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Published: July 26th 2006
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Hello All...it is late saturday afternoon. It has been an errand day. Hanif toured me about the local food market...can get almost anything here. I've developed a new fondness for passion fruit -- appropro yes??? Was reminded today how fertile this land is! Lemons, limes, carrots, potatos, pineapple, mango, apples, tomatoes, kale (local favorite), cabbage, etc -- all readily available with in 2 hours drive. You can also buy a live chicken and dried fish. A local favorite are deep fried sardine like (but smaller) fish..you buy a handful at a time. We watched a kenyan strip a tire into long strips which are used to tie things on boda bodas. The market is a recycling haven. T-shirts, shoes, watches, belts, electronics -- you name it. We then headed to the Nakumatt -- Kenya's version of Walmart! We stocked up on water, chocolate, orange fanta and gum. I also bought a skirt...am running short on things to wear in this heat. I also got a Safaricom cell phone...so I now have a Kenyan cell phone number -- now is that not cool. I've also procured a telephone card which should ease the expense of calling home. This all with Hanif's help...my
new kid brother...who is really playing the role of big brother wonderfully!
Munira and I toured another slum yesterday with our friend Jennifer from WIFIP just outside Kisumu. The village women and their children (some 60 plus) met us singing and dancing and we joined in. It really was an amazing 10 minutes to be swept away with their kindness and rhythms. Munira and I were greeted and treated like royalty. We were there to see an eco-friendly toilet -- a demonstration project. A project the women are very proud about. They would be showing it to a group of officials touring from Tanzania and Uganda later in the afternoon. There is no sanitation here. Conditions like the ones I saw on Monday...outrageous really. A challenge being on the beaches of Lake Victoria is that the water table is very high -- so outhouses as you would be familiar with are not ideal -- holes collapse and contaminate the ground water. So these women with the help of WIFIP are trying a new technology. Also in the slum there is not much room to keep moving outhouses...so the beauty of this above ground brick facility is that it is
permanent. They researched and have chosen to test this type of toilet. If it works they hope to install several more -- because there are over 300 people on site. As for the eco friendly part...we spent 2 hours learning about feces and urine and how if separated(unique orientation of hole in latrine) using ash and ultraviolet light (aka sunlight and water) can be collected, set to decompose and voila you create fertilizer. Fertilizer to be used in the gardens and maybe even sold -- an igp "income generating project" how is that for development speak!!???? They will also charge 2 to 5 shillings for each use -- another igp! So we spent 2 hours learning about and seeing how excited these village women are about trying this new technology -- two hours talking about feces and urine and its proper disposal and recycling.
So on first glance...I thought well this is cool...very eco friendly...great initiative...very natural...a few questions on how sound technically.....then I said wait a minute???? Why are these people in the situation of having to figure out sanitation on their own and figuring out how to recycle their own waste? Begs the question about basic infrastructure
-- water, sanitation, roads and the ability and resources to provide such things. Begs the question too on who's role is it to provide? Lots of questions!
Yet despite all this, again the garbage and the sewage running through the streets, ducks and chicken eating the sewage, children -- tonnes of children playing, there is commerce and there is laughter here -- there is community! This is a slum where a year ago was ridden with drug trafficers and prostitutes -- and in the last year has developed a fish market and driven away the drug trafficers -- Jaboyas are still an issue! This started by these 60 women..they have in essence started a coop. With WIFIP's help they are being trained on business practices, HIV/AIDs transmission, better health and living practices. They are strong and incredibly inspiring. Munira and I toured the slum with children holding our hands. The fella on my right, my new best friend, held my hand the entire time. His mother is a trained WIFIP facilitator running workshops with tapes and materials for her community. She has a diploma in community health and is unemployed. Yet she has gathered about her a group of
young adults and they tour the slums educating their peers on HIV/Aids. She is my hero. So quite another day -- yes????
This chica is starting to move into problem solving mode. There is a Millenium village just an hour north of Kisumu called Sauri..part of the Millenium Development Goals project. Dollars and resources are being applied to lift this village out of poverty -- including the investment in basic sanitation infrastructure. Munira and I are hoping to get to Sauri in the next few weeks to see if we can learn anything and bring back the ideas to Kisumu. Our evening did end on a lighter note. I attended my first Indian movie (without subtitles) -- the Corporation. Quite easy to follow actually...usual hollywood storyline -- corruption, treason, sex and murder! Quite the deal as well -- about $4 including popcorn and pop. 4 new theatres have just opened in Kisumu...6 months ago there were none! Superman should be here within the week. I'm hoping he can stay on and help build some infrastructure...Don...there is work to be done here!!!!! Cheers, Jan
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Debra Mauro
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You continue to inspire and amaze me...
Jan, you are so amazing. I continue to be awed; inspired and motivated by your journal. Thank you for being you. Travel safe; hugs and prayers, Debra