A Rotary Partner club proposes a follow-on project

A visit to a Rotary water and/or sanitation project can be life changing. 

Just 2 months ago a Rotarian from Saint John (New Brunswick, Canada), one of our 25 partner Rotary clubs, visited Ndandini to witness first hand the completed Ndandini well project.  While there Greg Jewett used his skills and experience to teach the primary school teachers how to make better use of the computer and internet link which we had just given to them, now that we have installed solar lighting and power in the school.  He says "I made 1200 friends at the 6 schools in the area" and "the people are so friendly and thankful" for the contributions that have been made towards improving the welfare of the village.

 Now, just this week Greg tells us that he and his Rotary club intend to help start a new Rotary project.  This new project will help bring the 19,000 litres of water an hour that the well can deliver closer to the village where over 3000 people live.  Fundraising and project planning have already begun.

With support from partner Rotary clubs, like we did this year to drill the well, we hope to install some 4km of piping and, using solar powered pumps, fill water storage tanks in the village. Women and children will then no longer have to walk many kilometres to fetch water which takes so much time away from the childrens' studies and from the women's many family responsibilities.

If you think your Rotary Club would like to become a partner in our success in Ndandini, perhaps in this new pipeline project, send me an email terryumbach@hotmail.com to start the ball rolling.  If your interests are in other related areas such as improving sanitation at schools or literacy (possibly by providing improved educational aids like solar powered computers for teachers at the other 5 primary schools) or implementing a computer lab at the local secondary school, let's talk.  The needs are so great and there are many small and inexpensive projects that could be done quickly.

We continue our work to build a village development model that hopefully can be replicated in many places.  Bridging Continents and Building Communities - Starting with Water.

Please read the many posts in this blog.  So much good is being done in the Ndandini area because of the interest and generosity of many Rotarians and non-Rotarians working together.

Terry

GREAT NEWS for the COMMUNITY GARDEN PROJECT

Ndandini Village WILL have their volunteer community garden!  Because of the success of the well, the support of all the Rotary clubs in our Matching Grant project, and other donors to date, and the willingness of the Ndandini community to work to help themselves, a very generous donor has stepped forward to fund the majority of the cost of the community garden project.  For this we and the villagers are VERY grateful.

Just take a look at the wonderful progress that the school is making with their first tomato and spinach crop, planted less than two months ago!  Already you can see large and small green tomatoes getting ready to ripen on the vines.

It is also wonderful to see the students actively participating in looking after the outside drip-irrigation garden.  Look at the size of those spinach plants!

If you would like to be a part of helping us help these willing villagers and students improve their lives, you can do so by clicking on the "Donate" area at the top right of this blog.  Everyone's contribution helps.  It could be the best Christmas gift that you will give this year.

And if you would like to help us provide scholarships to 20 students at the local high school, you can do that too by visiting our scholarship blog and donating there.  How many of your friends and family would be glad that you helped a student in Ndandini go to school rather than buying that extra little gift that they didn't really need?  You can get a tax receipt (for Canadian tax returns) for either donation.

Go to http://www.ndandini-scholarshipfund.blogspot.com/  to read about the scholarship fund.

Thanks

Terry

Scholarship Fund Launched to Assist Ndandini area students attend Kyaithani Secondary School

Joan Merrick was among the initial visitors to Ndandini in September 2007.   She was impressed by the eagerness of the the women and children to educate themselves and improve their lives and futures.  She was also devastated by the realization that their poverty and the lack of support for the community was dooming them.

Joan became an active supporter of the Ndandini Water Project and in September 2010 revisited Ndandini for the dedication of the now operating well.  While there Joan toured the five primary schools and the one secondary school in the Ndandini area.  She met with many of the students and the principal, Kimali.

Kimali himself was originally a student of this area.  He went on to a teaching career and has now returned to help educate the children of the area.  He has also become the Chairman of the Ndandini Water Project, and is leading an initiative to coordinate the educational activities of the six schools in the area to encourage more students to complete higher levels of learning.

Joan returned to Canada with the desire to organize a scholarship program to help.  We are so happy to see more people taking an active role in helping the Ndandini area.

Please visit the scholarship fund blog for more information about the fund.  I encourage you to spread the word about this worthwhile project. 

Visit  http://www.ndandini-scholarshipfund.blogspot.com/ where you can make a donation and receive a receipt for your Canadian tax return.

This scholarship program is also being supported by the Rotary Clubs of Belleville (Ontario) and Sunshine Coast-Sechelt (BC).

Terry

An Opportunity to Help

We have an opportunity to acquire an acre of land near the Ndandini Primary School to use as a "community garden".  We have talked to the community about this concept for over a year.  They are eager to contribute.

Here is the idea:

1.  Our donor community contributes the funds to secure the land, fence it, and acquire and install a drip-irrigation greenhouse system similar to the one that we have already installed at the Ndandini Primary School.   The preliminary estimates are that the cost will be in the area of $12,000 to $14,000 to buy the land and the greenhouse system and to buy and install a fence around the acre of land.

2.  The village secures volunteers from the village area to contribute their labour (free) to plant the crop, oversee the community garden, and manage the operation.  The greenhouse at the Ndandini Primary School which has been started already will serve as the training ground for these volunteers.

3.  All proceeds from the community garden crops would be used to fund the operation of the well in order to keep the cost of the water as low as possible.

I am looking for expressions of interest and donations from all parties who may be interested in participating in the project to get a community garden implemented at Ndandini.

The greenhouse that we have installed at the Ndandini Primary school is performing wonderfully.  After only 2 months of us buying it for the school, the tomato plants are already starting to flower!  This proves that the community garden would be a great support project for the well and the village.  Take a look at all the tomato plants in the first greenhouse.

You may make a contribution to this project by clicking on the "Donate Here" area at the top right of this blog.  Or contact me at terryumbach@gmail.com .  Thanks

For your interest, an acre of land would potentially allow the village to eventually install 6 or 7 greenhouses.  Amiran Kenya, the supplier of the greenhouse system, has documented that the proceeds from one year of crops is enough to buy another greenhouse.  So, this could be the start of a very worthwhile economic development project for the village.

Terry

Tomato Plants Are Growing/Visitors at Ndandini!

This week we delivered a camera to Ndandini so that the teachers can send us photos.  Here is the first photo from them.

It is GREAT to see the progress they have made with growing their first crop of tomatoes.  This is what it looked like only a month ago.

This week Greg Jewett (from our partner Rotary Club in Saint John NB) and Jon (a reporter from the Telegraph Journal in Saint John) visited Ndandini.   Greg has been teaching the teachers on how to use the internet so we expect to hear lots more from them.

Jane and Titus are two of the teachers at Ndandini Primary School.  Here is "Our First Email" sent from them:

Our school is appreciating all the services you people from Canada (and Rotary clubs around the world) are giving to us ,indeed we are very grateful and we still request you to continue with the good work .
yours faithfully jane and titus .

Here is what Greg has posted on his blog about their visit:

On October 14th:
Jon and I have been here in Ndandini now for a couple of days. This is the first chance I've had to get on the internet and update you. I'll be brief so I don't use up all of their internet time.

So far we have had a complete tour of five or six schools in the area, having visited each classroom and having met approximately 1250 students. We taught them all to "Hi Five" which was new to them and a lot of fun for us.

We are camping out in the generator room at the wellsite which is a really nice hotel room for us to use. The concrete floor is a bit unforgiving for my old bones but jon is sleeping well. So far no strange diseases or sickness of any kind. It has been about 35 degrees each day but we haven't lost our acclimatization from summer yet so it doesn't feel too bad. We are drinking about two liters of water a day though.

The well is an amazing accomplishment. Jon is writing profusely and we're taking lots of pictures. We have so much to tell but it will have to wait until we get home.

Willl update again soon, most likely from Mozambique. We're leaving for Pemba on Saturday. We will be sad to leave here ... so many new friends and so much fun playing with the kids.

On October 15th:
Well, a very emotional departure from Ndandini. In just a few short days we feel like we have become extended family members of these villagers who are so welcoming and hospitable. Their quiet and unassuming demeanors are such a treat for two boys who are used to a much more materialistic culture. We were treated to two beautiful lunches at the school. The only regret that we have is that neither of us was able to eat everything that was set before us. The first lunch treat was chicken and the second beef. We know that the teachers went to great lengths to provide us with these beautiful meals and we appreciated them so much.

I finished up today with what computer training I could squeeze in with the teachers at the Ndandini Primary School. The teachers are very eager to learn about computers and the internet and I had a great time teaching them. They are like sponges trying to absorb it all, anxious to pass it on to their students. Jon is spending his time talking to the villagers, getting their stories, and taking lots of pictures. We are going to have an amazing story to tell when we get home.

Duncan started up the generator at the wellsite today just for us to show us the whole system in action. It is truly amazing with everything running like clockwork. Duncan has done a masterful job in pulling this all together onsite. He is truly a master craftsman. He and his helpers were working at putting up a fence around the whole system today. Even at noon when the temp hit 40 degrees they kept going. Jon and I tried hard to find some shade to sit in but at noon at the equator there isn't very much shade.

After getting back here tonight to our two star hotel in Nairobi and having a shower we feel like we are in a five star. The generator room was a great spot to stay on-site, though. I was actually starting to get used to sleeping on the concrete floor...only woke up two or three times last night with an arm or leg asleep. We have a real bed to sleep in tonight, but I might have to move to the floor if I can't get comfortable :)

Tomorrow we head for Mozambique for the second half of our trek. I'm really looking forward to going back to see my old friends there.

Terry

Ndandini Update as of October 2/10

It has been 4 weeks since our group attended the dedication ceremonies at Ndandini. And even though we are all now back home in Canada, Denmark and Nairobi things are continuing to happen.

The seeds have been planted in the greenhouse and garden at the Ndandini Primary School. There is much excitement waiting for them to sprout.

Our Project Manager Duncan is making plans to return to Ndandini on October 12th to complete the fencing around the well site.

From October 5th to 10th Aksel Neilsen, from our partner Rotary Club in Aalborg/Stigsborg Denmark, is presenting "The Ndandini Water Project Story" to the European Rotary Institute being held in Denmark. We are hoping that the exposure will bring more interest from other Rotary Clubs in what we are trying to do with our www.onevillageatatime.ca project concept.

This past weekend, Silas Oswe was at the Ndandini Primary School providing some computer and internet training for the teachers so that they can make better use of the computer which we provided for the school.

From October 12th to 15th, Greg Jewett, from our partner Rotary Club in Saint John New Brunswick Canada, and Jon MacNeil, a reporter from the Saint John Telegraph Journal, will be going out to Ndandini. While there they will help with the fencing project and also provide some additional computer training sessions for the teachers. They will also likely do some lessons for the school kids as well.

Joan Merrick, who visited Ndandini back in September 2007 and again with us last month, is working on putting together a scholarship project which we hope will result in there being donor funding made available to allow promising students to attend secondary school - young people who otherwise could not afford the us$120 per year which the government does not subsidize - and give them a chance to advance beyond the life of poverty which otherwise would overtake them.

I am working on trying to create a project to bring solar power to the secondary school so that we can also install a computer lab there. I am hopeful that we will be able to attract a couple of Rotary Clubs to undertake this project.

And just yesterday I received an offer from a person in Nairobi, who discovered our blog and has been following it, to create a website for the people of Ndandini so that their story and progress can be told to the web world.

All the support from our various donors, partners and followers is much appreciated.

Stay tuned for more news.

The ball is starting to roll.

Terry

FEEDBACK FROM NDANDINI PRIMARY SCHOOL

When we were at Ndandini and installed the computer and internet link, we also set up several email accounts with the hope that this would encourage email communication between Ndandini and us donors.

That is starting to happen!

Here is an email received today from the headmaster at the Ndandini Primary School.

Terry


Terry,
We are grateful to have received your e-mail dated 12/9/2010. We have already bought the nursery bed-kit and we have already planted the seeds.I have started computer lessons at Kiusyani Market and am intending to train teachers and two pupils. Teachers and pupils are enjoying the t.v and the computer.Pass our regards to Rev. Clarence Li of St. Hildas Anglican Church and our beloved Christian Youth.
Receive much greetings from teachers and pupils.

Yours Andrew

GREENHOUSE CONSTRUCTION VIDEO

Here is a short video of how the greenhouse got constructed for the Ndandini Primary School.  There are also some photos of installing the solar panels, computer and TV/DVD.

Terry

Well Done! Well, what next?

Well, the well is almost complete. And it has been a huge success.

From our initial hope for 4,000 liters of potable water an hour from the borehole to serve 600 people in the immediate Ndandini area we have expanded to actually producing 19,000 liters of water an hour and potentially being able to serve over 3000 people in the greater Ndandini and Kyaithani area.

All that remains for our original water project is for us to complete the security fencing around the tanks, borehole and generator building.

Once again, thank you everyone who contributed in any way since we started fundraising for this project way back in September 2007.

Well, what happens next?

In short, there are no plans for any additional extensions to our original project (to bring a well to the village of Ndandini.)

We have gathered an exceptional group of donors, both individuals and Rotary Clubs from around the world. Many donors have expressed an interest in what things might be able to be done “after”. We have tried to outline some ideas in our blog posts along the way as we completed this project.

It is our hope that those individuals or Rotary Clubs who have a desire to sponsor or get involved with any follow projects will do so.

We see many small projects that can be undertaken in the Ndandini and Kyaithani area. These projects do not require multi-club coordination and overall project management like the current water project did.

We have succeeded in developing a small group of responsible people in Ndandini and Nairobi that can now undertake some of these smaller projects themselves in cooperation with donors. For any donor who is interested, I can ensure that you get set up with the best people in Nairobi and Ndandini.

Some of the smaller project ideas include:
improved latrine blocks for all the six schools,
initial solar lighting and power systems for the other five schools,
initial computer, internet link and TV display for the other five schools.

There are also some bigger project ideas:
Implementation of the community garden and drip-irrigation/greenhouse,
Installation of a water distribution system to get the water closer to the people of Kyaithani,
A scholarship program to improve access to secondary and advanced education for area students.

We hopeful that the Kenyan government will take on the responsibility for the water distribution challenge.

We are continuing investigating issues and budgets relating to the community garden concept and will update the blog as we proceed with this.

We are also investigating possible ways of setting up an ongoing scholarship program.  It would be great if we could set this up as an on-line fundraiser which can also issue Canadian tax receipts for individuals.  Again we will keep the blog updated with progress in this area.

All the people of Ndandini and Kyaithani send their "asante sana" - thank you very much!!

Terry

A PROMISING MEETING WITH THE MEMBER OF PARLIAMENT - PERHAPS GOVERNMENT HELP?

Today, Monday September 6th was to be our final day in Kenya for the group.  We had set up for a day of touring and last minute souvenir shipping.  But once again, one of those magic moments occurred.  Terry received a phone call that the MP, Honorable Charles Nyamai, for the Kitui West constituency wanted to have a meeting.  

So at 9:30 a car arrived to pick us up.  Terry took along a founding member of our Sunshine Coast-Sechelt Rotary Club, Clark Hamilton.  Meanwhile the rest of the group headed out on the prearranged tour.  We would catch up later after what we were sure would be a courtesy call lasting no more than 10 or 15 minutes.

Well, our meeting lasted almost 2 hours!  If I say that it exceeded my wildest imagination, I would not be doing it justice!  I have had several correspondences with Charles over the past two years, especially over the past two months.  Most recently to reply to his request for a "report" about the results of our drilling.

Imagine our surprise when he informed us that the government water ministry had tried to drill a borehole about a year ago near Kyaithani Secondary School, drilled it to a depth of 150 meters - and found no water!  He explained that he was delighted that we had been successful.  He then proceeded to say that getting the water that we had found distributed closer to the 3000+ people around Kyaithani was a priority and that he believed that he would be able to get most of the 4 million Kenyan shillings that the government had allocated to the unsuccessful Kyaithani borehole redirected towards a pipeline from the Ndandini well site to the village of Kyaithani!!

The meeting only got better from there.  Other potential sources of government funding were outlined.  Resources to provide potential assistance in management, proper accounting and fiduciary tracking, and provision of an agronomist were discussed.  Frankly, I was astonished.  He personally had founded an NGO (non-governmental organization) in 2006, prior to his election as an MP in 2008, to help the area achieve an improved level of economic development.  He is the Chairman of a technical services engineering company in Nairobi.  He called in seven of the resources from the NGO that he personally supports for them to be a part of the meeting and witness his support of our efforts in Ndandini.  

In conclusion, he expressed his hope that we would partner with them in helping with the economic development of the area around Ndandini and Kyaithani.  To my surprise, never once was there a request for funding of the NGO.  Only a hope that our donors would see the needs of the area and find it in their hearts to continue to support the economic development of the area in whatever way they saw fit.

We too hope that what we have done (to bring water, the greenhouse, solar power for the one primary school, and one TV and computer with internet link) will only be a start in our original dream of "adopting" Ndandini and making our efforts there a model on how others can help other villages "One Village At A Time".  I hope that everyone is proud that you are a part of our success!  I hope too that we have all learned more about life in villages like Ndandini and have become more sensitive to how a little bit of help applied for specific purposes can make a huge difference to the future of many people.

I will keep you posted on our progress with completing the final phases of our current project: the fencing of the well site, the fencing of the greenhouse/garden area at the Ndandini Primary School, and hopefully the start of a community garden in Ndandini. 

Thanks again.  Your ongoing interest and support is appreciated.

For anyone interested in communicating directly with the Ndandini school or the Ndandini Water Project Management Committee, we have set up several email addresses, depending on the target audience.  I encourage you to start communicating with them.  It is amazing what can happen when people around the world start talking and applying their knowledge and resources to problems and opportunities.  Be sure to indicate who you are and why you are interested in them and the area.

To reach Kimali, the Chairman of the Ndandini Water Project Management Committee, use email address kimalins21@gmail.com 

To reach the headmaster and deputy headmaster (who is also the person responsible for the greenhouse) at Ndandini Primary School use email address ndandinihead@gmail.com 

To reach the teachers of Ndandini Primary School use email address  ndandiniteachers@gmail.com 

To reach the students of Ndandini Primary School use email address  ndandinistudents@gmail.com 

All email addresses are administered by teachers but corespondance between two individuals is okay as long as email content is appropriate.

Terry

HOW MUCH WATER IS 19,000 LITERS PER HOUR?

The well project has been a tremendous success, thanks to everyone's support!

I thought that I would try to show you how much water you have made available to Ndandini and the surrounding Kyaithani area.  Here are a few short video clips - total time is only a minute.

You will see 19,000 liters of water an hour being pumped directly from the borehole.

Then the water overflowing from the 48,000 liter storage tanks which we filled in only 2.5 hours.

Then up to four 20 liter jerrycans being filled in less than 20 seconds.

And finally kids enjoying the overflowing water during the dedication ceremony on September 5, 2010.


Thanks everyone for your kind support and donations which made all this possible!

Terry

(Please ignore the 1-7 of 15 panel at the end of the videos)

DEDICATION DAY - SUNDAY SEPTEMBER 5, 2010

Since our last blog, our group from Sechelt and Nanaimo (British Columbia, Canada) has had a fantastic safari.  We experienced a new luxurious lodge in Samburu.  Set very high on a huge rock outcropping, the open-air rooms looked out over the most awe-inspiring view of the huge valley with unbelievable views of the mountains and sunsets. 

This lodge has been built in cooperation with the local Kalama Maasai people so our stay was filled with cultural experiences as well as great game drives.  For me, it was a total contrast after spending a week camping in a tent out at Ndandini.  For Jan and the other four ladies who had just flown back from Mount Kilimanjaro after spending eight days climbing that mountain, it was like a completely different world!  We all had a few days to  give our bodies some needed rest and relaxation.

Then, after flying on to the Maasai Mara, we enjoyed four days packed full of the most unbelievable game viewing experiences.  The weather was much cooler and with more showers than we have ever experienced at this time of year but that seemed to keep the animals more active during the day - so it was non-stop action.  No one wanted it to end.  

But we were all also looking forward to our trip out to Ndandini for the dedication/celebration day for the well and greenhouse.

After flying back to Nairobi from the Mara on Saturday September 4th and then riding our bus for 3 1/2 hours to Kitui over some very bad and dusty roads and the very dangerous Mombasa highway, we checked in to the Parkside Villas hotel complex.  The sun was just setting as we arrived.  I wish I could tell you how everyone was feeling as our bus drove through Kitui, with each turn into a new street becoming less developed and poorer, until we finally entered a dirt track that the bus could barely negotiate.  I was at the front of the bus and could just feel the anxiety in the air as to "where is he taking us".  Then right at the end of the track were the gates to the hotel yard.  While still quite basic, for this part of the world it offers quite acceptable accommodation and food.

We soon all gathered for an evening group dinner and a chance to talk with Kimali, the chairman of the Water Management Committee and principal of the Kyaithani Secondary School.

But before I get into that, I need to mention a couple of things,  First is that we were joined in Nairobi by Aksel Nielsen, our project supporter from the Aalborg/Stigsborg Denmark Rotary Club.  It was great to have another of our partner clubs join us to visit the project and experience the excitement of its dedication.

The other is that when I had returned to Nairobi a little over a week ago, Duncan and I attended the Rotary club meeting of our host partner Rotary club, Nairobi Industrial Area.  There, I had the opportunity to update them with the progress that we have made at Ndandini.  I also told them about the excitement of the teachers at Ndandini Primary School upon receiving the new computer.  And I also told them that the teachers were in real need of some basic computer training. I asked them if they could think of any way that we could perhaps find someone to go out to the village for a weekend to conduct some computer training for the teachers.  Imagine my surprise when a guest at the meeting from Nairobi came over and told me that he would be interested in doing that!  This project has had so many magic moments like this one!  So I invited him to come along with us on our trip to the village for the dedication and he accepted - so Silas Oswe was also with us on the  trip.  More on this later in this blog -  keep reading.  Rounding out the group was Duncan, our invaluable project manager.

Everyone got the chance to meet each other and chat informally.  After dinner Kimali talked to us all for a short time and everyone was very impressed with his grasp of the issues, his plans for the Committee, his eloquance and his dedication to helping improve the lives of the people in the sub-area in which Ndandini and Kyaithani are located.

8am on Sunday saw us all on the bus and headed out of Kitui.  Very quickly we turned off the paved road for the hour and a half bumpy ride on the dusty road which quickly became single lane and ultimately not much more than a track.  

The dry river crossings with people scooping for water and miles of travel seeing mostly donkeys carrying jerry cans of water, or people carrying them themselves reminded us all about why we were here.  That water is so essential and that getting it takes so much time and effort for so many people in this and many parts of the world.

The official agenda for the day at the village was scheduled to start about 11am, so we had allowed about an hour and a half to take a very quick tour of the other schools in the area before going to the Ndandini Primary School to start the day.  Our bus driver did a fabulous job of negotiating what in most cases was nothing more than a double track footpath to get us to each of the school yards for the four other primary schools and the secondary school.

Our welcome at the very first school set the tone for the day.  Our arrival interrupted a couple of "Sunday School" classes where the kids were so cute and so excited at our arrival.  Everyone immediately got into talking with the children and teachers and enjoying the time together.  

At each school we also got to see the state of the school buildings and toilets and various attempts at trying to collect whatever rain might fall.  

Everywhere everyone looked we all saw lots of little potential "projects" that could help.  At every school we met interested parents who were so eager to show us the work that they had done to build the school or contribute to its operation.  We all wished that somehow we could share this experience with teachers and parents in the schools where we live.  These schools only function because of the active support of the parents on an ongoing basis.  And these little children walk miles to and from school every day so that they can get an education!

The six schools that we visited today were:
Nthilani Primary School  (motto: Strive to Excel)
Ndunguni Primary School
Muusini Primary School (Hard Work Pays)
Kyaithani Primary School
Kyaithani Secondary School
Ndandini Primary School (Education is Life)

With only 15 minutes at each school, all too soon we had to leave but by 11am everyone already felt that we all knew so much more about the area and the people who live here.

Our last stop before Ndandini was at the Kyaithani Secondary School.  This is a new school just opened in 2009 with only two grades and classrooms.  The challenge is to get a new classroom built each year so that the students can continue their education here as they strive to be able to move on to university.

While here we were treated to some singing by the entire school population - what an emotional experience - such fantastic harmony coming from these young people!  

We learned that it costs 8000 Kenyan shilllings for a student to attend for a year - that's only about $120 to us but an almost impossible amount for them.  A very sobering thought for us all as each of us thought about all the $120's that we spend throughout the year with little to show for it at the end of the year.

Some of the group got so caught up in the excitement of chatting with the students that they joined the students as they walked to the Ndandini Primary schoolgrounds.  Later we all laughed as they recounted to us their thoughts after a half hour of walking in the hot sun about how much further Ndandini was and how the answer each time was "not too far"!

Our driver managed to negotiate the bus all the way to the school for the rest of us and there we all got reunited and joined with four members of our host Nairobi Industrial Area Rotary club who had also come out for the day.  With each passing minute more and more villagers arrived and soon there was a large gathering.

It was impossible to contain the enthusiasm of all the villagers and ourselves.  Too much to see - to many questions to answer.  So for a few minutes everyone got to satisfy their most pressing interests - whether it was inspecting the greenhouse donated by St. Hilda's Anglican church or delivering some much needed sporting equipment for the students to the Ndandini teachers.  

While that was going on, we unloaded another big surprise.  While back in Nairobi and before we did our safari, we had purchased a 32" LCD TV and DVD player so that we could turn the one classroom (in which we had installed solar lights and power) into a audio/visual equipped training room.  Now we could display in high definition (HDMI) on the TV the images from the computer screen.  We can show to the entire class the Planet Earth DVD's from North America that we had brought.  With the new DVD player we could also show local and European DVD's on the TV.  

The excitement of the TV's arrival was something to behold.  

Even more interesting to watch was everyone's effort at unloading the large metal "cage" from the roof of the bus which will be installed in the classroom and house the TV securely.  

That was quite the effort and the students especially enjoyed trying to show us how "many hands make light work" as 10 or 15 of them tried to help carry it and manipulate it through the classroom doorway.  

Now that doorway was quite interesting and clearly had a height designed for primary school students as several Rotarian heads discovered (especially Aksel's) and carried home bruises to prove it!

Soon the short program of formalities at the school got underway - to dedicate the greenhouse, the solar system and the computer/TV/internet link.  

After appropriate introductions of Kenyan and international guests, an explanation by me (with translation) of how the project happened and all the people who had donated to make it possible, and a formal "thank you" from the village, we then were lead in a dedication prayer by the local AIC pastor Kitiwa.  Then the local villagers and students got to participate!

The singing and dancing were so special as each performance thanked us for the water and the greenhouse and for helping improve their education. 

The absolute highlight was a performance by 25 of the most adorable pre-school children you could ever see.  They had walked all the way from the very first school that we stopped at to get here!  As their performance unfolded, in absolutely clear and perfect English, we watched as sometimes groups of 3 or 4, or sometimes only 1, would continue to shout out the story line of what they hoped to become and how much they appreciated our help in giving them education.  We were so moved!  We asked them to repeat it several times so we could film it and just plain enjoy it over and over.

No important village celebration gathering can be compete without eating - and the village ladies had prepared ugali and veggies and cooked goat for everyone - so our carefully prepared boxed lunches on the bus remained on the bus and we all gratiously (if not enthusiastically) enjoyed the bowl of food that we were given for lunch.  They had even brought soft drinks for us!  

While eating lunch, Terry got to chat with the personal assistant of the Member of Parliament for the constituency that Ndandini is in.  He indicated that the MP was very supportive of the things that were happening in Ndandini.  That was encouraging as Terry wonders about what would be discussed at a personal meeting with the MP in Nairobi on Monday to which he was invited.

With a new burst of energy, after lunch in the heat of the day under a bright blue sky we all started our walk to the well site.  

We had arranged this specifically to give us guests an appreciation for what walking to the well is like.  Based on the reaction of the group, I am glad that I didn't have everyone carry a 20 liter jerry can of water as well!!  

Some thought it would be closer than others and all discovered what walking 2.5 km in the hot sun is like.  Everyone learned form the experience - especially those who took the opportunity to talk with all the villagers and children that accompanied us.  Afterwards, and every day since, we continue to be amazed at all the knowledge that we have gained from individual conversations that occurred during the walk.  It was an excellent time to mingle with the villagers.

At the well site, Terry gave a brief explanation (with translation) to the large crowd of how the well worked.  How water was pumped from 90 meters down in the ground into the three large tanks; how the machine in the building created electricity to run the pump; and how the water would flow to the kiosk and out of the four taps into their jerry cans.  He explained that if one used the hand pump at the shallow well and pumped very hard that you could fill a 20 liter jerry can in 1 minute.  And how that same jerry can could be filled in only 20 seconds under the new taps at the kiosk.  Terry then asked the crowd how long it would take them to fill that jerry can when scooping in the river - and got consensus that it would likely take 20 MINUTES!

A short dedication prayer for the water was given by the area Bishop and Kimali stressed to the people that the water was not owned by the white people - that it had been given to them and that they had the responsibility to use it for the benefit of the community. 

The Water Management Committee had asked Terry to also make a major announcement  - that for one month, to encourage them all to try the clean water the water would be FREE.  That was met with great shouts of happiness and thankfulness!!

We explained that the three tanks were already full of clean water and that there was enough water in them to fill 2,400 jerry cans.  We also told them that we would show them how much water the well can produce.  We told them to watch the overflow outlets at the top of the three tanks but to be careful that they did not get wet.  Then we started the generator.

Immediately the crowd made a mad rush to distance themselves from the tanks where they had been sitting.  Soon we all saw the first dribbles of water from the first tank and within a minute water was pouring out of it.  Soon water was pouring out of all three overflow outlets.  What an amazing sight ensued.  The children especially enjoyed touching the stream of water.  That soon became the enjoyment of splashing in it until their clothes were soaked.  One little guy enjoyed "showering" his shaven head.  Others rushed to collect whatever bottle they could find to fill and drink the water.

Everyone now knows that there really is water here.  We let the water run for a while to ensure that they knew it was for real and that there was lots.  Meanwhile other people were trying the taps at the kiosk and the local musical group set up and started performing.

It was a great climax to a lot of hard work and anticipation.  I wish that every donor had been able to be here to share in the experience.  And I wish that somehow we could tell the world how important water is to people like these who for so long have had it so hard to get water and now have hope of a better life.

All too soon it was after 4pm and time to head back to the school for the wrap up ceremonies.  It had been an unbelievably emotional experience for us and for the villagers.  We had told everyone that this was to be a celebration and no gifts - but they did not listen, so they enjoyed thankfully giving us their traditional hand carved (heavy and bulky) stools, gourds and baskets.  Along with their advice on how to only use the small stool (me) because the big stool was for the lady and head of the house.  And instruction for Jan on how to put the strap around her forehead to carry the weight of the attached basket!

Before the day's event concluded, Silas announced that he would be returning to the village in late September to conduct a teacher training course for the donated computer.  The teachers were really excited to hear that.   And we were so thankful that Silas had decided to get involved in the computer aspect of the project. 

Leaving was very hard.  But we all have the satisfaction of knowing that three years of very hard work and the donations of all our partners within Rotary, the individuals who donated to www.OneVillageAtATime.ca , and the generosity of the congregation of St. Hilda's Anglican church in Sechelt British Columbia have started to make a difference in the lives of many people here in the Ndandini area of Kenya!

God bless you - everyone!

Terry

NDANDINI GETS FIRST COMPUTER & MP'S ATTENTION

It is hard to believe that my time here this week in Ndandini is almost over.  Tomorrow morning at 8am Duncan and I get picked up to go back to Nairobi where we will be attending the Nairobi Industrial Area Rotary Club meeting  I am sure that they will be most interested to hear first hand about the project and plans for the celebration/dedication day on September 5th.

Our day started with the well inspector arriving from the government water department.  A formality in order to get our final extraction permit.  Mostly it entailed him taking a GPS reading to identify the site location for government records and taking the meter reading and serial number (so the water tax guys know the initial reading and make sure we don't swap meters).

While the inspector did his inspecting, we set up our laptop in the kiosk and caught up on emails and updated the blog.  The network response time is quite slow (compared to high speed internet at home) so we often had time to enjoy the view.

Then we were off to the Ndandini Primary School to finish off some minor work on the solar wiring at the Ndandini Primary school.  It was interesting to see that the teachers have already discovered that a benefit of working at the primary school is that you get to charge your cell phone.

We also had an interesting day as we unwrapped a BIG SURPRISE.  We had brought along a laptop computer with a Safaricom cell phone datalink!  We first demonstrated it to Kimali, the principal of the Kyaithani Secondary School and the chairman of the Water committee.  

Then we took it over to the Ndandini Primary School to show to the headmaster and the chair of the parents group.  Disbelief is probably an understatement.  Everyone is so excited that they will be able to introduce computer learning in the community!

It will definitely be a bit of a challenge to balance the use of the computer between the needs for email between the chairman of the water committee and me (as we begin the critical operational phase of the well), email between the deputy headmaster of Ndandini Primary (who is responsible for getting the greenhouse project underway) and me, email between the interested folk at St. Hilda's (who have donated the greenhouse for the school and are interested in building people to people links between the church and the school)  and the teachers and student at Ndandini Primary who are so interested to learn more about the computer and the internet.

Just so it isn't all about email, I took along a 5 DVD set of the BBC Planet Earth documentary that the teachers can use to augment their lessons on nature.  If only we had a projector so that these could be realistically shown to an entire class at once.

Already the teachers are talking about the need to share the solar classroom (with a power source for the computer) between all the schools - something that has never been done before. 

So we had quite a "computer day".  It actually started quite early (4am) as I tried to get caught up with my laptop in my tent.

Today we also opened up discussions with a landowner near the Ndandini Primary School about land for the community garden.  We hope to have an answer from him by September 5th when we return for the dedication day about his willingness to part with some of his land.  There may be an acre available.  That would be enough land for the community to eventually install 8 greenhouse kits like the one at the school.

All in all, I think we have made really good progress this week.  Most of our work to get the well to the operational stage is now complete.  The only physical work left to do is to fence the well site and install some sort of fencing around the greenhouse and garden at the school.

After three years of work on this project It is really hard for me to comprehend that very soon the number of emails every day to/from Kenya will decline and the concerns about deadlines and dealing with remote vendors and suppliers will be over.  I keep hoping that the work done to date to groom the water project management committee will be fruitful and that they will turn this project into much more than just a source of potable water for what is now several thousand people.  I truly believe that they see the possibility of this being a starting point for real community development.

On a final note for today, we received a phone call form the Member of Parliament for the constituency. They were inquiring to ensure that they would be welcome at the village on dedication day and also requested that I provide them with a report about the well and its ability to provide water for the neighbouring village of Kyaithani so that they could use it to back up a request for federal funding for a possible pipeline to that village.  It is much too early to have too much hope in federal grants but it certainly is better than disinterest or rejection!

We took one last look at the setting sun

and did a quick photo slideshow for some of the local kids that are so interested in everything we do.

There will not be many more blog entries until we report on the September 5th village dedication day.

Once again - thank you everyone for your encouragement and support throughout this project.  We could not have done it without everyone's help and involvement.

Terry

MICRO BANKING COMING TO NDANDINI

The full moon here has been quite incredible.  The sky is so clear without the pollution and all the diffused lights of the cities in places where most of us live.

When we were here in May we were amazed at how green the vegetation was.  We had never seen it like that in all our prior visits.  See below:

This is how it looks now only 2 months after the short rainy season ended.

A couple of the schools have water tanks/cisterns to catch rainwater from the roof but even those are already empty.

Today, Tuesday, we had arranged to be taken by Kimali, the chairman of the Ndandini Water Project Management Committee to Kitui town (about 1.5 hours by car) to meet with the lady who manages the Jamii Bora branch there and would service the Ndandini area.  So shortly after 9am Duncan and I left the wellsite in Kimali's car.  You cannot begin to understand how bad the "path" is to get to the wellsite!

Everytime someone comes here in a vehicle I shudder.  It was bad enough for the big drilling rig (which you saw on the blog) but for a little passenger car, it is definitely not something that i would do.  I wouldn't even want to do it in our Jeep.  About 200 feet from the tanks we got stuck.  So we all bailed out to see the car sitting there with the one back wheel about 2 feet off the ground and the other 3 wheels in various positions on the deeply rutted path.  I am amazed that Kimali was able to get the car backed up and then reposition the approach so that he could drive the car through the rutted area - even if the car was on a terrible tilt.  We had other similar events along the way, but I won't bore you with them here.  You should come and experience this for yourselves!

Anyway, we picked up others along the way so that by the time we arrived at Jamii Bora we had Kimali,the chairman of the committee; Andrew, the principal of Ndandini Primary School; and Japheth, the sub-area chief along for the meeting.

I had briefed them a little about the great things that the Jamii Bora Trust (micro-finaince bank) does.  Not only providing micro-finanance loans to very poor people, but also offering them an affordable health care program.  They were quite excited to hear more.

Our meeting did not disappoint!  Zipporah the manager of the branch had been out to Ndandini to present to the village in January 2009 so she understood a little about the Ndandini area.  She was very impressed that we had a new management committee and with the quality of the three men who had come.  Everyone hit it off very well and I believe that a lasting bond was established.  A bond which will pay great dividends for Ndandini over time.

Once a villager becomes a member of Jamii Bora, They must save a mimimum of 50 Kenyan shillings each week.  That's about 75 cents each week.  After 6 weeks they can then apply for a small loan of up to twice their savings account balance.     But even more valuable is that a member can immediately start paying a health care premium of only 30 shillings per week (about 45 cents) and get free unlimited in-patient medical coverage for one parent and up to 4 children.  Even pre-existing conditions are covered!

Tomorrow a baraza has been called for the Ndandini/Kyaithani area.  It was originally called to talk to the community about the well and the coming September 5th celebration/dedication day.  As a result of today, these gentlement are also going to talk to the entire community about Jamii Bora.  The members of the water project management committee are going to become members of Jamii Bora as examples to the community (and also because they were so impressed by what Jamii Bora can offer even to people like them who are much better off than most people in the area).

I am so excited that today happened.  It has been a year and a half since I found out about Jamii Bora and tried to get it started in the village.  Finally it looks like the great benefits will be taken advantage of by some villagers and I know that with the encouragement of the committee, it will quickly spread.  

The benefits of much needed affordable health coverage are within their grasp!  And without any donor having to build a local health clinic with all the operational costs and difficulties that entails.

As well, the committee will be opening a savings account with Jamii Bora in the name of the Water Project Management Committee.  This is where the income from the well will be kept.  Using Jamii Bora for this will provide a means of ensuring proper documentation and accountability for funds received from the small water fee per jerry can and the money received by charging people's cell phones.  We expect that water will cost about 2 Ksh per 20 litre jerry can (3 cents) and 

I am so pleased to see the committee eagerly decide that this is what they wanted to do!

We had over 3 hours in the car together and it was a most enjoyable day.  We talked about a very wide range of subjects and especially about community development ideas.  The sky is the limit - limited only by the committee's ability to catch the dream and inspire and motivate the village.

Here's an example.
Problem:  students have trouble completing homework because of lack of light at home at night.  There are some 200 students at Ndandini Primary School from 50 homes.

Possible solution:  from proceeds of the greenhouse, the school buys 50 D-Light solar lights at a cost of about us$1000 and provides one to each home that has a registered child at the school as long as they have a child at the school.  Duncan has tested this light for about 6 months and after leaving it exposed to the sun, can use the light for 5 or 6 hours each night.  The light is enough to light a whole room.  Alternately, a family could get a Jamii Bora micro-finance loan to buy one light and pay off the us$20 cost over 6 months.

Result:  students grades improve, money spent on kerosene for lamps is eliminated, and the air in the hut/home is much cleaner leading to less health problems.

There was also much discussion about ways to get the water from the well distributed to more people.  The largest population centre is some 4km from the well and that is very long way to carry a 20 litre jerry can.  We talked at some length about the idea of a community owned fleet of donkey carts to carry water and the employment opportunities that could be offered to men of the village to operate this service - men who currently have no employment opportunities.  The committee would own the carts and employee men and their donkeys.  The water would be delivered to schools, other potential storage locations and even individual homes for a slightly increased cost to cover the costs of the service.  Imagine the benefits of women having more time to tend their gardens (and improve harvest yield) and train their children; imagine the extra time that students would have for homework because they are not sent to fetch water every afternoon after school.

By 5pm when we got home everyone was very excited but also quite tired from the heat of the day and the mental stimulation.

We are all looking forward to tomorrow's baraza.  And after that I will be meeting with the entire Water Project Management Committee.  No doubt I will be tired after that.

Stay tuned.  I promise great news tomorrow!

Terry