Graber Neufeld in Africa: October 2015

Friday, October 23, 2015

Raiding Minkeys (from Evan)

Vervet monkeys enjoyed our splendiferous monkey feeder and garden. Our dog chased the monkeys into the trees.

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Working with MCC partners

Cristina works with Evans, the school director at Mukuru

SODIS bottles at Mukuru school. SODIS is a disinfection technology ("SOlar DISinfection). Water is placed in clear plastic bottles in the sun. The combination of heat and UV radiation effectively kills bacteria, viruses, protozoa - all the bad bugs that cause so many problems for people's health. Here the kids each have their own labeled bottles, and are responsible for setting them out in the morning.

The WASH program at Mukuru was started a number of years ago with the encouragement and support of an MCC constituent who had a vision for providing clean water in some schools that MCC works with. MCC partnered (and partners) with The Water School to implement an integrated program to provide clean water, functional toilets, facilities, hygiene education, and sanitary pads for adolescent girls, and training in sanitation such as hand washing (kids here are lined up for washing).

Each school (in Mukuru and Mathare North) has 3 WASH promoters/staff (one shown here directing students) who direct the projects, and who interact with the families of the students and the surrounding community. The ultimate goal is to fully integrate activities into the life of the community, not just at the schools.

The kids all know that handwashing is an important activity, and help each other out with it.

Happy to see some gardening going on in very difficult conditions here! Kale is grown here, a staple of Kenyan diets. "Sukumu wiki" is the local variety, literally meaning "to push the week" because its cheap and can get families through the week. Interesting that it was only introduced to Kenya in the 1980s, but has become such a fundamental part of Kenyan diet.

Lots of great kids at the school wanting to shake the hand of the mzungu (white person) that comes to visit

Water is received from city supply to a tank periodically, which is used to fill bottles and for washing. City water is treated, but there is a good deal of pipe breakage, often near sewage lines, so by the time it arrives at its destination, it usually is not clean.

WASH is promoted on the walls of schools.

Kids receive a hearty Kenyan lunch - here Githeri, a traditional dish of beans and corn.

New restrooms were constructed at the back of the school. The piles of dirt are to try and build up the land, which suffers from serious flooding during the rainy season.

River immediately behind the school, choked with trash. This floods up into the school. With warnings of El Nino this year, the school is nervous about flooding.

"Where's Waldo" - Cristina amidst the throng of kids at class break

Back out in Kitui, the rural area 3 hours east of Nairobi, we visit some farmers. SASOL director Mutinda (left), SASOL community organizer Elijah (with his back to camera) and Dan Wiens from MCC in Winnipeg talk with a farmer (woman to the left) about her conservation agriculture farming practices. She has been trying new techniques such as crop rotations, manure applications, and coverage which have raised her production.

Here leftover stalks from a previous crop are left on the soil to provide nutrients, organic matter, and to prevent erosion.Typically such residues are fed to livestock, so it requires commitment by the farmer to leave it on the field (and to keep out livestock)

Members of the food security group all collaborate to implement conservation agriculture techniques. MCC is partnering with World Renew and Canadian Food Grains Bank to implement a large conservation agriculture project over 5 years in Kenya, Ethiopia and Tanzania.

Kitui countryside

And a few other pictures from life here in Nairobi. While I was in Kitui, Cristina fended off a troop of monkeys that were about to enter our open porch door! Here a mother and her baby scramble away.

Although we don't have autumn here, there are some seasonal changes. Here the large tree is covered with yellow flowers as the dry season comes to a close. Yellow flowers carpet our backyard beautifully from the tree!

Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Aberdares Nat Park

Posted by Evan [with added notes from Doug]

[On Mashujaa Day, a Kenyan holiday, we headed up into the high Aberdares with some friends to camp. We enjoyed the wonderful company of the Carpenter and Hostetter/Siegrist families, friends of ours that live in Nairobi also, going up into the subalpine area of Kenya to camp for 2 nights was a great retreat from city life. We camped at the Reedbuck campground, on the way up going through the beautiful Salient forest, and then on the way back coming the quicker way down the eastern edge of the range. (googlemaps route)

The Aberdares are mountains north of Kenya that have excellent forest and subalpine areas, rising to around 13000 feet. The area was known as a center of Mau Mau activity in the 1950's. We didn't plan it specifically, but Mashujaa Day is "heroes" day in Swahili, the day for celebrating those that fought for Kenyan independence. (see Radiolab's episode for a very interesting story about the Mau Mau period.]

Blue Minkey

[Blue Monkey is otherwise known here as the Sykes Monkey. We've been enjoying the many primates that we see!]

Rogue Bushbuck

[Bushbuck were common in the area, one of the many beautiful ungulates we see in Kenya! Every time we go out in Kenya we see new kinds of antelopes and such! The bushbuck were fearless, roaming around our campsite]

Fisi (Hyena) Feces

[We don't see some of the species around, but see their evidence. Here is evidence of the hyenas in the area, mostly fur left over from its prey]

Evil Safari Ants

[Safari ants are very painful to get into, so we keep a close lookout for them]

Reid, Alex, Sam, Evan, and Liesl

[The kids on the trip had a great time together. Here at an overlook for waterfalls]

Karuru Falls

[The upper falls, about 300 meters. There are middle and lower falls, also 300 to 400 meters each]

Falls with a cave below where the Mau Mau hid

Campsite

[Our campsite, during a rare sunny period. The area is shrouded in mist and fog most of the time, but cleared at brief times. ]

Effulgent Ephalunt!!

[We looked all weekend for the elephants that inhabit the forests. Finally on the drive out we spotted some - our first spotting of elephants here in Kenya!]