MCC Partner work

Partners in Western Kenya

I (Cristina) went to visit western Kenya, in the region of Kisumu, to do financial reviews of several partners that MCC works with in the region.  As is usually the case with MCC, many of the partners supported by MCC are relatively "young" NGOs that are in the process of developing good accounting and reporting practices.  

The obligatory car breakdown, along side the road to Kisumu - so why not knit while waiting to get fixed?  Ironically, we were driving the best MCC vehicle.  After limping back to Kisumu and spending the day getting it fixed, we were on our way again.

Looking out over crop fields in Songhor, a village in western Kenya where one partner is located.

Western Kenya landscape

Partner in Songhor.  David, the other mzungu (white person) in the picture is an MCC SALTer starting his yearlong assignment at the school here.


Sand Dams in Kitui

MCC works with SASOL in Kitui, an organization that has been promoting sand dams for many years in dry areas of that county.  SASOL hosted me (Doug) for 3 days, we had the opportunity to meet in-depth with 4 food security groups (self-organized groups of farmers) and hear their stories.  This is one of the water-related organizations I'm working with during my time here.

A recently formed food security group at their sand dam, which is only about a year old.  

 Dams in this area have shallow pump wells, which people use rather than scoop holes.  Livestock are visible in this picture, upstream from where the pump well is located.  It isn't clear yet how much of a health risk this presents, but there is certainly the potential for contamination.  Villagers sometimes boil the water or treat it with chemicals.

Yes, campsite, bar, lodge and butchery all in one!  Downtown Kamutei, one of the occasional small settlements in south Kitui.

 I figured out why "hotel" and "butchery" are commonly advertised at the same location - small storefronts in these areas.  Hotel is a small restaurant-like establishment, and eating freshly cooked meat is apparently popular mid-morning activity.  At this one we stopped and had...

African sausage.  The intestine is washed and filled with...all sorts of things.  Then sliced up and served.  I'm a good sport with different foods, but admit I had to choke this one down - lots of fats, grizzle and mystery meats all rolled into one!

Elijah (one of SASOL's wonderful staff people) with a member of the food security group "Maito".  

Maito started after some Mennonite farmers from Canada visited in 2003 to see what farming was like in the area.  As with most groups, their activities started with sand dams - groups say that "water is everything", and without it they can't do anything else.  Once they had water, they moved on to various agricultural projects, built a community center (shown here), and now have plans for a restaurant/guest house.  SASOL has promoted growing green grams (a lentil) which they sell for income, and they grow other drought-resistant crops like finger millet and sorghum.    

Not all sand dams perform as well as expected.  This one did not have water, possibly because of siltation (vegetation growing on the sand is a sign of possible siltation).  When clay or silt accumulates rather than sand, water cannot be extracted from the dam.  There is a major debate now about how to build dams in a way (and in locations) that maximize coarse sand accumulation and therefore successful water storage.  The base of the dam has eroded here some, although it still should be stable on the bedrock.

In the far south of Kitui county (close to Tsavo national park), the group "Mugu" near Kalivu shows Veronica's farm.  She is one group member, and the group rotates around to different farms to do work in the fields.  Here the show new terraces which were built in anticipation of the rains which (may) come in Oct or Nov.

El nino is predicted to impact Kenya this year, with above average rain.  Although this causes flooding, it does help recharge aquifers and may raise crop production.  These farmers were all skeptical, though - "they always say it will come, but it doesn't come".

On Veronica's farm she is trying vegetables.  They mostly grow food for subsistence here, rather than for sale.  Her biggest problem was pests eating the crops.  Groups all requested assistance with more training in effective farming, help with pest control ("agro-chemicals"), and wanted a supply of seeds.
Several years ago there was a drought in the region, and MCC (and others) provided food-for-work.  Food-for-work is not the preferred way to assist farmers, but is necessary in some cases.

One unexpected benefit here was explained by Veronica: "We used to have to walk so far that we needed to spend the night getting water, and sleeping by the water source.  This meant we were bitten by mosquitoes more, and suffered more from malaria.  Now we have less malaria because we don't need to get water at night."

South Kitui is baobab country.  These are amazing trees, and dot the countryside in a distinctive way.  Like virtually all trees in the region, they have dropped their leaves now, the driest time of the year.  

More baobab in the African dusk.  It's a harsh landscape but with an arid beauty.

Our guest house in Ikutha, a small town in south Kitui with few options.  Cheap and nice.  However, we were woken up at 4 a.m. by others staying at the guest house, who took a half hour to loudly load their truck and leave.  Turns out they were charcoal smugglers, leaving to get to Nairobi in the dark before daily police roadblocks are set up.  Charcoal is illegal in Kenya, but is rampant in Kitui, feeding the need in Nairobi and other places.  

Police roadblocks were common on the road to Kitui, which is also the road to Garissa (much further east than Kitui).  After the Al-Shabaab attack in Garissa last year, security was "tightened" with lots of checkpoints on that road.    

Camels being herded by Somali nomads (Kenyan Somali people, not from Somalia).  There is sometimes conflict with farmers as the camels can find crops quite tasty.  Game (elephants etc) occasionally wander out of nearby Tsavo National Park in this area, especially in the dry season in search of water.

The evidence - charcoal in bags openly displayed on the street.

Another sand dam, this one "Kwa Kasana" (for Kasana, the man shown at right) here the group has been fairly creative and organized at taking advantage of the water for agricultural production.

Most of the group "Tumani" were at either a local Christian crusade, or at a local government event, but a number of them were present to talk with.  To my right are James Kanyari (MCC staff person) and Elijah (SASOL staff).

When I asked them what I should tell MCC and supporters about their group, they simply said "muvea, muvea" (thank you, thank you - in kikamba language)

Vetiver grass planted in a walled strip next to the dam, built to prevent any erosion from silting the dam.  The grass's long roots stablize the soil, and the grass can be used for fodder for livestock.

This group innovated by observing what was happening and getting ideas from other groups, and have benefited from it.  Their next project is hopefully to invest in goats.  A major challenge is markets - Dengu (green gram, lentil) prices are low because they don't have access to good markets.

Africa has the most amazing assemblage of plants and animals.  I was astonished to find these trees with bright blue inner bark.  Like something out of Dr. Seuss!

Dry season in south Kitui - easy to see how difficult it would be to grow crops.  This is the lean season for people, they rely on what they've stored during the rainy period (assuming rain has come, which it doesn't always).  The green trees in the picture are by the sand dam, evidence of the accumulation of moisture that also helps them with crops. Groups understood the potential of microclimates: "After 10 years, we think the climate in the region will change here because of sand dams and rainfall will improve."

Most groups say that things have changed over time with climate.  One group explained, however, that "the land stays the same, sand dams give confidence that things can get better even when experiencing changes."

WASH work in schools in Nairobi slums

MCC works through the global village program with a few schools in the "slums" of Nairobi, where a large population of people live in struggling conditions.  Both schools are associated with the Kenya Mennonite Church.

MCC has helped the schools with WASH (water sanitation and hygiene) programs, here we meet with school teachers, WASH promoters, board members and Pastor Malachi to go over a study of how effective this program has been. MCCer Rand Carpenter is in the foreground.

 MCC and the schools are fortunate to have Jane Otai, and internationally-known health promoter, helping these schools with their programs.   Here she helps the school think about the results of the study.

 Mukuru, Nairobi.  Even during the dry season there are muddy pits of open sewage and trash.  In the rainy season, the area is apparently a real mess.  Jane laughed at how westerners have the amazing ability to immediately get their shoes and pants dirty in these conditions!  Kenyans are used to how to walk through the area without trashing their shoes...

Mukuru looking out from the gate of Reuben Centre.  There is hope in the slums, like the schools MCC works with, or this centre which provides health and other services through the support of various agencies. (the type of integrated services Jane wrote about recently in the Huffington Post)

Climbing Mt. Longonot, and life around Nairobi

Northwest of Nairobi is tea country - beautiful cool green hills

Hiking up Mt Longonot

Lots of "spiky things" out there.  The galls on this acacia are actually made by ants.  The ants leave a hole or two in the gall, which will whistle in the wind sometimes, so it is sometimes known as a whistling acacia

Panorama from the rim of Longonot

Mt Longonot is, as the boys say, a "mostly extinct" volcano.  The last eruption was in 1860, so we felt pretty safe!  The only evidence of activity was steam coming out of a vent at one location. 

Starting out along the rim; some of us did the full 7 km circuit around the rim.

At the high point on the rim, great view out over the crater and the rift valley.

Back in Nairobi.  Carina climbs in bed to wake up Alex in the morning, but sometimes she just decides to fall asleep!  They catch a taxi with other kids at 7:15, so don't have to leave much earlier than when they did back in the states.

Not an Africa native, but the Jacaranda trees have come into full bloom and are gorgeous.

Flame trees are also in full bloom

At the end of 2 weeks of Swahili lessons with our teacher Judith (second from left), and SALTers Kara and David.  Judith was a very patient teacher, and a wealth of knowledge about Kenya in general.  

Paraphenalia for studying our Swahili for two weeks.  Despite the excellent help from our teacher, we were feeling like Swahili was anything but simplified!  The grammar chart is an attempt to make sense of 5 out of the 8 or so noun classes.  Each noun class changes the prefix of adjectives, possessive pronouns, verbs, etc.  Despite the difficulty, and the fact that most here know Engilsh, it's nice to start understanding some Swahili.

Fig tree roots at Karura, and our son taking the opportunity to climb something!

Mau mau caves, supposedly a hideout during the Mau Mau rebellion.  It happened to be the day that they inaugurated a British-funded memorial in Nairobi to the many detainees of the Mau Mau period.

The trail is next to residential areas, separated by an electrified fence.  It's wonderful to have Karura forest, but one is also conscious of the land pressure, and how the only way to preserve it is to have enough security to prevent degradation of the forest.

From Karura forest to a "slum" area.  The Nairobi area used to be estates with workers quarters on the edges.  The workers areas have often turned into slums, next to more affluent areas.  So in places the city is a patchwork of affluent and slum areas.  

River before it flows into the forest.  One wonders, of course, what they think about being fenced out of an area that is mostly used by middle and upper class Kenyans and wazunga ("gringos").  The paper this week reports that 42% of Kenyans earn between 10 and 100 dollars per month (and keeping in mind the cost of living in Kenya is quite high), and 32% of Kenyans go to bed hungry (70 to 80% in western and northeast Kenyan).  The population of Kenya is projected to go from 44 million now to 80 million in 2050.  

Narina Trogon, one of many exotic (to us!) birds found in Karura.