getting into the thick of things.

after ist {in-service training}, i’ve been getting after it. without too much detail, here are a few of the projects i am working on. i feel like a juggler, keeping a trusty eye on all that is above me. i’m realistic though. i know a lot of these programs will not be successful unless i can create ownership, but i’ll hold hands with these projects until i leave. at least i’ll know, that when i leave this place i call home, i would have put in as much effort to float these projects to a sustainable life as i can. if you have ideas, suggestions, or concerns on any of these, or would just like to comment…i welcome it. you know where to reach me! the assistant chief and i recently sat down to give all of these projects timelines. with a little determination, small steps have been made, and hopefully these steps will be building a better future for this community. i believe it can work. and so does our community (so they say).

challenge: exposure of our village, people, and their products.

solution provided: write proposal to get computers, encyclopedias, dictionaries, books, and electricity. create ownership by having villagers donate skills, materials, resources, and time to build a sound/secure building to house. will pay a small hourly fee to use, offering a small daily income to the security and person on the clock to keep a watchful eye. i’ll teach internet, proposal writing, and technical writing to children and parents.

challenge: finding a market nearby for farmers and artisans to sell their goods.

solution provided: forget about the market 1.5 hours away down the mountain. it is too expensive to transport the goods and the risk doesn’t seem to have a whole lot of upside. supply is down. demand is there. we’ll start a market right in town. i performed a little research. 7-10 villages in the area do not have a market…which means about 7k + people living without a market. we’ll start one soon, one day per week. we’re going to start our own economy.

challenge: alcohol.

solution provided: partner with bar owner to write rules/ regulations. build a fence to keep drinkers behind so small children returning from school do not see their brother/dad/ or uncle, then start to imitate. AA meetings to take effect if idea is supported by villagers looking to change habit.

challenge: youth idleness.

solution provided: hosting a large-scale meeting with local youths that have built successful businesses and the FSA Village Bank manager. they will share their stories, we will speak of encouragement and support and guidance, and then open the meeting into a forum whereby the youth will have a say in designing and creating a custom loan to their liking with the FSA bank manager. we want to show how investments work, offer ideas on business opportunities in the area, teach about saving money and planning for the future, and possibly having guest speakers such as the journalist for the kenya national newspaper.

challenge: health/nutrition.

solution provided: i teach about health and nutrition at most meetings held for the community. designing charts that explain each vegetable’s nutritional and medicinal value & healthier cooking methods. possibly assisting to build a brand new clinic.

*i am part of the home-based community health workers. this has been the most rewarding and emotional experience i have ever been a part of. i visit homes of the sickly and ill, developmentally disabled (something i hold close to my heart), and people living with HIV/AIDS or any other crippling disease to see how they live. we are developing a program called “PATIA CHAKULA, PATA CHAKULA” – it means “give food, get food.” the premise is that our subsistent farmers in the area will donate some of their yields {there is no way for them to eat all of the food they harvest without some of it going bad} to give a chance for these families to get nourishment and an adequate portion of food a day. {example: families find themselves in a tough position because their husband has passed and the momma has to watch their sick relatives or child that has disabilities. this scenario is a rough reality, leaving the momma to tend to her children instead of working in the farm to sell the produce, and making a few dollars to support.}

challenge: capacity building of local institutions to create a legacy and allow future generations to enjoy them as well.

solution provided: the water project, forest project (1 for 10), and tema hall will all have a management program implemented.

challenge: education.

solution provided: i teach 3 times per week, and maybe a 4th will be added soon. i teach life skills & guidance/counseling at the primary school and secondary school. will be implementing a program called junior achievement which will teach our secondary school about financial literacy, business writing, and marketing/business plans for entrepreneurial thinkers. trying to solve a huge issue with the children that do not pass class 8 in primary school. they cannot retake the class, and most have no life skills or career guidance to encourage higher learning. most feel down and out, like a failure, because their chance to break the vicious cycle of poverty has been stolen from them. the program i am trying to implement is one like the BIG BROTHER/SISTER program we have in america. we will try to link village elders, teachers, and youth groups to a few children and monitor their progress for a year. once a week, for one hour, we will encourage, support, and guide these children to learn a trade (if the family has money). any ideas for this program is welcomed. please.

challenge: trash littering our area.

solution provided: partner with the restaurant owner and small kiosks to place trash cans in front of their respective businesses. also, engage the forest group within our secondary school to have monthly trash pick ups and educate younger children about why it is important to keep our community healthy and clean.

ON GOING PROJECTS:

*visiting support groups (fish ponds, basket weaving, HIV/AIDS, youth, french beans) to offer solutions to their challenges, and finding a market. teaching branding, quality control, and value added solutions to differentiate from competitors.

*marketing/advertising eco-tourism packages for the forest i live underneath (mbololo) and engaging our community in all activities and programs within. packages to be adventurous, marketed to the backpack traveler. linking up with organic farming website (WWOOF), offering volunteering within your expertise, forest/cave/waterfall visits, learn the history/culture, and learn how to create products using the resources available within (paint, basket weaving, fish farming, leather turning for sandals/belts/bracelets).

*meeting with families to discuss small business and their challenges.

*building homes for widows living with HIV/AIDS

*mobilizing people to join our newest income generating activity – BAMBOO. creating skilled workers using bamboo, then having them producing products; conserving too.

*educating on the importance of forming farming cooperatives (there is no market where i live, mostly because our subsistent farmers grow the same type of vegetables or fruit.) with bigger yields, we can start looking for markets outside of wongonyi too.

*writing proposal with HIV/AIDS group to receive goats, chickens, and seeds for vegetables/fruit. will assist with food security, and designing a sustainable program whereby the group meets at one place to work – together (kibbutz style farming). they will sell excess product to then invest back in their business.

*talent show

*futbol tourney