Last meeting with KASFOOC OrphansThe true beneficiaries

Some Rotary beneficiaries of both fish and clean water- 26 orphans (21 shown- they kept trickling in).  The little girl in the pink dress had both parents die when she was 1 week old

At the KASFOOC meeting we finally get a picture with both of us in it- usually one of us is behind the camera.

Joyce translates for Tanya

Some of the widows and orphans with Terry and Tanya- soda supplied by a 12 year old who does fundraising in the Nederlands and sends enough money so all the kids can have treats. all these children have lost at least their father.

video of opening song:

video of Terry saying a few words (1 min)

After a prayer, opening comments, a song or two and a couple of poems about AIDs and education from the children I had one last chance to give a 10 minute lesson on fish feeding, tadpole culling and other tricks of the trade to get your fish to market size fast and at a profit.  Later on we met with the KASFOOC board for one last accounting session.  Today we meet one more time to hand KASFOOC (again) some gadgets to help them monitor and report back to Rotary the Fish Farm progress: computer + camera+ cell phone+ GPS+ chargers and batteries.  We will also do a few photo ops and get a few pictures of TnT in the same photo.


It has been so great to have these last 3 weeks to ensure the fish farm project gets a good start.  We have had time to meet with Rotary , Rotoract, sponsored students and make sure everything is on a good footing.  We areleaving today calmly and not in the whirlwind of our last exit in March. We are not sure when the rest of the springs will get built, the sites have not even been selected, but our relationship with RC Kakamega is sound and I am sure they will be completed.  We have done everything we can do and 1000's of people have clean water, so we didnt want damage our relationship with RC Kakamega by pushing too hard to get our own way.

Now I go for my last run in Africa for a loong time.  Its Sunday morning, we have 39 hours of travelling to do before we reach Vancouver airport.

Crushing pellets

Visited the farms 2 days after the fingerling delivery to check on the fish, show them how to crush pellets and feed the fish.  Grace and EstherS ponds fed well.  Carolyn and EstherA showed no feeding response.

Sugar cane, cattle and fish farming all in one picture

Our Kenya trip is winding down.  Last night we attended a Rotary event featuring one of the members, Club Secretary Alice's, schools.  18 of her teachers were there and interesting presentations followed by a great buffet made for a good informative evening.

We are spending today on paperwork: writing reports for Comox Valley newspapers, Club and District websites and putting together our presentation.  Also reviewing our accounting for our District Community Grant final report and for all the friends who sent us private donations and will want to know what was spent on what.  I am filling out all my President-Elect forms, due Monday.  Its all quite tedious.  At least we are outside wearing shorts and flip flops while we do it.  Better to do it now because once we get back to Canada we will be swamped by life: e.g taxes,ugh.

5000 fingerling tilapia delivered

Picking up the fingerlings at 11am at Dominion Farms in Yala Swamp near Bondo- we left Kakamega at 6:40 am. The guy on the left is standing in a floating wheelbarrow.

The crew bags the fish in double plastic bags, 500 per bag, with oxygen added.

While I was overseeing the fingerling packaging, Matano was getting 500 Kg of feed loaded into the matatu behind me.  It was a gong show of paperwork, gates and askaris.  We are only 3 hours from Kakamega but the workers all speak a different dialect.  Fortunately I was mentally prepared for the 2.5 hr run around.

When we arrived at the first widow's pond at 5pm later that same day the rain started to pour- everyone ran inside leaving me and this boy to do the actual release of fingerlings into Grace's pond.  That is the overflow stand-pipe sticking out of the water.

To minimize the time the fishies spent in plastic bags we had Mr Shitambasi meet us at SomKen petrol station.  He was an hour late and showed up on a bicycle.  We paid someone to look after his bike and hired him this motorcycle so he could rush his 1500 fish to the waiting pond.

The worst part was watching the fish slosh back and forth for 3+ hours as we drove the terrible roads back to Kakamega.  Fortunately we only saw a half dozen morts upon delivery

After waiting for the worst of the rain to subside Matano and I released the last 1000 fingerlings into Esther Anyoso's pond.  This was the only release that had a couple morts.

Moses, Matano and me met at Tour Africa Cafe at 6am and got back to Kakamega at 6pm after fish delivered to ponds. A very successful day. And I have to admit a dream come true.  39 years after going to a pet store and bringing home my first African fish to my first aquarium that I got from my Auntie Katie, here I was in Kenya holding a plastic bag of fish and returning 'home' with it.  This time as part of a Rotary District Community Grant.  Ever since I opened my first tropical fish book as a kid I have dreamed of this moment- growing fish in an African pond. I dreamed of doing it for a living, and who knows...  In 2009 time would not allow me to be present for the fingerling transport and delivery. Today the fish get to rest, tomorrow I will tour the 4 recipient ponds and do some feed training- we gave them nice laminated feed tables (written by me, published by Tanya) to follow.




I will post a couple movies later Allah/ God willing- takes about 5 hours to upload.  We haven't had 5 hours between power outages all week.  What a day, 8 hours of bumping and grinding in that matatu could not dampen my spirits.

Not all is lost

I am stunned and heartbroken today as I think about the hundreds of pictures I've lost.  I just can't re-snap 6 weeks of spontaneous, precious moments.  And there are no camels in Kakamega!  Waaaaaaaaaa!!!

I did capture this gem yesterday though, which softens the blow.  Terry left me in a meeting yesterday at Nakumat.  When I called him to find out where he was, he said he was somewhere near Vagelha's shop.  You can imagine my surprise when I found him at Sally's Beauty Palace. 

Terry's first mani-pedi

A couple of hours later, I received this text message, "This isn't ending."  When he finally got home, I asked how it was.  It was 2 1/2 hours.  Mostly unpleasant.    But, he admits today, his toes have never looked so good!

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First official meeting of WoW Club -- Women of Worth

On another happy note.  Friday marked the first official meeting of the Women of Worth Club of Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology.  What started as a group of 6 young women who accepted my invitation to meet on a blanket under a tree at my house has grown into the birth of a new club dedicated to empowering women and educating the community about women's rights.  This may very well be the most important thing we started while we were here.  I am so moved by these girls!  Left to right:  Me, Tabitha (Treasurer), Gentrix, Askar (Secretary), Sylvia, Winnie (Founder), Jacqueline, Gloria (Chairlady), and Susan.  Absent:  Faith, Lucinda, Stella. 

They will face some challenges, but the conversation is started and I do believe they will be unstoppable.
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Some things you just can't capture in a photo.

Like the sound of the blood curdling screams we heard last night just before we went to bed.  And the feeling of trying to talk yourself into believing that the voices that followed were of people coming to the rescue.

Like being followed by a little boy not yet two, all the way across the golf course and almost across the busy street, until a kind man picked him up and turned him around.

Like hearing the news blaring at the Golf Hotel about a string of death in Mtwapa, when you were just in Mtwapa a week ago.

Like the unsettling feeling of being asked to assist me with 10 bob by a young boy with a machete grazing his 6 cattle on the side of the road.

And the music in the street, the way the chickens run for joy when I throw my compost in the garbage pile in the corner of our compound, the site of hundreds of children in tattered school uniforms giggling as they pass the mzungu with a look of triumph on their face if we answer Fine, thank you, how are you?

National Coverage of Rotary Springs project, but...

...but, nothing comes for free.  It "cost" (no receipts possible) about $200 CDN to have this coverage.  I left it to RC Kakmega to arrange and they said its the only way to get publicity.  Not to mention to get attention from politicians.  I know how offensive this is to our Canadian sensibilities, but these kind of challenges abounded. Also with training workshops- even if you provide free training, onsite, a transportation stipend is expected from each participant, including 'volunteers' and teachers, and of course for the 'free' venue.  "But we are having this workshop in timbuktwo to SAVE money and time!!" I yelped, "what about the donors, it COST me money to come here and I have to pay others to come,to learn about clean water, that WE brought to them?!".  All I can hope is that donors understand I did my best to guard their hard-earned dollars. I just kept thinking of the tots who wont die of diarrhea, pay the money and curse the culture of graft. "For the kids, for the kids, for the kids..."

Morning visit to Kakamega High School;Afternoon meeting about fish delivery.

SURPRISE! We thought we were having a meeting with just Minishi Oliver school principal for Kakamega High School about future Rotary Projects this morning.  He wanted us to both speak to all 1300 students. So after a rousing song and prayer we made our speeches (I got a few laughs speaking swahili and saying I was a fast runner for "an old white guy"). I made a video of Tanya speaking, but she wont let me post it.  She did well. We described all the Rotary projects we were working on.

Principal Minishi is eager to do a Rotary project that brings a bakery and fish ponds into the school to raise money (and food) to sponsor poor, but high achievers.  KHS has a very good reputation.

Meeting (at Tour Africa of course with passionfruit juice) with KASFOOC's Matano setting up logistics for next Tuesday's fish and feed delivery.  We start at 630 am on trip to Dominion farms 4 hours away to pick up feed and fish and distribute to 4 Rotary-sponsored fish farmers in the co-op.  Its going to be a long day.

On the fish pond - very hot day

This what i came home to yesterday: Tanya reading to the neighbour's kids. Don't worry , I kicked everyone out right away. "Scram" I barked. ;)

The sticks near my left hand are a compost pen holding cow dung to fertilize pen. Normally it would be removed for seining as it catches everything.

Yesterday, Thursday, was play in the pond day.  It was 33 degrees.  Tanya got pretty woozy, but she manned the camera well. Had a good Rotary meeting, all issues sorted out nicely.  Big weight off our shoulders.  We REALLY pushed to finish the 8 springs while we were here.  As a consolation prize I do get to focus on fish ponds Rotary District Community Grant, which has been great.

 Today was 7 hours of paper work at the Golf Hotel.  That's Grace from RC Kakamega, we completed the first draft of our online Global Grant report, then met with treasurer Pillai and sorted out the finances. RCK has 501,000Ksh ($6000 CDN) to get 8 more springs built. We met with all 3 fundis (contractors) and got final, official, receipts.  I gave them Certificates of Appreciation that they can use for future client wooing.

Great news.  We are 45 min into a lightening rain storm.  Yahoo. Longest so far has been 15 minutes. Two of our ponds can really use the water- as can the whole area.  Our protected springs are receiving extra use as unprotected springs dry up.  This is the very driest time of year.

fistfulls of tadpoles- unfortunately we didnt take a pic of our first seine where we caught lots of frogs and tadpoles. I was teaching seining techniques and ridding pond of tadpoles- fish due next tuesday

This is Carolyne's pond (widowed mother of 5). That rock to the right is going to be tricky come harvest time. Its huge.

WAAAY easier to seine a fish pond than a fish pen on a 100'x100' steel ocean pen with tides and wind waves- WAAYY