Heating your home - with silage and liquid manure?

When we first heard of the Bio Energy Village of Jühnde, about 15km outside Göttingen, we decided that this might provide some interesting volunteer opportunities and be a worthwhile project for Global Footsteps to partner with.

The people at the Center for New Energy are often approached by individuals or organisations who would like a guided tour of the anaerobic digestion plant and woodchip burning facility, as well as information on how the project has been conducted, and details of the way it is currently run. We had little idea whatkind of welcome to expect when we approached the CNE, but they immediately invited us to meet one of the two leading figures in the organisation, Eckhard Fangmeier.

Mr Fangmeier very generously gave us an hour of his time and a free tour of the facility (groups usually have to pay a fee for this). We learned about how the biogas plant is run, using grass silage from various grasses as crop-based raw material, and liquid manure from cattle and sheep to aid the gas generation process. We watched several deliveries of liquid manure from local farmers, who also produce the silage in two successive crops per year.

We were told that Jühnde had been selected from around 25 villages who applied to pioneer the “bio energy village” model in 2001. Since the plant started production in 2005, 70% of homes in the village have been connected to the village heating grid, deriving all their heating requirements from the biogas and woodchip boiler installations (supplemented by an oil-fired boiler catering for around 5% of annual heating demand, if the coldest winter weather requires it). Generated electricity is also fed into the national grid, and attracts a feed-in rebate.

What impressed me most was the extent to which local villagers and farmers have bought into the project. The project leaders have worked hard at keeping the community informed, not only about successes but also about the problems the project has encountered along the way. In this way they have gained trust. They take a long-term view and are very conscious of the financial constraints on farmers.

Our next step is to agree a volunteer profile for someone to assist CNE with their promotional and marketing activities, especially in the English language. If everything works out, Global Footsteps could be sending one or more volunteers to this project in the summer of 2012.

Kenyan News Round

Monday 22 August 2011

Kenyans love to talk about politics and during our time here the media and the people we have met have been obsessed with two key issues: the Kibaki succession in 2012 and the Gender Balance Act.

The Kibaki succession debate concerns the question of who will succeed the current president in next year's elections. There are a large number of potential candidates currently campaigning already for nomination but a shadow hangs over two of the most powerful politicians, who face charges of inciting racial violence in the 2007 elections. Jennie and I have witnessed burnt out hotels and shops – evidence of the widescale tribal violence which saw many Kenyans losing livelihoods and lives in the last election. The International Criminal Court is about to confirm the charges facing these men and they will be called to The Hague for trial. The question occupying many Kenyans is whether these men should be allowed to stand for president, given the accusations against them and there is a subtext present which implies that if they do stand and win, the international charges against them could then be refuted. Obviously this could act as a serious deterrent for those currently involved in giving evidence against them.

The Gender Balance Act was brought in with the new constitution, announced last year – the first post-colonial Kenyan constitution. The Act states that no more than two thirds of one gender should occupy the total seats in the government, meaning that in practical terms, one third of ministerial posts should be held by women. Many people hope that this will be a way of navigating out of the murky waters of corruption which have ensnared Kenyan politics over the last decade. Unfortunately implementing this act is proving difficult and if agreement cannot be reached soon, it risks being dropped from the constitution: many who stand to loose by it are actively conspiring for this to happen.

Jennie and I will continue to follow these events with interest, long after our return from Kenya.

Rosalind Camp

Yoga in Benter's Garden

Saturday 20 August 2011

This morning, finally, was my first serious attempt to hold a yoga class for a group of excited Kenyans. The venue: the garden of our host, Benter. Most of the participants were friends of Benter's daughter, Paulette, and comprised a range of people of different ages and backgrounds, including a male dance student with whom I later swapped dance moves in the kitchen. [He taught me some African contemporary dance and I taught him the Charleston!]

The students took the yoga session very seriously and appeared to enjoy it, despite the unwelcome interest of the neighbours who took to throwing balls over the fence as an excuse to come round to see exactly what was going on!

Rosalind Camp

Wazungus on TV!

Thursday 18 August 2011

"Most volunteers stick to working in the city of Kisumu. How have you been able to come to Kirindo and how have you helped the local population?"

So began our interview with 'Fred' from Kenya Broadcasting Corporation (KBC), a national TV network invited to Kirindo by the redoubtable Margaret Kawala, to promote her work in developing health services for the village.

Margaret's plan was for Jennie and I to return to Kirindo to host a medical camp, based at the village health clinic. Plan Kenya, CADIF and Global Footsteps contributed a large supply of medicines and two nurses were deployed from the nearest hospital to come and dispense the drugs.

All day a trail of patients arrived for their free medicine and most were given a standard package of antimalarias, panadol, antiworming drugs and antibiotics. The nurse explained: "It is often difficult to diagnose the problems of some patients because the symptoms of several conditions are so similar, so we just give them this package and it usually tackles their problem. The diet of the people in this village is so poor that they are likely to have worms [we have learnt that the distended stomach seen so often on TV news reports is caused by worms] and this can be rectified easily in one appointment."

Although Kirindo has a building for a health clinic it does not possess the funds to pay for permanent staff: previously nurses had assisted two days a week but the funding for this has recently been withdrawn. This means villagers have to walk a substantial distance to the nearest clinic, crossing a river. There have been many cases of people drowning or being swept away in their attempt to return home. Jennie and I have been so moved by the plight of these people in Kirindo that we have pledged to try to raise funds when back in the UK to help finance a more satisfactory health service.

Rosalind Camp

Supporting those with HIV in the slums of Kisumu

Tuesday 16 August 2011

This afternoon we visited Pal Omega, a support group for people with HIV positive status, in Manyatta slum, Kisumu. The chairperson, Phelgona Atieno, has additonal roles: she teaches in St Luke's Nursery, a day nursery for orphans and disadvantaged children (many with HIV positive status) and is a 'paralegal', which is someone who attends situations where domestic abuse is occuring. Yesterday we saw Phelgona at work in the nursery (and worked at involving the children in telling fairy stories) and knew her to be an active, dedicated person.

Pal Omega was set up in 2004 and comprises 29 women and 5 men, operating in the constituency of Kisumu East, to combat the stigma and discrimination of having HIV/AIDS and provide practical support and care to those who are sick.

Rosalyn Achien, one member, described the difference it has made to her life: "Before joining Pal Omega I was really down and couldn't see any point in life. When I joined I saw that these people have HIV but it isn't the end; they have accepted their status and understand how to live with it - how to stay healthy by taking the drugs regularly and taking care of themselves. Now I know that HIV positive status doesn't have to be a death sentence; with appropriate care and action you can live a long life with a good quality of living."

The group generate an income by hiring out chairs and bead making. Members are encouraged to begin their own businesses (cleaning, food preparation) and participate in table banking to raise funds. Phelgona summed up Pal Omega's achievement: "As a result of campaigning we can now access free anteretrovials and HIV testing. Because we are taking care of our lives, we feel that we are equal to others in community and that our status is no longer a source of shame."

Rosalind Camp

The Children of Kirindo

After leaving Kirindo on 31st July, I felt as though I was leaving a small part of me behind. It is true to say that the experiences we go through help to shape the person we will be become and my experience in Kirindo did exactly that.

So, upon arrival back to this remote area on Wednesday 17th August, I felt as though I was returning to a community where I had a real attachment.

Roz and I were warmly welcomed by the two Margarets, who very kindly prepared our delicious food, and Sila (Margaret's brother-in-law) with his vivid yellow tracksuit top and infectious smile. We quickly settled into our room, rigged up our mosquito nets and freshened up after the journey. Margaret, our host, entreated us to take tea with her and her protege, Quinter, before reacquainting ourselves with the inhabitants and the area. I have to confess, however, that I had to be reminded two or three times to come in and drink my tea as my attention was being vied for by a sea of smiling faces from the children of Kirindo congregating outside Margaret's front door.

From around 5pm on Wednesday to 12pm on Friday, Roz and I, more frequently than not, were tailed by a trail of children all eager to play. Although this was not our first visit to Kirindo, there was still a lot of intrigue about our skin and hair and many children insisted on stroking my hair at any chance they got. Thankfully the ants didn't have the same idea this time!

When it was time to leave on Friday morning I almost felt as if I wanted to stay. The car was encompassed by a cluster of children, who wanted to see us off, all shouting "Oreetee!". Three children even ran all the way to the next area of the village, where we went to issue free sanitary towels to classes seven and eight at the local primary school.

Although I have many, many photographs as each child repeatedly urged me to take their picture, I feel that I do not need these to remind me of the children of Kirindo. Forever more will I remember them for their animated faces, endless amounts of energy, care and compassion for one another, ability to share (even when toys are so scarce) and joy of life.

Jennie Warriner

Bishop Abiero

A classroom filled with fully equiped, silent and attentive students, homework set one day and handed in the next and a real eagerness to learn DURING the school holidays. Does a school like this really exist?

For three hours each morning this week, we have had the pleasure of teaching Form 1 at Bishop Abiero secondary school. Approximately twenty students, aged 14-15, attended each of our classes, proudly modelling their blue and white school uniform. It was clear that some of these pupils came from poorer backgrounds, even though their parents or guardians had managed to pay for their school fees. However, each girl wore white, knee high socks, navy blue, knee-length skirts, white shirts and navy blue ties and pull overs; even broken buckles did not prevent these school children from wearing black shoes. It was refreshing to see students take such pride over their school uniform with no attempt to make school into a fashion parade.

After testing their ability, Roz and I proceeded to teach the students a range of persuasive techniques in preparation for a composition on 'Why visit Kisumu?'. Their next assignment was a letter of complaint to their local council on the litter polluting the streets of Kisumu (which was completed for homework) and lastly they wrote a poem using metaphors. At first it was rather challenging teaching a classroom full of shy and silent students but luckily two very intelligent young men, Washington and Hosea, were brave enough to attempt to answer ever question we presented the class with, read their work out and even explain their use of persuasive techniques to the class. This aided us as the rest of the class began to open up and eventually we heard from every single member of the class.

We are looking forward to our return to the school for one last lesson on Monday morning and will be sorry to leave as the headmaster, teachers and students were so welcoming and appreciative of us.

Jennie Warriner

24 hour makeover in Reru

Friday 12 August

"Today, you are going to help us build Jennifer a house", Benter - our host in Reru - announced. "We'll join the rest of the community and see how far they've got; you can run a craft workshop for the women of the village whilst the men put the structure in place; then, after lunch, you can help with the mudding!"

By now, Jennie and I were used to adopting different roles at the drop of a hat (we've been, at various times, EnglishTeacher/ social worker/ marketeer/ craft teacher/ UK ambassador / health worker/ new business developer and Yoga teacher) but 'house builder' was a new one for us. We looked forward to the challenge with some trepidation: 'how can a house be built in one day?', we wondered.

Fortunately, on Thursday, Jennie and I had visited a house built previously by the Aniga Women's Initiative, so we had a good idea what was going to be involved. Mary, the owner of the house, was a widow living with HIV and bringing up her three grandchildren on her own. She showed us proudly round her house: a two room square structure with mud walls and a corrugated iron roof; and discussed with us frankly how she had confronted her status, made it known within her community and struggled to the hospital for monthly appointments for the antiretrovials needed to control her condition. Jennie and I left feeling full of admiration for this brave lady, who is setting her community such a strong example of how to live with HIV.

On arrival at the site, we saw that the men of the village had placed wooden posts, cut from local trees, in holes in the ground to form the perimeter of the house. The women were carrying smaller posts and sisal (twine made from the leaves of a local sub-tropical plant) to the building site and Jennie and I joined them. Once all the carrying was over, we left the men to it and sat under a tree in the village, teaching the women how to make necklaces by rolling up pieces of glossy magazines to make beads, then dipping them into clear varnish to harden.

Once the house structure was complete, the women got to work. Donkeys pulled carts with water which were poured into an earth pit. Feet churned the water and earth into mud, which was wheel-barrowed to the house, where women flung great armfuls of it in rapid succession into the wooden framework and smoothed it into walls. Bodies worked together, the mud walls raised quickly, Jennie and I became soaked in mud and sweat and the excited would-be house-owner (Jennifer, a 24 year old widow with three children, also living with HIV) was chased away from the property until it was finished. Then the singing and dancing began.

Jennie and I gave house-warming presents of toys and clothes for the children and finally left: Friday 12 August proved to be a very special day for all of us and we were left with a concrete vision of what the Aniga Women's Initiative can achieve for the most disadvantaged in their community.

Rosalind Camp

The Aniga Women's Initiative

Whilst sat in Benter and Michael's paradise home in Reru, Roz and I listened attentively, with a tear in our eye, to the story behind the Aniga Women's Initiative. It seems that no family is without the tale of woe that AIDS brings in its wake. Through ten years of watching loved ones silently suffer with the syndrome, Benter said she felt as though she had to raise awareness and educate the community about this deadly virus.

In every community we have visited so far, we have heard how fatal the notion of stigma can truly be. There are so many myths which surround HIV and AIDS, the main one being that as soon as you have been prescribed as HIV+ , you are all but dead. However, through seven years of hard work, Benter has established seven groups under the Aniga initiative, educated her husband's home-village and supported those living with HIV and AIDS.

Benter has been such an inspiration in Reru that two or three mothers have even named their children after her. With the vision to create 'a well enlightened and industrious generation for sustainable development' and with the mission to 'contribute to a process of HIV prevention, restoring hope and improving the quality of life, creating awareness on poverty education strategies through innovation in enterprise, education, health and agriculture', Aniga have changed the lives of so many.

We were very grateful to John for showing us around Reru and for teaching us about Aniga and its seven affiliates. From the industrious nature of the youth group with their well-crafted baskets and jewelry to the community-minded HIV+ widows caring for orphans, we were touched by the spirit of Aniga.

Jennie Warriner

Departing from Dev Link

Our new-made friends at Dev Link have left us with happy memories and profound experiences. Before we left, we spent a happy weekend with Jerry, who took us on motorbikes to the Tom Mboya Museum on Rusinga Island, where we learned about one of the most prominent politicians to come from the Luo tribe; a man who helped create Kenya's constitution and fought for workers' rights, only to be assassinated by rivals. We toured the island on bikes, visiting the poor fishing communities on the shores of Lake Victoria.

On our last day at Dev Link in Mbita (Tuesday 9 August) we got a chance to see the training being given to the 32 health facilitators we had helped recruit the week before. The training was very lively and interative and to an extremely high standard. Overall we were left with the impression that Dev Link is a very professional and well organised NGO, providing a much needed service of educating the community of Mbita about HIV prevention.

Rosalind Camp

Back from Göttingen

Two Global Footsteppers, Christine Hawdon and Jenny Lockwood, returned from our Göttingen venture just over a week ago.

Christine and I decided that we should travel to Germany by the most carbon-efficient means, and so we booked rail tickets from London to Göttingen.

Travelling by train across Europe is a different experience from air travel. It allows you to take the journey at a slower pace, but shares some of the frustrations of any mode of travel and brings a few of its own. For instance, you can reach Göttingen in a day from London, but only by getting an early morning train. We booked on the 08:57 Eurostar from London St Pancras International station, which meant either leaving Cheltenham in the middle of the night, or staying overnight in London. So my journey began on the Friday morning, with the 07:30 coach from Cheltenham, allowing me to arrive in London in time to pick up the keys to the home of some kind friends who lent us the use of their house overnight. I took the opportunity to meet Morgan for lunch, and in the evening Christine joined me in London and we headed off for St Pancras station early the next morning.

German trains are renowned for their punctuality, as well as speed and comfort. We experienced speed and comfort, but a series of delays on two ICE trains meant we reached Göttingen at 20:40, one hour later than scheduled. We were met by Jana Eyssel and her mum Ulli. Jana first met Global Footsteps in 2005, when she attended the youth conference in Cheltenham. Since then she has volunteered in the shop/café in Cheltenham, and helped to plan and run the Footstep 12 conference in Slovakia in 2010. It was lovely to see Jana again, and to meet Ulli who was to be my host for the next 4 days.

Christine went to meet her host, Frau Pfaffenbach, and we arranged to meet next morning with the first of our potential partner organisations, the Weltladencafe.

Posted by Jenny.

Teaching at last!

Despite the closure of schools for the summer holidays, Roz and I were give the opportunity to teach during tuition time in four Primary schools in Mbita: Usare Primary, Mbita Academy, Kisui Primary and Icipe Primary.

The main difference between the structure of schooling in Britain and Kenya is the length of time spent in Primary school. The Kenyan's 8.4.4 system means that children begin primary school at age 6 and finish at age 14 (if they have been able to pass each year with a mean score of at least 250/500). Luckily enough for us classes 6-8 are around the same age as key stage three students in UK secondary schools.

We experienced a real range of abilities from school to school. The pattern that has emerged is that students who attend private schools or state schools with a strong sense of discipline and focused learning are much more astute than those that attend other government run schools. It was a real pleasure teaching students who were so eager to learn and even the livelier students in the slightly weaker schools were engaged.

How refreshing it was to see students taking pride over their exercise books with not a mark of graffiti. There was still a lack of pens but not from laziness, much more due to the fact that one pen costs 8 pence here which is extremely expensive when you take into account that a parent's wage may be just one pound fifty a day! Also there is the grave fact that in Kenya, without a high standard of KCSE results (Kenya's GCSEs), there is very little chance of bettering yourself.

Every student we taught, whether it was in a class of 15 or 52, had a very good grasp of the English language, despite it being the third language they learn. We were extremely impressed with their understanding of grammar and the range of vocabulary they used in their written work which often put their English counterparts to shame.

An island adventure

The island of Mfangano floats on Lake Victoria like a scoop of ice cream shimmering on a bowl of jelly. There the analogy stops however, because of the heat. The day of our visit, Friday 5 August, was incredibly hot and, sitting in an open canoe on dazzling, still waters, which reflected the intense sun right back into our faces, Jennie and I felt like we might be cooked alive.

Whilst I was worried about the heat, Jerry, the Education Manager for Dev Link, was more concerned about the crocodiles known to inhabit the lake. After he had been unusually silent for ten minutes, I asked him if he was ok - and he confessed that he couldn't swim and was thinking back to an incident last year when a canoe had capsized with the loss of ten people. It turned out that they had drowned rather than been eaten. I attempted to reassure Jerry by telling him about my Bronze Lifesaving Award whilst privately wondering how someone who can't swim and is afraid of crocodiles could bring himself to make this four hour round trip from Mbita by boat each month.

Once we had docked and been carried to the shore, we boarded motorbikes and set off along the 'ringroad' - a single land dusty track circling the perimeter of the island. Jerry was taking us along to visit some primary schools on the island to view his progress on implementing child protection policies. He explained that human rights issues on this remote island were even more pressing than those we had heard of on Mbita, but that the organisation had gained the trust of locals, who had begun calling him directly when they came across cases of child abuse.

The primary school had made some progress: students at risk of dropping out had been identified and a support group set up, along with an after-school sports club. Parents had been contacted and made aware of the need for their children to attend school, rather than running off to earn money fishing in the lake. Pleased with progress, we returned to the canoe to make the two hour trip back to Mbita. Whilst the boat trip and scenery were stunning, the poor conditions on the island were sobering. Dev Link are clearly providing an important spur in the development of the awareness of, and support for, children's rights in this small island community.

Rosalind Camp

HIV myths in the Luo community

"Hello. my name is Michael Adhiambo and I am proud to say that I am HIV positive", announced an elderly man at a DEV-Link HIV and AIDS support group network meeting.

Roz and I each attended a workshop on HIV and and AIDS on Wednesday 3rd August. Afterwards we came together to discuss our experiences listening to and working with PLWH (people living with HIV). Those that attended the meeting from the local community were members of support groups that DEV-Link had helped to set up. Due to traditions within the Luo culture, many people in Mbita do not understand how to prevent the spread of HIV and how fatal it is.

There are so many myths surrounding the virus such as a concoction that is readily available from Tanzania that 'cures' HIV and AIDS. During the meeting I heard that many, many local inhabitants had given up taken their anti-retrovials and paid the KSH800 to travel to Tanzania and then another KSH200 for this so called antidote. In fact a local man died very recently as he had put his faith solely in this witchdoctor and yet many more are still following in his footsteps.

It is clear that DEV-Link have made a huge impact on this society who are in desperate need of the truth about this widespread and ever-increasing virus. Their main weapon against this deadly syndrome is education. They believe that if the community gain a better understanding of HIV and AIDS then they will have a much higher chance of combating it.

Jennie

Human rights and HIV prevention in Mbita

From Kisumu, Jennie and I were driven by the dynamic Madame Soti, who began Dev Link Mbita, our next port of call. Mrs Soti's husband is a medical doctor and she set up Development Knowledge Link to reach into the community of Mbita, her home town, with a clear message about HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment and to educate people on the rights of women and children.

Mbita is a small town on the shores of Lake Victoria, reached by a one hour ferry journey across the Lake, during which time Jennie and I looked around anxiously for hippos and crocodiles. To our great relief, we saw none.

Upon arrival at the Dev Link Office, we were welcomed by Walton, a twenty-two year old field worker, wearing a T Shirt which read 'Men working against gender-based violence.' Walton explained that the area had a 79% illiteracy rate and a culture in which men regularly beat their wives just to show them who is the boss. Children are sent fishing at the Lake where they can earn money for the family, rather than go to school. Fishing is fairly lucrative and prostitution is common amongst women trying to make ends meet. Polygamy is practised, as is the practice of inheriting widows - where a widow is given in marriage to the brother of her husband. HIV and AIDS is prevalent here ('official' statistics state 27% of the population are HIV positive) and without education and an attempt to change the culture, there is nothing to stop it increasing. Many of those working in the organisation have lost both parents and are supporting their siblings through school.

Dev Link has funding from the Centre for Disease Control (a US programme) to recruit and educate peer workers and health facilitators from the community so that they can work to educate those around them.

On Thursday 4 August, Jennie and I spent a long day with Jerry, a community organiser and Jacob, the accountant, interviewing potential health facilitators for training. After interviewing 28 candidates, we selected those suitable for further training, the next stage of the recruitment programme. The organisation is aiming to train 32 health facilitators in all. Jennie tested candidates on their ability to talk to young people about sexual health, while I attempted to find out what action they would take if they heard that a man in the community was abusing his family. Only a small number stated that they would refer the matter to the police, more were inclined to involve the chief of the local tribe but some, unfortunately, simply said they would ask the man politely to stop. This demonstrates the uphill task faced by women and children to gain recognition of their basic human rights in this society.

Rosalind Camp

Margaret Kawala: a woman with a mission

In the hot, dusty village of Kirindo, where electricity and running water are luxuries the inhabitants can only dream of, one woman is slowly building a community which can offer progress and hope to the people who live there. Margaret Kawala has been working with the people of Kirindo since 2004, when her husband passed away and she was left a widow with two children.

The village of Kirindo, though just forty minutes from the city of Kisumu, could not be more different. Water is taken from a bore hole for those who are willing or able to pay one shilling, or carried in buckets from the river by those who cannot. Sanitation facilities consist of pit latrines and food is prepared over an open fire. Here the Luo people still live in traditional mud houses, each family homestead arranged in a circle in the Luo tradition. Polygamy is practised and children have a wide circle of family members, regarding all of their father’s wives as their mothers. Sharing food and childrearing are a matter of survival in this community and so the idea of cooperative working has been taken up, as Margaret explains, fairly easy.

“My husband’s family came from this area and so we used to come and spend time here regularly. When I was suddenly widowed, I found many of the widows in this community to be a great support: after all, we have all been through the same experience. The main difference is that the widows here have lost their key breadwinner, whereas I was still in good employment, and they are struggling alone to bring up their children. Because I identified with their position, I wanted do something to help them help themselves, so we began the Kosimbo Widows and Orphans Group to share our resources and find a way of saving a little money together, to help individuals start their own businesses or send their children to school.”

Jennie and I were invited to a meeting of the Kosimbo Widows and Orphans Group to find out what issues they face and how they deal with them. Time and time again the women’s stories echoed a similar refrain:

“Hello, my name is Pamela Otieno and I was widowed in 2003. Kosimbo Widows has enabled me to buy seeds to plant tomatoes and onions to sell in the market so that I have money to feed my children.”

“Hello, my name is Alice Ondijo and I was widowed in 1994 with two children. Through Kosimbo Widows I have been able to buy dagga (small fish from Lake Victoria) and dry it to sell it in the market.”

“I am Teresa Opiyo. I cut papyrus reeds from the river and sell it to people to make mats. I was widowed in 2003 and have eight children.”

The meeting began (as with all proceedings in this village) with a prayer and introductions and then became surprisingly formal. Minutes of the previous meeting were agreed, a treasurer’s report confirmed and then each woman contributed something to the host of the meeting: usually a bag or sugar or some tea leaves. Next came the contributions: each woman put forward a small amount towards health insurance and another amount for their ‘table banking’. This process enables the women to build up a fund from which each can take a small amount of capital when they need to buy resources to start a business: needles and thread for the group’s tailor, maize and seeds for the farmers, a goat for milking. The money is also used for school uniforms, school fees, taking water from the bore hole and buying mosquito nets.

The success of Kosimbo Widows and Orphans Group has inspired Margaret to begin other CBOs (Community-based organizations) in the area and we counted nine in total: the Kosimbo Youth Group, the Milando Self Help Group (for planting trees in this treeless environment), the Kosimbo Adult Centre (for Education), the Kosimbo Catering Group (providing catering for groups and now for the functions of villages further afield), the Seme Women’s Group, the Kagmuga Judkali Youth group, the Ohas Youth Group and the Opendo Self Help Group. The groups cover four sub-locations in two areas: South West Seme and South Central Seme.

During our time in Kirindo, Jennie held a bead-making workshop to teach the women skills in bracelet and necklace making so that they can start a business making crafts to sell to tourists to raise money. Together we also taught a class for the Kosimbo Youth Group, who were very keen students . We gave the community toys, pens, school books and footballs, which Margaret cleverly designated ‘library resources’, promising the children the chance to play with them after they had visited the community library and read a book for an hour: “Reading first, football after”.

In a country where the current news stories we hear in the UK are those of devastation, hunger and corruption, it is heartwarming to find a community where people are learning to work together to build their own destiny.

Rosalind Camp

Bursting at the seams.

After visiting a beautiful, serene setting for a campsite and speaking to a national park ranger, we finally arrived at rural Kisumu.

We were greeted by a sea of smiles and outstretched hands from the children of Kirindo. What a lovely welcome we had with so many people pleased to see us even though we were strangers. It took a while to get used to the basic amenities but after just one night we felt settled and even at home with the giant wasps and mosquitoes for company at night.

From dawn until dusk we played, danced, sang and laughed with the many, many children who followed us with eager faces. Our arms are now aching from the sheer number of hands we shook and are bellies are gladly full from the copious amounts of food we were met with at every homestead. I have never eaten so well in my life: ugali, dagga, talapia, scumawiki , chapati, samosas, fried dough balls, soup, onions and tomatoes, ground nuts, green gram and cabbage!

The rock in the community is obviously Margaret Kawala, a widow from a nearby village and an inspiration to all! The Kosimbo Widows group will forever stay in our minds as determined yet modest women. They are the driving force in the community, despite their many responsibilities from caring for orphans to running their individual businesses, from chores to cooking for their families, and from supporting one another to caring for their livestock. We felt truly humbled in their presence.

On Sunday afternoon Roz and I left Kirindo with a tear in our eye and a heavy heart. We are determined to help the community with their desire to develop and have already started planning.