Crowdfunded projects, COMPLETE!

I’m so happy and proud, that after the success of my crowdfunding campaign, we have been able to help and support so many people and groups by installing 3 water tanks and constructing 2 chicken houses, as well as support the local children’s and rescue centre!

Here are the pictures of the finished projects, after the progress report last week:

1)

Chicken coop for Mzwanenyi Womens Group

2)

Water tank for Lengo Safi Disabled Group

3)

Chicken coop for Gandia Self Help Disabled Group

4)

Water tank for HIV Support Group

5)

Water tank for Joy Self Help Disabled Group

6)

Donating mattresses, sanitary pads and food items to Mwatate Childrens Home and Rescue Centre

 

 

 

 

 

HIV Awareness and FUN Day

At our placement with Tesia Isanga we are working to support Orphans with Vulnerable Cases (OVCs), particularly those affected by HIV, and HIV Support Groups. Whilst on this placement, 2 weeks ago me and Geoffrey thought of an idea to organise an event for this audience and the community on topics regarding HIV and Education.

Alongside our placement manager, Gerald, over the last two weeks we have been spent hectically planning and organising the event which we had branded as a Fun Day.

The Fun Day took place yesterday with an audience of nearly 400 people. The day included speeches about HIV awareness, stigma and Education Empowerment. As well as this there was a talent show for the children, a crafts area as well as entertainment through out the day including a traditional Taita dance from the local primary school.

The day was supposed to have started at 9am, with lunch being prepared from 8am, but with Kenyan timing and a few other challenges we finally managed to get underway at 11! Despite this we managed to make this day a HUGE success with the the audience response saying they enjoyed the event and most importantly had FUN.

But the overall purpose and message of the day was to address important issues regarding HIV and Education, and i’m hoping that through this event we have been able to highlight and emphasise some of these things.

I am incredibly proud and happy to have been able to contribute to the organisation of the event, and Gerald has said that he hopes to now make this an annual event!

Traditional Taita Taveta Dance 

Talent Show; Poetry

Talk about HIV

HIV Support group performing a song about how before joining the group they felt lonely and isolated after finding out their HIV status… but together with the group they have been able to get through it and support each other and be optimistic.

 

Eating Competition!

Community Health Volunteers Speaking about Stigma

Crafts in the foreground

Tesia Isanga; The Next phase

Having spent the last 4 weeks at Mwakibu Farmers Cooperative Society (MFCS), this first phase of the placement with Tesia Isanga came to an end today.

MFCS is a farmers society which incorporates over 300 local farmers who grow and harvest aloe Vera. The MFCS then use the crop, by ensuring all the farmers are given an equal and fair price, for producing aloe Vera based products under the business name Morio. The products include shampoo, soaps, lotions and petroleum jelly. It is pivotal for the 324 farmers that these products sell well and the business is operating with good profit, so that they are able to continue supplying and create an income from selling the crop.

During our time here we have been working closely with the Chairman, Accountant, Salesman and some staff members in developing business and marketing strategies which they can implement to improve their operations and income. We spent the time evaluating their existing methods, gave ideas on how they can improve, and created new strategies such as selling wholesale and supplying to a local game lodge and boarding schools. This culminated with a company meeting of all the directors and members, where we spoke in depth about 8 different ways in which they can further the potential for MFCS. It has been an insightful experience working here, where we have been able offer our advice in order to improve the MFCS and indirectly positively impact the farmers which are involved with the project.

Now we have finished, we will now be moving on to working on a project to assist local community volunteers eho support orphans with vulnerable cases (OVCs) and in paticular children affected by HIV and AIDS. We had our first meeting with the volunteers to understand their role and how we can be involved in helping them.
Speaking to our Project Supervisor, Gerald, he told us that HIV has had a massive impact on the local population and that many people are sufferers with cases on the rise.

The volunteers each support upto 20 children, who have may have lost both parents to HIV/AIDS or are living with a single parent, who is also effected by the disease. The support they provide for the OVCs covers various basis, incliding: Education, Health, Psychosocial therapy, and economic empowerment. Our role will be to ensure that the volunteers can continue their vital work which enables these young children to have the same opportunity as ever other child. We also hope to visit local schools to offer educational sessions relating to HIV/AIDS.

Next week, we will be visiting some of the homes of the OVCs and their caregivers/ guardians and also meeting HIV/AIDS support groups… so we can understand and identify some of the problems they are facing and hope to resolve during our time.

X
Hussein

Positivity

It’s almost been 4 weeks since we plunged ourselves into the unknown abyss of Kenya, ready and prepared to tackle head on all of the challenges that I was about to come face to face with.

When I arrived in Taita Taveta and entered my host home, with my counterpart Eddie, and began my placement, together with Geoffrey, it was hard to put into words what I was expecting… even prior to arriving, when people asked me what I was most worried or scared about, I couldn’t give any answer because the reality was I had no idea…

Whenever I start something new or embark on a new challenge, the most important thing for me is to be positive and always smile. And I would like to think that this mindset has allowed me and my counterpart to achieve what we have so far.

At Tesia Isanga, we are almost at the end of our first phase. This part of the project we were working with a Farmers Cooperative Society, which involves over 300 local Aloe Vera farms, who all own Morio Aloe Products. This small business is a way for them to generate income from the farms by using the aloe Vera in order to create products like shampoo, soap, hand lotions etc. Working with this group has been difficult due to their reluctance to adapt and expand their business. So it was important for us to instill our own positivity to begin working on a new strategy for them. As we draw to a close the phase with the Cooperative society, we can say that, despite the problems, we have been successful in helping them to create a new marketing strategy and it was visible to see their appreciation. Myself and Geoffrey are now excited to continue our work with Tesia Isanga onto the next phase of our project with them.

We are also working with Mwatate Disabled Group. By partnering with this group which supports four other self help, Persons With Disability groups, it has been particularly important for us to remain optimistic and try to create a positive atmosphere as we aimed to make an impact with the members. When we spoke to some of the subgroups we found that they were either inactive, struggling to begin a project or had started but given up on an idea. There was at times a general negative attitude, so again it was incredibly important for ourselves as volunteers to try and motivate them to work with optimism. However, it has been really fulfilling to see the way the have taken our advice and input with a renewed sense of positivity. For example, one of the major successes has been with Joy Self Help Group, with whom we we were able to begin an agricultural project (Click here for Blog Post about the Project). Prior to arriving they had been inactive but their energy and enthusiasm since we decided on this project has been awesome to see, something clearly lacking at the start of this placement. We have also had a lot of positivity from another sub group, Gandia. Similarly, we have been able to work with them to start a small farm where they are growing vegetables like peppers and kale. But they are more focused and enthusiastic to start a poultry farming project. So with Gandia we have been working closely alongside a local labourer to develop plans to build a chicken house. The group had already applied for an interest free loan (given by the government for PWD groups), before we had arrived, but had not seriously thought about how to start this project. So for us it has been great to work with this group and start to make their ambitious idea into a positive result. We are also working with the other groups to develop new projects and expand existing ones.

And, finally… positivity to fundraise. When I decided that I wanted to embark on a project to raise money from the UK to fund 2 water tanks and agricultural related projects, I was apprehensive when I set the target of £1500. However, despite having to spend A LOT on data bundles to update the crowdfund and relying on my parents to spread the word… I am extremely grateful to be able to say that we have so far been able to raise £1000! (Ps if you’d like to support this, you can @ http://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/husseinvsokenya)

I can honestly say, personally, that these 4 weeks have so far provided me with a most incredible and eye-opening experience, and fills me with confidence and determination to continue positively the work we have started here in Taita Taveta.

Planting the Seeds for a Fruitful Future

Puntastic!

Joy Self Help Group is one of the four sub groups of Mwatate Disabled. They are a group of 15 disabled and care givers, who for months have struggled to initiate a group project which they could agree upon that would enable them to generate income. When we arrived they were basically inactive, so after multiple meetings and planning we have finally managed to get to today, where we are ready to start an agriculture project of planting watermelons and spinach.

Before:

With the guy on the left seemingly looking up to the Heavens praying that the day would be a success, we began the day with this patch of disused, rubble filled, unattended site and planned by the end of the day to have planted watermelon and spinach seeds…

We aimed to start at 10 am, and thankfully the members of the Joy Self Help Group were ready and waiting to start by 10.20! (Considering Kenyan timing, this is probably some kind of record).

With the tools and seeds kindly donated by Taita Taveta Human Rights Watch, the group was guided by an officer from the Ministry of Agriculture (who we had contacted and also gave his time for the project) as we ploughed for long, tiring hours.

After 5 hours of blood, sweat and tears, working under the Kenyan sun, we had finally managed to complete the first of a sustainable agriculture project.

After:

Through Kenyan Determination, British Motivation and Human Spirit… we had initiated the first steps for Joy Self Help Group to begin a project which can sustainably help them to generate an income.

It seems the prayers of the guy at the start had been answered!