university student from the village studying in Nairobi is huge. Hopefully more progress is on the way but to have used this marathon to take a hard stand about the need for Kenyan women to be treated like American women would have proved disastrous. Thank you Baba Bret.

The whole thing was quite a learning experience for us all. The fact that this Kenyan mother, Kwe Kwe, could earn money by simply running 13 miles proves that sometimes you really can “run for your life.” She will likely buy food, maybe clothing for her children but whatever she does, she now has an American sister she will never forget. Monica, who always looks like she just stepped out of a fashion magazine, chose to spend the following night with Kwe Kwe at her home, learning what it feels like to sleep in a mud hut with no water to drink and no hand blowers in the restrooms. She came home humbled and teary-eyed and it was clear to us that Monica will never be the same. The second-place winner, also named Kwe Kwe, undoubtedly marveled at her good fortune at the hands of an unknown American woman who wanted to make a difference. It was an honor to witness this bit of compassion and sisterly love. Well done, Monica.

Karen Timothy
_____________________________

I had the opportunity to ride backwards on a motorbike driven by Bret, to film and photograph the race from that perspective. It was a bit of a challenge, but a fun way to see the faces and effort being put forth by the runners. It was also a kick to see the faces of the villagers as they watched me from my awkward vantage point, wondering what the crazy white woman was doing.

The KweKwe's before the race started

I saw the women at the beginning of the race, the Kenyan women with their shy, quiet approach to the starting point (running is simply not something that Kenyan women do publicly). I saw the determination in KweKwe's pace, she wanted to be the first over the finish line. She kept looking over her shoulder to ensure she was in first place.

KweKwe #1 crossing the finish line

Monica and the KweKwe's post race feet

I saw the dusty and bleeding feet of the two KweKwe's as they finished the race, having run barefoot the entire way.

Monica proudly poses with the two female race winners

I saw the faces of the KweKwe's as they were given their prize money in a quiet, post race gathering. The incredulity of the prize they were receiving was obvious. It was almost as if they expected it to be taken back from them. They both quickly tucked the money into their clothing.


KweKwe #2 with her prize money

Several of us gathered around the Kenyan women after the race, and asked them about their lives. KweKwe #1 was a 30 year old widow with 6 children. We all knew the impact the prize money would have on her family. KweKwe #2 had 4 children, and again, the impact of the prize money would be immense.

Happy racers

Monica congratulating the women at the Gona celebration

Sunday evening, KweKwe #1 walked to the KCC to visit with Monica. She brought a gift and wanted to personally thank Monica. Bret and Monica spent some time with her, and the end result was that Monica packed up a bag and headed off to KweKwe's home to spend the night with her family.

I was speechless. In all the years of Koins working in Kenya, I had never seen a woman spend the night in a villager's home. It is a common practice for the expeditioners to shadow a village woman during the day, and experience the day to day work of a Kenyan woman. However, spending the night in a mud hut is a totally different story.

We all worried about Monica and how her village experience was going. The next day we arrived at KweKwe's village area promptly at the designated time, expecting Monica to be there waiting for us. She arrived about 30 minutes later, regretful that she would not see KweKwe's children arrive home from school that afternoon. She had great stories to share of her experience, and fond memories that she will reflect on her entire life.

Monica receiving adulation of fellow expeditioners upon her return to the KCC

Monica left Kenya with a new sister of her heart. I left with a renewed desire to help the women of Kenya, who live such difficult, hardworking lives.

Asante, Monica, for your example.

IVL

Heavy Rains and Dam Building

2011-11-08T15:05:00.000-07:00

A quick update from Bret, regarding the dam project. There have been heavy rains, which can cause havoc on the dirt roads getting in to the Koins Village area. However, with the building of the dam in the riverbed, the rains have created new difficulty.
________________________________

This place is GREEN, with a capital "G". Rains continue to fall, especially last night! For two hours we had thunder cracking overhead and buckets being poured down upon us. In all my rainstorms I've never seen (or heard) anything as massive as this.

Upon inspection of the dam (which is at a critical point) we discovered that the water had brought our worst fear to reality. We lost one of the walls, which will need complete reconstruction. We remain determined to complete the task and have two days to do it, so we're back at it with a crew of help. Wish us luck!

The goat house is being built, schedule to be finished today. The goats won't make it to the grand opening, due to the conditions of the roads. But the goat house is looking good.

The dairy goats are part of the SRA project, and have the potential to change the nutritional landscape of the Koins Village area. It will be exciting to see this get off the ground.

Here is hoping the rain will stop for a few days, allowing the projects to be finished.

Asante sana,

IVL

Bret's Kenyan Journal, October 2011, Part II

2011-11-07T14:22:00.000-07:00

This is an update to Bret's Kenyan journal. I have taken this information from a recent email, some of this has been written in complete thoughts, and some are just bullet points of information. There is so much happening, it is hard to keep up! I am glad he is keeping his activities journaled, because trying to recreate all of this after the fact would be very difficult. The following is a week's worth of activity. More photos will follow. Internet connectivity is limited, and sending photos is very time consuming if even possible.

Sunday, October 30, 2011

Yama and Riley went to Mariakani to look at some stoves while the rest of the whites headed towards Mombasa. Dropped us off at Akamba carvers, and Johnson continued to the airport to pick up Kevin, Shad and Grace who had to spend the night in Nairobi due to a delayed connection. We walked the huts at Akamba for 45 minutes, observing the wood carvers in action, and were joined by the three stragglers. We then walked to church along the narrow road from Akamba.

We arrived at church to see a TV up front. Kevin was to play the piano, but the dusty keyboard was broken. We giggled like teenagers at the comedy of errors, sitting at the back of the chapel as we sang hymns in our best mimic of the Kenyan accent. The TV was there to show a recorded session of General Conference. Part of the lesson is to teach the appropriate conducting of meetings.

We then went to the Blue Room so some emails could be sent back home. Several grabbed a bite to eat. We drove to the Tusky's to pick up some needed items, then headed back to the village.
We all went for a walk and came across naked boys in the river, bathing in a pool of water left from recent rains. I offered 20 shillings to the first one to scramble to the top of the riverbed edge, and we observed them in their desperate race to be the first to reach the top of the slippery clay bank. The winner happily collected his prize.

We scouted out possible dam sites with Kevin and Shad. They feel things look very good for what we are trying to accomplish.

Emily is utilizing the new oven well, and prepared pizza for our dinner.

Monday, October 31, 2011

We were all up early, scrambling to our various activities. Kevin and Shad spearheaded the initial work on the dam project. Mark, Lonny and I the took SRA boys to go look at a goat and chicken facility past Mariakani, to give Lonny a good look at our vision. We bought three chickens and a guinea fowl. I wouldn't budge on the rooster. The only reason for the guinea fowl is to eat it and see what he tastes like. If I thought the local rooster was noisy......

Checking out a local goat and chicken business

We stopped at a vet store to see what drugs they have available to insure the ongoing health of our stock. Looked promising. Lonny's expertise really comes into play here. We bought some wheelbarrows, shovels, and what everyone wants from this small town - pants.

We picked up a lady in Mazeras who is part of the Ministry of Energy helping us look at clay stove manufacturing where smoke is reduced greatly, and less wood is used to cook. So many village children have respiratory problems because they are currently inhaling the smoke created by cooking over open flames within the huts. If Koins can learn how to manufacture these stoves, then produce and sell them at an affordable price to the villagers, we can help improve the health of families, reduce the need for as much charcoal or wood to burn, and create a more energy efficient way of cooking for the locals. Riley has taken this on as his project.

The dam project is going well. Lots of dirt has been moved, lots to go. Kevin calls us a "Protocol Operation".

There was an instantaneous bug infestation in the girls dorm room. After a battle with DOOM, a pile of dead bugs was swept up by Emily. TIA

We held our first peaches and pits tonight, led by Grace.

Tuesday, November 1, 2011

Everyone is pretty much hitting their groove. They know what they are doing and get right to it, be it in the dispensary, over at Kevin's Creek building a dam, or working with our agricultural guys ramping up for our activities there.

The dam is coming along really well, and villagers are now starting to take notice. We've seen quite a number of people walking from other villages just to see what is going on, so hopefully we'll stay on schedule and give these people a great demonstration in engineering craftsmanship.

Kevin, Mark and I took a trip around the outskirts of our area giving out some baby blankets to some of the newborn babies that weren't able to take a blanket home with them. Kevin's stake, along with some family friends, made dozens of blankets, with some special ones coming from his own daughters and personal friends. He was able to hold several babies, wrapping them in their soft, new, protective blankets before handing them back to their mothers. It was a lot of fun.

Lonny continues to orchestrate the animal activities with the SRA boyz. They are starting the goat pen tomorrow, preparing for the arrival of Tom Rasmussen in a few days. To me, this has the makings of being something great if we get all the details ironed out.

Bloody nose boy, Riley, taking him to Mariakani. Laughing so hard Kevin and I can't breathe.

First time I ever saw fog drifting gently across the green hilltops of our valley. Since it was 90 days ago that this lush countryside was a barren landscape, it is quite the contrast. The power of water...

Wednesday, November 2, 2011

John and Verlyn, with WhoLives.org, arrived late last night from the U.S. They were up with the rest of the group and ready to attack the day. These two are here to assess our workshop and make decisions regarding the steel components they will need for their deep water drill. If we can get the appropriate supplies, and our people can step up to the plate with their skills, Koins Village will have an actual industry that will create jobs and lots of residual commerce.

As everyone divided to their own tasks, I took our new arrivals to visit SteelMakers and Doshi, the two big steel manufacturing giants in southern Kenya. It appears we'll have what we need, at a cost within budget, so things are looking up.

I had to return to Gona for a dowry negotiation for Raziki, my adopted daughter and Chakaya's older sister. There were 20 of us in the circle from both sides of the family, Chief Joseph of Bofu, and other dignitaries. I made it a lot of fun for everyone, and we came to a 14-cow agreement for Raziki's hand. Omar, her boyfriend who was not invited to this end of the ceremony, is a very lucky guy. When it came to drinking the traditional coconut beer at the end of the ceremony, I settled for a warm soda. When it came to eating some mystery items from a large plate, Anthony came to my rescue and told everyone I had guests back at the KCC. Yama, my wing man!!

We actually did return to dozens of smartly-dressed students from Miguneni. They had come to assist with gathering stones from the river bed for the construction of the dam. They worked diligently, carrying tons of the needed rock, placing it in a growing pile in our project area. After thanking the kids from Miguneni, dozens of students from Gona showed up from the dam site where they, too, had been hauling rock for us. I was able to address both groups, pointing out that, individually, carrying one stone would not make any difference in the world. But, carrying one stone with their classmates, working together, that we could change the world......and indeed, that is what this project is all about.

We needed some supplies for our goat pen and other small construction needs, along with a few needs in the kitchen, so off to Mariakani I went. While there I also passed by the vet store I visited the other day with our agricultural folks. Joseph, my new Kenyan tailor was waiting for me (I called to make sure he would wait there) and gave me the pants I had ordered two days ago. Two pair of slacks, pressed neatly and placed in a plastic bag, were waiting for me. I pulled them out, inspected them, and found them to be truly attractive. They were ten bucks each, so my expectations were not high. After trying them on, I could not be more satisfied, and the rest of the guys when I got back are planning on expanding Joseph's workload over the next week.

Pasta for dinner, sugar cookies for dessert. All things are pretty groovy.

With the arrival of all the new people we had to switch the sleeping quarters yesterday, so now the guys are sleeping in the large room next to my bedroom. My oh my, what sounds men make in their slumber, all of which are not conducive to my light sleeping habits.

All of our projects have really picked up steam with the pace quickening for everyone. We needed to buy 5 more shovels and 3 additional wheelbarrows to maintain our timetables for the dam. We had to cut lumber for the goat pen that must be prepared for their arrival, and our drill guys are scrambling for the correct steel and machinery. In between all of that we needed more water and food, as well as a fattened bull for the wedding on Saturday, and a random selection of a thousand other things.

Thurday, November 3, 2011

The workers at the dam decided they wanted to try their hand at negotiating for an increase in pay since they were now entrenched in digging in solid rock. This isn't my first rodeo, so their representative was dispatched back to the working herd with a stern message from Baba Bret. They continued their work, even picking up steam when I went down there to check up on things. I delivered a soda for everyone as a token of my appreciation and an olive branch, and the signal was well received.

I walked with Kevin to the secondary school. Things appear to be going well and growing. Discovering new signs from another organization attached to buildings we constructed several years ago was a little upsetting, but that will clear itself out over the next few days as we meet with local and county officials. We've never glorified our work too much, but taking credit for someone else's work is a difficult thing to comprehend. From the uproar it sounds as though the other organization was trying to validate their expenses, placing their names on our buildings and parading their supporters around the campus. Very strange.

On my way back we saw a couple of boys playing with a bird. It turned out to be an owl. I bought it for 60 shillings just to keep him from being injured any further. Folklore around this area has owls being a bad omen, connected to death and other bad incidents. I had to force feed the bird as he was pretty listless, so hopefully he'll make it.

Bret and Screech, a baby owl he saved

Friday, November 4, 2011

Taking back roads to places we go is fast becoming a favorite thing to do. Not only does it provide us a possible alternative to going through Mombasa, a horrible experience almost every time, but we are able to see a larger variety of how other villages live and what beautiful countrysides there are in Kenya.

WhoLives.org has arranged for their steel needs, but equipment for their shop is now the top priority. During a recent visit to a Mombasa's Technical College in the Nyali Beach area of town I saw a lot of equipment and thought this might be a nice place to start. It was. We are well on our way to having a shop here in Mnyenzeni, providing well drills to the entire east coast of Africa. The possibilities cause me to grin a little.

While at the Technical College we stopped in at Camara, the group that is scheduled to help us with our computer center. There has been a change of heart up at the Secondary School, thanks to the parents, and we are back on schedule for having the facility housed there.

We ate lunch at the new restaurant located at the Nakumat-Nyali. The food was quite good, and we had a chance to visit in depth with the Camara people. Afterwards we departed for Biashara Street, the narrow street where textiles of every kind are offered. Our target was to obtain a few attractive kanga cloths and kikoi's, the men's version of a kanga, for Kevin. While in the store the lights went out, so by flashlight we made our choices and departed.

Darkness is thick here in Kenya, and entering heavy traffic with no street lights is a bit daunting. We darted in and out of traffic, finally getting close to the edge of the city before coming to a log jam where traffic was literally stopped. We turned the car off and sat unmoving for almost an hour as whatever was causing the jam got sorted out. The roads truly are atrocious, with no signs of improving. The government should be ashamed, and quite frankly, I'd like a personal apology to my kidneys for the condition of the roads. We arrived well after dinner, but because of our healthy lunch it really didn't matter. I enjoyed showering under the stars and then off to bed.

Saturday, November 5, 2011

It seemed like we all struggled to get things pulled together this morning. I fed Screech and he pooped on me. I like this little bird. He has learned our feeding techniques, so it is easier on both of us. He loves to be on a perch, so I placed him atop a door so he could see the entire room. As I was standing there talking to my people, he flew and landed on my shoulder. We tried it several more times, once using other members of our group lined up with me. He still landed on me, so naturally I'm liking this little hooter. No, I've not yet heard him hoot.

Riley, Rachel, and Grace rallied to paint all the classroom chalkboards in Mnyenzeni Secondary and Primary. Tom assisted Lonny and the SRA boys to move forward with the goat pen, while the dam project finally went vertical today. The speed at which our laborers are working down at Kevin's Creek hastened today as they could finally understand the project and are excited about it. They showed great pride as the blocks were laid and mortar set. The parallel walls are 32" high and should be finished tomorrow.

Dam building in progress

Most of us took the trip to Gona today to participate in Riziki and Omar's wedding. Riziki is Chakaya's sister, and my eldest "African Daughter." She was dressed in stark white and stunning to the eye. It's amazing that in such a place of dirt and dust, a sparkling bride can emerge. It was fun being part of the ceremony, and a sign, to me, that our entrenchment here in this area exceeds the boundaries of culture, race, and socio-economics. We are family, and welcomed by all to be a part of their every-day lives.

During some of the dancing that was taking place, Kevin was particularly taken aback by the rhythm and movements these young kids were able to make to the music. One girl, who appeared to be the maid of honor, was a lot of fun for Kevin, dancing with him and playing while he filmed her. We've not had any hard core "cultural" interaction, so this was a lot of fun.

Back at the KCC, we took showers, sang aloud to 70's music in a group out on the porch, and watched Screech observe us with what looked to be disdain. We discovered that he is a Southern White-Faced Scop Owl.

Rachel has been very sick, although she is the only one, so it probably isn't food related. We treated her with Cipro, and after 24 hours or so or misery, she is starting to feel better.

BVL
______________________

I have daily phone conversations with Bret. It is difficult to keep up with all the activity going on. This is truly the most activity we have had in one group at one time. And with everything else going on, a school building is being constructed at Dzendereni, schedule to be opened in early December.

I am anxious to get photos of the work being done in Kenya, to document the progress of each project. This is a very exciting time for Koins. There is a time for planning and there is a time for progress. What is happening is the result of much planning, and the pieces fitting together so well are a sign of progress. Anyone who has traveled with us knows that each step of the way we are met with the reality of the words "This is Africa", and that often the best laid plans fall apart with that reality. It is encouraging to see solid progress on so many projects in such a short time frame.

More to come.

Asante,

IVL

The Ethiopian Cowboy in Kenya

2011-11-04T09:52:00.000-06:00

Today is my first day in Kenya. Travel was very good except for a two hour delay as we sat on the tarmac of the Addis airport. Patricia and others of the Spanish contingent were about to mutiny and leave the plane. The pilot said five minutes then half an hour later said ten minutes then an hour later said 15 minutes which ended up being almost another hour. I just sat back and enjoyed my time. I knew that stressing about it wouldn’t help. If I would have only had that attitude while I was packing.

We were the only people in the airport when we arrived so we were able to go through easily. I filled out the two forms and paid my $50 for the visa and I was in. At customs there were two people arguing with the customs lady about having to open their suitcases and how much they had to pay. We told her that we didn’t have anything to declare so she just sent us through without even looking at our luggage.

Johnson picked me up at the airport. He is a driver that is used by Koins and other similar groups to drive people around. He told me a lot about Kenya as we drove the one hour to the compound. Kenya has 42 different languages but the principle language is Swahili. Most of the younger generation also learns English. On the flight over I watched the movie The First Grader which told the story of an 84 year old man that went back to a rural primary school to learn to read. It was a good movie that helped me understand a little of the Kenyan history.

Discussing chicken and goat raising with a Kenyan farmer

At the Koins Community Center I met with Anthony who is in charge. He introduced me to most of the staff: Emily and Ester who run the kitchen and laundry, Mwanzara who runs the wood shop, Samuel who runs the welding shop, Patrick and Edison who work on the animals and plants respectively, Buffalo who is the projects manager and several others. Anthony showed me the outside showers and toilets, the bedrooms, the research plot area, and the work shop. They have quite a project going here.

Bret came by and took me out to the river area to show me where he is planning on putting in dams. The land is much more rolling than I had imagined and the river gorge deeper. I think that the dams will work very well. Now that I have a better idea about how the land is I can start thinking about how we should approach the challenges and opportunities that we have.

Kenya reminds me very much of Ethiopia as far as the climate, the people, and the cultural advancement. The roads are poor at best. The main road to Nairobi isn’t too bad once you get out of Mombasa but the road that turns off and heads to Mienzeni is very rough. The children are wonderful. They are so happy and welcoming. We watched several of them dance in the public church house close to the KCC (Koins Conference Center). They were very good and were having an excellent time.

I am just about to the 36 hour mark from when I boarded the plane in Salt Lake City. I was able to sleep on several of the flights but I am totally wiped out now. I hope that I can sleep well tonight and get my biological clock reset and going right away.

~ Lonny, AKA "The Kenyan Katalyst"

_________________

Lonny Ward is in Kenya with Bret, lending his expertise to our dairy goat project. I am very excited about the possibilities of this project, and the good it will do for the farmers and village families we serve.

I look forward to more posts from Lonny.

Asante,

IVL

SRA in Kenya

2011-11-03T09:10:00.000-06:00

In July, members of the organization Self Reliant Agriculture (SRA) visited Mnyenzeni, Kenya to continue work on the partnership between SRA and Koins. The following is an excerpt from the SRA blog detailing that visit.

SRA Farm in Malawi

Seeing elephants and giraffes in a zoo will never be the same for Dr. Paul Johnston and Tom Rasmussen. After witnessing large numbers of them stride across the African bush, the two men felt dwarfed in their presence, and outsmarted as baboons jumped through Dr. Johnston’s window, quickly snatched his candy, and were out again before he had time to react. Such are the happenings at Tsavo Game Reserve in Kenya where Mr. Rasmussen and Dr. Johnston were privileged to observe over twenty-five different wild species on their overnight adventure.

Except for the two day safari, the rest of their three week journey was spent in Ghana, Malawi, and Kenya developing new relationships and rekindling old ones so that SRA could be effective in applying its small-scale agriculture model among the rural families. In all three countries, doors opened as interested and eager universities sought to partner with SRA. Various universities want to take on the SRA approach that combines proper nutritional diets with appropriate crop plantation. Due to the severe economic stress in which these people live, all of the problems cannot be solved at once; however, some steps can be taken immediately to suffice some of their most critical needs while others are soon to follow.

In Kenya, one of SRA’s partnering NGO’s, Koins for Kenya, has helped build schools for over six thousand elementary age children. Many of these children walk barefoot a mile or more each day to receive instruction in classrooms without electricity and alongside more than one hundred other children. These children do this on a diet that consists almost entirely of corn, which is usually only enough to satisfy about thirty percent of their daily nutritional requirements. Without adequate calcium, iron, or essential vitamin supplements, malnutrition is widespread. Consistent iron deprivation in young children can adversely affect their cognitive development, which is irreversible. Additional similar and serious problems occur with other deficiencies.

SRA will be partnering with Koins for Kenya, receiving educational resources from Pwani University in Kenya, and aided financially from another humanitarian NGO. Thousands of families in this area of Kenya will be assisted in the development of family gardens and additional projects that will address their most critical nutritional needs. Water collection and retention, more efficient and healthy stoves for cooking, and numerous other improvements will be initiated in these villages. Small animals, including dairy goats, will be introduced as soon as possible to round out the nutritional needs of the families.

Similar interest and enthusiasm among governmental and educational leaders was also found in Ghana and Malawi. Projects will be organized in those countries as funding becomes available. In the meantime, the universities have expressed a desire to teach the SRA nutrition course and small-scale farming course as part of their curriculum. These universities have installed a demonstration farm on their respective campuses for research, and as a model for others to emulate.
_________________________

Representatives from SRA have again come to Mnyenzeni, this time to oversee the progress of the Koins farm and the acquiring of milk goats. I had a brief phone conversation with Bret today regarding the various projects that are being worked on, and Mnyenzeni is a beehive of activity, with people going in many directions as several big projects are coming to fruition. I look forward to sharing his journal with details of these activities, as well as photos. Big things are happening in Kenya!

Asante sana!

IVL

Baby Blankets and Dams

2011-11-02T17:01:00.000-06:00

One of the expeditioners currently in Kenya is Kevin Nielsen. Kevin was a missionary in Italy with Bret 30+ years ago, and is an expert in earthen dams in third world countries. He and Bret connected a while back, and got talking about the work we do in Kenya, and Kevin's expertise just happened to be something we could utilize. Land has been purchased and a Koins farm is being established. It will be both an example of what can be done with a small plot of land, and a hands on experience for local farmers who will be allowed to farm a piece of the Koins farm. With help from Self Reliant Agriculture, we will be training local farmers to farm better, to use the land to raise better and healthier crops, as well as fish and animals. Part of the requirement of such a farm is having available water. There is a riverbed adjacent to the Koins farm, but it only has running water for a few weeks of the year, during the rainy season. With the help of Kevin Nielsen, a dam is being built in this riverbed that will allow that seasonal water to be contained, and it will provide year round access to water for crops on the Koins farm. Once we can prove that this dam project is feasible and affordable, we can consider building additional dams within the Koins service area. The rivers flow hard and fast during the few weeks of the rainy season, but the water ends up in the Indian Ocean, then the rivers dry up. By providing a source for irrigation water, we could make a huge difference to the lives of local farmers.

Kevin called a few weeks before the trip and asked what his local church community could do for Koins. I suggested they make baby blankets that could be brought and distributed to the clinics within the Koins service area. The response was great, and this was Kevin's communication with Bret prior to departing for Kenya:

Kevin Nielsen with baby blankets for Kenya

Just a heads up, as you know, I asked for blankets to fill my suitcases. Well, the Relief Society sisters in our stake put out the attached notice and we got more than a suitcase full. A portion of them are shown in the attached picture. There were many expressions of this being the most rewarding humanitarian project they had ever done. They are anxious to have me return with pictures and report about the end result. As I mentioned to Jami, I actually cannot get them all in mine and Shad’s suitcases so I’ll be storing some at my house until my “next” trip to Mnyenzeni!

I am looking forward to seeing the results of the dam building in Kenya, and to hear of Kevin's experiences, both in dam building and in distributing baby blankets. Within the last 2 days, there have been 5 new babies born in the Koins service area. Each new baby will return home from the clinic wrapped in a new, clean, warm blanket donated by caring Americans.

Asante sana!

IVL

Bret's Kenya Journal, October 2011, Part 1

2011-10-30T08:43:00.000-06:00

Bret is in Kenya with a small expedition. This is potentially the most important, life changing expedition ever, as far as the Kenya people we serve. The focus for this expedition is on agriculture and dam building. Bret has written a summary of his first few days, in the way only Bret can. His many trips to Kenya have given him an understanding of life in Kenya that few Americans can fathom. The nuances of his perspective are touching and worth sharing. I hope you enjoy.
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The preparation for this expedition has been many years in the making....and I'm convinced it wasn't my plan. With each passing day I become more convinced that the hand of my Heavenly Father has guided me and Koins to this point, placing opportunities in our path, bringing talented individuals to our doorstep, and lighting our way. The divine hand that continues to manifest itself in our work has coordinated this work, and especially this trip, from the very beginning.

The week in Italy prior to my departure for Kenya made the transition a lot easier. I'm sure I can convince others to join me for a similar trip in the future if it includes a week in Europe just to get "acclimated."

Walking off the plane in Nairobi feels as natural as deplaning at SLC International. I know the fast way to the passport counters, I am familiar with the luggage handling, and tonight said hello to one of the customs people that actually recognized me from previous trips. We have probably had a run-in at some point since to the Kenyans all white people look the same.

The flight to Mombasa was less than an hour. Anthony greeted me as he has done so many times before. This time he was alone, having driven a car by himself to pick me up. He handed me the keys as we loaded the car and I gladly snatched them up and took my place on the opposite side of the car from where we normally drive.

The rains have devastated the roadways here. I haven't seen the main artery from Mombasa to Nairobi this bad in almost a decade. It's truly sad to see the commerce of this country choked by the inability to get the small things right. In just a few hundreds yards I felt comfortable driving on the left hand side of the road. The pot holes kept me busy and awake, and within an hour (due to it being one o'clock in the morning) we were pulling into the KCC. Emily and Esther both arose from their beds to greet me and I had to stop them from preparing water for a shower and a hot meal. It's grand to be home.

I don't mind the crow of a rooster early in the morning, but this dude has got to die. I don't think that 4:50 is when any chicken, on any day, should begin making their racket. A great thing about Kenya is that if I identify that rooster, I simply buy him, give him to Emily in the kitchen, and his fleshy parts will help flavor my pilau rice dish tomorrow.

Yama and I met and got the day organized. After a few brief meetings of the mind with some of our staff, we got together with the SRA boys. These two men are extremely gifted and highly trained in crops and animals, and have the ability to train others on better methodologies that will ultimately assist themselves feed their families better. We walked for over an hour under a scorching sun, exploring the Koins plots between Mnyenzeni and Vikolani. They never knew the boundary until today, and had never discussed my visions for it in depth. With everything we discussed those two grown men were actually giddy with excitement.

Galla goats being traded for the traditional African goats, chicken give-a-way, and the tilapia starter kit, the rotational garden partnership program, and others were all discussed to their delight. It is only possible with them overseeing the entire project, so I am ecstatic with our SRA Partnership at this point.

Stones continue to be collected for the dams, citrus trees, banana trees, papaya and mango trees are all being ordered. They will be planted throughout the "garden" area of the demonstration plot so everyone can see how easy it is to raise these valuable and nutritious trees. So much is in store, so much to do, so much to plan.......

Our trip to Mombasa had us visiting with the President of Steelmakers, Inc. the largest steel products manufacturer in Eastern Africa. He had not been responsive to Yama over the last month, so I dropped in on him. He was nervous at first, but with a lot of reason and excitement about the drills being constructed locally.......and dozens to be completed monthly (hopefully with his steel), he saw the light and began helping us.

Once in town we visited the bank, then a hardware specialty company for some items we need to make gabbion wire stone boxes for the dam, along with some "geotextile" product that is VERY difficult to locate. These pieces need to be in place before my engineer shows up and wants to build a dam, so we're busy as beavers......yes, a pun.

Went to the Blue Room for some internet connection and dropped some emails. Although separated from Ingrid for only 36 hours, it was fun to hook up with her through a video conference and see her early morning smile and eyes. No matter what time of day or how flighty her hair might be, those eyes are like looking at a pair of blue-green sapphires with spotlights behind them. Her peepers are second to none and they were good to look into, even if it was just a few minutes.

Shopping for the expedition ended our stay in town. Although we made fast decisions and walked quickly, the process still took over 90 minutes. Where are Jami and Sue when you need them?

The outdoor showers are a marvelous end to a sweaty, dusty, tacky day. With the fan on full throttle and an ambient down my gullet, I hit the sack and dream of big Galla goats filling our pastures and milk containers throughout the area. So excited!!

The rooster has to go! At 4:10 this morning that early-rising cock-a-doodle-doer decided I needed to get up. He's going in the pot as soon as I can identify which of the three rooster he is. The unfortunate part is at that hour it's still too dark to see, and by the time I can see, all of them are crowing and they all sound similarl.

Anthony, Patrick, Emerson and I all departed for Kilifi after breakfast. Due to road conditions we didn't want to go through Mombasa, so we decided to take back roads for the 50 mile ride. The SRA boys were raised in the area where we would make our shortcut, and as it turned out, it was shorter, quicker, and a lot easier on the eyes. There were beautiful sites all along the way, some wonderful little villages, and a dirt road much better than the main road.

We visited with the staff at Pwani University for a couple of hours. They were glad to show us their goat and dairy operation, fish farm, chicken ranch, and mushroom-raising activities. Although they provide a lot of academia with their projects, our application in the real world will end of benefitting them more than what they'll provide us. However, both spectrums together will make us all a lot better in our agricultural endeavors.

Upon our return Yama headed back to Mazeras for a funeral. I opted to remain here, spending time with the SRA boys going over what we had seen at Pwani and going more into depth. We spent more time at the "shamba" going over details of our plans for this beautiful piece of ground, and our ideas are really coming together. Once we have Kevin here to make a final decision on the dam placement, we can swing everything else into action. We had our usual entourage of village children following us the entire time, calling out to me and asking for magic rather than candy. A couple of cheesy tricks later they had all been satisfied and filled with laughter, checking each other's ears for additional coins that might be hidden.

Buffalo came by and we went to discuss the block making for the dam. We came together quickly making strides in our goals that should allow us to meet our timelines. Moses and a teacher friend of his also came to visit and ended up eating dinner with us. While sitting together Kendy called from America and I surprised her by answering his phone. I could hear the confusion in her voice when I answered, and when she figured out it was me, her tone went to shear jealousy, knowing that I was with her beau.

Early evening, showered, hit the sack.

The sun was extremely heavy today, crashing down hard all morning, causing everyone to walk a little slower. The shade only made it bearable, but in direct sunlight the temperature was 20 degrees more. Simply put, it was oppressively humid and uncomfortably hot.

Thick, billowy clouds formed to the south in the afternoon........

I met with Emily this morning about the arrival of our other guests, shopping lists, how many meals per day she needed to prepare, etc. Since my scheming session with the SRA Boys late yesterday, they prepared an outline for moving forward. These guys are on fire with excellence, and with each passing day we make great steps in our agricultural agenda.

I visited the dispensary and was greeted by dozens of baby-toting mothers patiently awaiting their turn. I don't know how Naomi does it, but she is a super star when it comes to this area's health care. We went over the agenda for our small expedition, focused mostly on the coordinated activities of Grace Quesenberry. It appears as though Grace will spend several days next week walking around the villages administering polio drops into the children's mouths. That, along with delivering dozens of baby blankets to area dispensaries as gifts when mothers have their children in our facilities instead of at home.

Somehow I brought up the issue of HIV/AIDS and mothers. We delved into this heavy topic because I saw several babies in the waiting line that appeared to be woefully sick. Since I don't fully understand the "how's and what's" to this deadly disease, I have to ask a lot of questions. I wasn't aware that babies born to an HIV positive mother wasn't necessarily infected with the disease. However, I learned that the baby has a very high potential of getting the disease if it nurses from the positive mother. I was floored to hear that many mothers are faced with starving their babies, or passing along their deadly disease......and therefore the disease continues.

Our goat milk program just got a new curve in it with this enlightening discussion. Our plan is to provide the schools with milk through a small herd at each facility. They will care for the animals and milk them daily, placing the milk into the children's porridge. It won't provide much to each child, but when they receive nothing now, each drop counts. With my conversation with Naomi, we will implement a similar program at the dispensaries, providing clean milk to the babies where their mothers are HIV positive.

We had the Fitzgerald's arrive today from Watamu where they have spent the last three weeks. Their experience of "Humanitarian Work" so far has not been stellar, so coming to our village area will surely light them up. The Koins Center is a change from the posh, seaside hotel in which they were staying before. To their credit, it is a welcome change, and one that has them both excited, as they really are interested in lending a helping hand.

I met the Fitzgerald's in Mombasa and they helped me do some shopping for our group that will be arriving tomorrow. We had a couple of errands to run on the way to meeting them, the first being in Mazeras. I was standing in front of the butcher shop on the main road waiting for Anthony when a gentleman came up to me and began shaking my hand profusely. He was rambling in Duruma and I could only catch a small percentage of what he was saying. Thankfully, Yama came out of the shop and explained what I was missing.

It was a few years ago while I was walking through a local village when I found a pair of twins, barely alive and looking more like small birds than children. Their mother was extremely sick and could not nurse or care for the baby girls. Koins rarely takes a position of helping one person or family, especially with medical issues, because everyone has genuine needs. But in this instance I could not ignore the ugly situation, and I ended up taking the babies and their mother to the hospital where they stayed for a couple of weeks.

I was saddened at the news that one of the babies didn't make it, but happy that the other had, along with her mother. Two years passed when a lady that I did not recognize approached me at the Koins Center. She had walked from Mazeras, some 12 miles away, because she heard that I was in town. She was bouncing a chunky little girl in her arms when she told me, through a translator, that she was the mother of the twins. I couldn't believe me eyes and then barely held back my tears. When I asked to hold the toddler, she gladly handed her to me. As I stood hugging the baby, the mother swung the kanga that was wrapped around her to her front where I could now see her twin sister. She had not passed on, and, if fact, was fatter than her sister. It was a happy moment.

The man who saw me from across the street today and ran to greet me was the father of the twins. His eyes were still filled with gratitude after almost fours years since that fateful moment. Why did I stick my head into a strangers house to see why a baby was crying? Why did I decide to take steps, when normally I probably wouldn't? I may never know, but I'm willing to guess that why it happened will reveal itself at some point.

On the way from Mazeras to Mombasa there was a huge traffic jam on this two lane road. It is treacherous in normal conditions, but due to the traffic and aggressive drivers, it is near insanity to go out there. I was behind the wheel trying to make progress in a way that can only be explained if you experience it. But, in almost a moment where nothing was going on around us, a large 18-wheeler smacked the back corner of the car. We pulled over to check out the minor damage, but the truck driver had no inclination to stop, and kept on going. I looked at Anthony and asked, "what do we do now?" He stated simply "T.I.A." - This Is Africa. This small catch-phrase can really sum up a situation like this, basically stating that there's nothing you can do about it, so roll with it. The estimate on the car repairs in the U.S. - $2,500. Actual costs in Kenya - $60. Hey, T.I.A.

I think I've identified the rooster who has consistently caused me to open my eyes at zero dark thirty since I arrived. He crowed one too many times when I was near the side of the building and I saw which one he is. On one hand I want to eat the flesh from his skinny bones, but on the other hand he's the only African that is timely every day.....so, I'm conflicted.

The morning was overcast with rain falling in the distance. The Fitzgerald's were up, and Chakaya needed passage to Bofu, so I loaded everyone into the van and we went for a little ride. Once we dropped Chakaya in Bofu, he continued to Dzendereni on a piki-piki (motorcycle taxi). We backtracked a mile and went to Gona, checking on our final projects from July. The Tingey School is the best looking classroom we've constructed to date. Surprisingly, because it is Saturday, it was filled with students when we arrived. Their teacher was there and the instruction was serious. When I entered, the students, in their usual fashion, stood all at once and stated in complete unison, "Good morning, Sir!" I returned the greeting and asked them to be seated. The teacher was happy to have visitors and asked if I would take a moment and address his students. I took the opportunity to make them laugh, make them ponder, and hopefully try a little harder. It was a great interaction.

We took some back roads through the real African bush so the Fitzgerald's could see what living in Kenya is all about. The clouds were breaking up and the heat would soon be oppressive, but village life was unfolding in front of us, and for a novice, it is striking. Riley stated that he had been present in-country for over a month, but this was his first real day of being in Kenya.

We passed by the Sean Michels School to say hello to the special needs kids. As we pulled up, those that are mobile ran to greet us. We hurried down to the other children and all greeted each other. We have a couple of new faces, but the ones I have known for a few years were all there in ear-to-ear smiles. I threw Beja around, making him squeel to the laughter of everyone. One of the wheelchair kids got a zippy ride around the compound in her carriage, chasing the other children in circles. The SMS is a special place.

Lonny Ward is arriving on a 12:45 flight from Ethiopia.....well, that's the scheduled time anyway. As I was about to leave to pick him up I received his text about a mechanical breakdown and probable two hour delay. As I had a meeting planned for the afternoon with a possible replacement for Anthony Yama when he begins his politicial career next year. Our faithful driver, Johnson, picked Lonny up, and without further delay was here at the KCC.

The rest of the afternoon was spent talking shop with the SRA Boys, Lonny, and I. Lonny pulled out some photos from his dairy album and showed photos of his 80 liters a day cow. Those are big numbers for me to digest, but to the Africans they were borderline fairy-tale. Their cows generate an average of 6-8 liters per day around here when things are good, so numbers like Lonny produces has them all shaking their heads in amazed disbelief.

Rachel prepared a nice dinner, and several plans were made for tomorrow, including several contingencies based upon whether or not the delayed flights for our next group of arrivals causes problems in Nairobi. I'm going to bed and wait for the news from Johnson, who has departed once again for the airport.

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I am looking forward to more updates from Bret. This will be a full and busy expedition, with much happening and opportunities to help the Kenyans in our service area see real change in their lives.

Watch for updates.

Asante sana,

IVL

Kaysville Yard Sale to benefit Koins

2011-10-07T19:38:00.001-06:00

Monica Woodland, a participant in July's expedition, is holding a huge yard sale tomorrow. The address is 95 Country Spring Circle in Kaysville.

Her entire garage is full and well organized. Adult and kids clothes and shoes, toys, kitchen items, sports equipment, electronics, household items and lots more.

Come check it out and support a great cause.

Monica plans on directing the money towards a community cistern in the village of Mnyenzeni.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Youth Leadership Expedition in Kenya - New for 2012

2011-10-05T17:22:00.000-06:00

If you would like more info on this expedition, you can contact the Koins Expedition Leader, Jami Quesenberry, at jami@koinsforkenya.org

Go here to download an expedition application.

Asante!

IVL

Microscope at Mnyenzeni Dispensary

2011-10-03T16:12:00.000-06:00

I received an email from Naomi, the nurse in charge at the Mnyenzeni Dispensary. She is on our Koins board in Kenya, and requested the microscope that was provided to the Dispensary in March. Here is an accounting of the numbers of local villagers that have benefitted from the acquisition of the microscope in our rural area:

MNYENZENIDISPENSARY (CLINIC) – LABORATORY SERVICES

Investigations Done to Parasites as from 1^st May2011 to 31^st August 2011

1. Bloodfor Malaria parasites – 1,475

2. Malaria cases Found positive – 429 patients

3. Hemoglobin level – 39 patient (6 patients were anemic)

4. Sputumexamination for Tuberculosis and Follow up - 45 patients

5. Stool examination – 171 patients

6. Urine examination – 207 patients

Total number of patients who benefited from the laboratoryservices – 2,104 patients

This report was compiled and written by

NAOMI

Nurse in charge

Cindy observes the microscope being used by the lab tech at the Mnyenzeni dispensary

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Cindy Workman, a 6th grade teacher at Windridge Elementary in Farmington, Utah, and member of our Koins for Kenya board, raised the funds, along with her 6th grade class, for the purchase of the microscope for the Mnyenzeni Dispensary.

Health care in Kenya is rudimentary at best. Most rural dispensaries, so called because they are for the purpose of dispensing drugs that can treat diseases, rather than being clinics, with doctors and trained health care officials available to the villagers, are poorly stocked. Many do not have electricity, further limiting their capacity for help.

Prior to the delivery of the microscope, the Mnyenzeni dispensary did not have the ability to accurately determine what illnesses sick patients were dealing with. Sometimes they would treat everyone for malaria, whether or not they had the illness, other times, if there were no malaria drugs available, patients would be sent away from the dispensary with no treatment.

With the introduction of the microscope this past spring, and 2 trained lab technicians to draw blood and view blood, urine and feces under the microscope, the ability to accurately determine illness and how to treat it became a reality. The rural area that the Mnyenzeni dispensary serves has greatly benefitted. As you can see from the figures above, in four months time, 2,104 patients were treated using the microscope.

Thank you to the 6th graders of Windridge who raised the funds to purchase this microscope. Their efforts are truly making a difference to the people of rural Kenya.

Asante sana!

IVL

Halloween Hustle 5K Run in Kaysville, Utah

2011-09-30T14:53:00.000-06:00

Monica Woodland, a participant in the July 2011 expedition to Kenya, is hosting a Halloween Hustle 5K run on Saturday, October 29 at Barnes Park in Kaysville, Utah.

There are lot of fun activities planned, including adult and children 5K walk/run, a costume contest, pancake breakfast and raffle prizes.

All proceeds from this activity are tax deductible, and will go directly to Koins for Kenya, for the building of a large community water cistern in Mnyenzeni, Kenya.

You can register online at: http://halloweenhustle.regtix.com

Come join this fun family event, and help Koins for Kenya build a cistern.

Asante sana!

IVL

Monkey Business - A post by Karen Timothy

2011-09-18T19:28:00.001-06:00

A monkey on the balcony of a hotel room in Mombasa, enjoying his stolen goodies

We arrived in Mombasa, Kenya after 2 long days of travel. Our flight had taken us from Salt Lake to Portland then on to Amsterdam for a 12 hour layover and day in the city, then to Nairobi and finally to Mombasa. Rather than get right back into vans and head for the village, we spent the night at a hotel on the beach and got a welcome night’s sleep in a real bed. Our room looked out on the Indian Ocean and we had a good view of the swimming pool and dining room from our balcony. The next morning while I was getting ready for the day, I could hear Tara laughing as she called me to come see something. As I joined her on the balcony, I couldn’t believe my eyes. Everywhere we looked there were monkeys running around - jumping on the pool furniture, running on the beach….even sneaking into the dining room of the hotel!

Monkeys on the beach

They looked like a little gang of thugs as a group of them would congregate by the pool then suddenly one would dart into the dining room while the others watched. A few seconds later it would come screaming back out with a roll or a sugar packet in its hand, being chased by a waiter wielding a big stick. The monkey gang would watch the chase with great interest then when they were well away from their pursuer, they’d pounce on the victor and devour the spoils. After they’d eaten they’d settle down for a minute but before long one more would dart into the dining room and the same scene would play out all over again. We watched this happen over and over until we finally had to go down to breakfast. Sure enough, as we were sitting there, in dashed a monkey who ran around the buffet, grabbed a roll, and zipped back outside with a waiter on its heels. The waiter soon came strolling back in with the unruffled look of someone who had just finished polishing the silverware on his face so we assumed this routine was only new and amusing to us.

Monkey contemplating how to break into a hotel room

Babboon at safari restaurant, looking for opportunity

In thinking back, I’m not sure there were any doors that could have been closed to prevent the monkeys from entering. The dining room opened up onto a nice patio through big open arches and I can’t help but smile as I think of how differently we would handle a “monkey problem” in one of our restaurants! Apparently it’s kind of a common thing because toward the end of our trip we had a similar problem. We had been able to get a 24-hour pass to an animal preserve so we spent an evening and the following morning at a hotel located near an elephant water hole. On our way to dinner that night we got a kick out of the signs posted everywhere that read, “Do not feed the baboons.” Sure enough, the next morning at breakfast, Sue left her seat for a moment and a baboon came running the full length of the dining room, jumped up and grabbed her roll then darted off. What is with monkeys and rolls??!! Curt had his back to the entrance so he hadn’t even seen it coming. Sue saw the whole thing from across the room and it kinda spoiled her appetite. It was sort of a “Guess Who’s Coming to Dinner” moment!

Lioness on the prowl

Zebra on the plain

One of hundreds of elephants we saw while on safari

By the way…while on the preserve we saw giraffes, zebras, baboons, warthogs, vultures, impala, lions, water bucks, kudu, one hippo, water buffalo, jackal, dik dik, ostriches, gazelles, and more elephants than you could shake a stick at. At our first elephant sighting we were SO ecstatic, clamoring all over each other to get a good picture. By the end it was like…”Dang! I can’t see anything– there are too many elephants in the way!”

Karen Timothy - July expeditioner
Photos by Taylor Hoyt - July expeditioner

Abel Paulsen - Eagle Scout and Humanitarian

2011-09-01T20:56:00.000-06:00

Abel and the children of Mnyenzeni, Kenya

I have recently been reading the blog and watching the videos on the website and felt inspired to write something. I can't put into words how much I appreciate Koins for Kenya. All they have done to change my life, the lives of others, and the lives of many Kenyan children. When I first heard about this opportunity, I liked it, but I had doubts that I would be able to do it and that I would be able to raise the money that I needed. I knew it would be fun, but I didn't know if it would be better to just do a typical paint-a-fence type of eagle project. Over the course of about two weeks, I was faced with a tough decision. I prayed and prayed on what to do and after about two and a half weeks, I knew that it was my duty to go to Kenya. I am so glad I made that decision. I have noticed a major change in my life and have seen the outstanding differences between two different worlds. It is like opening the curtains to a bright warm sun on my face in the morning. I have noticed all of my blessings that I take for granted and think "Why Me?" What did I do to have more than these kids that are so poor? They work their butts off every day to get a small meal and a nice dirt floor to sleep on.

Abel playing with the village kids in front of the KCC

Anyway I'm rambling. This adventure has changed me for the better. I love Kenya from the bottom of my heart and wish that these kids will get the opportunities that they deserve. I hope to help these kids as much as I can. I pray for them everyday and hope everyone in this world can love.

Asante Sana,

Abel Paulsen

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Abel and Kim in Amsterdam

Abel was the youngest (and quietest) member of our July 2011 expedition. He came to Kenya with his aunt, Kim Raybould. He and his scout troop raised over $1,000 with a curb address painting project, and that money went towards building desks that were donated to the new Gona classrooms built by the Tingeys. Abel worked hard in the workshop for several days, alongside Kenyan men, to build the sturdy desks that will each seat 3-4 students. Without the desks, students would sit on the floor.

Abel building desks at the workshop

Abel and one of the desks he built

Kim and Abel in a finished desk

A classroom full of desks built by Abel

A typical classroom, 3-4 students per desk

Abel and Patrick

Abel shadowed Patrick for a day, accompanying him to his classes at Miyani Primary school, then going home with Patrick and participating in the work associated with daily Kenyan life.

Abel and Eric, his new buddy

I observed Abel at the Sean Michels School for special needs children, interacting with the kids there, and winning over Eric, the young son of Jemimah, the matron at the SMS. Where the other white people would want to hold Eric or get into his personal space, Abel held out a ball and enticed Eric over to him, then taught Eric how to throw and catch the ball. Able made a lifelong friend that day. Abel blew bubbles with Beja, who was delighted by the interaction. The rest of the children at the SMS were drawn to Abel and his kind smile. Before we left that day, many of them posed for photos with Abel.

Abel and Eric playing with a ball

Abel blowing bubbles with Beja

Abel helping the SMS kids with an art project

Abel and one of the SMS boys

Abel came to Kenya as a typical American teen. He left a humanitarian.

Abel headed to the Gona school celebration

Abel receives a kikoy and the Duruma name, Mshenga

Asante,

IVL

Abel having a safari adventure

Move Over Martha Stewart

2011-08-31T16:00:00.000-06:00

A post by Karen Timothy, July expeditioner with Koins for Kenya.

A typical Koins meal of chipati, rice, beans, veggie stew and fruit

One of the unknowns about our trip to Africa was the food. As it turns out, there were four African women who cooked for us at the KCC and they did a great job. We had heard a lot about ugali and chapati and weren’t sure there would be much we could or would want to eat. We absolutely loved chapati , though, which is just like Indian flatbread or a thick tortilla and it was made fresh for us each morning. Ugali is the staple food there. It is simply cornmeal mixed with water then cooked until it is firm enough to cut. They like to dip it in sauces or eat it with cooked vegetables. We only had this as part of our dinner one night so we all got to taste it and it really wasn’t bad. When an African man asked a small group of us how we liked ugali we told him that we’d only had it once but we liked it well enough. He smiled and asked us how we’d like it if we had it 3 times a day every day of our lives. Not so much. The sad thing is that so many WISH they could have it three times a day! This year’s corn crop is failing due to drought and many will go hungry – again. (See the Koins for Kenya blog about Candace’s experience with water.)

Emily in her kitchen

Ester (notice the cell phone holder around her neck)

The Koins kitchen

The cooks worked day and night feeding such a large group 2 meals a day plus boiling water for us to shower in. They made a bean and corn dish we all liked as well as a savory one with plantains (look like bananas) and potatoes. We had stringy chicken one night (5 of our group, including Tara, killed a chicken for dinner) and mystery beef another. I probably spent too much time in the kitchen so I had a hard time eating the fruit everyone so enjoyed. After cutting it up, all of it was rinsed in a weak bleach solution to prevent any of us from getting sick. I could always taste the bleach so I went a couple of weeks without much in the way of fruits or vegetables.

One of the cooks many jobs is providing hot water for our bucket baths

Tara holds the main course for dinner

The real bright spot for the head cook, Emily, was that after we’d been there a few days, Baba Bret bought her a 4-burner gas stove with an oven! Up until now, they had been doing all of the cooking over a fire….for all of their lives!!! I seriously doubt there is another range in the entire string of villages since there was some electricity required to run it and the KCC is one of the few places that have electricity. I believe the purchase was inspired by Anthony’s craving for pizza. Anthony is an African man that is on the Koins for Kenya board. He has been to America and tasted pizza and can’t get enough of it. (Costco pizza, no less!) He so wanted us to teach mama Emily how to make pizza so Bret bought an oven. I had to smile….there were no numbers on the dial to adjust the temperature - you just turned it to the picture of the big flame or the little flame or somewhere in between! They’ll get the hang of it – it’s not all that different from working over a fire.

Emily in front of her new oven, with a pizza baking inside

My sister, Sue, took charge of this new bakery. She managed to have some recipes sent to her phone and was able to find most of the ingredients she needed to make Lion House rolls, banana bread and pizza! Cute little Emily told her that she hadn’t been able to sleep the night before cooking lessons began because she was so excited. The first thing we made was a banana cake from a box mix. Bret had purchased a cake mix along with an assortment of baking pans and with a ton of over ripe bananas at our disposal, we substituted most of the liquid with mashed bananas. The cooks were puzzled about how this was going to make a cake and were quite surprised to learn that the box mix had sugar and leavening already in it. I doubt they even knew box mixes existed.

Emily with a pizza ready for baking

All of the bakery goods turned out superb – even the pizza! Anthony was in heaven, as were a couple of Americans who had been there much longer than we had. But the crowning jewel was the moment Emily stepped proudly out of the kitchen bearing 3 beautiful loaves on banana bread on a plate. We were just about ready to leave for home and she wanted us to see what she had baked. We all “oohed and aaahed” but it was Burt that started the auction! “I’ll give $20 for a loaf of this banana bread,” he shouted. Well, that started an auction that ended in Emily receiving $61 for a small loaf of banana bread…the first ever to be made in the village. I wish you could have seen Emily’s face. She is not a smiler and it was all she could do to keep from busting into a wide grin. She just kept asking, “ For one loaf???” She was incredulous. What fun it was to watch Cindy pull out $61 dollars then proceed to give everyone a bite. As Emily turned and walked the other two loaves back to the kitchen I know I saw a smile spread across her beautiful face. She could only be thinking, “Crazy Americans!!!”

Emily proudly holds her first batch of banana bread

Goin' to Gona

2011-08-30T23:02:00.000-06:00

A post by Karen Timothy.

Sue and Curt in front of the Gona classroom they funded

Gona Classroom

    And now for the real purpose of this amazing trip to Africa….we were going to Gona, a small Kenyan village, whose history had left little marks on the hearts of those who were there the year before.

    Gona was a typical African village with typical African people and typical African children that sang typical African songs. The summer of 2010, however, set their school apart from the typical African school….Koins for Kenya had built them a lovely pit latrine!!! There was a big celebration planned and much ado was to be made over the whole thing.

You can read about the 2010 Gona activities here.

    Just a day or two before the celebration, one young Gona school boy wasn’t feeling so good. It was time for his exams, however, so rather than miss school, he suffered through his tests and the rigors of getting to and from school with little to eat and reeling with sickness. That evening when it became apparent that the boy needed some serious medical attention, his uncle walked him to the nearest dispensary but found no help there. They quickly decided to try to reach the Mnyenzeni dispensary but it was getting dark and the boy had little strength left. Night had fallen by the time they reached Mnyenzeni and the Koins expeditioners were sitting outside, sharing what they called “Peaches and Pits,” – stories of the good and bad things that had happened that day. They noticed a disturbance under a nearby tree and someone went over to check it out. There under a big tree, not 50 yards from the dispensary, the young boy died, having suffered a painful death from malaria.

    Even if this sweet boy had made it to the dispensary in time, there would have been nothing they could have done for him. As I’ve mentioned before, while the government does have medication that will cure malaria, they will not give it unless the patient has had a blood test confirming the disease. The Myenzeni dispensary had no way of performing that test because they didn’t have a microscope. You can imagine how sobering that night was for all who had witnessed such a tragedy. In typical African fashion, the women who had gathered around the young boy began to make a loud, trilling sound that filled the black night, indicating that someone had just died. It was that sound that informed the boy’s mother that he had passed away. She could not travel as quickly as the others and had not arrived with them to see him take his last breath under the tree.

    There was some question about whether or not to go ahead with the Gona celebration with this sadness hanging over everyone but the preparations had been made and it was decided to proceed. During that celebration, Koins was given an envelope containing 10% of the cost of a new school building. While they had several buildings on their makeshift campus, they needed more room and were asking for help with a new 3-room building. Sitting there in the heat, choking on the soda pop and cookies that must have cost the villagers a fortune to provide, Sue knew that she was the one who was supposed to build the new school in Gona. She says she groaned inside but if she did, it was just the groan of someone good getting up out of a comfortable seat to do something hard and wonderful.

Microscope funded by Cindy's class being used at Mnyenzeni dispensary

Upon their return home, Sue began a year long journey of raising the money to build the classroom in Gona and Cindy went back to school with a determination that not one more child would die of malaria on her watch. Sue and Curt enlisted the help of friends, family, neighbors and boy scouts and raised not only enough money to build the school but also desks, water cisterns and a latrine…with money left over to put towards another school or project of their choosing. Cindy welcomed a new classroom of students at Windridge elementary with her infectious enthusiasm and spurred them on to raise $1,500 to buy a microscope for the Mnyenzeni dispensary. That was the microscope that arrived earlier this year which, in the first week, saved 6 lives by identifying malaria in 6 out of 8 blood samples.

New Gona latrines under construction

Curt painting inside the Gona classroom

Karen painting in the Gona classroom

Variety of paintbrushes used to whitewash Gona school

By the time we arrived in the village this summer, the Gona school was almost ready. The celebration was about 5 days away and it just needed to be cleaned and painted. My ears pricked up! I quickly confirmed what I had already suspected…. painting an African school does not resemble the faux painting I do at home. The primer seemed to be sheet rock dust mixed with water and the brushes we painted with were nothing short of hilarious! Some had such long heavy bristles that it was like painting with a wig on a stick. Other had been chopped off so many times that the ½” bristles barely stuck out of the handle. Worse…once we got that awful primer on, the school folks stood back and proudly said, “There!!” Whoa! You could rub that stuff off with your shirtsleeve but that was all they were putting on the inside walls. Fortunately, they have this style going where everything is 2-toned so we were able to paint “below chair rail” – minus the chair rail – a bright blue, which greatly improved the overall look. Then we went outside to paint more blue and noticed that the white primer had been smeared over some of the brick. We were told that the bricks would get a coat of white paint the next day and the alarms in my head started going off. Sure enough, we got all the blue painted with the edges nicely cut in and – to make a long story short – the next day 50 kids and parents with buckets of how-the-heck-they-got-it-I’ll-never-know white OIL paint finished painting the school, obscuring the fact that there had ever been blue paint anywhere near the building! I can only imagine the whole scene. These people are used to painting with the watered down primer and somehow they had gotten their hands on oil paint. They were told it would come off with water but it won’t. I don’t want to see their school uniforms. I can’t imagine their little hands, and legs, and feet! They had flung it high and low so even their heads must have been covered! Curt and Mike about died when they saw it. After a bit of stomping and fuming and a couple of diet cokes, they resolved to go back the next day before the celebration and repaint the whole thing. They did. It was beautiful. Life goes on.

Mural and cistern and the Gona classroom

Sign from main road leading to Gona school

I was happy to be in the van with Sue on the drive to the celebration because she had not yet seen what the rest of us had. The road to Gona had been renamed, “Curt Tingey Drive.” I knew she’d die and wanted to see the look on her face. She was a good sport about it though and was just glad they hadn’t named it “Mama Gona Drive” like Curt wanted!

Curt and Sue being honored at opening celebration of Gona

At the celebration Curt and Sue were given Duruma names and wrapped in beautiful kanga cloths as they were adopted into the Duruma tribe. Next it was Bret and Ingrid’s turn, then Mike and Cindy’s. They then asked Tara to stand and they gave her a Duruma name – Raziki. That meant “Gift from God.” They told the rest that they’d get back to us with our names and by the end of the ceremony we had all been given a Duruma names and kanga cloth and were properly adopted by our new family.

The entire group received new kangas and Duruma names

Dancers at the Gona celebration

Some of the Koins sponsored university students are honored at the Gona celebration

Bret receives 10% funding from Bofu, the next school to be built by Koins

Next came the dancers and the presentation of the Koins sponsored college students, and the headmaster of Bofu school with his 10% for next year…and the little girl who gave a poem about AIDS and how it is a killer. Sobering. About 10% of the population has HIV/AIDS, and other African countries have a much higher percentage.

Kenyan girl recites a poem about AIDS

It was quite a celebration all in all. We had many adventures getting ready for it – 3 in particular we won’t soon forget.

Purity with her sponsor Kim, and Abel, Kim's nephew

1. Purity is a young woman who is being sponsored through Koins to attend the university in Nairobi. Since her sponsor, Kim, was with us, Bret flew Purity in to meet her and attend the Gona celebration. We weren’t really surprised that she had never been on an airplane before and it had obviously made her quite nervous. We were surprised, however, that she had never been to Gona before. Purity was raised in the village of Mnyenzeni where family still lives. Mnyenzeni is the village where Koins has built its “headquarters”, kitchen and shop. It was from Mnyenzeni to Gona that the half marathon had been run. Do the math….Gona is only a half marathon away from Mnyenzeni and yet this girl had never been that far from home! There’s even a short cut if you’re not driving but for some reason – lack of curiosity, lack of need, lack of energy…whatever – this was the first time Purity had been the 13 miles away from home to the village of Gona.

Car batteries are used to charge cell phones when no electricity is available

Cell phone charging is a Koins microbusiness

2. There is a strange phenomenon there. You can be watching a woman take a pan off the fire using her kanga as a hot pad, thinking you’re in the stone age, and her cell phone will ring! Tons of people have cell phones and it’s quite the status symbol. All of the Kenyans on the Koins staff live by their phones and Eliud had his in his pocket while we were painting the Gona school. Well, nature called but forgot to leave a message that he ought to take the phone out of his pocket before he entered the latrine. Sure enough, his phone went down the latrine and he was beside himself!! He was frantically dashing about, looking for something to retrieve it with. REALLY? Would you believe he finally got a teacher to reach down and haul it up?? Surprise….it didn’t work! After all that, they had to get him a new phone. That really stinks!

    3. The most tender moment was the day a tiny little woman showed up to see Cindy. There is another phenomenon there. If you need something to happen you just say it out loud and it happens. Well, Cindy had said out loud that she wanted to meet the mother of the little boy who had died under the tree the summer before. Sure enough, the woman showed up at the school the day we were painting and Cindy got a chance to visit with her. She was able to tell this lovely, weathered, miniature of a woman that she was so sorry her son had died and that she had thought about her all year long. She told her of the children in her school class in America who brought their money and went without parties (she would have no idea what a party was) so that they could buy a microscope to put in the dispensary her son had tried to reach. She told her that even though he could not be saved, because of him, others would live. It was a sacred time and one I’ll never forget. You could see the relief on Cindy’s face that she had finally come full circle with this mother and her story, and that she had finally been able to let her know that her suffering DID matter and that her son’s death was not taken in stride. At the end of their visit, Cindy gave the woman a basket filled with food and other things she might need. It was large and heavy and the woman was so grateful. Not knowing how far the woman was from home, some of us started looking around for a van to drive her but before we even had a chance to try, she had hoisted the heavy load up onto her head and turned towards home. She was a vision of strength in so many ways.

The Koins group in new desks in the new Gona classroom

____________________________________________

The story of Gona is a true Koins for Kenya success story. Tragedy was witnessed, an opportunity was seized, determination and effort were put forth, and great rewards were experienced by all, both those who gave and those who received. Not only were the Tingey's able to fund the classrooms at Gona, but they raised enough money to build latrines and a new cistern, desks and teacher tables.

Koins now has the challenge to fund a similar project for the community of Bofu, who have raised their 10% and given that contribution to Koins. We hope to have a similar celebration at Bofu during the summer of 2012.

If you are interested in contributing to Koins projects, you can be assured that 100% of your donation goes directly to the projects in Kenya. You can make a one time or monthly contribution safely and simply here.

Asante sana,

IVL

Science Box Project

2011-08-29T21:32:00.000-06:00

A post from Karen Timothy, a July 2011 expeditioner:

One of the great things expeditioners get to do is come up with some sort of project they would like to do while in Kenya. While most of us chose to teach in the schools as part of that, we also chose other projects that would benefit the villagers in some way. Tara and I pooled our money with that of Tingey’s and Workman’s to make science kits for the schools. While some of the supplies were purchased at home and taken over, most of what we got was purchased in nearby Mombasa.

Karen and Sue with boxes ready to fill

It took a little doing to get everything we needed but finally it arrived and the task of assembling began. The boxes themselves were bright blue trunks roughly 2 x 4 feet in size. In each one we were able to put a microscope, litmus paper, beakers, test tubes, magnets, charts, batteries, and other sciency stuff. We had just spread it all out on our dinner tables when Buffalo came in and stopped short. Buffalo is a man, probably in his 50’s, who serves on the Koins board and has been a lifelong teacher there in the village. He is a bright, pleasant man and a great advocate of the students there. I was so humbled as he approached the boxes laid out on the tables. He had heard we were going to provide science boxes to each of the schools but he hadn’t thought about what that meant. As he peered into the first box he literally caught his breath. “Microscopes?” he asked. “You are going to give every school their own microscope?” When we nodded our heads, his eyes filled with tears and he spoke almost reverently. “Not even the secondary schools can have a microscope.” He picked up each item we had placed in the box and marveled that we could think of such a fine gift to give the 10 nearby schools, including his. (Cindy gets full credit for thinking of this. She really has a grasp on their needs.) He just kept shaking his head in amazement and grinned from ear to ear as we finished filling the trunks.

The headmaster of the Bofu school receives a science box

Again, I was reminded that because we have so much, we sometimes lose our “awe.” As we delivered these boxes to the schools you could see Buffalo’s reaction repeated by each new headmaster or teacher who opened it up. At one school, Cindy took it into an 8th grade class to open in front of the kids. As the lid was lifted and they could see the picture of the microscope on its’ box, they erupted into cheers and clapping while the teacher just jumped up and down! I wish you could have seen the joy you brought to these students. They will now be able to learn in a whole new way and the possibilities of where it will take them are limitless.

Buffalo explains the science box contents

To understand how valuable a microscope is you need to imagine the frustration of the people in the villages who get so little help from outside. While the Kenyan government has medication that can cure malaria, patients can’t receive the medication until they have a confirmed diagnosis of the disease. Never mind that they drink from the same watering hole that cows, goats and sometimes elephants do ( and they don’t just drink there, mind you…) or that they have all the symptoms of malaria. If they have not had a blood test confirm malaria, they get no treatment. Being painfully aware of this after 8 trips to Africa, Cindy spent last school year helping her students raise money – about $1,500.00 – to buy a microscope for the dispensary in Mnyenzeni. The first week it was in operation, 8 patients were tested for malaria. Six of them had confirmed cases and were able to get medication to cure it, literally saving their lives. While the microscopes you and I provided were not strong enough to detect malaria, these students will learn how to use one and hopefully spur some of them on to a course of study that will improve the quality of their lives by providing more competent health care.

Cindy observes the microscope in action

When my uncle, Bill Seliger, heard of the need for microscopes, he changed his mind about selling his on ebay and instead, let us take it to the village and place it in the dispensary. I should say he let Tara take it. He had carefully packed it in a small case, providing photographic documentation and explicit description so that we didn’t keep getting held up in airport security. It was a 23-pound treasure and Tara hand carried it through 5 airports along with her own 50 lb. bag making sure that it didn’t get bumped or disturbed. We were all glad when it found its new home in the dispensary. While they did have the microscope from Windridge, it is electric and that can be a problem. For some reason that we never came to understand, the government randomly cuts off the power and they can go from hours to days without it. While most villagers would never know it happened because they don’t have electricity in their homes, we experienced it for a little over a day and found it to be really irritating. While it doesn’t affect the air conditioners – because they don’t have any - it does wreak havoc with the refrigerators, power tools, sewing machines, and the one microscope Koins has placed in the village. With this additional one, the power outages will no longer have such an impact on the sick.

A microscope for the clinic that doesn't need power

Thanks to all of you for helping provide science boxes for these 10 schools. It really was Christmas in July.

Karen Timothy
__________________________________________

During our July trip to Kenya, I spent a morning in the dispensary, working with the lab techs who use the microscope. I had a chance to talk to them about the importance of the microscope, how it is used to detect a variety of diseases, and more importantly, gives them the ability to accurately treat patients who arrive sick at the dispensary.

Medicine at the dispensary

Antibiotics to treat malaria

I watched with great interest as the lab techs washed and disinfected slides to reuse, and talked to me of their training and work history. They showed me in the microscope how to detect malaria in the blood. It was fascinating to see order and procedure take place in an area of the world where so much is chaotic and rudimentary.

Villagers waiting to be seen at the dispensary

The well baby area of the dispensary

Mnyenzeni is the only dispensary in the rural southeast coastal area of Kenya that has a microscope. It has greatly increased the traffic that flows through the dispensary. At any time on any given day, there will be 25-50 people outside the small building, patiently waiting their turn to be seen by the nurse. The dispensary has the ability to take blood and urine samples, test for diseases, do prenatal and postpartum checks and well baby checks, and prescribe drugs. There is a large clinic adjacent to the dispensary being built by the Kenyan government. We are hopeful that upon its completion, health care in the Koins service area of Kenya will rise a notch.

Clinic under construction in Mnyenzeni

Clinic being built right by the dispensary in Mnyenzeni

With the addition of the microscope at the dispensary, Koins has helped save lives. In less than 6 months, there have been many lives saved by the detection of malaria, tuberculosis, bilharzia, cholera, and other diseases that can be found in the blood or urine.

We are hopeful that upon completion, the clinic will provide an opportunity for Koins to bring in medical doctors that can treat more complex issues.

Asante,

IVL

Michel's Family Dental Trip to Kenya

2011-08-10T14:47:00.000-06:00

After the Koins July expedition departed Kenya, there was a group that came in, organized by Lisa Michels, the mother of Sean Michels, and the one responsible for the idea and the funding of the Sean Michels School for Special Needs Children.

Lisa and her family have made several trips to Kenya, but this trip had an entirely different focus. They brought dentists with them, with a plan to set up a dental clinic on the porch of the KCC and take care of as many dental patients as possible in the time allotted.

It was a stunning success. There were many, many Kenyans who had fillings done, teeth repaired and pulled. Most of those had never been to a dentist. Many came to the KCC in desperation, having dealt with tooth pain for months, and sometimes years. With no access to a dentist, the villagers have no option but to deal with the pain and sometimes even resort to pulling out their own teeth. We hope this is the first of many dental trips.

Click here to read about their trip and to watch slideshows of their experience.

Asante, Lisa. Your organization and planning paid off in a big way for our villagers. Many are sleeping better, feeling better and looking better, thanks to your dental group!

IVL

Utah College Student To Build Second Africa School

2011-08-09T16:26:00.000-06:00

Utah College Student To Build Second Africa School

(click on link to see KUTV news video)

Dallin Frampton may be nearly old enough to order a beer---not that he would necessarily---but the young Utah college student with the teen idol looks is planning to build his second school in Africa.

Over the weekend, Frampton set the stage for a fundraiser to help make the school become a reality. Then he took the stage with his band, the "Down Harmonies," and played for donations.

It was a concert outside his family's home in Holladay for friends, neighbors, and anyone with a soft heart for impoverished kids a half a world away.

"I'm actually going back to Africa on September 12th," said Dallin, who made his first journey to Kenya nearly 18 months ago. He traveled with the group Koins for Kenya, and in a small village with hardly any of the comforts of home, erected a cinderblock school. Dallin raised money for the building---up to $10,000---partly by an earlier cul-de-sac concert which drew a crowd and the police.

This time, the music ended at 10 pm, but the quest for helping craft better lives for African children plays on.

"I get a good feeling from helping people who have nothing, and just trying to do my part, in helping out the world I guess," said Dallin, who has not done it alone.

Koins for Kenya was started by Utah's Bret Van Leeuwen, and according to its website, became a private, non-profit organization five years ago. The group said it has built 20 schools, constructed water wells, and organized libraries in Africa. "We have no overhead, no paid staff, and no administrative staff that come from the foundation," said the Koins' site.

"We're seeing hundreds of children now getting their education," Van Leeuwen told 2News. "We have 19 people at universities, and those people will continue to uplift the community."

Dallin's efforts are also aided on the home front. Noted Utah vocalist, songwriter and musician Tessa Barton, and others, performed at the latest concert.

(Copyright 2011 - Four Points Media)

Best Senior Trip Ever! (Morgan's Reflections on Kenya)

2011-08-03T13:03:00.000-06:00

This blog entry was written by Morgan, one of our younger expeditioners.

Morgan and a young Kenyan

As you all know, during the summer after your senior year of high school, a lot of kids go on a “Senior Trip.” My parents had been making arrangements to take me on a European tour - Germany, Austria, Switzerland, etc. As the school year came to an end, classes got harder, AP tests started, and I complained about school more and more. One Sunday during church, a lady in my ward named Sue Tingey mentioned that she went on a humanitarian trip to Kenya. My dad confronted her about it, and asked if her and her husband would come over the next day and tell us more about it. At this time, we were just interested with no intention of actually going. They came over with a slide show presentation, and it hit home. They showed us their pictures, and told us about their experiences. Before they left that night, I knew that I needed to go. Two months later, I found myself in a place of beauty, poverty, and utter amazement.

Morgan and her dad, Burt, during layover in Amsterdam

The last flight of the trip, flying from Nairobi to Mombasa

After a long journey of flying and layovers, driving through streets of poverty and extremely bumpy roads, we finally arrived in Mombasa, Kenya where we would spend our first night.

Bombolulu worker making jewelry

Wheelchair and hand-pedaled bike workshop at Bombolulu

Once we arrived, we went to a place called Bombolulu, a community where disabled individuals work in workshops to make merchandise so they can earn their room and board. We went through the workshops to find blind, deaf, people without limbs, and others with miscellaneous disabilities. Although they were disabled, they were making beautiful things - woodcarvings, hand pedaled bikes, jewelry, clothes, handbags, and various items. As we went into the workshop where they made hand pedaled bikes for those who couldn’t walk, Bret informed us that if we wanted, we could buy a bike for someone in need. Everyone in our group insisted that they wanted to help by giving bikes to individuals in need, with an understanding that they wouldn’t meet the person who received it. My dad and I decided that we would buy one for someone. Soon after we started the paperwork, we noticed a young man crawling into the workshop on his hands and knees. We asked if we could give our bike to him, and we did. We presented him with the bike, and he was ecstatic. Although he didn’t speak English, we knew how grateful he was.

Morgan and the recipient of the specialized bike

It is obvious the need this man has for a specialized bike for mobility

The next day we drove on miles and miles of bumpy dirt roads to the village of Mnyenzeni; our home for the next week and a half. Upon arrival, we were greeted like rock stars. Any feelings of loneliness or rejection vanished. In a matter of seconds, I had fifty new best friends.

Morgan, Tara and students from the secondary school

Walking to the school in Vikolani surrounded by students

Morgan makes a new friend at Miyani Primary school

One of the highlights of my trip was really getting to know the people. We didn’t jump from place to place sightseeing, but we lived in the village, and I got to watch and experience their everyday life.

Several of our group after teaching at the Windridge school

Every morning at 7:00, the children run to school yelling “Jambooo!” as they pass with a bucket of water on their head, a stick to give so they can build a fire to cook their lunch - if they are lucky enough to get lunch, and a small plastic container so they can put their lunch in something if they get it. The women do their chores, which would consist of making breakfast - they have to peel the maize (corn), pound it, sift it, dry it, and then grind it. They then boil dirty water and stir in the corn flour until thick to make the staple food of Kenya, ugali. They take numerous walks to the watering hole so they have enough water for cooking, laundry, and cleaning. They go to their “shamba” (garden) and weed and till the rock-hard dirt. They walk miles to chop down branches with dull machetes so they have fuel to cook their food. And, they hand-wash all the clothes. This is their day… everyday.

Morgan and her grandma, Claudia, spent a day shadowing Betty

Girls from the expedition became friends with Koins sponsored university students

I had the opportunity to go to the Secondary School and play games with them, and talk to each other like we’ve been friends for years. I learned how differently we live, yet how similar we are. We all want the same things - we want to feel beautiful, to feel loved and accepted. One thing I learned is that school is precious. Primary school in Kenya is free of charge, but once you get to secondary school (high school), tuition is $300 per year. Many children don’t make it to secondary school because they can’t sacrifice the money. In some cases, an extended family will save their money to send one of the many the children from that to school. And only a fraction of those who make it to secondary school will make it to the university level, which is $1,500 per year. None of those students can afford to pay a university tuition, and are completely dependent on sponsorship to go to university. I will never complain about school again.

Morgan and Burt and the secondary student sponsored by their family

Morgan and her dad teach about airplanes and rockets

Our main project while we were in Kenya was teaching in the in the primary schools. My dad and I taught the seventh and eighth graders about airplanes and rockets. We showed them how to make paper airplanes, and they were amazed. We brought a simple rocket launcher and a rocket, and they we so excited! Everyone would gather in a circle, count down from ten, yell BLASTOFF and everyone would scream as the rocket flew into the air. Not only did the whole school come to watch, but also all the teachers would gather around. We went from shooting into the sky, to shooting their headmaster in the behind. I was amazed at the things they knew, and didn’t know. They knew the whole solar system by heart, but couldn’t make simple folds in a paper.

A student prepares to launch the rocket

The rocket takes a different trajectory

Words cannot describe the experiences I have had, before I had seen pictures and heard about it, but you have no idea what it is like unless you experience it first hand. In the words of Anthony Yama, “You have no idea.”

Simply Happy! (Ann's Reflections on Kenya)

2011-08-01T13:54:00.000-06:00

This comes from Ann, another of our July expeditioners.

Monica, Sarah, Ann and Madie in Kenya

I’ve been home now for a week, having just experienced an incredible trip with my daughter Madie and a two very dear friends of mine, Sarah and Monica. Many times I’ve been asked how the trip was and what the biggest thing was that I took away from the experience. My first response and quickest to relay is the fact that “We”, all of us here in America, are so blessed! We have so much to be grateful for!

Madie holding a baby at the dispensary

You all know this, I understand! But I’d like to give you some more insight into what it was that I saw in Africa, that really touched me and has made a “Life Changing” impact on me.

Teaching in a crowded Kenyan classroom

That first day in Myenzeni, we were introduced to those involved with the Koins board at the community center. Anthony Yama gave a quick little intro and ended his words with, “THIS……… IS………… AFRICA”! Maybe you’ve all heard this phrase spoken By James Earl Jones, with that deep voice. This phrase still sticks in my mind as I reflect on the culture and the ways for these amazing people. I’ll never forget those first scenes of the woman at the water puddles, carrying a 5 gallon jug of water on her head, baby wrapped on her back and a couple more kids in tow. There the young boy pounding rocks, making gravel for mortar and a ways off another young boy herding cattle. The beauty that surrounded them, the palm trees, the rolling hills, the riverbed that was once flowing, now dry. It was as if the ground was meant for a resort! Gorgeous! I looked around, wondering where the stage directors where, the filming crew. This was unbelievable to me. I had no idea that people actually lived like this today. It was if we had stepped back in time. I felt so ignorant.

Woman gathering water at Mwache river

What is it that I might be able to offer these people? I have been blessed beyond measure is so many ways. I wanted to make a difference somehow! The need for clean water I would say is the greatest need for them all. And then schools to educate all these beautiful kids running around, happier than any kids I’ve seen in America. That job is huge. So many kids! They need help with agriculture, micro financing, job skills, solar lights so the students can study after dark, medical care, medicine, and ambulances. The list goes on. So many needs! What could little ole me do to offer any hope for the future to these people? This question was a constant in my mind as I prepared to go and even when there, I still was not sure of my purpose. But I had planned to teach English to the 1^st and 2^nd level classes with Madie and then help out wherever any help was needed.

Ann and Madie teach in a Kenyan classroom

I spent some time in the dispensary, logging in the patients name, complaints, and treatment advice with the strongest woman I think I’ll ever met, Naomi (the village nurse/mid-wife). I played volleyball and basketball with the secondary kids after school. So fun! I can now say that I’ve played basketball on a dirt court. Madie and I painted with the kids, played games at the KCC with the little ones who seemed to always be there, painted and prepared the newest building built by Koins in Gona, in preparation for the opening ceremony.

Jessie and Madie at new Gona school and cistern

Painting the new Gona schol

Madie shared candy with the kids everywhere she went. I did yoga one morning out in front of the KCC and had several kids join me. I loved it. But the thing I felt was most beneficial to these little ones in Kenya was sending them unconditional love, by making eye contact, winking and just smiling at them. That was the most enlightening experience for me in Africa. Those young little faces were looking to us for some hope. We had so much to offer them, all of us. But if they could feel my love for them, then my purpose in being there was good. I hope they felt that love, and remember that feeling. It was awesome to get a smile in return after that wink. I’ll never forget the "Jambo's" from all we’d pass, in the van or walking around the village. My favorite was the Jambos and comments shouted as Madie and I ran 7 miles to Gona Saturday morning. This image will be burnt in my mind forever. We had a great time.

Little girl waving and shouting Jambo as Ann and Madie ran to Gona

Ann and Madie on the road to Gona

The entire 10 days, the emotions where there, mostly shock I think. But none of them surfaced till I left.

Madie works with a Kenyan baby on her back

As we made our way around, teaching the kids, meeting with the teachers, becoming better acquainted with all the people in the villages, I fully enjoyed every moment, learning from them! Amazed at the happiness and the simplicity of their ways. Honestly, simple maybe is not how we would describe their way of life. If I had to walk miles, every single day to fetch filthy water, and then spend hours preparing ugali, (corn mush) to provide meagerly for my family, simple is probably not the right term. However, after spending a day with Betty, shadowing her for just a few hours, that is the way she made it all seem. Betty made life for these people seem so simple and enjoyable. And this woman and her family really seemed truly happy. Lots of singing, and dancing. Big smiles with loud “Jambos”. There was nothing that seemed too complicated! No busyness, No competition, no need to be in a rush. No Worries. Hakuna Matata! African time! They all seemed relaxed and at peace with the life they where living.

Ann grinding corn at Betty's house

Now this was my perception of them all. Not knowing them intimately, I could be way off. WE, as expeditioners, came with lots to offer and left them with all our things. I’m sure it’s much like Christmas for them as we go, knowing they might receive a pair of shoes or a new shirt, toys, balls, books, bedding, or whatever is left behind. Maybe most are just putting on a happy face for us white people. But I’m pretty sure that is not the case with the children!

Ann teaches a group of schoolchildren a song

These kids where beautiful and happy! Simply Happy! It’s my hope that I will always remember this. That life need not be so complicated and difficult. We are much to concerned about things that just don’t matter. Water, food, and shelter, are what those in Kenya are concerned about and that is it! When those needs are meet, happiness is theirs! Simply!

Visiting the school at Boyani

I love these people I briefly spent time with. I’m still dreaming about them every night and think about them all day long. It’s been a tough adjustment for me, coming home, learning to live a “New Normal”! I’ll never be the same. I’ll never complain about water, or bad roads, food, healthcare, education, electricity, or anything. We have nothing to complain about. We are spoiled! I will give back, because I have been given much! I will simplify my life! I have every reason to be “Happy”! “Simply Happy! And so do you!