On June 9th I visited with David Whiteside’s grade 5 students at Whitehorse Elementary School.  Students have had 4 bakes sales over the last year and all the money has been donated towards a feeding program at a Primary School in Kakamega that I am organizing.  So many Kenyan students spend the whole day at school and are trying to learn on an empty stomach.   

My friend Grace is the headmistress at Maraba School and together we plan to set up a feeding program in November this year.  Last year when I was in Kenya the teachers were on strike and I was unable to set anything up.  But all the money that was raised will be used this year and will provide food for so  many young students over the year I am in Kenya.  I want to thank David for his continued support and the enthusiasm of all the students; thanks Natalie, Lauren, Graydon, Logan, Harrison, Caleb, Matthew, Aimee, Abby, Mackenzie, Jessica, Paige, Felicia, Hannah, Lyndsey, Whitney, Hope, Madisen, Simon and Alix. 

This money could not have come at a better time.  Yesterday the headlines in the paper in Kenya read; KENYA: ”Now the drought comes almost every year”LAIKIPIA-ISIOLO , 10 June 2009 (IRIN) - LAIKIPIA-ISIOLO - Millions of Kenyans are facing hunger due to a prolonged drought and successive failed rains. In the northern region, pastoralists’ livelihoods are especially threatened not just by drought and high food prices but also by deadly inter-communal conflict, livestock diseases and a lack of basic services.

Butere fish farmers are very well organized we are still continuing with digging and expanding each others ponds since Susan left Kenya.  While Susan was here we dug and expanded two fish ponds, and now we are working on our eighth.  The group is doing well and with proceeds and the micro-loans provided they have bought three cows for the group.  The aim of this project is that the group is looking t many different ways on how it can generate funds for themselves. When these three cows grow big they will sell them at a higher price and buy another small one. The money they get it can help them in buying something that they lack; nets, fish feed etc.  So far the group has helped each in digging and expanding the ponds of Hesbon, Abraham, mama Tabitha, John Luvanga, Esau, Abel, and Boniface and next week we shall be at James Mwinjiros place cleaning up his fish pond.  The group is moving forward.  In the next few months they should be able to supply fish in Kakamega town because there is shortage of fish at the market right now.  Hussein Wechuli.

Being back in Whitehorse has left me missing working with fish farmers in Kenya.  But luckily Hussein continues to spend a lot of time visiting and supporting farmers and keeping me informed with his great emails.  I feel like I am right there with him.  The following is his latest installments with both Kwhisero and Bukura farmers.   I went to visit Kwhisero fish farmers and introduced a new system of digging and expanding each others fish ponds the way Butere farmers are doing.  We kicked of well by identifying those people who need help most, so that each member in the group can have a standard fish pond.  The first person to receive help was mama Beldina Webuko where we helped her to clean up her two fish ponds which were coved with mud.  We cleaned them for her and thanks were received from her to the group for helping her do the job.  We agreed as a group that we will be doing the same to everyone in the group and hope to see some changes over the next 6 months.  While doing the work some farmers complained about the leeches biting their legs.  So they want gumboots for next time.  The next farmer to get assistance was mama Mary Mideva who wanted the group to help her dig a new fish pond.  She had tried to hire people to dig for her but they wanted a lot of money which she could not manage, so when we introduced the system of helping each other she was so happy.  The group went to her place and did the job for her, for free, so she thanked the group for what they have done in her life by helping her dig the pond. So she is now going to achieve her goals through fish farming now that she has two fish ponds.  The one the group helped her dig is so big which will produce a lot of fish for her and her family.  We then went to Mr. Geoffrey Atulo’s place to help him harvest his fish.  Because all members were present he did not have a hard time looking for people who will buy the fish as each member bought one fish on the spot.  Some members do not yet have fish so this was a good way to show how successful they can be.  I asked Geoffrey if he can see any difference concerning the size and the growing rate of fish Susan supplied 4 years ago.  He said there is a big difference, fish grow very fast compared to the ones which he once had in his pond.  He could go for a whole year without seeing any change, but these ones are bigger and he said tell Susan thanks for everything and always praise for her.  Showing me the biggest fish and smiling at it.  Next week we are going to the next farmer, who is a member. 

The following is the report I received from Lorna, teacher at the Bukura tailoring school.  First term started on January 5^th, 2009 and ended on April 3^rd, 2009.  The school closed for the month of April and reopens on May 4^th, 2009.   I was able to spend a lot of time with students and parents this year and it was exciting to see the new students and the second year students getting started on learning.   Student attendance – second year students responded well on the opening of the term.  We had eleven students in the second year class, one boy and ten girls, then three other students joined the class as new students, so in total we closed the term with fourteen students in the second year, thirteen girls and one boy.  The new intake in January was good, of which we admitted twenty one students, one boy and twenty girls. It was a good start and we hope it will be successful in the future. In total we closed school with thirty seven students.  School academic - Students are really working very hard to acquire their future skills, we hope it continues that way.  It is very positive as seen by the way last year candidates performed in their external exams, they all passed.  I hope this year we will send a good number to external exams. The community is very pleased with the issue of taking student for external exams.   Respond of parents - They are positive to the progress of the school.  This was shown by the good respond of bringing their kids to school on time, they attended meetings when called for, we concluded by saying that they have motive towards the progress of the school and their children.  Fees payments - The fees payments was good specially the new parents. Most of the students have finished the payments of the first term fees and registration.  This has enabled us to have the license for this year 2009, open the school account and also to meet some of the problems we had at the start of the term for example the construction of four benches to create sitting materials for students.  Due to the poor economy we have in our country, we agreed and managed to raise the school fees of the school from 1100 Kenyan shillings per year to 1700 Kenyan shillings per year starting this year for every student.  Project for the parents - For the good progress of the school, parents have agreed to start a good lunch program for their kids when they are at school for five days a week.  This has been a success in this last term. Production unit - The project has been started at school but due to poor economy it’s going on slowly by slowly because most of the money from items remains in debts.  I hope as we are marketing the project in the future it will be a success  Problems of the school - Thanks a lot for the machines heads you bought for us.  We haven’t got the tables for them therefore there is a shortage of machines in the workshop.  Hence students are sharing one machine which makes the work to be slow. Future plan - To have more machines to do better work and to have an embroidery machine to start embroidery work in the school.  To have a big workshop to accommodate more students.    Mrs. Lornah Mitungu    School instructor

 With great support from Wheels 4 Life I was able to buy 3 more bikes before I left Kenya.  I want to share letters and stories from the three recipients.  Geoffrey Atulo has been a friend of mine since 2004 when I first visited his ponds in Khwisero, Kenya.  He was working hard to get his ponds in top shape and welcomed me to see all the work he was doing.  When he is not working on his farm he is collecting rocks and pounding them into gravel.  Geoffrey has never owned a bike in his life and whenever we would meet he had walked for many kilometres to see me.  He was so excited when he received the new bike and so happy.  He was extremely proud and was looking forward to getting it home and using it.  Daniel Abdallah is 18 years old and was born into a family of four children.  His parents both have died from AIDS and as the last born he is the only one that has gotten the opportunity to go to school.  He sat for his primary examination and managed to pass and join secondary school.  He had no one to pay his school fees but different people have been assisting him and paying his school fees.  He lives approximately 15 kilometres from school and he walks to and fro daily or else borrows a bike from friends.  He was so excited to get the bike and promised he would not miss any school for the rest of the year.  Kennedy Esala is a fish farmer in Bukura and we have known each other for over 3 years.  As a fish farmer he needs a bicycle to help him transport fish feed and fertilizer to his ponds and harvested fish to the market.  As he said to me “A bicycle is of more importance to me, to my projects and to my entire life in general”. 

Up early on Saturday morning to head back to Bukura…yes again to await the delivery of the feed from Kisumu.  Jackson had arranged another lorry to carry the feed first to Khwisero farmers and then on to Bukura farmers.  Luckily the rain has held off and the roads should be in better shape than last year.  It was pretty bad with the lorry getting stuck a number of times in the mud.  We arrive to Bukura early and wait patiently.  Farmers come and go and eventually Hesbon and Kennedy arrive.  Also Bilha comes to see me as I told her I would be there to meet her and make sure she knew that I had a sewing machine for her.  By about 12:30 the feed truck arrives and the driver agrees to take it another 3 kilometres for 500 shillings.  So we make our way to Kennedy’s house and deposit the feed into the store.  It was a perfect end to the day and it has been a great success with farmers getting all those things they need to be successful.  We pile onto the back of the bicycles and get taken to the main road so we can catch the matatu to town.   Kennedy Asala came to town with me as he is another recipient of a new bicycle.  Kennedy is the secretary of the Butere Fish Farmers Association and has been a tremendous help to me when visiting fish farmers.  He usually takes me or Hussein when we go to visit fish ponds.  We bought the bike at Yako Supermarket and take it to the same fundi for fixing.  This time I decide I will not wait for it to get fixed because the rains are here and I need to get home before it pours.  I barely make it and get soaked on the way but at least I am home.  I meet a friend in the evening for beers and mbuzi; roasted goat meat and then back home for a nice evening.  Only 3 more days before I leave and I am already feeling extremely sad. 

So there is quite a contingent of us heading out to Bukura to visit farmers.  Joyce and Matano have decided to join Hussein and I and then the 4 Canadians.  We meet at the matatu stand and Michaels is already full and heading out so we have to grab thee next one.  We wait patiently trying to find other people to fill it as these drivers won’t leave until the vehicle is full.  Doesn’t take too long, an hour, because it holds 16 and we are 8 so we pile in and head off.  The vehicle drops us off and we start walking in and eventually get picked up by Hesbon, other farmers and other boda-boda drivers and hop onto the back of the bike for the ride into Abel and Susan’s home. 

We are greeted by Tabitha and some of the other ladies and ushered into the house for some tea and bread.  We then head down to the ponds and see all the other farmers working in the hot sun and the mud and have extended one of the ponds.  They all take a break and we jump in to continue the work.  It is amazing seeing this group working and helping each other and we get the pond finished for Abel and Susan to finish and pipe so they can get more fish stocked.  The mud is so heavy but it has certainly been made easier to dig with the new shovels and wheelbarrows.  We work for a couple of hours and then head up to the house for the meeting. It was a very emotional day for me as this will be the last time I see the group until September.  Hussein and I are given a flowered necklace around our necks while they sing in appreciation for all the work we have done with them.  We are entertained with speeches and then I am asked to stand to accept some gifts.  They present me with 4 beautiful chairs for my new home made by local Bukura crafts people.  They are made of sisal and wood and are just beautiful.  I also receive eggs, fruit and sugarcane that Hussein and I will share.  It was very emotional and I was actually at a loss for words with tears in my eyes.  I give a speech and then we move outside to wait for food.  We receive very sad news as fish farmer James Wandere’s brother was hit and killed by a matatu in Mumias town just a few hours previously.  Last year when we were meeting his son broke his leg falling off a bike so again sad things happen to him.  He was at a loss so he took his bike to head home to help with the arrangements.  All the positive things that happened that day are a part of the struggles people face here.  Kenya is going through a famine due to many issues from lack of rain and high food prices all related in some way to post election violence.  Everyday in the papers there is more bad news about people facing struggles.  The corruption is still bad and rich people are still taking more and more money.  One big issue here right now is the price of maize the staple for all Kenyans.  The price is skyrocketing and becoming out of reach for a lot of people.  So the government decided that poor people pay 52 shillings a kilogram and rich people will pay 72 shillings a kilogram.  But then how will the storekeepers know who is rich and who is poor.  And I can’t imagine a rich person walking in to a store and saying, yup I can pay more.  What a stupid concept.  Currently they say 3 - 4 million Kenyans are facing famine.   After eating a fabulous meal the matatu driver phoned to see where we were.  So I told him we were just on our way walking back to the road. He said he would come and get us so we started walking and he drove down the road to pick us.  Of course with 8 of us it certainly helps fill up his matatu.  So we pile in to funny looks from the other passengers in the vehicle and head back to Kakamega.  We made it about 2 kilometres away before we had to abandon the vehicle because of the 2^nd flat tire and none left to use.  Of course I had my chairs so a truck stopped to give us a lift all the way to the house.  We piled in the back and while sitting in my chairs we headed home.  It was pretty funny. 

Thursday night I head back to town after my visits with farmers to attend the weekly meeting with the Kakamega rotary club.  This is the monthly dinner and we have a great meal of curries and salads.  It was nice to see people as most of the members have been away due to the Christmas break.  Grace has returned from her trip to the US to see her son who has been sick for a while.  There is a large contingent of Canadians there and again I get interest from some of them to come with me on Friday to meet with farmers.  We arrange to meet in the morning so we can head out to Bukura.

Thursday is another farmers visiting day and it’s exciting because I am meeting some new farmers in the Khwisero area.  This group has had some problems so they got rid of the chairman who was doing things in a selfish way and elected a new group of leaders with the hope that they can move forward in a more positive direction.  Their new chair is a lady so it will be exciting to see the way forward this group takes.  They have a very large number of women who are taking an interest in fish farming.  I visit 8 new farmers and give them some advice about how to get their ponds working properly and I am really impressed with the hard work they have done to get started.  This new group really needs training and are all keen about the upcoming program.