Up early on Wednesday to head out to Bukura to meet parents and students.  I am joined by Terry, Tanya and their son Cody, from Vancouver Island who are here for 7 weeks looking for some type of project to get involved in.  They had been in contact with me over the previous months and I was happy to have them join us for the trip.  They have not been anywhere yet so this was an adventure.   Headed down to the matatu stand where we catch the public vehicles into the rural areas.  Most of the drivers and conductors know me now; some actually phone me to see if I am going somewhere that day.  So I get the typical question when I arrive; where are you going today, Bukura or Khwisero?  Today it’s Bukura so we pile onto the vehicle and head out.  We are stopped only once by police, but this bus is not overloaded so we continue on.  It takes about an hour an a half to get there and we are greeted by all the students and parents at the school.   There are songs, speeches and laughter.  It was nice to see the parents as I have not had much time to spend at the school.  I met with the two young students, Evans and Bedhinah and their parents to tell them about the sewing machines that have been bought and waiting for them in Kakamega.  The other young girl Bilha did not attend but does connect with me later and gets her machine.  She is an orphan and living with her aunt in Bukura so this will be a big help for her life.  They each give me 1000 Kenya shillings to go towards the cost.  Each machine costs 17,000 Kenya shillings or $275 Canadian.  I bought 3 nice singer machines for them so they last longer than the other cheaper ones.  I will return the 1000 shillings to them so they can use it towards purchasing other items.   So we enjoyed the day with everyone and head off to the matatu stand to try and get back to town.  Michael is driving so we hop into his matatu and make the slow, yes slow drive back to town.  Usually we drive at breakneck speed back to town but this matatu has no clutch and the brakes are bad.  Ok its hard to wonder which is worse but at least if we do crash the impact will be softer.  We get stopped by the police again, but this time the officer recognizes me, laughs and sends us on our way.   

Sunday afternoon Hussein and I head to town to catch the bus to Kisumu to spend a day with Jackson and organize to get the fish feed for farmers.  The bus is slow but sure so we wait for about 2 hours before we get going.  It takes just under 3 hours to get to Kisumu and the potholes so big that a few times we actually got stuck and the bus had to gear down to get out of them. 

We arrive to a town alive with Obama hype and I am constantly asked my opinion of him.  It’s great to see people rejoicing about something after such a difficult year last year.  We meet up with Jackson and my other friend Fred and we head out to Kiboko Bay to enjoy an afternoon at the lakeshore.  It’s a beautiful spot to spend time relaxing. 

That evening Hussein and I enjoy a meal outside at a restaurant near the hotel.  We have a good laugh because the menu had some pretty funny misspellings.  I ordered chicken and nuns; it was supposed to be nans (a type of chapatti).  We thought it was funny.  When the waiter asked us what was so funny we told him we hoped the nuns were cooked well.  He never got it. 

Up early the next morning shopping.  I was trying to find sewing machines to see if I could get a better price than Kakamega, but there was no difference and by the time I transport them here then the cost is even more.  We met up with my friend Ann who is working for Covenant House, a program that helps young kids in school.  She is a teacher from Hamilton and has taken a years leave to teach here.  It was so great to see her and spend the day together.  We head to Jackson’s restaurant for lunch and then Hussein and I head back to the bus stand to catch the bus home. 

I am now a board member of an organization called KEEF - Kenya Education Endowment Fund.  This organization is based in Canada and gives scholarships to young boys to continue into secondary school.  I joined the board after persuasion from the other members who are all long time Kenya volunteers with various organizations here in Kakamega.  I was able to get a couple of donations from friends to give 2 scholarships to deserving students.  The organization only takes boys because there is currently 3 other organizations here that give scholarships to girls and boys are also in the same situation of not having school fees. 

We only had a few scholarships, but we had over 300 boys show an interest.  We selected only 50 to interview.  I started off early in the morning trying to organize all the kids coming for the interview.  They arrived on mass with parents, guardians and teachers in tow.  Sitting down with these young boys that range in age from 12 to 17 is quite a challenge.  Getting them to speak up and answer questions is extremely hard but slowly I get the information out of them that I need to complete the interview. 

One boy comes in and sits down.  He is wearing a torn sweater and black boots with fur that are held together with tape.  He sits down and tells me he doesn’t need a scholarship as he has one, but he needs the money to shop and get to the school he has been called to.  Harrison Nyongosa is an amazing young boy and instantly I know this is one young man that needs help.  He is now 13 years old.  He wrote his Kenya Primary School Exams in 2006 and scored 413 marks out of 500.  He was called to Starhe Boys School. A prestigious school in Nairobi.  He had a fully paid scholarship but needed to pay for his trip to Nairobi and an additional fee of 5000 Kenya shillings for uniform and other items.  He did not have the money so could not go.  He was then called to Kakamega high school and could not afford the fees so he went to a local school near his home where school fees were less.  So he started form 1 in 2007 and went through term 1 and term 2 with straight A’s.  He then started term 3 and was chased from school because his family could not pay the school fees.  So in 2008 he had no money and could not continue in secondary school so he returned to primary school and redid standard 8 and scored 433 marks out of 500.  One of the highest in western province.  Again he was called to Starhe boy’s school and could not pay the shopping and transport fees. 

So he came to the interviews with his father to ask if we could help him.  It was a very easy choice for me to make as I saw how smart this boy was and how determined he was to get to school.  His father had tears in his eyes when I asked him why he could not find the money.  He said he had tried everyone and no one would help.  So I did not hesitate and told him I would pay those costs.  He came back to see me the following Tuesday and I took him shopping and got his bus ticket and sent them on their way to Nairobi.  I will go visit the home on Monday before I leave Kenya.  This young man has a future now, and it will be exciting to see how well he does.  I can’t wait until September when I see how well he did. 

Lorna came into town so we could purchase all the items she needs for starting the school year at Bukura. 

In the past I have been buying my machines and other items from a local shop but the machines fall apart in a matter of days and the prices are very high now.  We went to a store called Harry Harry Tailoring run by Jane Nyoroge.  Jane is a kikuyu and was affected in a very bad way from last year’s election violence.  Her home was torched and her 2 children were inside.  The police were able to rescue the children although they were hurt with burns.  The house was lost and all of her possessions. 

She is still here running her store but is never going to rebuild and her children now live in Central Province, Thika.  She was very accommodating with me about ordering new machines and also giving me very good prices for the sewing items I wanted to buy.  We bought over 26,000 Kenya shillings worth of material, scissors, thread, needles and tape measures.  She was very happy.  Lorna was also happy as we packed everything up and had it delivered to the matatu stand to take back to Bukura School. 

On Thursday I was invited by my friend Matano to meet with his group KASFOC.  They are interested in getting involved in fish farming and asked me to come and explain the program I am working on here.  They have had funding in the past to assist with their projects and fish farming seems like it would be a good fit with their objectives.  They work with orphans and widows assisting them with planting bananas and other items that can be harvested to eat or to sell. 

One of their members is an avid fly tier and was keen to hear that I was also able to tie flies and an avid angler.  I have committed to helping him with some much needed material so he can begin tying flies again.  He has not been able to buy hooks and some of the other things here in Kakamega. 

I wrote an application to an organization in the US that gives bikes to individuals in developing countries to assist them with their transportation.  I received word in early December that my proposal had been accepted to the amount of $2000 US to buy bicycles for anyone that I felt needed one.  I am now slowly assessing different people I know and offering them a new bicycle.  Hesbon has been carrying me on the back of his bike for the last few years so when he picked me last week he was carrying a bunch of spare parts for his bike.  He told me his bike was old and breaking down a lot now.  I asked him if he would like a new bike and he said yes…very much. 

I asked him to write me a short letter explaining why a bike was important and the following is what he wrote - “Reasons I need a bicycle.  A bicycle is something that was designed and made for various purposes and here are some of the reasons as to why I need a bicycle.  When I own or have a bicycle first I will be proud of myself and my family will be proud too because I will be always saving my money when it comes to traveling short distances and also I will be saving time and I will always try as much as I can to be punctual whenever I will be needed.  As a farmer, especially a fish farmers the bicycle will help me in different ways for example I will be sure of  transporting the fish feeds from the store or any other place to my home easily and my fish will not suffer from hunger.  I will also be able to transport other farm inputs to my farm easily and farm outputs to my home and to the market easily and also in good time.  If I own a bicycle I will also be visiting other fish  farmers from the area and also other fish farmers  from outside my region and by that note we will bee sharing ideas as fish farming is concerned and I will also be able to be attending seminars in various institutions about fish farming and other farm activities easily.  Also if I own a bicycle I will not forget my neighbors and the community as a whole.  I will also be using the bicycle to generate some income to uplift the living standard of my family.  When it comes to visiting my friends and relatives I will be able to do it easily because I will not be using money for transport.  According to my financial status I will also be able to maintain a bicycle because it doesn’t need fuel and if it is not in good condition I will be able to re-condition it again without using a lot of money like a vehicle or a motorcycle.  Before god, everything is possible so my bicycle will also be doing some work in the church.  I am looking forward for the help and bless you as you continue helping others.  Yours faithful, Hesbon Andabwa”.   So we spent all day Tuesday shopping in Kakamega for a bicycle.  We found one at the local supermarket that Hesbon liked, so we bought it and then we had to take it to the bike fundi for him to set up.  We were told it would take 30 minutes, but I should have known better as we sat watching for over 2 hours.  He did a good job and just seeing the excitement on Hesbon’s face was worth it.  He peddled home and when he got home he sent me a message on my phone that his family was so excited about the bicycle.  What a great day.

On Monday we make our way in the back of a matatu to Khwisero to see the group.  On the way a young lady and her son threw up for about 1 hour all over my feet and all over everyone in the back of the vehicle.  I felt so sorry for them but there was not too much we could do to assist. 

We make it to Khwisero and start the meeting.  It’s been a difficult year with this group, too much dishonesty and I try to be as frank as possible.  If you can’t work together as a group it is better to work on your own.  I leave with many doubts in my mind whether this group will continue, but I know individually they will.  In the evening I get a phone call from David and they have decided to conduct new elections and get rid of the chairman and elect a new executive and start a fresh. 

I asked the Fisheries Officer if we can get a vehicle to visit farmers, but no luck, its busy doing other stuff.  So the option is matatu, motorcycle and bicycle.  The fishery officer declines to come, he wanted the luxury of having a vehicle so I guess when he says he likes the office its true.  Hussein and I head off to catch the death machine to Makunga and luckily we arrive alive….its true they must loose 20 people a day in this country from these reckless drivers. 

Hesbon and Abraham are waiting for us and we hop on the back of their bikes and head off down the road to yells and questioning from all the people wondering what I am doing.  Some of the young men who are sitting there remember me from last year…off we go and we arrive at James’s place and start the visits.  We do look at fish ponds but it seems we spend more time eating and talking.  So it takes three days to complete the visit of all the farmers in Bukura.  It is an amazing time and I laughed so hard and enjoyed myself so much.  We visited each farmer and I gave suggestions on improving their ponds and people are starting to follow through. 

On Saturday Hesbon and Abel come in to town and we buy 60 pipes, 5 wheelbarrows and 14 shovels.  We get a vehicle and stuff everything in the back and squish into the vehicle and head to Hesbon’s home.  We are stopped by the police and the driver takes 50 shillings from Abel for a bribe.  5 minutes later he comes back and says if we add another 50 shillings we can go.  We dig deep and make the payment and off we go.  We arrive to a crowd of kids who are waiting for us.  Most of them wearing Whitehorse Minor Soccer School t-shirts that I had brought.  They looked great and the kids were looking so smart, as Hesbon says.  We headed down to the fish ponds and see most of the farmers standing around a half dug pond.  We say lets finish this expansion before we eat and meet and they say it’s too hard without shovels.  So Hesbon goes back up to the house and gets all the shovels and we finish the expansion.  I sunk in the mud up to my knees but we all had a great time.  We expanded Hesbon’s pond and with everyone working together we got it done in one day.  So we have a great meeting and people are really thankful for all the new items that will assist them with their ponds. 

We eat and then Hussein and I climb on the back of a motorcycle and make our way to the tarmac road to catch a vehicle to town.  Sunday we spend the day in town doing some things and sit and plan for the following week. 

Tuesday morning my friend Abraham offered to take me out to the tailoring school so I could meet with Lorna and all the students.  Perfect!  We arrive to see the school open and 11 students, 1 first year and the remaining 10 are in their second year.  Also waiting patiently were Evans, Bedhinah and Bilha who have now graduated and are waiting too discuss what the options are for them.  Lorna was able to get them permission to write the National Tailoring Exam where they had 7 hours to sew a dress and write an exam.  They did great and showed me the dresses they each made.  They were perfect and all three had brought their parents to discuss the next steps.  I gave them 2 options, continue into a better technical college or cost share a new singer sewing machine.  I gave them all a couple of days to discuss it and I gave them my phone number so they could contact me when they decided what they wanted.  Evans phoned me that night and wanted to come into Kakamega on Wednesday morning to try and find a boarding college and continue with school.  Unfortunately there are no boarding schools as they are all day schools and he lives too far away to commute.  So we have decided to buy him a good sewing machine and he can continue to study at Bukura tailoring school and Lorna will help him when she has time.  He is a nice young man and was so timid while we were wandering around Kakamega.  Of course he tells me he has only been to town 3 times in his life so everything was so new and exciting.  We found a couple of different machines and I will do a bit more shopping before getting him the machine and materials so he can continue.  We escort him back to the matatu stand and get him on a vehicle to take him back home.  He phones me to tell me he safely arrives and thanks me for helping. 

Well I arrive back late on Friday night and early the next morning Roselyne is at my door so excited as we are heading shopping to get her set for starting school on Monday.  I first met Roselyne in 2003 when she came to see me to see if I would sponsor her through secondary school.  She was just a kid then and now she has grown into a beautiful young lady with big plans for her future.  Her three sisters are all at home and it looks like Roselyne has big responsibilities.   Her oldest sister Carolyn had a stoke last year and now is at home as her husband does not want to be bothered with her anymore.  She can’t walk and is just now learning to talk and it’s been a difficult process.  The other sisters Eunice and Helen are there to assist and both are struggling to find work.  We wander to town and start the process of purchasing what is needed for boarding school; mattress, bedding, suitcase and then all those other things that are necessary.  We get lots of stationary and hopefully they will have textbooks at the college.  Roselyne is taking Information Technology and the diploma course is three years.  It takes both Saturday and Sunday to finish and then we grab a chicken and head to my home with other friends to have dinner.  Hussein kills it, Emmy and Roselyne clean it and I cook it.  I have a big crowd and we enjoy a great evening.  Up early on Monday and we pile everything into a friend’s car and head about 10 kilometres to Sigalagala College to register.  I stop at the bank first and pay for the full year’s school fees.  It cost me about $700 and that includes her boarding and meals until end of December.  We arrive at the school to a mad house of students and staff.  Mostly no one knowing what to do or where to go.  They say if I go with her to the registrar’s office they will let us go first.  I know why and figure that is unfair so we decide to just wait with the rest.  Well Hussein knows one of the staff so we take advantage of getting through faster by her helping us.  Thank god as it still took 7 hours.  Talk about a process, but patience is a virtue.  We get Roselyne totally settled with her registration and her room and leave her.  It’s so exciting.  Back home on Monday night I get a call from her and she missed dinner.  No one came to tell her.  She is in college now, its not secondary school where they do everything for the students.  Here she is on her own; she makes her own way forward and must make her own decisions.  She’ll do fine.  We talk every night but eventually she will make friends and be less scared.   Emmy, Hussein’s partner is also excited as I will assist her into college in Kakamega town.  She is taking Community Development and will just be a day scholar.  As Hussein and Emmy will be living at my house when I return to Whitehorse she will have access to my computer that I will leave and also have electricity to study by.  Emmy is struggling as her family is having difficulties to raise the funds to put her through school.  We get her shopping done and she pays her school fees and waits patiently for classes to start in a few days.