Saturday and Sunday 2nd and 3rd

On Saturday I moved to Kirindo, which is a small village in a very remote area. It is an amazing experience to be in such a quiet and isolated area, the children of course are fascinated by the Muzungo (white person) and given that there is no light pollution the sky at night is so different to what I am used to. I am staying with a new host, Margaret, who runs Kosimbo widows and orphans project. Under the umbrella of Kosimbo a number of community groups have come together and have achieved some remarkable results. The success they have had is evident from the way that the residents discuss what a difference it has made to their lives. They have brought a bore hole so that the community no longer has to drink from the River Awach where farmers take their cattle, they have built a local clinic and managed to secure the school fees for about 40 children to complete Secondary school, when previously nobody was able to attend secondary school and run an adult education programme. They also operate a women's enterprise fund and a 'table banking' scheme for the widows group which has increased the ability of the widows to undertake income generating projects. Whilst they have achieved a lot they still have many goals and concerns. The widows group's priority is to fundraise for a greenhouse to grow tomatoes as this would be a more reliable source of income than the cereals which are currently suffering in the drought. I have also learnt that early pregnancy and school drop-out from girls in particular is a major issue for Kirindo as is lack of awareness about HIV/AIDs which is claiming many lives despite the availability of ARV drugs and condoms. This led to the Youth group of Kosimbo in discussion with Margaret discussing a campaign to address the lack of awareness. They settled on the name 'Operation Save Kirindo'!

One of the best parts of my programme has been the chance to stay in a wide range of areas from Nyalenda, a low-income 'Informal settlement' on the edge of Kisumu, to the middle class Tom Mboya estate and now to the remote Kirindo. Combined with being given a tour of the city and passing by the affluent Millimani suburbs with its massive houses complete with big walls and security. It emphasises the massive inequalities that exist in Kenya, which has been rated as one of the 10 most unequal countries in the world.

Until my visit to Kirindo I did not appreciate the challenges in getting communities to use resources such as a bore hole. In a community where only a small minority have attended secondary school, it shouldn't come as much of a surprise that there is a lack of awareness of the need to use for example the new bore hole than to continue to use the muddy river Awach for drinking water. I am told there was sensitization/education about the importance of using water from the bore hole but there are still some who decide against it. The price of a bucket of water from the bore hole is just 1 shilling, the same price as a text message (and everybody has a phone). I am noticing some similarities between community development in the UK and here, given the difficulty that can be faced in trying to change attitudes.