Postcards from Kenya

News from Musul in Laikipia

2011-06-30T10:40:00.004Z

Great news from Musul in Laikipia where there is now a new head teacher at the Sherston Musul Primary School. For more details, including photos and how you may be able to assist with much-needed fundraising, please the Sherston Musul website.

Football News from Mathare

2011-06-01T13:33:00.008Z

Elijah Kanyi, footballer and member of the Mathare Roots Youth Group in Nairobi, has recently emailed with the following news:-

"We are fine here in Kenya. We have our football team now playing at the Nairobi Premier League, it's now our second year and we finished top five and we are now looking forward to perform better than last year.
The name of the team is called Real Mathare F.C. We are representing the community and making sure the youths are busy playing football and maintaining the discipline inside and outside the pitch. We are also planning to partner with Mathare Roots youth group which has been there for the last five years creating opportunities for the youth of MATHARE.
The team was there since 2000 and after a few years along the lines things were difficult due to financial challenges, and that's when I requested the team chairman to change the name of the team so that it cann belong to the community and not the church, since the team was well known as Mathare Outreach F.C. and now it is called REAL MATHARE F.C. Most of our funding last year came from the residents of Mathare who have small scale business, they were contributing their money to the team which was not easy for some of them since they make less per day and along the line a big number of the supporters who were funding the team drop but the few who remained are still going strong with their support.
This is our football team's website http://realmathare.jimdo.com/"

Prestigious Awards for Muliru Farmers Conservation Group

2011-05-20T14:46:00.015Z

Congratulations to Muliru Farmers Conservation Group (Kakamega Forest), for being awarded the prestigious global "Equator Prize" in September 2010 and prestigious global "SEEDS Award" in November 2010. These were awarded to Muliru Farmers in recognition and celebration of their outstanding community efforts towards biodiversity conservation and poverty alleviation.

Muliru Farmers Conservation Group has been receiving on-line promotional support and outreach here at 'Postcards from Kenya', Sema Kenya and via CCI-Kenya's main website since 2003. Whilst this support will continue, further information about Muliru Farmers Conservation Group and their Ocimum kilimadscharicum (Naturub) project can now also be found on their own great new website at http://www.mulirufcg.org/.

Download their latest brochure here (pdf document)

More news from Sherston Musul Primary school, Laikipia

2009-10-20T09:56:00.005Z

The following good news was received from Gordon Liddle on 16/10/09 -

" It has finally started to rain in Kenya! Just over an inch so far (over the last week) but Sherston Musul are confident that the rains have now started. the water tanks you helped to fund are already more than half full - including the new Musul tank - new gutters are working and we have only had one leak. This is being fixed this week.

There is some water in all the dams and waterholes and elelphants, impala and kudu have all been seen back in the area.

Some of your fundraising efforts wre used to prepare Sherston Musul school for the rains, build and install deep new guttering (this is made by hand so employs local crafts people!) and provide a 6000 litre water tank in September - Thank you to everyone for your support!

Money raised by a sponsored trip to climb Mount Kenya by Gordon and Debby Liddle has also raised the remaining 50% of the money needed to start the kitchen block - 50% was raised by Sherston School here in the UK.

As the rains are critical to builing in the region (...) the building will be started in the coming months as the rains are critical to its success. Building in the drought can double building costs as you have to buy and transport water to the school to mix cement etc.

If you would like to make an individual substantial donation for the next priority project (the School Accommodation Block and Pre-School classrooms) please contact Gordon Liddle via the Sherston Musul website (http://www.sherstonmusul.com/) - you will have your name placed on a donor sign that will adorn the building in perpetuity!!

Sherston Musul will launch fundraising for the next financial target in 2010 but donations are being taken now. If you would like to discuss donations, make a substantial donation on your own or on behalf of a company please contact Gordon Liddle via the Sherston Musul website (http://www.sherstonmusul.com/). Subject to currency fluctuations and building costs this should provide enough money to build a Pre-School building and Teacher accommodation - the school is so remote that without any accommodation the government does not supply teachers in this remote area. Sherston Musul are currently using temporary and very basic donated accommoadtion for the government teacher at the moment.

Please go to http://www.sherstonmusul.com/ for photos of this year's visit to the school and to donate on-line.

Thanks for your continued interest and support.

Good news about Sherston Musul Primary School. Laikipia

2009-10-20T09:49:00.003Z

The following news was received from Gordon and Debby Liddle on 23rd September 2009 -

"New guttering and water tanks have been put on the school in the last few weeks paid for from the Sherston Musul donations here in the UK (including donations sent through CCI-Kenya) and we hope to start a kitchen block/food store for the school as soon as the rains come.

Despite the drought things are looking better from a school point of view - the children have teachers, a head and uniforms. from a water and food perspective they are being supplied by government dribs and drabs.

See http://www.sherstonmusul.com/ for more details."

Latest News from Community Groups, June 2009,

2009-06-09T08:04:00.011Z

Urgent request received from Daniel LeMolo, MBEKEC, on 2/6/09

A severe drought brings the following request for urgent assistance for the children attending Sherston Musul Primary School in Laikipia -

"We are continuing struggling with the drought here with no rain at all...The situation at Musul is worst ever seen. No water, no food, children fainting in the class and a lot of problems. So, to your website, if people can donate so that we can try to feed these kids so we don't lose them to hunger. Please put this request to your website."

You can also find out more information on the food shortages and its severe effects on the children and their parents at Musul by clicking this link to a recent article in The Standard newspaper.

Donations towards the development of Sherston Musul Primary School (provision of facilities such as classrooms, uniforms, books, writing materials, school meals, etc) can be made by visiting the Sherston Musul Primary School website at http://www.sherstonmusul.com/ .

The Sherston Musul website has been set up independently by supporters in UK to help raise awareness and funds for the further development of Sherston Musul Primary School. The funds and funding priorities at the school are administered locally by Gill Ellias at O'Lentile in Kenya.

Further information about Musul and related links can be found at 'Postcards from Kenya'.

Good news from Elija Kanyi, Mathare Roots Youth Group on 9/06/09

"We have had a group of student from Mcgill University from Canada, we gave them a tour in the slum while walking around we talked to some and they liked what we do in our youth group and they promised to come back and work with us. And after two months, two of them Avi from USA and Nico from FRANCE.Came they sat down with George Rai the Chairman of the group they talked on what we can do together, and as they were talking they come up with an idea of building a basketball court at Mathare.

We had some challenges of the field because in the slum there is no playing field or a public field any where in the slum,and this is a mistake that was made by our leaders and land grabbers who never care about playing field and all they do care is about housing which they never care even about repairing after building. And another challenge was funds to build the basketball court,this were the main challenges we faced while planing to work on the project. We were forced by situation to build the court at a near by kiboro primary school where we some times meet as a group. The court was build by the assist from from Mcgill university CFSIA Canada Field Studies in Africa, students who were looking for funds from friends and family,and Mathare Roots Youth Group was providing the manpower since the students were not able to raise enough money for more instructors. And we all believed we only needed one or two instructors to show as what to do and how to do it. Everything was finally done in two weeks,vafter long days of sweat we were able to smile at last.

I found this project very unique because in the slum of Mathare children have talents and all they need is Guidance and Facilities. To be able to show case their talents,vthere is no any other sports well known by children in Mathare than football and that's the reason why we thought Basketball will be something different and unique to introduce and those who know how to play can teach others how to.

At the moment we are still going strong with our projects and activities. While working on our plans we were also able to produce a Documentary of less than twenty minutes. About the things we do, and the reason why we do what we do."

Community Groups - News & Updates, April 2009

2009-04-08T13:35:00.019Z

The following are some of the latest news & updates from community groups and supporting organisations during April, 2009. Further news & updates will be added as & when they come in....

Received from Leonard Muhanga, Nature Kenya Site support officer for Kakamega Environmental Education Programme (KEEP) on 20th April, 2009.

We are fine in Kakamega.

I recently attended the Nature Kenya centenary celebrations in Nairobi (NMK) where Wilberforce Okeka, the founder of KEEP was awarded Conservation Award Certificate to honor his contribution to conservation in Kakamega forest.

I have been facilitating exchange programs for community based organizations to visit Kakamega to learn about energy conservation. Two groups (one from South Nandi and the other from Kijabe) attended where they were taught by KEEP educators on how to install fuel efficient stoves; fireless food warmers (Shimwelo) and briquette making as a supplement to charcoal and fuel wood. So far 45 members (mainly women) have been trained. I expect another group to visit the forest towards the end of the month. John has been quite instrumental in this.

The news in Kakamega, as concerns energy saving devices is that KEEP acquired a briquette making machine, courtesy of James Parkas, a volunteers from FSD (Foundation for Sustainable Development). 20 KEEP members were trained in this venture (Briquettes are small cubes made from everyday agricultural and commercial waste material e.g. dried leaves, weeds, sawdust, maize stalks etc). Although briquettes can come in different sizes and shapes, the ones produced at KEEP are circular (cylindrical).

Received from Samuel Bakari, Friends of Kinangop Plateau on 8/4/09:-

"We are doing well at the workshop. We are getting some help on marketing from Charlie of 10000 birds. You can have a look at what we have done from his site

http://10000birds.com/the-njabini-wool-spinning-workshop.htm 0birds.com/the-njabini-wool-spinning-workshop.htm

http://10000birds.com/back-to-the-njabini-woolshop-kinangop.htm.

Also view http://10000birds.com/10000-birds-sharpes-longclaw-and-the-kinangop-grasslands

We have also contacted the Arocha Kenya, Mwamba, to see if they can help us in marketing by displaying some of our products and they get a commission for every item sold.

I will forward some photos that I have send to Charlie and see if they can be useful."

Received from Joan Nesbit, SpanAfric Safari's re development & promotion of ecotourism at Musul, Laikipia on 6/4/09:-

"It's been a tough year. I did manage to register the Musul group into Eco-tourism Kenya and we still need to plan a trip over there for them to survey and identify what next steps to take....
...I havent heard from the USA yet and no replies are coming in.
That's all for now, I still do believe things will work out, it's slow but doors will open soon."

Received from Gordy Liddle re SherstonMusul primary school & educational sponsorship at Musul, Laikipia on 23/3/09:-

"...We have been on hold ourselves for a while now but we have been quietly getting a little more organised and are now linked in with some local contacts and have a web site that should be up and running shortly..."

7/5/09

It's now possible to find out more about the Sherston Musul primary school and to make much needed donations to their educational sponsorship programme at: http://www.sherstonmusul.com/info/home_page.

(Further information about the community at Musul, which is located in western Mukogodo in Laikipia, Kenya, can also be found at here at 'Postcards from Kenya' and at CCI-Kenys's main website.)

New Audio Links

2009-02-18T10:42:00.010Z

It's now possible to listen to some short MP3 audio clips of traditional Maasai singing recorded at Musul, Laikipia during December 2006.

(My apologies for the poor recording quality, but I hope you will enjoy listening and may be tempted to visit the community groups and hear them 'live' for yourself.)

News from CCI-Kenya.

2008-10-07T10:40:00.008Z

Apart from CCI-Kenya's website facilities, other CCI-Kenya activities are currently now on hold until further notice later on in 2009.

In the meantime, news and updates from community groups and other supporting organisations may continue to be posted here from time to time.

The following are some of the latest Community updates and goodwill messages recently received:

From Job at KABICOTOA, Kakamega, on 13th Oct 2008
Hi Eliza, ,
Thanks a lot to hear from you again.
We are really doing well with the season trying to pick up.
Lastly we wish you quick recovery and possibly meet you when you come.
Job.

From Koija Hope Club on 8th Oct. 2008.

hi,first we are sorry for delaying in responding and your sickness we pray for you to get well,koija hope club is still carrying on to renovate the community cattle dip,we had all materials but actually there was long drought here and the livestock were dispersed to search for pasture and therefore since this was our core objective we have to wait them back in high number and we will seat with the community and form m.o.u and there after we will proceed and that's what we are after presently thanks,
secretary in charge, Evans.

France Gives Welcome Boost to Kenya's Tourist Industry...

2008-07-06T19:22:00.002Z

"Kenya is safe, France says.

Kenya's tourism got a major boost after France declared the country safe for citizens and investors. In a letter to French tourists and investors, the French Ambassador to Kenya, Ms Elisabeth Barbier, said post-election violence that had rocked the country early in the year was long gone...."

Read the full story at The Standard-on-line.

Football Links/Partnership Sought by Mathare Roots Youth Group, Nairobi.

2008-05-25T09:57:00.007Z

The Mathare Roots Youth Group is based in the sprawling Mathare slum in Nairobi. This is the second largest slum in Africa with many differing needs and challenges for the 500,000+ people who live there. Mathare Roots Youth Group has a slogan 'From Roots to Fruits' which highlights the youth group's role in trying to provide mentoring, positive role models, education, opportunity and hope to the young people growing up in Mathare.

Mathare Roots Youth Group would like to establish a link with a football club or a football-related community group or youth group based in an inner city area in UK , so that they can share support, mutual ideas & experience with other local youngsters, perhaps with the possibility of some football-related cultural exchange visits, fundraising/sponsorship, etc.

Football and other sports can play a strong role in helping to keep youngsters on the right track and out of trouble, at the same time helping to uplift whole communities. The youngsters and their families in Mathare are in great need of this additional support, particularly following the terrible effects of the post-election violence which has taken place in Mathare since the disputed presidential election in December 2007. Football is being recognised and much appreciated as a great unifying factor for the now traumatised community of Mathare.

There is exciting potential for local UK-based football teams and their associated local youth groups &/or a local communities to link up with Mathare Roots and to help support the mentoring of Kenyan youngsters living in Mathare. This linkage could potentially take a variety of forms which could help to provide both moral & practical support for the 'Mathare Roots' Youth Group and the local community that it helps to support in the Mathare slum, as well as publicity for the local football team in the UK. It is also an opportunity for the football team's associated youth and community groups to potentially learn and benefit from sharing experiences of growing up in a challenging environment. There are many issues that may be in common to youth growing up in Mathare & in communities elsewhere, including (for example) the relative poverty of inner city areas, youth unemployment, homelessness, gangs, gun & knife crime, drugs, teenage pregnancy, single parents, violence, poor education, health issues, and so on.

If your local football team or football community is interested in helping to establish a link with Mathare Roots, please contact Elijah Kanyi (Email: monelijah@yahoo.com).
Elijah is an active member of Mathare Roots Youth Group, a talented footballer and a cameraman, and is a great role model for other youngsters living and growing up in Mathare as well as those living in other deprived inner city areas around the world.

More information about Mathare Roots Youth Group and the challenges of living and growing up in the Mathare slum can be found at the following website links:

'Postcards from Kenya' (CCI-Kenya blogspot)
'From Roots to Fruits' (Mathare Roots Youth Group wesbite)
'Living & Bleeding' website (images and information about life in Mathare)
Some more photo's of Mathare
MYSA (Mathare Youth Sports Association)

Latest News & Update from Musul in Laikipia, (1/3/08)

2008-03-01T10:02:00.003Z

(The following update was sent by Daniel Lemolo of MBEKEC on 1 st March, 2008).

Hallo, I hope you are quite ok, likewise to us here in Kenya. Everything has settled and the two (Kibaki & Raila) have come to an agreement.

I’m very glad to hear from you about the progress you made, things here have been on hold since January but they have started showing recovery.

As for one, the government has given us ksh 250000/= in which class three is on the way (at the Sherston Musul Primary School) but the money is not enough as one class cost ksh 400000/= so we hope for well wishers to assist in the completion of this class, the class has already been constructed but things like windows, door, floor, plaster are not there due to lack of money. I have already talked with a lady at Olentile she is going to assist on paying one teacher’s salary starting March this year. Hoping that your sale of jewellery will help another part.

For the toilet and bathroom (at the Cultural Manyatta) they are complete and ready for use.

About MBEKEC progress on beekeeping - we are still waiting for Ennada to provide their funds as I was with them last week at Musul and they assured me they are still waiting the funds from the Bank. Once this is ready they will call me, so I will update you on this when ready,

Also your jewellery order (for the girl-child educational sponsorship project at Musul) these are ready.*

Thank you very much and I hope to communicate now as thing have settled .

Thanks a lot. God bless.

(*NB. It is hoped to collect the new stock of jewellery & have it available for sale in the UK from May 2008 onwards.)

Joy in Kenya

2008-02-29T09:32:00.007Z

Today there is joy in the streets of Kenya as Kibaki and Raila sign a power sharing deal.

Read the full story and others at The Standard on-line.

Other good news today...
Kenya's new Prime Minister Elect, Raila Odinga, pledges to rebuild Kenya.

Read the full story at BBC Africa News on-line.

Update from 'Friends of Kinangop Plateau' (21/2/08)

2008-02-22T08:33:00.010Z

The following update was sent by Bakari of 'Friends of Kinangop Plateau' on 21/2/08:

The situation isn't so bad here in Kinangop and Nairobi. Other parts of the country that were affected are also relatively calm. It's almost peaceful.

Well, am looking into a number of things and will let you know as soon as am able. Am doing a small write up about the Sharpe's Longclaw and will send it to you once am through for comments.

Construction of 4 bandas is underway in the Kinangop bird sanctually and wil let you know the charges and how to get there once they are through and the necessary arrangements are in place.

We are going on with the dry season monitoring of the Sharpe's Longclaw.

Work at the workshop is going on normally although the demand for yarn is quite low.

I have also contacted a number of people who have been practicing home stays and they would be happy to host visitors. However, they have not been doing it in an organised way, thus its difficult to say this is the much we can charge. It's therefore important to set a standardised fee. For that we need help.

(Note - the above accommodation, spinning workshop & bird monitoring activities may form part of a new community-based eco-tourism proposal which is currently being worked on by Nature Kenya, CCI-Kenya, Span Afric Safaris and The African Propoortourism Development Centre. More news and updates on this will follow later.)

Updates From Mathare Roots Youth Group, Nairobi

2008-02-14T12:42:00.006Z

The following updates have been sent by Elijah Kanyi of Mathare Roots Youth Group which is based in the Mathare Valley slum in Nairobi:

07/02/08:
We are fine but worried about the situation we have right now in Mathare, things have been quite tough but we are safe and alive... Sorry for not keeping in touch for a while but it's due to the situation...We never expected such kind of situation and the killings we are having this time in Kenya. Even our group activities have been affected since there are those places which we can't go. But we are trying to see what we can do to get our community back to where we were some months back, in our group we don't have the issue of tribalism since we grew up together since we were young and we are setting up good example to the society. since people are moving to where their community is, for us members we don't have such situation. We are tying to see if we can get people who can at least help those who were hardly affected with the election violence, last week Mathare Roots members donated clothes to people who are sick, refugee in their own community and country. We would like to visit them again and again, until we see they are fine and happy.

13/02/08:
Last week we tried to organise a football tournament which was great because there was a big turn up from members of the community. After the football games we tried to bring youths together to try to find out why people are fighting each other yet we voted peacefully. there was handshake after the each and every game to at least show the community we are still united despite the chaos. We are also working for a peace song which we are trying to tell the people of Kenya that what we are undergoing is not the right thing to be happening in our beloved country, i hope by the time you will becoming it will be ready for sell. Anyway this year we had planned for alot which we hope we will accomplish by the end of year. May be to remind you, sports it’s the best tool to unify people, i hope you still remember about the football legend whom you promised to talk to about football.

Support Red Cross Crisis Appeal for Kenya

2008-01-19T10:45:00.001Z

"The British Red Cross has opened an appeal to help hundreds of thousands of people affected by the crisis in Kenya.

The country erupted into violence on 30 December following the results of the presidential election. Hundreds of people have been killed and injured, and hundreds of thousands displaced due to the clashes.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is working with the Kenya Red Cross to help the wounded and displaced.

The appeal will provide medical equipment, drugs and other supplies to help the injured. It will also support at least 100,000 displaced people with food, household items, water and sanitation equipment for several weeks." (Information curtsey of Red Cross).

For further information and to make a donation to the Red Cross Crisis Appeal for Kenya please click here to visit the official Red Cross website.

Latest daily newspaper coverage direct from Kenya can be found at The Standard on line and Daily Nation on line.

Further in-depth coverage on the situation in Kenya is also available at BBC News on-line.

Latest News From Community Groups in Kenya (updated on 20/1/08)

2008-01-14T14:55:00.000Z

So far, I have received the following news & updates from some of the community groups in Kenya since violence rocked the country following the disputed General Election at the end of December 2007:-

News from Nature Kenya and Kakamega Environmental Educational Programme (KEEP) is that the community group is fine and the situation in the forest is locally calm. Update received from Nature Kenya Site Support officer for KEEP on 20/1/08: "Thanks for praying with us. Things are slowly returning to normal but all is not OK. KEEP have resumed Saturday programme and attendance is good (100 pupils at Isecheno." KEEP have also emailed to say that there are no riots in the forest and that KEEP members are continuing to make cooking baskets - I have requested an official report from Nature Kenya on KEEP's 'Shimwelo' Kakamega Forest Cooking Basket Project and will keep you posted on this.
James of Muliru Farmers Conservation Group (which is also based at Isecheno in the Kakamega rain Forest) asks us to pray for Kenya;
Bakari of Friends of Kinangop Plateau says that the situation is calm there, but he says that everyone is worried for their brothers and sisters across the country (all the people of Kenya) and also asks us to continue praying for peace in the country;
Daniel of Mukogodo Beekeepers and Environmental Conservation Group (MBEKEC) tells us that Musul in Laikipia is locally safe;
Belinda of A Rocha Kenya says that things aren't too bad at the Coast compared with elsewhere in the country.
Tito's news of Mathare Roots Youth Group is that members are ok, although some have had to move from the area because their homes have been burnt &/or their possessions looted, etc. Despite their own difficulties, group members are doing their best to try and help support the wider community in Mathare.
Adam and his brother Matt from the USA are now back home and starting to make progress on editing their documentary about Mathare Roots Youth Group and life in Mathare slum. Their photo's of Mathare and news and updates on the documentary can be found at their 'Living & Bleeding' website and also by clicking here.

I'll continue to post other news and updates from the community groups here at 'Postcards from Kenya' as and when I receive them.

OTHER NEWS...

My early return from Kenya at the beginning of January unfortunately meant that I did not have time to revisit a number of my usual communities. This was a great shame. However, I am managing to keep in touch with the community groups and supporting organisations out in Kenya and between us we are hoping to continue moving things forward in a positive way as and when the situation allows.

As I mentioned here in an earlier post, I spent some time with members of the Mathare Roots Youth Group just before Christmas and I also briefly met Victoria, the founder of the Mathare Mums Community Group. Both of these groups are based in the Mathare slum in Nairobi. Before I returned home, my intention had been to return to Mathare again in early January 2008 when I had planned to try and help the youth and community groups establish a Mathare Cooking Baskets Project in the slum. The idea being that local women living in the Mathare would be able to make Cooking Baskets for home-use throughout Mathare as well as the possiblity of selling them as an income-generating activity. Post-election violence which has taken place in the slum has made life there very difficult for everyone at the moment and it is uncertain how quickly the situation will begin to normalise again. Despite having some of their own homes burnt down and possessions looted, members of Mathare Roots Youth Group and Mathare Mums are reaching out to help other members of the community. Hopefully, they will be able to make a start on the project as soon as the situation settles down enough for them to be able to do so.

Faith, hope, love and prayers...

Whilst the country reportedly remains generally calm today, the situation across Kenya remains very tense and unpredictable.

As has been widely reported by the media, there has been post-election violence in Kakamega town, Kisumu and Eldoret as well as elsewhere in Western Kenya, the Rift Valley, parts of the Coast and also in some of the slum areas of Nairobi, including Mathare. Fortunately, the violence and displacement of people from their homes is not happening everywhere across the country, although many local areas and communities have now been affected.

Please take good care of yourselves everyone.

Latest daily newspaper coverage direct from Kenya can be found at The Standard on line and Daily Nation on line.

In-depth coverage on the situation in Kenya is also available at BBC News on-line.

How Cooking Baskets & Hay Box Technology May Help Refugees in Kenya

2008-01-13T11:58:00.000Z

There has been an increased number of hits on the 'Cooking in a Basket' website over the past week or so from places such as Nakuru where a large number of displaced Kenyans are now staying following the violence that has erupted in Western Kenya and Rift Valley since the disputed General Election at the end of December. I'm hoping that the cooking basket information will be able to reach members of the UN, Red Cross and other Aid Agencies who may then help to disseminate this to more local people who are living and working on the ground.

The 'Cooking in a Basket' website has instructions for making a simple Cooking Basket/haybox as well as recipes for cooking beans, maize, rice, etc (staple foods which are being distributed by aid agencies). For those of you who are unfamiliar with the technology, padded cooking baskets act like a thermos and help to reduce the amount of cooking fuel and water that is needed to cook food and could be a great help to all those people in Kenya and elsewhere who are struggling to survive at the moment - particularly those who have been displaced from their homes or are living in in areas where fuel and water is either in short supply and/or very expensive to buy. Cooking Baskets have the advantage of being portable and can be made by padding a a simple basket or a sack with a blanket or other stuffing material in order to make a thick padded nest for the cooking pot to sit in. The Cooking Basket or sack is then covered snuggly with a pillow or a cushion to help hold in the heat. (Further instructions on how to make and use a Cooking Basket, including recipes) can be found at 'Cooking in a Basket').

If you are able to help with passing on this information to local people in Kenya, or if you are able to forward this website link to other contacts who may be able to assist, then please do so.

(Latest daily newspaper coverage direct from Kenya can be found at The Standard on line and Daily Nation on line.)

Prayers for Kenya

2008-01-07T16:13:00.000Z

As I write this I am very sadly and reluctantly on my way back home to UK. My visit to friends and community groups in Kenya this year having been brought to an early end by the violence which has rocked the country following the disputed General Election on 27th December. What has taken place since December has been a huge shock to everyone - the majority of Kenyans are peaceable, warm and welcoming and in all my times visiting Kenya I have never experienced anything other than warmth and friendship from them, no matter what community, tribe or part of the country that I have been staying with or visiting. Like many visitors to Kenya, I have made many friends with local people and communities living throughout the country - in small villages, out in the bush, at the Coast, in the slums and in the city of Nairobi. It is heartbreaking to have to leave them behind with such political uncertainty and insecurity. I add my prayers, and those of my own family and community, to the prayers of everyone in Kenya for a peaceful and long-lasting sollution to the current situation as soon as possible. Much pain has been inflicted and many tears are being shed. Now it is time for healing to begin. I will be returning to Kenya later on in 2008 when the situation has calmed once again. In the meantime, I shall be keeping contact with everyone to see how we may look to the future and keep things moving positively forward once more.

To everyone in Kenya, please stay calm, stay safe and stay strong. Although I have had to return home early, we are together there with you.

(Latest daily newspaper coverage direct from Kenya can be found at The Standard on line and Daily Nation on line.)

Mathare Roots Youth Group - 'From Roots to Fruits' in the second largest slum in Africa

2007-12-15T07:50:00.000Z

This year I decided to cancel my planned visit to the Coast for Christmas and New Year due to the lack of available safe transport and the dangerously busy roads leading up to the festive season. This is always a difficult time to be travelling on Kenya's roads, but this year the situation is even worse than usual. The use of speed governers, seat belts and a safe-number of passengers being carried had improved travelling on public transport over the last two or three years since the introduction of special government safety legislation.

Unfortunately, however, the number of road accidents & consequent high death toll have increased dramatically again this year.

The high volume of traffic is expected to increase further with people travelling to vote in the forthcoming elections on 27th December. I am therefore being extra cautious this year and voting with my feet by staying put. The safer alternative of travelling by air is not available as all flight have been booked solid since early to mid November. For those of you who are travelling over this festive season, may you all travel safely and well.

Instead of travelling out of town myself, I will now be enjoying Christmas and New Year in Nairobi. I have been making the most of my extra time here to push ahead with the development of a draft community-based eco-tourism proposal with Nature Kenya, SpanAfrica Safaris and the African PropoorTourism Development Centre.
I have also been helping out with some biodiversity monitoring with National
Museums and KWS at Nairobi National Park for the best part of a week as well as venturing further into the city.

MATHARE VALLEY & THE 'MATHARE ROOTS YOUTH GROUP' -
'FROM ROOTS TO FRUITS'

This past week I have been catching up with Adam and Mat, two friends who are here from the USA to make a documentary. Together we have met with with members of the Mathare Roots Youth Group and the local community who are living and working in the sprawling slums of Mathare Valley here in Nairobi.

Mathare (with around 500,000 people) is reputedly Africa's second largest slum after Kibera, which is also situated here in Nairobi. Some of you may have already seen photo's or film coverage of the slums (in the film 'Constant Gardener', for example), so you will have some small idea of where I have been.

Despite the overwhelming depth of poverty which is all around in Mathare - the lack of water and sanitation, the over-crowded, densely packed shanty-houses, the filthy streets, the squallor, the smells, the noise, the health-hazards, the poverty and the despair, there is also a very positive energy and life to Mathare that is evident in the smiles and laughter of the young children, in the warmth, welcome and resilience of Mathare's inhabitants as they go about their daily lives trying to eke out what living they can in support of themselves and their families.

You can see small local hairdressers sitting outside in the sun, busy tailors working away on singer sewing machines inside small one-roomed workshops, small food kiosks cooking and serving food outside whilst sewage and rubbish fill the street under your feet.

There are schools housed in tiny one-roomed shacks that cater for 60 or 80 children, occasional privately-run health clinics and community centres to assist women and families living with HIV/Aids.

There are spaces to play football and volleyball and somewhere to train how to box...Life goes on in Mathare slums and there is a vibrancy and a determination to survive.

And there is a wish and a prayer in everyone's heart that life will somehow improve for the better - that proper healthcare, sanitation, employment, dignity, education and a positive future may be had by all and not just the privileged few.

Through its own efforts and example, and those of MYSA (Mathare Youth Sports Association), the youth of Mathare Roots is helping to show and lead the way forward for the young people and community of Mathare as a whole.

It is true to say that the level of warmth and obvious respect that the youth group members receive from the general community living in and around Mathare cannot help but make you feel very proud of them and their efforts and achievements, too.

For my own part, I shall be assisting Mathare Roots with the development of a 'Mathare Cooking Basket' project which will hopefully help to relieve some of the local poverty by saving the cost of fuel for families as well as perhaps providing a source of income generation for some of the local women.

I'm currently preparing a basic book-keeping and accounts workshop to present to members of Friends of Kinangop Plateau in mid January) and I hope to be able to follow this up with similar workshops for community members in Mathare.

I shall also be donating copies of the Community Health-Care Workers' manuals and HIV/AIDS awareness materials to a couple of the local health-care clinics in Mathare. These manuals can then be used as a valuable information resource by the healthcare workers at the clinics as well enabling them to organise a range of community healthcare workshops with local mothers and families.
On the sporting front, I shall try to make some useful links for Mathare Roots with some of my footballing contacts back at home in UK.

I'm heading back to Mathare again tomorrow and also for part of next week.

I hope to be able to post some photo's here for you plus more information about Mathare Roots Youth Group and the community in which the group's members have been born, grown up and still live.

For the moment you may find some more information across at 'Sema Kenya' and also on Mathare Roots own website at http://www.mathareroots.org .

Bee-keeping at Kinangop

2007-12-02T08:52:00.003Z

Bee-keeping is a successful alternative income for farmers and members of 'Friends of Kinangop Plateau' and is an important activity for helping to remove pressure on Kinangop's important and endangered tussock grasslands.

'Friends of Kinangop Plateau' (FoKP) have a collection centre for their honey at Engineer township in North Kinangop. The collection centre also has two machines (an extractor and processor) for refining the honey.

The refinery processes pure honey (no additives). The honey is collected, graded, processed and packaged by 'FoKP members themselves.

Workers at the Honey Refinery
FoKP have 3 people involved with the processing of honey, plus 1 person for selling and also the branch Secretary.

FoKP beekeepers have been trained in honey harvesting methods.

1 farmer may have up to 50 hives (modern Langstrom), while farmers living adjacent to the forest may have up to 200 traditional log hives. There are approximately 3,000 beehives between FoKP 50 farmers.

200 jars of honey are processed each week by the refinery. It takes 2 weeks to sell 200 jars.

By products are bees wax and a Skin Care Salve which is used for milking and also for softening skin.

The harvesting season for honey at Kinangop is October to January. Between January and October there is usually no honey being produced by the bees.
An average of 300kg of raw honey is harvested between November and January.
Farmers are paid 150/= per kilo for raw honey. Payment is made to them when the honey is collected so that they do not have to wait for payment until after the honey is process and sold.

Processed honey is then sold for between 150/= to 200/= per 500g jar.

Funding received:
- FoKP received funding from Kenya's Community Development Trust Fund (CDTF) for modern Langstrom hives whislt SWEDBIO company funded the refinery machines.
-FoKP have also developed some proposals in collaboration with Kenya's Ministry of Agriculture.

Transport for collecting honey is by bicycles and public transport. 1 bicycle (funded by CDTF) is owned by FoKP whilst other bicycles belong to FoKP members themselves. FoKP collect raw honey from the farmers and grade it before processing.

Distance travelled to collect honey is around 15km from Engineer town to the 1st farmer, then another 15km to the next farmer and so on. 100km is the maximum distance travelled to collect honey. Public transport (matatu) is used when 5 bucket's worth of honey and above needs to be collected over a long distance. The matatu charges 30/= Kenyan shillings.

Honey Processing . The extractor machine takes 5 frames of honey from the bee hives. The extraction process takes 2 minutes and then the honey is placed into the processing machine. The processing machine takes 56kg of extracted honey (37 frames) and takes one day to process from 8am till 5pm.

28kg of raw honey produces 20kg of pure honey.
8kg of residue gives 1/2 kg of wax and skin care salve.

Outlets
FoKP honey & Skin Care Salve are sold to 2 local supermarkets plus 2 others elsewhere and also to a chemist. The products are also sold at Naivasha, the Nature Kenya shop in Nairobi and at fairs and exhibitions such as Safaricom.

You'll be able to find all this information plus more photo's, etc of 'Friends of Kinangop Plateau' activities on the main CCi-Kenya website from April onwards. You can now also find them across at 'Sema Kenya'.

Development of Ecotourism and Community Home-Stay Holidays

2007-12-01T10:10:00.000Z

Over the next two weeks I shall be in Nairobi having meetings and discussions with Nature Kenya and other interested parties regarding the exciting development and promotion of some proposed new eco-tourism holidays which may be based at local community-based accommodation facilities in a variety of interesting environmental and cultural locations that CCI-Kenya helps to support and promote across Kenya.

I will keep you posted here with more details on this as time goes by and all being well, I hope to be able to promote and market the new eco-tourism holidays here and at on CCI-Kenya's other websites on my return to the UK in the new year.

Presentation of Healthcare Book and HIV/AIDS Resource Materials.

2007-11-30T10:34:00.001Z

Whilst I was at Njabini I was very happy to present a copy of 'A Community Healthcare Workers' Manual' and pack of HIV/AIDS Awareness Resource Materials to 'Friends of Kinanop Plateau' for use at the main 'Friends of Kinangop Plateau' Resource Centre, where they will be made available for the use of local community healthcare workers and members of the wider community.

Funds for this book and resource pack were kindly donated by Emma-Reeta from Finland. A big thank you from the local community and from CCI-Kenya.

Spinning & Weaving From Ewe to You.

2007-11-30T10:14:00.001Z

Hand-spinning and Weaving in the Kinangop Highlands

2007-11-29T08:37:00.004Z

(Please click here to see my photo's of spinning & weaving by 'Friends of Kinangop Plateau'...)

Last week I spent a great few days meeting and getting to know the spinners and weavers at the Njabini branch of 'Friends of Kinangop Plateau' (otherwise known as FoKP). As a keen hand-spinner and weaver myself, it was also a good opportunity for me to do some hand-carding and spinning of my own and to learn more about the history and current activities of the group.

A little background...

Many years ago spinning was introduced to the area by a Mzungu (white settler) who taught a local Kikuyu man the art of hand-spinning. This man then taught his son Gregory Kihumba, who then went on to teach a young woman called Emma Muthoni who lived at Njabini.

After completing Form 4 at Primary School, Emma told her parents that she would like to train as a hand-spinner and weaver. Her father managed to pay for tuition fees at college and helped to buy her some basic equipment to help get her started. Emma went on to teach a few others and gave the idea of training members of 'Friends of Kinangop Plateau' as a means of them earning a living and helping with the conservation of Kinangop Grasslands - an endangered habitat which is now a recognised Important BIrd Area (IBA). By being able to add additional value to wool, local farmers are being encouraged to rear livestock rather than cultivating the land for crops. Armed with this promising idea, Emma and the 'Friends of Kinangop Plateau (FoKP' Njabini branch then managed to secure funding from DANIDA for formal training in Rongai. 10 people from FoKP received training in hand-spinning and weaving for a period of 7 weeks. 6 people were trained in weaving and 4 in hand-spinning.

Before and after Independence...

There is a strong relationship between grassland/ change of land use and biodiversity levels.

Before independence, white settlers were the first to come to Kinangop where they farmed sheep and cows on the rich grassland habitat. After Independence, white settlers left the area and were repplaced by an influx of Kenyans (mainly Kikuyus) who then settles at Kinangop and continued the practice of livestock keeping. There came a time when the economic value of dairy and livestock nosedived so that people could no longer earn enough from livestock rearing. At this point, people opted for other forms of farming such as cultivation to earn a living. Livestock was therefore repaced by planting and agriculture.

Kinangop Grasslands are privately owned by local Kenyan farmers. When the white settlers left, groups of local people clubbed together to buy large areas of land which were then subdivided & sold into smaller plots.

Working together...

National Museums of Kenya have carried out studies to show the community the special biodiversity of Kinangop Grasslands. Because of this, 'Friends of Kinangop Plateau' and the local community realised that it was necessary to find economic alternatives to cultivation. Alternative incomes such as spinning and weaving (based at Njabini) and bee-keeping (based at Engineer) were then developed to help remove the pressure on the grasslands.

'Friends of Kinangop Plateau' work well and closely with local farmers, other organisations and the Ministry of Livestock and Agriculture to help train others in good farming practice. The Ministry of Livestock and Agriculture are also working with the 'Friends of Kinangop Plateau' to improve the quality of sheep and wool being produced through the introduction and use of better quality rams and breeding stock, thereby adding even greater value to the wool farmers are able to produce and sell.

Nowadays...

Today there are 8 people working as hand-spinners and weavers for FoKP at Njabini - 4 of these are ladies, the rest men. Up to 4 or 5 people work at the spinning and weaving workshop at Njabini (a building made available for their use by the local government), whislt the other workers spin at home. Each spinner handcards and handspins for herself. The group make approximately 10 mats or rugs per month. They prefer to make yarn for other weavers operating in the same geographical area. FoKP produce approximately 60kg of washed hand-spun yarn per month in a range of natural undyed colours such as natural white, black, brown and greay - with buyers of their yarn specifying the thickness & grade of yarn that is required.

Emma is still busy helping to train new hand-spinners and weavers and the group are looking for additional help from well-wishers to help purchase/obtain more hand-carders and spinning wheels, as well as some training and capacity building on how to set up and use a large treadle loom. Peter KOmo (head of the spinning section of FoKP) has managed to attach a small electric motor to a drum carder and would like to adapt a spinning wheel to run by electricity in order to speed up the production process. The group currently has 1 Ashford spinning wheel, with several others that have been made locally to a ' rough-and-ready' Ashford design with wheels made from old bicycle wheels, blocks of wood, as well as some nicely hand-turned ones. All have received hard usage and need constant patching and maintenance.

'Friends of Kinangop Plateau' spinners and weavers started with 1 outlet for spun yarn (Trio Crafts), now they have three main users of their yarn - Trio Crafts, Kenya Weaver Bird and Mikwetu Weavers. Most of the yarn sold to other weavers is natural, undyed colours - particularly natural white which the other weavers then dye for themselves. By attending exhibitions and Nature Fairs such as those organised by Nature Kenya, 'Friends of Kinangop' have managed to find at least one of their main buyers, as well as individuals interested in purchasing rugs and mats.

How you can help...

Please contact me at CCI-Kenya if you would like to donate some funds to help purchase more hand carders or spinning wheels for the group.

Opportunity for an Eco-volunteer...
It is also possible for an experienced hand-spinner and hand-weaver to stay as a paying home-stay guest with a member of 'Friends of Kinangop Plateau' in order to provide some of the extra training and capacity building that the group needs, particularly on helping to set up and use the treadle loom and improving quality of yarn and product design. Again, if you are interested in a great activity holiday like this in a beautiful and welcoming part of Kenya, then please contact me at CCI-Kenya for further details.)

Introducing the Important Kinangop Grasslands and 'Friends of Kinangop Plateau'

2007-11-27T10:46:00.001Z

I have now been back in Kenya for two weeks and have just returned from enjoying a very pleasant and informative few days as a home stay guest with Bakari (an ornithologist and hand-weavr) and his family who live at Njabini on the beautiful Kinangop Plateau in Central Kenya. Bakari and his family and neighbours are members of the 'Friends of Kinangop Plateau' community group and have been trained as spinners and weavers.

'Friends of Kinangop Plateau' (FoKP) is a busy and dynamic community group which was founded in 1997 by a group of Kinangop residents concerned about the conservation and wise use of their environment.

The group now has approximately 400 members, spread across the plateau in four sub-branches (Murangaru, Engineer, Njabini and Magumu/Nyakio.

Members at the Njabini branch are hand-spinners, weavers and dyers with special workshop facilities made available by the local government, whilst the Engineer branch are beekeepers with their own small honey refinery at Engineer town.

As a whole, 'Friends of Kinangop Plateau' group activities involve:

Grasslands and species conservation

Wool spinning and carpet/rug weaving

Environmental education

Eco-tourism

Kitchen gardening

Surveying and monitoring of grasslands and grassland birds

bird walks

Beekeeping

Cultural dances

Situated in the beautiful scenery of Kenya's green and fertile Central Highlands, the welcoming community of Kinangop is blessed with magnificent views of the Aberdares and has a number of tourist attractions such as:

Archaeological sites and caves

Endemic species of birds, amphibians and plants

White settlers' houses

View of Great Rift Valley

Rich culture and history

The Kinangop Plateau and Highland Grasslands on either side of the Rift Valley are unique. This type of tussock grassland is the only home for the Sharpe's Longclaw - a bird found only in montane grasslands of Kenya and nowhere else in the world. Unfortunately, this unique habitat is under threat from cultivation and over-grazing. As such, Kinagop Plateau and Grasslands are a recognised 'Important Bird Area' (IBA)- a place of international importance for bird conservation and therefore key biodiversity areas for other species of endemic flora and fauna, too.

Kinangop grasslands also shelters bird species such as Jackson's Widowbird, Long-tailed Widowbird, Black-winged Plover and Wing-snapping Cisticola.

With a wide variety of tourist attractions available, 'Friends of Kinangop Plateau' are currently in the process of trying to develop valuable eco-tourism to the area, including home stay, camping and banda accommodation, as well as the existing Kinangop Guesthouse. This is being done with the advice and support of Nature Kenya and the resulting eco-tourism activities and visitor accommodation will also receive promotion and marketing support from CCI-Kenya.

During the course of the next couple of weeks I expect to be based in Nairobi and will try to use the time to continue updating here at 'Postcards from Kenya' with more information and photo's from Kinangop.

Once I have returned to UK in March, further more detailed information and photographs about 'Friends of Kinangop Plateau' community group will also be included on the main CCI-Kenya website, including more on Kinangop's eco-tourism facilities and the availability of FoKP handspun rugs and wall-hangings for sale.

Under African Skies...

2007-11-10T06:35:00.000Z

I'll be travelling in Kenya again from November to March. Please check here at 'Postcards from Kenya' for latest updates, community news and photo's from this next trip.

Visits on the horizon...

MBEKEC and Musul Naramatisho community groups based at Musul in Western Mukogodo, Laikipia (re - maasai Cultural Manyatta and progress of new sanitation facilities; development of beadwork & child sponsorship programme; honey production - training & capacity building funded by ENNDA plus new beehives and equipment; potential bee study in conjunction with Entomology department, National Museums of Kenya)

Koija Hope Club in western Mukogodo, Laikipia (re - HIV/AIDS awareness programme; progress of re-seeeding and land rehabilitation; recording of aural narative)

Kakamega Rain Forest (re - Shimwelo Cooking Basket Initiative; use of donated books and resources; Ocimum kilmandscharicum distillation project, progress of new drying banda, organic farming; potential for new eco-tourism project...

Also in the pipeline - Arabuko Sokoke Forest area on the North Coast, Kinangop in the Aberdares and potentially Loitokitok and Mathare.

(Please note that the main CCI-Kenya website will be updated again on my return to UK in the spring.)

Fund-raising Updates

2007-10-12T15:41:00.003Z

Great news!

A total of £160 has now been raised towards the construction of a pit latrine and washroom facility at the new Cultural Manyatta at Musul in Laikipia. Many thanks to all those who have donated funds. Daniel Lemolo of MBEKEC (Musul Beekeepers & Environmental Conservation Group) has recently informed us that the funds have now arrived safely in Kenya and the necessary building materials have been ordered. Members of the local community have already begun construction (digging) of the pit latrine itself. Daniel will continue to update by email as time goes by and I shall have the opportunity of seeing the new facilities myself later on this year. Please see links below for more details about visiting Musul and the Cultural Manyatta.

During the course of the past few months CCI-Kenya has received donations of up to £50 towards the provision of Community Health Care Books and HIV/AIDS Resource Materials - these will be purchased on my arrival in Kenya and delivered to local communities between November and March 2008.

So far, £65 has been raised through the sale of Maasai beadwork jewellery to help sponsor a local girl-child's education for 1 year at Musul's Nursery or Primary School. Further news and updates on this will be posted here at 'Postcards from Kenya' as more information becomes available.

If you would like to make a donation or become a sponsor for any of these and other worthwhile causes, please click here to visit CCI-Kenya's 'Donations & Support' web pages.

A great many thanks to all of you who have donated or given support so far.

New ways to help and support

2007-07-30T13:46:00.001Z

CCI-Kenya is slowly evolving.
Visitors to CCI-Kenya's main website may have noticed that the 'How You Can Help' and 'Donations and Support' pages are currently in the process of being updated and revised. (These have now been completed (25/3/08).

As well as being able to make an on-line donation towards the work of CCI-Kenya, our new CCI-Kenya donations & support web pages also provide an opportunity for interested donors to make an on-line gift or sponsorship in support of a number of different community support initiatives, as well as suggesting practical support ideas and options for those who might wish to assist in another way.

If sponsorship and fund-raising is successful, then I also hope to be able to include preliminary visits to the Lenkisem youth groups in Loitokitok, the Friends of Kinangop in the Aberdares, and Mathare Roots youth group in Nairobi. These visits would be in addition to my other community support activities and will be a useful extension of CCI-Kenya's important role with regard to community linking and outreach. It is envisaged that these preliminary visits would provide the basis for a series of community exchange visits within Kenya whereby members of the different community groups would be able to visit each other's home areas and share practical advice, ideas and experiences based on mutual achievements, needs and challenges. Further information about some of the community and youth groups concerned can be found at the Sema Kenya website.

A new CCI-Kenya fund-raising appeal in support of environmental conservation and health-care in the Kakamega forest has also just been launched with more information available at 'Cooking in a Basket'.

Experience Traditional Maasai Culture at Musul

2007-04-22T08:16:00.000Z

Daniel LeMolo of MBEKEC (Mukogodo Beekeepers and Environmental Conservation Group) has just emailed the following information about activities available for visitors to see at the new Cultural Manyatta at Musul.

"1) BAO ...This is a board game played by Maasai men. It has 12 holes in total, 6 at each side and it's a very interesting game to watch.

2) BLACKSMITH... Making arrows, knives, spears, etc. People work by hand to make these weapons for defence and also to sell to non-blacksmiths.

3) BLOOD....You will also see how the Maasai remove the blood from the cow and the cow go and graze, this is without killing or harming the cow.

4) JEWELLERY...These are sold by local ladies at the Cultural Manyatta to enable them to buy food and pay school fees for their children.

5) WEDDING CEREMONY....You will also see from the start to the end how the Maasai do the wedding.

6) DANCE...This is a traditional dance between the moran (young warriors) and the ladies.

7) GUITAR....Local men playing a traditional Maasai instrument and singing with the local language.

8) WAR...You will also see how the Maasai defend themselves in time of war. This is between two groups - some attacking, others defending."

Payment for visiting the Cultural Manyatta is Ksh 5000/= for adults and Ksh 2000/= for children. This is inclusive of above activities, entrance fee and translator or guide.

Accommodation fees for staying at the Cultural Manyatta or for traditional Maasai Home Stay at Musul are available on request.

Please click here for a map & travel directions to Musul.

Post Script

2007-03-27T08:50:00.000Z

Hi, again!
At last I've managed some updates to the main CCI-Kenya website.
Additional photo's and captions based on the Muliru Farmers Conservation Group and their Naturub distillery can now be found in Album 4 of the Photo Gallery and you can also find more information about the group and their activities in the Community-led Projects section.

If you are a hardy adventurous-type of traveller like me who loves to experience traditional real-life local culture and who doesn't demand alot of frills, then I've also updated CCI-Kenya's Eco-Tourism Facilities page to includes more listings based on staying with some of the local community groups mentioned here at 'Postcards from Kenya'.

Back in the Uk...

2007-03-15T21:40:00.000Z

Since my last post here at 'Postcards from Kenya' I have returned to the UK and am now busy catching up with a back-log of other work committments here at home as well as taking some important time out to assess and appraise my CCI-Kenya activities both here and in Kenya over the course of the past year. It is also a necessary time to reflect on important lessons learned during the past 4 months of field visits & meetings with community groups and supporting organisations before deciding what may be the next step and the best way forward. There are some important issues that need to be considered and addressed and I would like to be able to do this positively and in a way which will help to consolidate and focus on the practical areas of support that can be realistically achieved with the time, effort and resources that I have available.

Since arriving home I have also taken time to make some needful updates to the main CCI-Kenya website as well as 'Cooking in a Basket'. As time goes by I also intend to make some additional updates to the CCI-Kenya website by adding more photo's into the Photo Gallery and various Photo Albums as well as updating the Community Project pages, Eco-tourism and Fair Trade, etc... I will keep you posted on these.

I'm pleased to see the advert for 'Shimwelo' Kakamega Forest Cooking Baskets in the latest Nature Kenya newsletter 'NatureNet', and I wish KEEP all the best with the project. I'm also looking forward to hearing how sales and production are going as time goes by, too. Good luck! In the meantime I shall be busy using my own Kakamega Cooking Basket here at home, and also helping with promotion of the baskets here on the various websites, etc.
Please keep an eye on 'Cooking in a Basket' for more recipes and information and also send in some of your own recipes for us, too...

2007-03-02T13:05:00.000Z

It's always good to look forward...

My last week in Nairobi has been another busy and enjoyable one. An unexpected visit from Thomas and John from the Lenkisem Matanyok Youth Group in the Kaijiado District saw me back here in the cyber cafe for a couple of days giving some useful internet training and helping them to set up their own website. They also asked for their Youth Group to be added to those participating across at Sema Kenya. It's great to see new groups joining the forum and I look forward to see how it progresses.The most important thing is for the groups to start posting and receiving feedback to make the forum work properly. So be encouraged guys and good luck...

Talking of websites, once I am settled back at home in UK I'll update our main CCI-Kenya website with items related to this 4 months field visit and will also include some new links across here to Postcards from Kenya, Cooking in a Basket and Sema Kenya.
Sema Kenya will become an extension of our Letters Page and may eventually replace it completely.

Unfortunately, time and another set of meetings caught up with me on Tuesday and my planned visit to Mathare slum to visit with Titus of Mathare Roots Youth Group was therefore postponed till later in the year. However, I've emailed full details about the Cooking Baskets and I hope that they might be able to make some headway with these before I come back again. I'll also follow up with Titus and Adam to see if the group would still like to join the other Youth and Community Groups at Sema Kenya also.

Today (Friday), was my last day for catching up and saying 'tutaonana' (see you soon) to friends and colleagues at the Museum. It was also a good opportunity to meet with a bee specialist who is particularly interested in an unusual orange bee that I saw & photographed whilst staying at Musul in western Mukogodo in Laikipia during December. This particular species did not appear to represented in her extensive reference collection and was therefore both intriguing and exciting. Bees play a very important part in local biodiversity and this new contact at the Museum might also lead to some collaborative monitoring and research work with the local community. This is especially interesting as the community are traditional beekeepers who are very keen to link and work together in this way. I shall keep in touch and see what may be possible before and during my next visit to Kenya.

Take care till next time and see you again soon.

2007-02-25T08:45:00.000Z

Before I leave...

Back here in the cyber cafe in Nairobi, with the local 'soko' (vegetable market) busy in full swing outside, matatus full of Sunday passengers dashing by and the sounds of the city filling the air, home is now both just a step and a week away.

As my time here draws to a close once again, I'd like to thank all those people who have made my four months in Kenya so interesting and enjoyable - from the warmth and welcome of friends, to the friendliness and committment of local communities and youth groups, to the help and assistance received from supporting organisations, to the uplifting moments and renewed energy so gratefully received from close friends and family when I've been feeling tired or unwell and missing home.

To new acquaintances, my thanks also go to Adam - thank you for keeping in touch already - and also to Constanze, Max, Erica and Antoine who will hopefully also find a moment to let me know of their future travels and adventures... Hope you like the photo's.

2007-02-24T06:40:00.000Z

Working with Community Groups and Supporting Organisations...

can be a tiring and frustrating experience. Rewards come when all the time, effort and resources produce good results and this in turn brings a surge of renewed energy for continuing on the way forward. From experience learned the hard way, promises of intent without positive action from either party, however well-meant, rarely produce anything except frustration and disappointment and an extreme sense of fatigue on the part of all concerned. Patience and a certain amount of realistic optimism can also help as an antedote.

After certain frustrations and disappointment surrounding my November visit to KEEP, my visit back to Kakamega Rain Forest this time in February was in hope rather than necessarily in expectation. However, since my last visit the situation appears to have improved for the better in some ways and the feeling locally was generally more positive and optimistic. A new Department has been promised by KEEP to specifically to deal with the 'Shimwelo' Cooking Basket project, a development which should be a great help and improvement to all concerned. It was also encouraging to meet representatives of the new Kakamega Community Forest Association (KACOFA) - a cooperative venture between the Forestry Department and 32 other local Community-Based Organisations living in and around the Kakamega Rain Forest.

So, my visit to Isecheno was just as busy as expected this time. Nature Kenya's representative from Nairobi was unable to join me for an important meeting with KEEP, but fortunately, their local Site Support representative was able to attend and the meeting was finally still able to go ahead. Just one of the many many meetings that I have attended during the past 4 months. Let's hope this one will provide the good fruit that it promised.

Separately, my visit return visit to Muliru Farmers enabled me to meet with James, their Secretary and also to have a brief tour of some of their own local activities. I will post more about these here plus some photo's another day when I have more time.

Saturday, 17th Feb saw me meeting Moses Mutsami, the Vice Secretary of Kakamega Community Forest Association. Once he has emailed me further information about KACOFA and its members I shall post it here and elsewhere on our websites to help to promote their various activities.

On Sunday, 18th I travelled to Kakamega town with James of Muliru and Job Ilondanga of KABICOTOA (the local guides association) to do some useful internet training - helping them with emails and also setting up new websites. James and Job will also pass on this training to members of KACOFA so that they too can benefit from a website of their own. This is another good example of local community groups working and sharing experience together and one that I am very happy to support. You can also find out more about these groups and others across at Sema Kenya.

As time goes by Job will also be updating the KABICOTOA website with useful information about the forest, local guiding and eco-tourism facilities in the area, etc.

2007-02-22T10:22:00.000Z

Kakamega re-visited, February 2007...

Constanze and Max - a happy volunteer from Germany and a well-travelled traveller from Argentina.
Just a couple of the many lovely people I've met at Isecheno who come to stay and enjoy the Kakamega rain forest as well as enjoying the chance to go out and meet the friendly locals in the surrounding community & villages.

Connie went home proudly with her very own Cooking Basket and Max is determined to continue travelling and to help us spread the word...

Thanks for everything, guys!!

2007-02-22T10:05:00.004Z

Kakamega Forest Entertainment Group

As well as having all my planned meetings with KEEP, Muliru Farmers, KABICOTOA, the new Kakamega Community Forest Association (KACOFA) and the local Forester, my visit also saw me having a great day walking around the local village and meeting members of the local community at Isecheno. One particular afternoon Abraham Imbai (one of the local guides) took me on the back of his boda boda to meet with members of the most amazing and enjoyable music groups that I have listened to in a long time...

Boda boda riders by day, these great guys from the Kakamega Forest
Entertainment Group come together to practise on their home made instruments each afternoon so that they can perform to visitors every Saturday between 2pm and around 5.30pm. They are accompanied by some of the local elders and mamas who dance and do storytelling about the local Luhyua culture. I went primarily to meet the Group and do a couple of basic recordings and to take photo's in order to help with promotion here on the websites and elsewhere but my feet just wanted to dance...

So, joined by some of the local ladies and with a large crowd of local children and interested adults who also came to enjoy the music and the spectacle, I happily danced the afternoon away. Thanks for a wonderful time guys and ladies... And good luck all of you, you deserve it!

Visitors, if you ever go to Isecheno, then don't miss Saturday afternoons with the Kakamega Forest Entertainment Group. If you can't make it on a Saturday, then ask one of the local guides to see if they can arrange for the Group to organise some entertainment another day or another evening. There is no set charge, instead visitirs are asked to give a donation according to what you can afford and how much you enjoy...It's a great part of your visit.

Please click here for details of how to get to Isecheno...

(You can also find out lots more info about the Kakamega Forest Entertainment Group across at Sema Kenya.)

2007-02-22T09:50:00.000Z

Donated resource materials from UK...
These are just some of the many very helpful books which were kindly donated by schools in Shetland UK and which were delivered to KEEP's head office at Isecheno Forest Station during December 2006. Many thanks to the schools that made donations of books and also to Northlink Ferries and Books Abroad for their kind assistance with transporting the books to Kenya from UK.
The books will be stored and looked after by KEEP and will be made available on loan to children and adults living in and around the Kakamega rain forest. Everyone is very excited to have them. More info from KEEP about this later....

2007-02-10T10:07:00.000Z

Back from the Coast...

Hi,
Well it's now the end of the first week of February and I'm back and relaxed and enjoying the hustle & bustle of Nairobi again.

When you have a few moments, you can find updates on my time at the Coast here at 'Postcards from Kenya', as well as new links & youth groups at 'Sema Kenya'. There's also some more useful info & recipes, etc over at 'Cooking in a Basket', too.

February has been pretty busy here so far.
I had expected to be in Kajiado/Loitokitok District for most of the last week - visiting with youth groups and other local community projects, but instead I had several meetings with Nature Kenya on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday which kept me here in town. These meetings were worthwhile, however, and are helping to progress the promotion and sale of the 'Kakamega Forest' Cooking Baskets (these are now available at the Nature Kenya gift shop).

Wednesday 7th also saw me making phone contact with Titus Kuri of the 'Mathare Roots Youth Group' which is based in the Mathare slums here in Nairobi. Adam Costanza - the young American I met at Kakamega in November (& who has also posted a good recipe for us at 'Cooking in a Basket', thanks Adam!) - is helping 'Mathare Roots' to to set up a great website of their own at http://www.mathareroots.org/ . If possible I hope to be able to visit Titus and other members of the group at Mathare before I return back to UK. It will be good to talk with them and find out what they are doing and to see if they would like also like to link/network with other youth groups through the 'Sema Kenya' website forum, etc.

As I couldn't travel to meet with him in the field, Joseph Parteri, Chairman of Ilkidotu Youth Group (based near Amboseli National Park) came to meet with me here in Nairobi on Thursday 8th. We spent a useful few hours here in the Cyber cafe, setting up the youth group's own website and also linking them with the other youth and community groups already at 'Sema Kenya . We'll keep in touch and I shall try and make the visit to see them next time I am here in Kenya.

What with one thing and another, things don't always go according to plan over here and my travel plans continued to be thwarted during the week. As well as the trip to Kajiado, I had also hoped to go on a planned trip with Nature Kenya to Kinangop on Friday 9th to meet with local community groups involved with bee-keeping, eco-tourism and spinning and weaving. The Tourism Trust Fund (TTF) (the main reason for the trip) then postponed the visit until later next week. This unfortunately now clashes with a visit of my own back to Kakamega. So, if all goes well, I will plan to go to Kinangop during my next visit to Kenya later in the year, perhaps when Bakari is also there to show me around the workshop as he is very keen to do. At that stage we can then try and include Kinangop within our linking/network programme as well as providing some website promotion for their local craft products & eco-tourism, etc. As a hand-knitter, spinner, natural dyer and weaver myself, it will be interesting to see what the community are doing with their own fleeces, too.

Looking ahead to my return visit to Kakamega next week, I'm expecting to meet with Muliru Farmers, Kakamega Environmental Education Programme as well as other local community groups/new Forestry Association and the local Forestry Department in order to follow up some of the important issues that we discussed back in November. I have already received encouraging news from the Forester that many local people in the rain forest have now adopted using the Cooking Baskets since my last visit, which is great news! It will be good to see how everyone is getting on with the cooking baskets whilst I'm there. Nature Kenya is also hoping to come for a joint meeting with myself and KEEP on Friday 16th, too. Fingers crossed!

I'll let you know how all we get on.

2007-02-09T10:25:00.000Z

The warmth of the sun, and the sea, and the scent of frangipani...

2007-02-09T10:15:00.000Z

Purple Hibiscus....

2007-02-09T10:08:00.000Z

A Rocha Kenya - all creatures great and small...

2007-02-09T10:04:00.000Z

A Rocha Kenya - monitoring and training programme

Colin Jackson, Director of A Rocha Kenya is helping to train local Kenyan ornithologists on how to monitor and count birds, this includes important mist-netting and ringing training as shown here with Bakari, a young Kenyan ornithologist from Kinangop.

After being carefully ringed the bird is then aged and sexed and measurements taken of the wing, tarsus, weight, fat and breeding condition. Detailed notes are taken on moult and plumage characteristics. The bird is then released.
In the photo's, mistnets are being erected and wing measurements are being taken on two Scaly Babblers. The Grey-backed Chamaroptera has been ringed and measurements taken and is now about to be released.

Ringing Session at Mwamba on 31.1.07

Yellow-rumped Tinkerbird x1

Black and White Mannikin x1

Grey-backed Chamaroptera x1

Scaly Babbler x2

Olive Sunbird x2

2007-02-09T09:07:00.000Z

ASSETS, Mida Creek and the mangrove board-walk -

A Rocha Kenya is working closely with the local community in support of ASSETS - a local education sponsorship programme for children living around the Arabuko Sokoke forest. Entrance fees for using this amazing board-walk out across the mangroves to Mida Creek are used to fund the ASSETS programme. Further details can be found at http://www.assets-kenya.org/

List of bird species seen at Mida Creek, Friday 19^th January, 2007

(Not in any particular order)

Gull-billed Tern

Saunder's Tern

Lesser-crested Tern

Greater Flamingo

Greater Sandplover

Lesser Sandplover

Ringed Plover

Grey Plover

Crab Plover

Sanderling

Little Stint

Greenshank

Curlew Sandpiper

Terek Sandpiper

Eurasian Curlew

Whimbrel

Turnstone

Black-headed Oriole

Carmine Bee-eater

White-fronted Bee-eater

Yellow-fronted Longclaw

Grassland Pipit

Black Sparrowhawk

Wooly-necked Stork

2007-02-09T08:44:00.001Z

A Rocha Field Study Centre and Bird Observatory (otherwise known as Mwamba) at Watamu on Kenya's North Coast.

Once the home of Barbara Simpson, a wonderful adventurer and naturalist in her own right, Plot 28 is now the base for A Rocha Kenya - a Christian-based field study centre and bird observatory which works closely with other cross-cultural and multi-faith communities and conservation groups with a common interest in the local environment.
Mwamba provides comfortable, homely accommodation for staff, visiting researchers, volunteers and interested tourists. Money received from paying guests helps to fund the Centre's important environmental and community-related activities.
For further information please see A Rocha's website .

2007-02-09T08:29:00.000Z

Visit to Arabuko Sokoke & the Coast 18^th to 31^st January, 2007

Unfortunately, my long-awaited stay at the Coast was delayed by another week in Nairobi. A painful calf muscle left me almost unable to walk for a while and as I couldn't think how I had injured my leg, the local Doctor played safe by giving a diagnosis of a possible Deep Vein Thrombosis (a blood clot deep inside a vein) which could have been caused by sitting still for too many long hours in the Cyber cafe over the previous weekend. This caused a little anxiety both here and at home but thankfully was I was OK. A week's rest and a long course of Aspirin, painkillers, Calcium and Vitamin E (prescribed to cover all possible eventualities) seemed to do the trick and I was finally fit enough to travel again a week later than originally planned. I'm now also cured of sitting still for too long at the Cyber cafe!!

The journey from Nairobi to the Coast is very long, hot and bumpy – and the closer you get to Mombassa the hotter and bumpier it becomes. For those of you who have already made the journey by road, you'll appreciate what I mean...For those of you who haven't, it needs to be seen (& felt) to be believed. If you prefer and have the funds, it is also possible to fly to Mombassa and Malindi, thereby saving on time and a certain amount of discomfort.

Being an adventurous traveller at heart, and also being relatively short of funds, matatu and bus travel is my main way of getting around in Kenya. In fact, it's a really great way to see the country and to meet local people and I wouldn't want to swap it. However, there is bus travel and then there is bus travel and its best to try and choose the safest option...

So, after being well shaken-up by Buscar on the same journey in Jan 2006, (I wonder if Elvis ever passed by this way??...) Scandinavia bus was my chosen method of transport this time around. At Ksh 1000/= (approx £8) each way the journey is good value. On the whole, seat-belts & brakes still tended to work on Scandinavia and the bus didn't break down which was very comforting after my last year's experiences with the elderly & ailing Buscar and Akamba. Although I noticed that Scandinavia's shock absorbers had ceased to function this time – no doubt as a result of even larger potholes caused by the prolonged and heavy rains.

Scandinavia bus also has plenty of leg room, something which I greatly appreciated on the long 10 to 12 hour journey whilst a very green, lush-looking & vibrant Kenya passed by the window helping to while away the hours....Machakos, Athi River, Kajiado, Yatta Plateau & Escarpment, Taita Hills, Voi, Tsavo, Mombassa, Kilifi and then finally on past Gede to Malindi.

When 5.30pm came around, I left the bus at Gede Junction and then took a matatu as far as Watamu (Ksh 30/=) and then hailed a tuk-tuk (3-wheeled motorised taxi) (Ksh 200/=) from outside Mama Lucy's supermarket for the last part of the journey to A Rocha at Plot 28.

It was along day. Having left Nairobi at 8am in the morning I finally arrived just in time for a welcome shower and a tired but relaxed dinner at around 6.15pm.

It felt very good to be back.

2007-01-22T10:37:00.000Z

Meals at Isecheno Forest Station, Kakamega.

Take your pick...

You can be totally self-catering if you bring your own food and cooking equipment with you, or alternatively, KEEP (Kakamega Environmental Education Programme) Welfare Committee can prepare meals for you by prior order and for an additional cost.

Eliza at the local duka (tiny shop) & canteen (which is situated by the junction, 2 mins walk from the guesthouse and campsite) will also make basic traditional Kenyan-style meals for you by prior order and also for an additional cost.

NB. If you are self catering or need extra toiletries, etc, the duka (shop) is very very basic so bring all that you need with you. If you are staying for a while or really get caught out, then a boda-boda ride into Shinyalu or a trip back into Kakamega will also help you to re-stock.

2007-01-22T10:31:00.000Z

KEEP Tourist Bandas at Isecheno Forest Station - run by Kakamega Environmental Education Programme.

Each banda has two double beds with basic bedding, mosquito nets & oil lamps. Basic shared shower and toilet facilities are provided in a separate building. There is also a very basic kitchen banda and a dining room/lounge banda.

See further back in the blogspot for details of accommodation fees, how & where to book, etc.

2007-01-22T10:22:00.000Z

Some accommodation facilities available at Kakamega Rain Forest

The Forest Rest House & Camp Site at Isecheno Forest Station are both run by local Forestry Department.

The Forest Resthouse has basic twin-room accommodation with simple beds & bedding, mosquito nets, oil lamps and ensuite semi-functional bathroom.

The Forestry Department Camp Site has a shared washroom/toilet facility. If you don't have a tent it's also possible to 'camp' on the floor of the bandas.

(See Labels to find further details of accommodation available, costs, contacts, how & where to book, etc.)

2007-01-22T10:11:00.000Z

MENR

(Ministry of Environment and Natural Resources)

Some of the following information can also be found on the

FORESTRY DEPARTMENT NOTICEBOARD AT ISECHENO FOREST STATION, KAKAMEGA RAIN FOREST

Visitors to report to Forestry Department Office on arrival.

Facilities and fees:

Recreation (Entrance fee): 20Ksh per adult, 5Ksh per child

Accommodation:
Guest House: 385Ksh per person per night (Forestry Dept.)
Camping: 225Ksh per night (Forestry Dept.)
Bandas (KEEP): 500Ksh per person per night

Guiding (per person per walk, tip extra): 300Ksh (day time), 500Ksh (sunrise) 500Ksh (night time)
Max of 6 persons per guided walk (larger groups will be divided between 2 or more guides)

Canopy Tree House (Tower Hide): ¾ finished but already in use

Guides to the forest:
A number of trained guides are available from both KABICOTOA (Kakamega Biodiversity Conservation Operators Association) and KEEP (Kakamega Environmental Education Programme).
(Guides can usually be found waiting at the junction near the MENR signpost at Isecheno).

Transport
Nissan (matatu) between Kakamega and Shinyalu.
Single fare: 60Ksh per person each way.

Boda boda transport available between Shinyalu and Isecheno.
1 passenger per bicycle, luggage can travel on separate bicycle(s)
Single fare: 70Ksh or 80Ksh per boda boda from Shinyalu to Forest Guest House, or vice versa.

2007-01-20T08:33:00.000Z

Information for Visiting Kakamega Forest

The Head Forester based at Isecheno Forest Station in the southern part of the Kakamega Forest has kindly provided the following official information for people wishing to visit...

MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT AND NATURAL RESOURCES

FOREST DEPARTMENT:

KAKAMEGA FOREST.

MANDATE.

Responsible for enhancing development, Conservation and sustainable management of all forest resources in the country for ensuring an increasing supply of products and services for meeting the basic needs of the present and future generation and enhancing the role of forestry in ocio-economic development.

VISION.

To sustainably conserve and manage forest resources for the common good of Kenyans.

MISSION

To develop manage conserve and protect forests, trees and allied natural resources for sustainable provision of goods and services for socio-economic and environmental development.

KAKAMEGA FOREST STATION

Total gazetted area of forest land is 14440 Ha.

Productive forest - 3163.80

Protected forest - 10065.30

Bushland - 1210/90

Biodiversity

Plants – more than 380 species including orchids, lianas, shrubs and woody plants.

Insects – More than 400 butterfly species

more than 24 dragonfly spp

more than 105 fruit fly spp

more than 5 spp mosquitoes etc.

Snakes - more than 33 species

Primates - 7 spp including Blue Monkeys, Red Tailed Monkey, Black & White Colobus monkey,

Olive Baboon, Vervet Monkey, Debrazzars Monkey, Potto,

Home for Flying Squirrels, etc.

Birds – 360 species of birds, including endemic. Such as – Kakamega Greenbul, Kakamega Poliothoraxy etc.

Rivers – there are about 43 streams and rivers and two major river Yala on the north of the forest.

Glades – including Kalunya grassland, miyayo grassland, Mihingi grassland.

Trail Information

Hiking trail

Musine circuit

Isecheno circuit

Matilion trail

Pump house trail

Lirhanda nature trail

Yala River nature trail

OTHER ECO-TOURISM FACILITIES

Canopy Tower

Butterfly farm

Tree nursery

ACCOMMODATION FEE (Ksh)

Camping site – 225/- night per person

Bandas (KEEP) – 500/- night per person

Forest Guest House – 385/- night per person

RECREATION FEES

Guiding fees per walk @ 300/- session (day-time), 500/- night walk, 500/- sunrise walk

Other Accommodation – is found at Rondo within the forest – Rondo Retreat Centre

HOW TO GET TO ISECHENO
From Kakamga town to Isecheno forest station, you can hire taxi, use matatu, bicycle taxi (boda-boda); the town is 20 km away.

Food

Meals can be offered at the forest station on request on order at a cost.

Security within the forest area: our visitors' security is guaranteed during day and night hours with the forest department armed forest guards.

Forestry Department is involving the community neighbouring the forest in decision making and participatory management of the forest resource through community forest Associations.

Charges are likely to be made at any time by the Director of Forestry.

CONTACTS

PO Box1233, Kakamega,

Cord No. 50100.

Tel. 0735957043 (you can even sms a message)

Signed & stamped by

G.P. Aimo

Forester, Kakamega Forest Station.

2007-01-07T10:35:00.000Z

Updates....

Postcards from Kenya has now been joined by Sema Kenya (our new Youth and Community Forum) and Cooking in a Basket - two new blogspots related to CCI-Kenya which will hopefully help to try and keep things more tidy and organised and easier to find.

For those of you who are interested in wildlife and natural history, I've also managed to update my earlier posting 'Some very serious dudus" here at Postcards from Kenya with some species lists. (Please see previous posts for these and other photo's etc. It's also a good idea to check back for any more updates as they may come along later...)

Health-wise, I'm also feeling fine and well again, so no worries (hakuna matata)...

2007-01-07T10:22:00.001Z

Sema Kenya - The new Youth and Community Group Forum...

If you are a bona fide Youth Group or Community Group in Kenya and would like to participate in our new website link/forum facility then please send relevant details about your Youth or Community Group to Sema Kenya - please include details such as your Group's Vision, Mission, Achievements, Challenges, any relevant issues that you would like to share with others, and also how you may be able to help or advise other Youth or Community Groups.

Please remember to send your Name and Email Contact and once verified, we will begin by posting your Group's information at Sema Kenya (http://kenyanyouthandcommunityforum.blogspot.com).

Your Group will then be able to post relevant comments and receive feedback.

(Please note that no requests for funding will be included on the Forum.

You can, however, find a list of useful web links to potential funding organisations and also to sites giving advice on proposal writing, etc (see posting dated 8th January, 2007).

(To give you an idea, we have started the Sema Kenya forum off with details of MBEKEC, Musul Naramatisho Women's Group and the Koija HOPE Club, all based in western Mukogodo, Laikipia. Further details of these particular groups can also be found on our main http://www.communityconservation-initiative.org.uk website.

Your feedback on the Sema Kenya forum would be appreciated.

2007-01-07T10:09:00.000Z

World Social Forum set for January 20^th....

By Edith Fortunate

and Susan Anyanhu

(Extract from The Saturday Standard newspaper, Nairobi 06/01/2007)

Nairobi is set to host the 7^th World Social Forum (WSF) from January 20^th to 25^th at the Moi International Sports Centre Kaserani (Nairobi, Kenya).

The forum is expected to host up to 150,000 delegates from around the world. Former South African President Nelson Mandela is among the delegates. Although Mandela has excused himself, he will be available for comments.

This is the first time such a forum is being held in Africa. Ms Wahu Kaara, a committee member, said that this is a chance for Africa to provide solutions and not just to be seen as a problem.

“Africans are also global citizens and this is a chance for Africa to be seen as a continent of hope and not despair.” she said.

The forum is not capitalising on Chief Guests but is out to change the world into a better place.

It offers chance for ordinary people to get a platform for reflective thinking, democratic debates, formulation of proposals, free exchange and interlinking by grouups and movements oppoesed to a world dominated by capitalism and any form of imperialism.

Various activities will be organised during the forum by community-based organisations, social movements and non-governmental organisations. High on the agenda will be issues on HIV-Aids, women's issues, privatisation of common goods, the landless, peace and conflict among others.

Kasara said: “Africa will through the forum show that powerlessness is power in itself. It will be a time to reclaim humanity from the cradle.”

2007-01-06T07:05:00.000Z

TASTY RECIPE IDEA FOR USE WITH A COOKING BASKET...

SPICY STEW WITH VEGETABLES (& ALSO MEAT IF YOU PREFER)
(makes 4 or 5 medium-sized bowls of soup/stew. You can increase & vary the quantities of ingredients according to your need )

Ingredients

1 medium-sized Irish or sweet potato, peeled & cut into 1 inch cubes

1 carrot, peeled & cut into rings,

1 medium sized onion, peeled & chopped,

1 tomato, chopped

1 large spoonful of mchuzi mix (or 1 stock cube, or curry masala)

1 litre water (you can add more water if you want, to make it more like a soup)

Salt to taste,

1 large spoonful of oil.

You can also add any of the following: cooked beans, maize, or peas; chopped sukuma wiki (spinach or kale), cabbage, grated coconut, chopped banana or plantain, or even a spoonful of peanut butter to add extra goodness & flavour.Half a cup of washed, uncooked rice (or pasta if you prefer)

If you want to use meat, ¼ or a ½ kg boneless lamb, goat or beef, cut into small cubes can be used.

What to do

1) Place the oil in the sufria (metal cooking pot without handles) & heat gently on the stove or fire.

2) Put in the chopped onions & cook them in the hot oil until they are soft.

3) If you wish to use meat then add it now. Stir it carefully with the onions & oil for 5 mins to 10 mins until the meat has gone brown on the outside

4) Then add the chopped carrot & potato & stir everything together —do this with the sufria on the heat of the fire or stove for about two or three minutes.

5) Add the chopped tomato & sukuma wiki (spinach or cabbage), & any other vegetables that you would like to use, & stir these together well.

6) Then add the water to the sufria & cover with a lid.

7) Raise the heat on the fire or stove & bring the stew to the boil.

8) When the stew starts to boil, remove the lid & add the uncooked rice or pasta & stir once or twice to stop it sticking.

9) Now add Mchuzi mix (OYO, or stock cube) or curry masala & stir once or twice to mix.

10) Put the lid back on top of the sufria and leave the stew to cook on the fire or stove for a further 10 minutes. Finally, stir it one more time.

11) Carefully remove the hot sufria from the fire or stove, wrap it in the cloth provided and place it inside the cooking basket (making sure that its lid is still properly).

12) Now carefully place the padded cushion on top of the sufria – making sure that there are no gaps for the heat to escape.

13) Leave the stew in the cooking basket for a minimum of 1 & half to 2 hours.

14) After this the stew is cooked and ready to eat. (The basket will keep it warm for longer if needed.)

This recipe is now also included on our new Cooking in a Basket blogsite.

If you also have any good recipes that can be used with a Cooking Basket or Haybox, then please send them in for us to share...

2007-01-06T06:51:00.000Z

More Cooking Basket information as promised.....

A Cooking Basket is a type of fire-less cooker which works without using fuel such as firewood, charcoal, gas or electricity to power it. Instead, the basket is a well-padded, insulated container which works like thermos – thereby holding & using the heat of the food &/or liquid inside it.

When using a Cooking Basket, you begin cooking your food on your normal cooking fire, stove or jiko in the usual way (but for a much shorter time than usual) and then you place the boiling hot food into the Cooking Basket for the cooking process to finish. If used well, the Cooking Basket can help to save 50% to 70% of the fuel that is usually needed for cooking.

The Cooking Basket can also reduce the amount of water that is needed for cooking, too, especially beans, peas & lentils which need a long time & a lot of water to cook on the normal fire or cooking stove. These can be cooked using the cooking basket before adding them to other ingredients such as a soup, stew or Githere, but remember that the beans must be boiled on your usual fire or stove for at least 15 to 30 minutes first in order to make them safe to eat.

It's even possible to use the Cooking basket to cook vegetable & meat stews. Just bring the food to a boil on your normal fire or cooking stove, then make sure the lid is securely on the cooking pot, carefully wrap the pot in the cloth and place the pot inside the Cooking Basket.

As soon as you have done this, cover the pot & the top of the basket with the padded cushion provided - making sure that you don’t leave any gaps. The Cooking Basket will then hold the heat in the food so that it will continue cooking without using extra fuel. The basket also helps to keep hot food warm for up to 6 hours.

SOME SUGGESTED COOKING TIMES

Rice (when cooked on its own): 5 mins boiling time, then 30 to 40 mins in basket

Potatoes (1 inch cubes): 5 mins boiling time, then 1 hour in basket

Potatoes (whole or halved): 10 mins boiling time, then 1 to 2 hours in basket

Mixed vegetable soup or stew: 15 mins boiling time, then 1 & half to 2 hours in basket

*Green lentils: 30 mins boiling time, then 2 to 3 hours in basket

*Red beans: 30 mins boiling time, then 1 & half to 2 hours in basket

*Split peas: 30 mins boiling time, then 2 to 3 hours in basket

*Maize: 45 mins boiling time, then 2 to 3 hours in basket

*Goat or beef soup or stew: 30 mins boiling time, then 1 & half to 2 hours in basket

*NB before cooking: Peas, beans, lentils & maize need to be cleaned & washed, then soaked overnight before cooking them next morning.

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT COOKING BASKETS AND THEIR USE CAN BE FOUND ELSEWHERE IN THIS BLOGSPOT.. CHECK OUT JANUARY AND DECEMBER FOR PHOTO'S AND MORE....

LINKS...

For other adventurous cooks and Cooking Basket enthusiasts, you might also like to check out our new related blogspot at Cooking in a Basket where you can find more information and guidance on how to make a Cooking Basket or Hay Sack as well as some other good website links.

2007-01-02T09:09:00.004Z

Traditional Music and Aural Narrative...

The documentation, conservation and continued support of traditional music, aural narrative, local language and other aspects of local culture is also an important issue being faced by community groups around the world, including at my home in the far north of UK and also here in Kenya.

Please click here to listen to an audio clip of Francis Lemolo playing and singing with the above hand-made traditional maasai instrument.

2007-01-02T09:07:00.000Z

Hey, I almost forgot....!!

Despite the rain, the solar charger for my camera batteries WORKED a treat!!!

2007-01-02T09:01:00.000Z

A sweet reminder and a Happy New Year...

As I write this, the unmistakable kippery smell of acacia woodsmoke from the manyatta at Musul still lingers on in my luggage...

Thanks for all the Christmas & New Year greetings everyone. Following my early return from Mukogodo, I plan to use this week to try & rest in Nairobi whilst the New Year quietly unwinds around me. As offices re-open there'll be more meetings here in town up to mid month, followed by a long-waited visit to A Rocha and the Coast once again.
So, see you there, and here...and best wishes for a good & successful New Year wherever you are!

2007-01-02T08:59:00.000Z

Back in the rest of Kenya...

Being without radio or news can be a strange experience to the unaccustomed. Daily routines of life 'in the bush' take over and events in the world outside pass by unnoticed. Having been without my radio and newspapers for two weeks, I was therefore unaware of the extent of the rains that had been busily pounding us in Mukogodo and elsewhere. I later learned on my return to Nairobi that over 300 tourists had been stuck in the mud for up to 10 hours or more in the Maasai Mara this week whilst tens of thousands of people have been displaced from their homes, major bridges across the country have collapsed and Rift Valley Fever is claiming lives of both livestock and humans in North, East and Coast provinces..
As we now enter the New Year and torrential rain continues to pour both here and there, I am thanking the Pastor and his motorbike and counting my many blessings...

2007-01-02T08:58:00.000Z

Fellow travellers...

My journey in the Nissan from Il Polei to Nanyuki was unexpectedly shared with Francis Ole Kimirri, Program Co-ordinator for the IMPLY Youth Organisation which is based at Dol Dol – thus proving once again that where there's rain there's usually a rainbow for someone somewhere, too. Networking as always, we exchanged thoughts and contacts and we now hope to hear more about IMPLY & other youth groups here at Postcards from Kenya as the New Year unfolds...

2007-01-02T08:57:00.000Z

On the road again...

As the days passed by over Christmas and with all local transport in western Mukogodo either stuck in the mud or travelling between Nanyuki and Nairobi, Daniel Le Molo's valient efforts to secure me a place on a local Nissan were in vain. Eventually however, on Thursday 28th December, after a 30 minute walk at dawn from the Manyatta to the roadside and an anxious few minutes wait, I was treated to my favourite form of transport - a ride on the back of the Pastor Samwel's trusty 'piki-piki' (motorbike). My tiredness & stomach upset were briefly forgotten as Black-backed Jackals, an interesting looking hare, Dik Diks, Thomson's Gazelles, giraffes, elephants and a Kori Bustard all paved our way as we gingerly slid and slithered down the mud-churned tracks from the beautiful hills of Musul to the cluster of kiosks and matatu stage at Il Polei.
We were lucky...The road near Il Polei was so bad that I had to walk some distance through the mud whilst the Pastor performed feats of faith to get the motorbike through the worst of it. My walk was OK, although a little slippery, and it gave me time to notice yet more 'big cat' prints en route and also to wish that I had been sensible enough to wear my gum boots (which were still safely packed on the back of the 'piki-piki'!!).

2007-01-02T08:56:00.001Z

....and apologies...

Unfortunately, my happy time as a Home Stay guest at Musul ended too soon. A spell of illness forced me to return, very tired, from Laikipia to Nairobi on 28th December – some 2 weeks earlier than was hoped or expected. My early return also meant that I missed an important meeting with the Koija Hope Club in Koija and another planned meeting with MBEKEC at Musul, for which I'm very sorry. However, we did manage to cover many important issues with MBEKEC and the Musul Naramatisho Women's Group during the course of my stay and the ground is now set for ICAK's first field visit to see them at Musul in mid January. I shall hope to catch up with Koija again as soon as I can.

2007-01-02T08:54:00.000Z

A special word of thanks....

I spent a wonderfully memorable Christmas thanks to the kind hospitality of Maria, Daniel, Mary, Jane, Francis, Susan, John and all the other members & children of the Musul community. For this please accept my sincere thanks to all concerned. It was a pleasure and privilege to share your homes and time with you. Many useful lessons were learned during my home-stay at Musul - both by myself and by my hosts - and we now plan to put together some useful information so that others can also enjoy home-stay visits with the community there in the future.

2007-01-02T08:52:00.000Z

New website forum facility...

Despite all the difficulties & costs involved with getting to a cyber cafe, just about every youth and community group I meet in Kenya expresses a similar wish for a shared website forum where members of different groups can all meet up, share ideas and experiences and also to exchange contact details. So, you'll be happy to know that the forum is now being set up as a new blogspot called Sema Kenya.

If you or your local (bona fide) youth or community group in Kenya would genuinely like to become involved in such a forum, then please get in touch by posting your details & contacts here at Postcards from Kenya or at Sema Kenya. These will be added to the new forum as soon as I have time to update.

(NB. CCI-Kenya's main website at http://www.communityconservation-initiative.org.uk
already has its own letters page and, if possible, I'll also try and link Sema Kenya and Postcards from Kenya through to this on my return home to UK.

2007-01-02T08:50:00.000Z

Local Youth...

There are approx 50 youth (boys and girls of 15 years and upwards) in the Musul community who would like to be able to start up a local Youth Group and also to develop links and communication with other youth groups elsewhere in Kenya - so that “they can be together” and to “share ideas and experiences”. This is a great ambition for the youth in such a remote area of the country which is without regular public transport or reliable mobile phone network.
To help get their idea underway, I've suggested possible links with the Koija Hope Club, some 20 kilometres distant, whereby youth from the two communities might be able to meet up at the local 'soko' (market) at Kimanjo on Wednesdays. The provision of a football to help the youth start a local soccer team at Musul in the New Year will also help.

Funds for monthly contributions to a group are also a problem for the youth, so to help overcome this, they might begin practising traditional singing and dance, etc which could be of interest to visiting tourists once Musul's new eco-tourism facilities are constructed.

2007-01-02T08:45:00.000Z

Traditional jewellery can also help to sponsor education...

In many cases, parents at Musul cannot afford to help pay the local nursery school teachers or to buy books or pencils, etc, for their children to use whilst at nursery school, so their children cannot attend. Most often, when money is tight, it is the girl-children who are kept at home in favour of their brothers. This means, in some cases, that young girls are getting married as young as 13 years of age without ever having stepped into a classroom or receiving any education.

The local community would like to try and encourage some orders for local traditional beadwork jewellery such as these items made by members of Musul Naramattisho and MBEKEC Women's Groups, with a percentage of the proceeds going towards supporting girl-child education at Musul.

In the meantime, if anyone in my home area is interested in placing any orders of jewellery such as those in this photo before I leave Kenya in early March, then please contact me here at Postcards from Kenya before the end of January and I'll see if I can bring some home with me...

Post Script dated 28/3/07

The above jewellery from Musul is now available by mail-order from UK. If anyone is interested in helping to support Musul's 'Beads for Education', please contact me at CCI-Kenya for further information.

2007-01-02T08:41:00.017Z

Help with local education...

Although there is a nursery classroom at Musul which has been kindly provided by well wishers from UK, the nearest primary school to Musul is 10km away at Kimanjo – a daily 20km walk which is made difficult or impossible during severe drought, heavy rains & when elephants dangerously block the road.

Out of a possible 300+ children eligible to attend free primary education, only 100 + make the daily trek to Kimanjo. The others remain at home to help with chores, care for younger children or to tend livestock. This inevitably means that some young girls never attend school and may end up marrying as young as 13 or 14 years of age.

If other willing donors can be found to help fund the building of classrooms for a local primary school at Musul, then the government will be legally bound to provide the school with a teacher.

(Please click here to listen to an MP3 audio clip some of the children at Musul singing a traditional maasai singing game.)

2007-01-02T08:38:00.001Z

HIV/AIDs materials & "Where There's No Doctor"...

My visit to the NASCOP office at Kenyatta Hospital in Nairobi in early December meant that I was able to distribute a range of HIV/AIDS & TB awareness materials to communities at Musul and Koija. Thanks to continued support from well wishers in UK and USA, I was also able to deliver another copy of the 'Where There's No Doctor' community health-care book for the use of MBEKEC and the Musul community. This particular book is an invaluable community health-care resource and one which I highly recommend. It came in useful straight away as I was able to give a short talk to members of the Musul Naramatisho Women's Group on how to recognise the signs of Meningitis and Septicemia in babies and young children. As most of the members had new babies ranging from between 2 weeks and under a year old, the booked proved to be very helpful, especially the sections relating to pregnancy, complications in childbirth, and mothers' and children's health.

Please click here if you would also like to donate towards a Community Health-Care book and HIV/AIDS Awareness Resources Pack for the use and benefit of a local community in Kenya.

You will now be directed to CCI-Kenya's Help & Support website.

2007-01-02T08:35:00.000Z

Cooking Basket demonstration, Maasai style...

Even without a cooking basket, we were able to show that the soaking beans, peas, maize and lentils overnight can also help to reduce the amount of time, firewood or charcoal and water needed to cook them. Githere (a staple mix of beans & maize) takes about 4 hours to cook on an open fire or jiko (1 log like that shown in this photo will last about 1 hour's cooking time).

By soaking the beans and maize overnight and also using a cooking basket, the cooking time required was reduced to only 30 mins boiling on the fire followed by 1 and a half hours in the cooking basket.

2007-01-02T08:33:00.000Z

Firewood....

1 bundle (or back-load) of around 16 to 20 large branches will last around 4 days on average ie. 1 branch or large log for every 1 hour of cooking (Githere normally takes about 4 hours of cooking time).

2007-01-02T08:31:00.000Z

Water....

Where possible, water is collected by the women approx every 4 days by using a donkey to help them carry the several 20 litre jerry cans that are needed for daily cooking, drinking, bathing and washing of clothes. The women also make a further daily trip without a donkey in order to collect the extra 20 litres or so that may also be required. Distances travelled to collect water may vary from between 3 kilometres and 18 kilometres to local rock catchments or a seasonal river, depending upon time of rain or drought. Donkeys are known to perish on such journeys due to the harshness of a severe drought such as that experienced in the region in 2005/2006. Women & young girls make the journeys carrying a full jerry-can of water on their backs, whilst also carrying a baby tied on their front, and with an extra container of water in each hand.
Improved local rock catchments & the sinking of boreholes would make life more tolerable.

2007-01-02T08:14:00.006Z

A day in the life...

Maasai women wake early at dawn and begin their day by milking the goats and sheep inside the boma, then they make up the fire before boiling the milk to make hot tea for breakfast. During term time this may be followed by washing any children who may be attending school.

The women spend the next several hours collecting fire-wood & water (sometimes from as far as 3 to 18 km away depending upon the dryness & severity of the season) whilst the daily lunch of githere (a mix of beans and maize) is left cooking over the fire, with children from toddler age and above left to tend to each other and the livestock.

This ritual almost happens in reverse as the afternoon draws to a close and the day's washing of clothes is complete and the livestock begin arriving back at the security of the boma to spend the night. More milking, then the safe coralling of animals, preparation of the evening meal, some chatting to catch up on local news of the day and maybe a little from the radio before heading to bed in readiness for the start of the next day.....

(Please click here to listen to an MP3 audio clip of some of the local ladies singing one of their traditional maasai songs.)

2007-01-02T08:02:00.000Z

Some very serious dudus...

I made the most of my visit to Musul to make a few notes on the beautiful and fascinating local wildlife - every sort of fauna and fauna from grasses, flowering plants, trees, birds, amphibians, small mammals, large mammals and a wide variety of bugs and beasties.

The wildlife that had my unwanted and undivided attention for a while were hoards of marauding bed bugs the size of elephants and with a bite like a lion and a sting like a bee - not a very scientific description but it's the best way that I can describe the little monsters...

Having chemically treated my bed to try and be rid of them, the biting elephants instead took refuge in the (yet untreated) mosquito net above my head – this providing them with an extra night's feasting at my expense before they were eventually discovered and dealt with by immersing the net in boiling water...In the process of trying to ward off the biting elephants, I also discovered that DEET made little if any impact on them, but plenty on me...

Next day, pointing with giggles at their many remains in each corner of the now thoroughly boiled net, Maria (my hostess) firmly stated in her limited but perfectly pronounced English “Very serious dudus!!!!”

Laughing helplessly along with Maria, I couldn't agree more...

Footnote. One of these 'very serious dudus' can be found bottom right in the collection box in the photo, alongside the other insect specimens that I collected to take back to the Entomology Department at NMK. This is so that we may begin a basic species inventory for Musul Group Ranch and community-led conservation area. Interestingly, many of the moth species seen at Musul were ones that we had been recording during TAIB's long-term biodiversity monitoring project in Mallorca (Spain) back in October, 2006. (Whilst also full of mosquitoes, Mallorca had been mercifully free of the bed bugs.)

(A 'dudu' is kiswahili for insect or bug).

Some species seen at Musul between 14^th & 28^th December, 2006....

The following are just some of the species seen during my recent Christmas stay at Musul in western Mukogodo, Laikipia. The list is not in any way inclusive of all species recorded in the area.

Birds:

Eastern Pale Chanting Goshawk (2 regularly seen together in acacia close to the 'boma' where I was staying. Interestingly, 2 were also seen in same area on my previous visits during Dec 04 and 05)

Ring-necked Dove

Chestnut Sparrow (nesting)

Rufous Sparrow (nesting)

Village Weaver (nesting)

Speckle-fronted Weaver (nesting)

Grey-capped Social Weaver (nesting)

Red-billed Hornbill

Cardinal Woodpecker

Barn Swallow

Superb Starling

Rosy-patched Bush Shrike

Pigmy Batis

Pied Wheatear

Barred Warbler

Buff-bellied Warbler

Banded Parisoma

Grey-headed Silverbill

Red-chested Cuckoo (1 was heard calling 'It will rain' 'It will rain' every morning at dawn above the manyatta in which I was staying). Needless to say – it was raining.

Kori Bustard (1 flew up from the road directly in front of the 'piki-piki' on our way from Musul towards Il Polei)

Amphibian:

Bufo garmani (1 found alive within the 'boma' (homestead, compound)

Mammals:

Leopard (several, including young, were regularly present in vicinity of homesteads at Musul)

Scrub Hare (1 seen at Musul, and another individual beside the road to Il Polei)

Gerbil Tatera sp or Taterilus sp (1 individual found freshly dead at Musul)

Dik Dik (several seen at Musul and also on way to Il Polei)

Thomson's Gazelle (several seen at Musul and also on way to Il Polei)

Zebra sp (distant views of several at Musul, reported by locals to have been Grevy's)

Elephant (many at Musul and on way to Il Polei)

Baboon (a troupe seen close to homestead at Musul, and also many between Musul and Il Polei)

Giraffe (2 seen in a fenced area on the way from Musul to Il Polei)

Black-Backed Jackal (2 individuals seen beside the road from Musul to Il Polei)

Mongoose sp. (2 or 3 individuals seen briefly)

Hyena (regularly heard in the vicinity of homesteads at night)

Lion (heard roaring on a couple of occasions overnight)

(Out of interest, Eland was also seen during a previous visit of mine to Musul, in December 2005. A Rock Hyrax skull was also found at Musul in December 2005 and subsequently deposited as a reference specimen at Mammalogy Dept, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi.)

Orthoptera

Many, only some of which were caught and retained as reference specimens.

(List to follow)

Lepidoptera

Many, only some of which were caught by hand and retained as reference specimens.

(List to follow)

Flowering plants and trees:

Many, only some of which were photographed for later identification.

(List to follow).

2007-01-02T07:58:00.000Z

Leopard's leftovers...

These chewed-over remains of a goat were found placed in a tree by one of the marauding leopards at our boma and were much enjoyed by us as 'nyama choma' (roast meat) on Christmas day, along with an out-of-tune cockerel that had the unfortunate habit of waking too early...

(The footprint in the photo above was was of several found near the boma a few days later, belonging to a mother with two young cubs.)

2007-01-02T07:55:00.000Z

Things that go bump in the night....

Cow's, sheep, goats and donkeys are all brought into the safety of the boma (compound) overnight, with the lambs and kids being placed separately in a special small hut by the children who play a very active role in tending the livestock each day.

Livestock are unsurprisingly unnerved by the presence of leopards. If (as frequently happened during my stay), a leopard gets into the boma, the cows and other livestock may then break out of their thorn-brush enclosures within in the boma and kick and bump into the mud huts in their panic to escape, causing the houses to shake and shudder. A cow's powerful kick has been known to painfully bruise some of the manyatta's occupants as they sleep in their beds at night...

Leopards in or around a boma invariably arouse the family's dogs who bark noisily as they try to scare the leopard away before it manages to steal a goat. The relatively high concentration of leopards (including young cubs) in the area during my stay meant that 3 bomas were involved in 3 separate attacks in one night.

Elephants can also be a problem – their presence near a boma is very dangerous to man and livestock alike and thus people will rouse up out of their beds in order to shout and bang sufrias (saucepans) in an effort to frighten the elephants away.

2007-01-02T07:43:00.000Z

Christmas in manyatta...

Hi, there!
Well, I made it safely to my destination.

During my Christmas time at Musul I was staying in a traditional maasai manyatta as a home-stay house guest of Maria & Daniel LeMolo and their family.The lady to the left of the house (manyatta) is my hostess, Maria, a 25 year old married mother of 3 young children.

The other children shown in the photo above are some interested neighbours and friends who have come along to say 'hello' and join in the Cooking Basket demonstration that I'm about to give with Mary Keisier and Daniel's translation assistance later on in the morning...

What's a manyatta some of you may ask??
Well, it's a small traditional maasai home made of acacia branches and twigs and plastered with cow dung. Surprisingly, maasai cow dung doesn't smell, even when fresh, and makes a very useful building material, as was demonstrated on several occasions during my visit with the plastering of manyattas and making of traditional beehives.

The manyata typically has one low, narrow door with a small dog-legged entrance leading on to an cooking area and a small separate bedroom. The bedroom may have 1 or 2 beds made of acacia twigs and a mattress covered with 2 or 3 blankets. Sometimes the dark interior walls are brightened up and decorated with an interesting 'wallpaper' of newspapers.

Each manyatta houses the wife and her children, and also her husband when he is at home. For security reasons, windows are tiny (about a man's hand width & length in size) with only one or two windows per room. The roof may be also be plastered with cow dung (as in the 'loaf of bread' style of traditional maasai home), or thatched with grass.

A women builds her own home or manyatta when she marries and moves to live in the thorn-brush compound (boma) owned by her husband's family and relatives. The manyatta may take from 1 to 3 months to build, depending upon her other activities at the time. Each boma may have up to 8 or 10 manyattas, plus livestock, depending upon the size of the extended family.

Traditionally, there is usually no toilet or washroom facility at the manyatta – the 'choo' (lavatory) is literally anywhere discreet outside 'in the bush', whilst washing or bathing is usually done using a shared bowl, small bar of soap and a couple of mugs of water once a day.
Dependent upon available funding, however, there are plans to try and improve both water and sanitation facilities at Musul, with the construction of a borehole and provision of pit latrines and washroom for the benefit of the community and also of visitors using home stay and tourist facilities.

(Whilst living conditions are currently extremely basic, the local community at Musul are keen to welcome hardy and adventurous 'home-stay' visitors who would like to stay and have a real experience of their traditional Maasai daily life & culture. If you are such a person and are interested in this type of 'home-stay' visit please get in touch for further details.)

2006-12-13T09:58:00.013Z

Happy Christmas & New Year, everyone...

Warm hugs & seasons greetings especially to all those of you at home. It's great to be able to keep in touch. So, have a great time - take care and keep smiling. I'll see you back here around mid January with some more news, photo's and updates from Laikipia.....

2006-12-13T09:58:00.012Z

Good news for MBEKEC and Musul Naramatisho...

CCI-Kenya is delighted to announce that another indigenous Kenyan NGO - The Institute of Cultural Affairs Kenya, otherwise know as ICAK, have now also agreed to come on board with other stakeholders in supporting and empowering the Mukogodo Beekeepers and Environmental Conservation group (MBEKEC) towards the implentation of the community group's own 2006 -2112 Strategic Plan and that of Musul Naramatisho Women's Group. This is great news as ICAK have an excellent 30 year track record in the training and capacity building of community groups, including in areas such leadership skills, proposal writing, buisness skills training, setting up of income generating activities, genser and health issues, and also the establishment of schools, clinics and water and sanitation facilities. as planned, I am heading to Laikipia later this week in order to spend my Christmas and New Year living with members of Musul Naramatisho and MBEKEC's maasai community at their Musul Group Ranch in western Mukododo. We are very pleased to welcome ICAK and their staff onto the MBEKEC and Musul Naramatisho 'team' and look forward to your first field visit to Musul and subsequent meetings in Nairobi later on in January.
For CCI-Kenya, MBEKEC, Musul Naramatisho and other stakeholders, this is another very important and positive step forward and one which gives additional cause for Christmas celebrations.

2006-12-13T09:58:00.011Z

Nakuletea salamu za heri kwa Krismasi na baruka na fanaka ya mwaka mpya....

This year my Christmas and New Year in Kenya will be spent home-staying with members & friends of the maasai communities based at Musul and Koija Group Ranches, in western Mukogodo, Laikipia. As usual, I shall be travelling by public transport, with my journey up country beginning by car in Nairobi and probably finishing on the back of a 'piki piki' (motorbike) driven by the local pastor – as I finally head across acacia scrub and bushland towards Koija before I leave Mukogodo for Nairobi again early in the New Year. I'm hoping to meet up with Dr Hussein from the National Museum of Kenya's Ethnography Dept as I arrive at Musul, if the weather is kind and all goes well, he may pass through on a field visit with MBEKEC. Operational staff from The Institute of Cultural Affairs Kenya (ICAK) are also hoping to pay their first field visit to MBEKEC and the Musul Group Ranch in early January, too, prior to more meetings MBEKEC and other stakeholders in Nairobi in mid January.

This particular trip to Laikipia may prove to be the biggest test for travelling that I have faced in Kenya so far, as heavy rains have been reported from the around Musul area, too. I have been warned that the roads are “somehow slippery in parts, but that I should make it through to my final destination OK.” At this advice, I'm remembering with a smile how the Maasai always display a high degree of hope and optimism even about the longest and most distant of journeys - By encouraging travellers to begin and then continue a long journey with the words “Don't worry, it's not far, it's just over there” you are impelled to continue. Then, after continually arriving “just over there” you have gone too far to want to turn back , and so, suitably encouraged, you eventually arrive at your intended, and sometimes very distant, destination.

Bearing this in mind, therefore, I'm also remembering with a smile how the road finally disappears into dirt tracks and deep gullies which reach far out into the bush even in the driest of weather - so I could well find myself traveling in hope rather than in expectation, too, and (looking rather like a maasai Mary Poppins) I will take up Daniel LeMolo's advice to travel with gum boots and umbrella.....You never know when you might need them....

2006-12-13T09:58:00.010Z

Recipes for use with a 'slow oven' or 'crock pot' ....

.....would also be great as these could also work well in a Cooking Basket or Hay Sack. So please send these in to us for folk to try out, too.

2006-12-13T09:58:00.009Z

If you have any good recipes....

...It would be great to develop a useful resource base for Cooking Basket technology here on the blogsite, with details of local ingredients and recipes contributed from around the world. So, if you know any good local recipes for use with a cooking basket and would like to share them, please send them in and we can post them here on the blogsite.

2006-12-13T09:58:00.008Z

You can also help to spread the word.....

.....If you are already making or using cooking baskets (or similar 'hay sack' technology) then please send us details, along with which country you live in and how your cooking basket or hay sack may be benefiting your own local environment or community at home. (I'll read your emails and comments ready for posting when I get back from field work after mid January...)

2006-12-13T09:58:00.007Z

Cooking Basket Review....

.... I' ve been using a Kakamega Forest Cooking Basket regularly at home in the UK for the past 3 years and my large red cooking gas cylinder now lasts nearly 5 months instead of the usual 3 months like it did before – so I can guarantee that the Cooking Basket works, and as friends and family can testify, it makes some wonderful meals in the process, too!

2006-12-13T09:58:00.006Z

And How does it work?

.....You begin cooking your food on your normal cooking fire or stove in the usual way, but for a much shorter time than usual. Then you place the pot of hot food into the Cooking Basket for the cooking process to finish. If used well, the Cooking Basket can help to save up to 70% of the fuel that is usually needed for cooking.

The Cooking Basket can also reduce the amount of water that is needed for cooking, too, especially beans, peas & lentils which need a long time & a lot of water to cook in the normal way.

As well as helping to cook food, the basket also helps to keep hot food warm for up to 6 hours.

2006-12-13T09:58:00.005Z

So, What is a Cooking Basket????

....Well, it's a type of fire-less cooker which works without using fuel such as firewood, charcoal, gas or electricity to power it. Instead, the basket is a well-padded, insulated container which works just like a thermos – thereby holding & using the heat of the food &/or liquid inside it. The Cooking Basket can be used to cook a variety of meals including vegetable & meat stews, soups, beans, peas, lentils and rice.

The Cooking Basket can be made very simply using a basket (or a strong flat-bottomed sack) which is then made into a cooking pot-sized 'nest' using a stuffing of insulating material such as hay, dried banana leaves, or warm blanket-type material. The 'nest' is then lined with a sheet of plastic and finally covered with some decorative material. Another piece of material is also used to wrap the cooking pot before placing it into the basket, in order to keep the basket clean.

2006-12-13T09:58:00.004Z

With Cooking Baskets still on our minds...

The new Kakamega Forest Cooking Basket Initiative is hopefully back in hand with the first 10 baskets soon to be on sale at Nature Kenya shop in Nairobi.
More details on this on my return to Nairobi after Christmas and after my next visit to KEEP in February. If all goes well, baskets made and sold through the Initiative will help provide a sustainable means of support for KEEP’s Saturday Conservation Clubs/Schools Outreach programmes

An illustrated information leaflet (including recipes) is also being prepared to accompany cooking baskets sold as part of the Initiative and also to assist with their promotion. When the final draft is completed we'll post it here on the blogsite for your information, too.

2006-12-13T09:58:00.003Z

And yet, despite all the recent heavy rain...

.... it appears that the famous lakes at Nakuru and Naivasha are drying up, and the beautiful flamingos that they are famed for are now dying...As the 7th Wonder of the World is recently announced (Kenya's Maasai Mara), another jewel in this country's environmental crown is sadly disappearing...

2006-12-13T09:58:00.002Z

After the dryness and the long drought....

...... experienced in Kenya during 2005, the torrential and unremitting start to this year's Short Rains must surely have come as a hard reminder to everyone of just how much global climate change is now affecting every continent and every country, including those most vulnerable here in Africa. The current heavy downpours here in Kenya have not been restricted to areas such as the Kakamega rain forest, where such heavy tropical deluges can be expected each afternoon during this particular season of the year. In fact, the continuous heavy pounding of rain has been causing considerable distress in this and many other parts of the country from the coast to arid and semi-arid areas inland alike. With the floods that have inevitably accompanied the heavy rain, so there has been a heavy loss of roads, bridges and other infrastructure - with important food crops also being submerged or simply too wet to harvest or to take to market. Lack of food and safe, clean drinking water in many areas is also leaving the way open for hunger and disease. The unhappy displacement of entire communities living in low-lying or flood-prone areas is mirrored by the unwelcome displacement of several crocodiles that are now attacking unlucky villagers who are still trying to work in their flooded streets and fields....

2006-12-13T09:58:00.001Z

Climate (for a) change...(or, how you can help to save the planet...)

Climate has been a hot topic of conversation ever since my arrival in Kenya just over month ago in November. As well as all the bad weather being experienced here and in other parts of East Africa, my arrival coincided with the UN's International Conference on Climate Change which was being hosted here in Nairobi. Unfortunately, lack of time on my part meant that I was unable to attend the conference myself (nor another related event the following week) and I was left with the feeling that more than one opportunity had been sadly missed.

In my own mind, the conference might also have been an ideal moment, perhaps, (I hope not too idealistically) to further demonstrate and promote both the local and global conservation benefits of energy-saving devices such as the 'Cooking Basket' (a simple to produce, low-tech fuel-less cooker which can be used in every home in the world). Such devices are already being made and used in various parts of Kenya and it would have been great to have shown the rest of the world some of the very positive conservation actions which can quickly easily be carried out by all, no matter where they live.
With some careful thought, this could have been done through the preparation of some of the meals served to the President & Honoured Delegates, or maybe through a simple practical workshop session. Just think of the possible conversation over dinner and the great worldwide publicity next day.....

“Hey!! Did you know that by simply using one of these Cooking Baskets you can save between 50% and 70% of your cooking fuel, and help to reduce global carbon emissions, and save local forests, and help provide local employment, and save yourself money, and have a tasty meal, all at the same time. And that every home could have one???”

2006-12-13T09:58:00.000Z

The CCI-Kenya website.....

....I'm very sorry. Since arriving in Kenya, I've discovered that our main CCI-Kenya website sometimes takes a very long time to open and download, especially in some cyber (internet) cafes over here in Kenya where computers are maybe older and slower and where browser caches are not being emptied often enough. Unfortunately, broadband still hasn't arrived yet and the local network always seems to be overloaded or not working. Recently, Kenyan newspapers have carried promises of better things to come in 2007 or 2008, when internet access should improve and speed up dramatically as well as bring an end to the expensive cost of phone calls over here, too. That's great news!!!
When I get back home to UK in March, I'll try 'lightening the website load' again to seen if it can help to speed things up a little. Sorry for any problems in the meantime........

2006-12-11T09:51:00.000Z

Muliru Farmers Conservation Group ...

One of the many different community groups which are actively involved in conservation of the kakamega rain forest.

I hope to be able to bring you more news and information about the local Forestry Department and other community groups following my next visit to Isecheno in February...

(Post Script dated 27/03/07: Additional photo's and captions based on the Muliru Farmers Conservation Group and their Naturub distillery can now also be found in Album 4 of the Photo Gallery on our main CCI-Kenya website. Further information can also be found about the group and their activities in the Community-led Projects section of the website.

2006-12-11T09:48:00.000Z

Some local Luhyua homesteads...

2006-12-11T09:44:00.000Z

More fun and games...

CCI-Kenya donated some more useful environmental education resource books to KEEP's library for use during their Saturday Conservation Clubs and Schools Outreach programmes.

2006-12-11T09:41:00.000Z

Some more delights of the forest...

2006-12-11T09:36:00.000Z

Kakamega re-visited

It was also good to meet up with old and new friends and acquaintances at Isecheno on my return back to the rain forest, too. As always, my visit was preceeded by meetings with Site Support staff at Nature Kenya in Nairobi to catch up with news and then check out the situation on the ground for myself.

On the whole I was pleased to see that work was being carried out on the Botanical garden (many thanks to some young French volunteers), where new signs were being painted and old or missing ones replaced. Mapping of the sponsored trees was also taking place, along with a new coding system so that individual trees can be re-found and progress monitored, which is also for the benefit of their Sponsors as well as KEEP and Joel, the tree nursery manager.

As you can see, Fair Isle Primary School's sponsored Nandi Flame Tree is thriving well.

A young volunteer was also helping out in the tree nursery and told me that she has also been co-opted on to the editorial board for KEEP's forthcoming NEWSLETTER...Great news! I'm also hopeful that the volunteers might put pen to paper for us at CCI-Kenya and write a little something about their time living and working with KEEP and the Kakamega communities....(We're looking forward to this, too, so please keep in touch when you get back home.....)

Some more practical actions of our own...

My thanks are also due to Anthony Pinto, the guard at the KEEP accommodation bandas at Isecheno, who very kindly lent me a small cooking stove so that I was able to cook for myself during my stay & also make good use of the cooking basket stored in the KEEP office in order to do some practical cooking demonstrations for KEEP members, visiting tourists, local community groups and also Eliza across at the small local 'duka' (shop & canteen).

It's good to report that there appears to be a strong interest amongst the locals (including the local forestry department and the many other active community conservation groups & individuals living in and around the forest) in knowing more about the cooking baskets and how to use them – which is very positive sign and would certainly help to compliment and extend everyone's conservation efforts & shared concern regarding the forest. We hope to be able to bring more information about these other groups to the website sometime later in the New Year.

It's a small world...

...... As a consolation for not being able to attend the International Climate Change conference in Nairobi, my latest visit to Kakamega rain forest provided me with the unexpected pleasure of meeting Adam - an eco-travelling NGO from USA with an interest in 'bio-tech trees' - who had the good fortune to have been at the conference himself and who also knows some of the delegates...So, with very little persuasion necessary on my part, he stayed an extra day at Isecheno in order to enjoy the many natural delights of the rain forest and the wonders of my cooking (&, of course, a local cooking basket....).

Before leaving, Adam also managed to plant his own sponsored tree in KEEP's botanical garden. His must be one of the first of the billion trees that Wangari Maathai hopes will be planted around the world during this next 12 months – part of her own global conservation initiative which she launched at the Nairobi conference and which is due to officially begin on 1st January 2007.

Safe and sound....

Hi, everyone!
Thank you very much for your patience!
At last I'm able to call by & post some of those photo's and updates I promosed you.

I arrived in Kenya safe and well just over a month ago in early November. Time has passed very quickly - easily filled with meetings (both planned and unscheduled) and also a 10 day field trip back to see community groups based in and around Isecheno in the Kakamega rain forest. More on this later...

Well, I came ready prepared this morning with some proper reports for you, but I found myself caught out by my laptop (provided through the kind assistance of 'Computers for Charities'). The programme saved all my pre-prepared blog updates in Open Office instead of Word, and hey, you've guessed it... this computer at the Cyber cafe doesn't speak the same language... Nevermind, this way you have the relaxed, unedited version, which is probably more interesting & fun to read (hopefully!).

It's great to see friends and colleagues again here in Nairobi - although most of them are tied very tightly to deadlines as they work hard to design and prepare new displays and galleries for the re-opening of the impressively rebuilt National Museums of Kenya. I can't believe that the building work is so far advanced - when I left Kenya back in February this year the original building was still in the process of being gutted and parts of it demolished. Compared to other building and road projects over here, this is almost a miracle - and the workmanship looks very good, too. Congratulations everyone so far!
I understand that the re-opening may take place as soon as July 2007 and I can't wait to have a good look inside at everyone's hard work.

2006-11-03T18:34:00.000Z

Watch this space....

If all goes well, then I hope to be able to post a few updates & more photo's here on the blogsite between now & when I'm due to leave Kenya again in March. Fingers crossed that my new solar charger will work for the camera batteries.... (I'll give a review of its performance here along the way...)

Meantime, my first port of call is Nairobi & the first of many planned meetings, then next stop Kakamega.

Safari njema & tutaonana (safe journey & see you all soon).

2006-11-03T17:43:00.000Z

A few photo's from an earlier visit...

...if you are interested, there's lots more on our main CCI-Kenya website including background information from the community-led groups & supporting organisations, as well as maps & how you may also provide assistance, etc.

2006-11-02T01:29:00.000Z

P.S.

If you haven´t had a chance to read it yet, Wangari Maathai´s inspirational 2004 Nobel Peace Prize speech can be found at
http://www.gbmna.org/a.php?id=34

2006-11-01T16:05:00.000Z

"Have courage & be positive..."

are the warm words of encouragement and farewell given to me by family, friends & colleagues as I head back on my journey to Kenya again... Here I would like to say a warm thank you & also to pass these on as inspiration to you - not only for travelling on your own journeys, but whilst continuing with your good work at home, too. Thank you also for your continued company along the way.

In December 2004 I had the great privilege of being in Kenya to witness the great excitement, hope & anticipation that accompanied the announcement of Nobel Peace Prize Award to Kenya´s Wangari Maathai - the first time the award had ever been made in recognition of the importance of the environment in relation to democracy & global peace. Now, two years later, world leaders have apparently once again been issued with yet another "wake-up" call in the form of a report and the economic consequences of failing to act before it´s too late.... Fortunately, local people & communities around the world are themselves continuing what their politicians & others have perhaps not yet even started...and the voices & positive action continue to grow. May yours and ours be some of them.

As Wangari Maathai said in her acceptance speech...."The time is now."