CHARITY-HISTORY & PROGRESS REPORTS

2007 CHARITY PROGRESS REPORT

It has been a successful year…one of learning, positive changes, and Nyarut’s community growth, despite many struggles.  One must eventually come to grips with African ways and the lack of resources that necessitate the need for flexibility.  Communication and transportation are expensive and infrastructure poor. The lack of access to decent infrastructure options affects Kenya residents more than we can appreciate here in Canada. 

The 2007 year began with the submission of an application to the Wildrose Foundation of Alberta for funding support.  Our charity received $25,000, to be matched by donations from Albertans.  Spring involved volunteer fundraising projects and presentations of numerous sorts.  I presented to churches and community groups and held five ‘Africa event’ presentations in my home including dinner, displays and DVDs. There also was much coordinating to be done in preparation for the trip to Kenya Africa.  Pat Bayes, the NVCDP’s first volunteer, actively promoted the project in Vancouver, contacted various national charitable organizations, and began designing a web site with the technical assistance of a Vancouver company, Virtually Canadian.   Approximately $14,000 was raised from private donations besides the $25,000 from the WRF.

I departed for Kenya, Africa July 3, 2007 arriving in Mombasa July 5th after long but uneventful flights via London and Nairobi.  During the 9 hour stop-over in Nairobi I attended the opening of the YWCA Women’s Conference, which was focusing on HIV/Aids and the Empowerment of Women.  This stop resulted in the acquiring of a huge quantity of valuable reference material and information on HIV/Aids that was to be passed onto the Nyarut Women’s Group.  I was fortunate to meet a young woman at the conference, who was completing her Masters Degree in Public Health in Sweden.  Jena was very interested in our project in Nyarut and asked if she could volunteer.  She later visited Nyarut for several days where she helped to keep records and, through daily interaction with the people, we were able to do some counseling regarding sanitation, hygiene and gardening issues.  The villagers of Kenya, welcomed new information.

This charity trip had been planned primarily for the purpose of beginning the building in Nyarut, Kenya.  I had anticipated that the 2 humanitarian aid containers would have arrived in Nyarut by this time but this was not to be the case.  The next week and a half in Mombasa was spent coordinating with contractors (Okiro & Dan), driver (Bob), and Kenya Project Coordinator (Shedy) regarding the upcoming development and preparation for the 2 day drive to Nyarut.  I also met on numerous occasions with a new clearing agent (Wangari) who had been recommended by a friend who knew we had been having ‘clearing’ problems.  In fact within a few days Wangari had put me in touch with the Managing Director of Kenya Revenue Authority, Mombasa (KRA).  I reported to him the problems we had encountered with Edward, our current clearing agent.  I filed a formal complaint against Edward with the Investigations Department and Mr. Tonui suggested I stay in Mombasa for a few days while they followed up.

We left Mombasa July 18th, arriving in Nyarut July 20th, stopping along the way at markets to purchase staples and fruits and vegetables to take to our hostesses.  The following day was Sabbath which we spent getting reacquainted and reoriented in this very different setting.  Okiro and I met with the Women’s Group to discuss the building location as they had decided there should be some changes to the original plans. (they had, some weeks prior, decided that the building of the school should precede the building of the clinic…for various reasons that made sense).  Okiro was quick to organize his labourers and by 6:00 the following morning, the work had begun to demolish the dilapidated mud school and to measure and lay out the grids for the 2’ deep trenches to be manually dug for the foundation.   

                                 
The weeks that followed were bustling with activity and positive energy.  Those villagers wishing to work, came at 6 am or risked losing their position.  More men than could be used were on site and ready.  Okiro chose the most suitable.  Most were unskilled labourers to supplement the 3 or 4 skilled workers brought from Mombasa.  The Women’s Group prepared daily lunch for the workers which gave them income for their families.  Other women carried water in 5 gallon buckets from the river about ½ mile away to the site where the water was needed for cement.  Our charity purchased ballast (gravel) that the Women’s Group had made, also for use in the cement, however they were not fast enough in keeping up production due to the lack of tools and so we had to source elsewhere to keep the building on track.  Leslee had several informative discussions with the new Headmaster, Jacob.  He was so excited about the project and pending improvements to the school.  The first day he mobilized the children to carry stones to fill in the potholes in the primitive road to facilitate transport for vehicles.  So all got involved in this work experience.  And all but the children got paid a small wage for their work which provided income for food for their families.  Everyone was happy and work progressed nicely. 

During this time, trips were made into Homa Bay to price out and purchase building supplies, including metal window grills and metal doors for the old, previously unsecured classes and the 3 new classrooms.  During these visits we also withdrew money for wages, went to the market, and visited the cyber café to communicate container issues and on-site progress with the outside world. Several days were also spent in Kisumu pushing and pleading over the container issues with Kenya Ports Authority, Kenya Revenue Authority, Safmarine, and the clearing agents.  This was NOT a good time!  But our charity managed to get $19,000US in accumulated warehouse rent, storage fees and demurrage waived.

The results of this summer’s work is as follows:
The partly finished and unsecured 6 classrooms were fitted with 18 grilled windows and 6 metal doors rendering these rooms secure for furniture and supplies.

1. A concrete floor was poured in the school office.
2. Three larger new classrooms were built complete with grilled windows and metal doors, concrete floors, and one blackboard each (hand made & built into the wall).
3. Drainage ditches were designed to control run-off in the rainy seasons.
4. Fascia and gutters were added to all 9 classrooms to maximize the collection of rain water for drinking.
5. A well was not dug as the new research indicated that there was a good chance of a well, even this close to Lake Victoria, being somewhat salty and therefore unsuitable for drinking.  However, drinking water was still the most critical water issue.  By completing the fascia & gutter system on all 9 classrooms and by purchasing and installing two more huge storage tanks (a 10,000 liter and a 6,200 liter to supplement the 3,200 liter already on site), the surface area for collection on the school has been maximized and the capacity for storage of drinking water has increased 6 fold.  The community at large will access this water to serve their families.
6. Concrete foundations were built to support the two new water storage tanks.
7. AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST…..The two containers of inventory stuck in Kisumu for 15 months were finally released, delivered, and distributed to the village.  Now that the school is secure, many of these goods can be put directly into use.  The medical supplies and building supplies have gone into secured storage until the next step, the health centre, is completed.
8. AND A BONUS……the Emmanuel Foundation has kindly redirected on of their previously ‘stuck’ containers to Nyarut Village because of the help they received from Save-a-Village.  These containers hold two complete playgrounds plus misc school and household goods.  It is proposed that one playground system be used at Nyarut Primary School and that the second playground be installed at the Nyangweso School for the Deaf.  These playgrounds will bring ‘play’ and ‘socializing’ opportunities to over 500 children.

Education and counseling was an ongoing process while at the village.  Several meetings were held with members of the Women’s Group in the evenings to discuss ongoing work, future plans, potential further education classes etc.  They are eagerly anticipating this assistance and guidance.  Sanitation issues, latrines, hygiene, disease, and agriculture and gardening methods were proposed as topics and discussed at every opportunity.  During this time a group of 5 Kenyan women arrived at Nyarut to discuss some of these issues in a nearby school.  I was wishing that I had had time to sit in on their classes, but our work schedules conflicted.  We visited Okiro’s village of Nyangina, 2 hours from Nyarut, Kenya, where I took photos of the gardens (with a large variety of fruits and vegetables) that Okiro has so persistently encouraged his people to grow using his land and seeds he has brought to them.  The result is gratifying and the people are further motivated by the benefits they are reaping….. a wonderful model for future work in Nyarut! Nyangina villagers are hoping for our assistance in the near future.  They deserve it!