Work has begun on the clean water sites

Preparing culverts for the wells

Digging the well

Consulting the community

Delivering materials

Building the structure for the spring

Acknowledging the Rotary grant

Clean Water Grant

Tembo-Kenya through Victoria Rotary in partnership with Nanaimo Rotary and Project Unity Committee has received a District Community Grant t to provide clean water to TEN rural communities in Western Kenya. Work will start on protected springs and shallow wells in a few weeks in the dry season. With this grant we will be able to transform the water sources

Meritorious Service Award

On Friday 23  June 2017, Patricia and Rod Crossley received the Meritorious Service Award from the Governor General at Rideau Hall in Ottawa for their work over 16 years in Western Kenya.

They were delighted to be accompanied by their children and grand children .

Powerpoint presentations

https://www.dropbox.com/s/yrmmygfigj2wk35/Kenya%20projects%20PUC.pptx?dl=0 

(This one will be give Wed June 7 to reps of Rotary clubs)

https://www.dropbox.com/s/rw2cdt4xofzcsut/Rotary%20presentation%202017.pptx?dl=0 

(This one was given to Victoria Rotary. )

A sad farewell

After sixteen years in Western Kenya it is time to say goodbye. Good friends joined us on Sunday afternoon for a cup of tea and a piece of cake to mark the occasion.

Last water project

Shivoga was our last water project together with a climbing frame for the children. This was the water source for the community causing many bouts of sickness and typhoid.

Now there is clean water. The children entertained us before we went to the water--and the climbing frame. 

Integrity workshops have started in Kakamega

Waiting for the bus to go to Butere

Virtues puppet shows

Our first full day of the Virtues Project active in Africa. Val Hilliker gave two wonderful puppet shows, one at Daisy Special school and one at Mwiyenga Primary. The children at Mwiyenga sang Virtues songs and both groups of children were entranced,., especially when the Head Teacher became a puppet

.

Traffic jam

Mungulu climbing frame

Went back to Mungulu Sunday afternoon to open the climbing frame for the children. There were few adults around but a good few children lined up at the well with their water containers. But when Nixon unfastened the ropes there was little doubt that the kids knew exactly what to do while waiting for their jerrycans to be filled.

when we arrived the kids were waiting patiently for water

Nixon undid the ropes

the first onw tried the swing

while the jerrycans waited on their own

ready for our visitors

We're completely ready for the Virtues Global Mentorship. We met with the manager of Kakamega Sports Club and set up menus, snacks and a few 'housekeeping' things for the people staying there. Your name tags are ready and Virtues Connection Kakamega meets tomorrow for any things still to put in place. All we need is for you to arrive safely. (BTW it was 39 C outside yesterday).
That's the good news. We are struggling with details for the Integrity conference since university lecturers are on strike (since the beginning of Feb) and have just rejected a government offer to entice them back to work. So public universities are virtually shut down. We will know on Wed if our university will close completely which will stop us from doing the student seminar of 21 st. We are hoping for a back-up plan where we can offer the session to students of Kenya medical training college. We will know on Monday if they are interested. Plan C is to approach one of the private universities whose director did Virtues training a couple of years ago! never a dull moment.
As far as we know the closure of the University would not interfere with the two sessions on 28 and Mar 1, although we are planning a second venue, just in case.

Mungulu well

This was a shallow well in the vicinity of a stream. The small, muddy pool where the village found water dried up in the drought of the last few weeks, so women were walking over an hour to find water. Even though we received some unexpected rain during the last week, the pool was still very polluted. Since the well was ready we went today to hand over to the community

The climbing frame was not ready for the children, so we'll go back in ten days for that

Excited ladies trying out the well

Such joy at the sight of clean water

the first group departs with their 20--litre pails

and others wait their turn

Two more wells

Two more locations that need a clean water supply. In both cases we required an easement agreement from a local landowner which would be lodged with the Chief's office in case of future disputes about use of the water.

This was Mungulu:

This picture was taken a couple of weeks ago and since then the situation has worsened. people are walking nearly two hours to find water to carry home.

We explained the contract and signed the agreements.

Explaining

signing

the owner of the land turned the sol

We then went to Emakanya and repeated the process:

we all tried to find some shade

we signed

everyone wanted to say a word of thanks

the owner of the land


We promised to put in a climbing frame at each location for the children. This obviously adds to the costs, so any small extra donations would be gratefully received . It costs about $200 US to put up a sturdy frame as at Emakuche. 

Emakuche well

We handed over the water project today to the Emakuche community.
This was the original water supply:

The video of the handover is on Tembo- Kenya Facebook https://www.facebook.com/TemboinKenya/

the new well

handing over the contract for upkeep

the assistant chief was very impressed

ready to open the well

the assistant chief pulled up water easily

as did the oldest lady there

For the first time we built a climbing frame and play area for the chiildren, the first one these people had ever seen.