A Million 'Asante's

The Children’s Educational Activity Center Peace Corps Partnership Program project has been fully funded!!! THANK YOU / ASANTE to everyone who contributed to the financial and moral support of the project to date! We will hopefully begin construction on the play structures by the end of this month or beginning of next month.

Of course, there is still much to be done at the center – clearing the land, building a fence and wall, constructing offices and a conference hall, designing a locally-compatible swimming pool, etc. – but all that will come with time. This is the start to a wonderful project that will benefit the children of the local community and we’re excited to kick it off so soon. Another volunteer in my community and I plan to paint a world map - as big as the biggest wall we can build will allow - at the center as well. Furthermore, I have visited the Kenya National Museum in Nairobi twice now and am contacting the National Heritage Department to arrange procurement of information and visual displays for a mini-museum we would like to house at the center.

I will chart the progress with updates and pictures on my blog and email updates to family and friends. Again – a million ‘asante’s (‘thank you’s) to everyone who is making this all possible!!!

Support a Children's Educational Activity Center!

As I dive headfirst into my second year of service, I realize that the months are flying by and my time left here is growing distressingly shorter with still so much to be done. Since there is obviously a lack of all resources time and money, I’ve narrowed my focus down to a project I think will be most worthwhile…a children’s educational activity center. My supervisor has dreamed of building a children’s educational activity center in Makindu for years – and this dream is inching closer and closer to becoming a reality. Now is the part where YOU have the opportunity to help us make this a reality in the next year!

The two acre educational activity center is envisioned as such…

• Three sets of playground equipment for various age groups, including swings, slides, merry-go-rounds, see-saws, money bars and trampolines.

• Educational materials posted throughout the center, including a world map wall mural, wildlife and cultural diversity placards, HIV prevention messages.

• A forest of indigenous trees, many of which have been eradicated from the region due to deforestation for income generation and fuel.

We have already mustered up the funds to dig a trench for the wall’s foundation and have planted trees, which I have watched grow from seedlings in plastic bags to now foot-high saplings. I am beginning to take pictures every few weeks to chart the progress of the center – which we hope will rapidly pick up speed in the upcoming months.



So now, for my humble request… Please help us fund the construction of the playground equipment for children ages five to fourteen. The equipment will not only provide a healthy outlet for exercise and socialization, but the pillars and equipment supports will have educational messages painted on for HIV awareness/prevention as well as to convey local knowledge of wildlife and culture.

Even if you’re only able to donate a few dollars, anything will make this vision a bit closer to realization and will be greatly appreciated! Please visit this site to learn more and make a tax-deductible donation if you are able…

https://www.peacecorps.gov/index.cfm?shell=resources.donors.contribute.projDetail&projdesc=615-175&

I would be most grateful if you pass this information along to any friends, family or people that would be interested in learning more or contributing.

I have two friends from the University of Oregon coming in April to work with my organization WACAL for three weeks to a month, and we are hoping to have the playground fully funded so as to start construction at that time! A million thanks to all of you for reading this and my deepest appreciation for any assistance you are able to offer.

Feel free to contact me with any questions. I have included a picture of the plot at this point in time and will continue posting updates as things progress!

A Much-Needed Breakthrough

Over one year and countless capacity building activities into my service, I couldn’t help but breathe a deep sigh of validation today when I felt like the farmers we are training had a breakthrough. One of the most challenging aspects of being a Peace Corps volunteer (or, I would guess, working in any sort of grassroots development) is the lack of tangible and noticeable positive results and changes. For the past year, I have been involved in a chicken project working with rural resource-poor farmers to develop indigenous chicken rearing as a business, and to improve the farmers’ involvement and realized benefits along the value chain.

The project started by equipping service providers with technical information to train farmer groups on raising chicken (vaccination/disease control, proper housing, feeding methods, etc). From there, we have trained the service providers on collective marketing so they can encourage groups to come together to sell their chicken, increasing bargaining power and market access. Currently, we are training group-selected traders on business and negotiation skills so they can better represent the farmer groups at the market – gather accurate market information, ensure quality control, arrange transport logistics, keep proper production and financial records, and source viable markets.

This morning marked the beginning of the second day of the 3 day training and I opened with a workshop on Identifying Markets and Gathering Information. The traders were given a hypothetical scenario, using real coastal towns but fabricating prices and transportation information to the markets. Given four potential markets at which to resale the chickens, the traders had small-group discussions to determine the most viable market. Upon calling up the first person to present what was discussed, I was pleasantly surprised and extremely relieved when the recap of the discussions went far above and beyond my expectations. Not only was the financial viability of the various markets calculated and discussed, but the advantages and disadvantages of each viable market were fleshed out… All without much prompting on the part of the workshop facilitators.

From there, we changed the workshop up a bit, fast-forwarding through issues that are apparently already well understood to the traders. This is the first time in my year on this project that I felt a strong sense of confidence in the proactive attitude of the training participants – and it instilled a hope in me that this project will not only find a sustainable footing in the next year, but also make a positive difference in the lives of those involved.

While it may seem hopeless or pessimistic that this is the first major breakthrough in my work over the past year and that something so simple can spark such confidence in me, I do not discount the weight of today’s events. As anyone who has worked in development can understand, it’s the little victories that mean the most because only they can add up to the larger successes. As one Kenyan so aptly put it, “Development is not a mass movement.” I am hopeful that this training reflects a small shift for the developmental aims of the project and individuals involved.

Mount Kenya

Two days ago saw the completion the most challenging adventure of my relatively-short life – climbing Mount Kenya. While Mt. Kenya’s main peak is the second highest in Africa (next to Mount Kilimanjaro), our group reached the third-highest peak of Mt. Kenya, Point Lenana which does not require technical gear or experience. Our six day trek took us up the Sirimon Route and down Chogoria, reaching the 16,335 foot (4,985 meter) summit of Point Lenana just in time for the sunrise on January 5th. Below are my transcribed notes, taken on a piece of scrap paper I was using as a bookmark…

Day 1: Miserable would be an understatement. Soaked to the skin on the bottom half. Serious considerations of saying fuck this and turning back. To Old Moses camp.

Day 2: Could not have had better luck. Perfect hiking weather. Afternoon showers started immediately after we had arrived at camp and all tents were pitched. Hope all other days are like this. To Likii Valley camp.



Day 3: To Shipton’s camp at 13,800 feet. Long day, 9 km – but great hiking. Finally got water proof pants – made a world of a difference. Extremely enjoyable day and beautiful valley hike.

Day 4: Summit day; 4,985 meters. Woke at 1:45am, reached Lenana Point by 6:30am for an icy sunrise over the clouds. Arguably the most physically challenging experience of my life. Great day at Mintos camp – power nap, hike to the Temple cliff, rock skipping at the tarn. “Everything is going to be so boring and ugly after this week.” (fellow PCV and climber Nik)



Day 5: 17 km downhill. Stayed in bandas at Chogoria gate. Dreading going back to reality. Relieved to find there was no service when I turned on my cell phone – immediately turned it off again.

Day 6: These words, spoken by another PCV and climber Dan, sum up my emotions about the experience perfectly… “I feel like more of a person than I did last week.”

The New Generation of Peace Corps Volunteers

As I sat with another volunteer browsing through the various blogs of our Peace Corps colleagues, she mentioned how each person’s blog says something about that individual – perhaps the way he wants to be perceived, what’s important to her, or what aspects of the Peace Corps experience lie at the forefront of his life. So naturally, I inquired about her perception of what my blog says about me. “That you and the people reading your blog have a particular image of what Peace Corps is.” I agreed with her, and the wheels were set in motion for me to better define (yet again) what the Peace Corps experience is for me personally.

As I have said before, the physical aspects of my experience were not quite what I expected (running water, electricity, my own office, and even well-compensated laptop-toting work travel) but I still find myself writing about the picturesque, romanticized aspects of my experience in Kenya more often than not in my blog – running on red dirt roads with barefooted school children, participating in a project that uses innovative plowing techniques with camels, and picking up trash around my local community. It could even be seen as ironic, or perhaps the infrastructural paradox of the developing world, that I’m writing about water shortages via my wireless modem-connected blog.

To further contrast, or perhaps orient, my Peace Corps experience with one of a past volunteer, enter: Paul Theroux’s May 2009 Conde Nast article “The Lesson of My Life.” Having served in Nyasaland (present-day Malawi) in 1963, some of his experiences rang so true with my own life that I literally got goosebumps reading his article. Other, more superficial, aspects couldn’t help but make me smile; the following in particular: “Everything I owned in the world fitted into the small suitcase I had with me. I had nothing in the bank, no property; did not own so much as a chair. I was superbly portable. I had just turned twenty-two.”

I went on to read the following: “For the two years I was in Malawi, I never made a telephone call and my only contact with my family was in letters that took up to a month to arrive. This suited me fine. The instant connection in today’s world tends to distort the experience of being far from home. What sort of a life is it when, on the days when things are going bad, you are able to dial Mom for consolation?” And with a combined sentiment of deflation and amusement, I thought, “That’s me!” so adding to my contemplation of what this whole experience is truly about.

He continues, “The experience should involve remoteness, inconvenience, hardship, even risk; isn’t that the whole point of being away?” This is more like it! I think to myself. Apparently Peace Corps Kenya doesn’t quite agree, though, hence my thoughts on the emergence of the new generation of PCVs. Remoteness, inconvenience, hardship, and risk are a recipe for disaster and liability in the litigation-happy America we live in today, where news that travels faster than wildfire often influences fragile diplomatic relations, and helicopter-parenting has sent many from my generation into the world needing full-body armor and endless I Could Be A Millionaire lifelines. I’m certainly not about to digress into Peace Corps Kenya’s policies (because I understand why they are in place) but when we aren’t allowed to ride motorcycles, travel at night, hitchhike, stop taking our anti-malaria medicine, drive a car, or even ride a bicycle helmetless without the risk of being shipped home, I would argue the quintessential rugged Peace Corps experience cannot avoid being watered down slightly.

So what challenges will this new generation face, with access to ever-advancing technologies rapidly expanding? And what is our purpose, if not to become fluent in the local tribal dialect or appreciate tapped water after hauling buckets from a river 5km away? Ultimately, Theroux argues, the Peace Corps experience is about answering the question ‘Where is my place in the world?’ and walking away without making the “mistake in thinking that you will make an important difference in the lives of the people you’re among. The profound difference will be in you.” I would have to agree. So regardless of how often the power is cut off, or if you even have power at all, I have come to understand that the essence of the Peace Corps experience for past and future generations does not lie in the niceties of rural life but in the eye-opening experiences that shape an individual’s world view.

As the new generation of Peace Corps volunteers begin entering the global community, myself included, let us remember what is at the heart of embarking on this experience. As we constantly update our blogs and pat ourselves on the back for being able to bargain for a tomato in the local language (while most of our verbal skills have yet to develop beyond superficial exchanges), it’d be a shame for us to lose sight of the ultimate goal of gaining perspective. People say globalization is inescapable, and I would extend that to Peace Corps as well. So in the rapidly globalizing world, there will naturally surface a new generation of volunteers that break from the traditional, romanticized image of the Peace Corps JFK envisioned. I often struggle to come to terms with being part of this new generation, however, the actuality of my situation is unavoidable and I hope to do nothing less than make the most of my experience. So to those who have made it to the end of another of my lengthy pieces of writing, I hope I have succeeded in more clearly defining what the Peace Corps experience is for me and shedding some light on what I have come to call the new generation of volunteers I am a part of.

Ngamia 101 (aka Camels 101)

The founding vision of my NGO is to uplift the livelihoods of resource-poor rural women and children through provision of alternatives to current, unviable livelihoods. Camels has been deemed one of these appropriate alternatives…hence my first course in camels last week, which I will call Ngamia (Camels) 101. Before I write about the exotic adventures of Ngamia 101, let me justify my involvement in this project to head off any doubts that I’m really a Peace Corps Volunteer and not a tourist on safari.

Camels are currently used in numerous arid and semi-arid lands (ASALs) for plowing, consumption, and other income generating activities (think: milk) due to their drought-resistance. My town of Makindu, as it so happens, is geo-climactically prime ASAL. While camels have not been used for plowing in Kenya, which we know of to date, they are ideal for areas with erratic rainfall especially during times of drought.

Currently, Kenya is facing one of the worst droughts of the decade, going on almost 3 full years (5 planting seasons) without rain in some areas. This is devastating, to say the least. Pastoralists who are dependent on cows and goats for survival are losing entire herds to starvation. Images of Masai herders unsuccessfully propping up the rear halves of emaciated calves has been flashing on news shows for months now. Newspaper headlines tell of the devastation, as people have turned to eating seeds and dog meat, accompanied by pictures of bovine carcasses rotting in the background. Food relief has QUADRUPLED in some areas. Cross-border cattle raids (think: African-style Wild West raids to steal cattle by driving them away under the cover of night) are increasing in frequency, including one resulting in the massacre of a hundred men, women, and children just last week in Laikipia.

Yet looming in the background are murmurs about the coming rains of El Nino… Last time El Nino came through East Africa, there was humanitarian crisis-level flooding in Somalia and northern Kenya. Thousands died, if not from the flashfloods and inability to swim in ever-rising waters, then to the diseases and food emergency after. (Read “Where Soldiers Fear to Tread” for one UN-contracted relief worker’s account of his efforts in Somalia during the 1997/98 floods.)

So where do camels fit in? Well one bull (male) camel has the draft power of two bull ox, yet it costs the same (approximately 35,000 Kenyan shillings). And while cows have six stomachs that require constant supply of food – most of which is nowhere to be found during times of drought – camels will happily munch on the thorny dry-land bush that other livestock won’t (or can’t) touch. Lastly, cows need daily access to water, while camels can store enough water to last themselves two to three WEEKS at a time. So there you have it – camels would be quite the troopers for areas such as Ukambani (the larger region in which Makindu is located).

So we traveled up to a world-famous camel ranch Ol-Maisor in Laikipia, a few hours outside Nanyuki where Mt. Kenya is located. The trip there was a free safari: giraffes, zebras, buffalo, dik dik, gazelle running alongside the car, and an elephant herd crossing the road just minutes before we passed leaving us glimpses of their behinds as they continued into the bush. As we crossed over a dry riverbed, people murmured about it as if it had some importance, though I didn’t catch the gist of why. I later came to find out that was where one of the ten camels bought for our project had been eaten by a lion as they camped overnight on the trek to the ranch the previous week.

So we stayed for two days: watched the camels-in-training plow (or rather, kick ferociously as a plow was attached to them); the agricultural engineers took measurements and made adjustments to old equipment for designing a special camel plow; spoke with a team from India who is doing a documentary on endogenous knowledge application in dry-land regions and climate change; discussed selection process for soon-to-be-trained camel herders and the sensitization necessary for the communities in which the new animals will be introduced. All in all, it seems to be a promising project and application of this appropriate technology will hopefully make a positive difference in agricultural practices in the ever-increasing drought-prone areas (thank you, climate change) of developing countries.

An American’s Birthday in Kenya

Since a number of people have asked me about my first birthday in Kenya, I figured I’d share my experience here... Coming from a culture in which each passing year serves as a personal holiday in American life, celebrating my ‘personal holiday’ in a country where some people do not even know their age was a much different experience. June 30 saw the passing of 22 years of my life – and I had the best Kenyan birthday I could have hoped for. For me, the day was a perfect encapsulation of how this experience abroad is a turning point in my life.

My birthday fell on a Tuesday, so my first gift to myself was to take the day off from work and do one of my favorite pastimes here: read. I stayed in my fleece pajama pants, drinking hot cocoa, and reading on my couch all morning and into the early afternoon. It was a quiet, calm, and pleasantly sunny day. The book I picked up attributed greatly to the pivotal representation of the day: “The Last Lecture” by Randy Paush.

“The Last Lecture” was written by Randy as a lifetime full of lessons for his children that he would never be able to actually teach them because he was dying of pancreatic cancer at the time of authorship. Given to me by one of my closest friends and one of the incredible people in my life Laura, prior to my departure for Kenya, it was a perfect supplement and compounding factor to a reflective day. I honestly could not believe that I was turning 22…in Kenya: I was spending my birthday amidst a life goal I have had since 8th grade and was actually realizing.

Given the time zone differences, my birthday seemed to last twice as long as usual – which I of course didn’t mind one bit – and I thank everyone who expressed birthday wishes to me in all the various forms, spanning thousands of miles and numerous time zones. Waking up to birthday emails and messages, as well as still receiving them in the days following, was incredible. It is easy to feel forgotten all the way over here; and while I have been lucky enough to never experience this sentiment since arriving, I still cannot thank everyone enough for ensuring I certainly would not experience it on my birthday!

As for birthdays in Kenya – they are typically not celebrated for whatever reasons. The most practical explanations seem to be: people had no means for keeping track of which day someone was born (this is probably so prehistoric and outdated of an explanation though that it offers little viability); the infant and child mortality rates can often be so high that celebrating another passing year just attributes to emotional investment and connection to someone who could pass away at any time; and birthday celebrations can require money to be spent and that is a frivolous expenditure many cannot afford. But upon asking Kenyans why birthdays are not often celebrated in towns and villages, most responded, “That’s just how it is.”

When I finally made myself presentable to leave the house around 2:00pm, Paula and I went into town to run a few errands and then ventured out to the river for a two hour hike. We ended up winding our way through flourishing fields and undeveloped land by the town’s water source (an underground river). As we started back home, the sun was setting behind the acacia trees and corn fields, dusting the white salt-iced spans of red dirt with a breeze-cut illumination. It was yet another perfect way to end yet another perfect day.

My two closest Kenyan girl friends Jackline and Saida came over for dinner that night, but I don’t think either of them ever knew it was my birthday. I realized that, while if I was in America it would have not been uncommon for me to inform them of my special day, here it was just another day. And I wouldn’t have changed that sentiment for anything. I loved every minute of it – feeling truly at home in my Kenyan life and being at peace with the possibly conflicting ideologies of the two cultures that weigh most heavily on my personal identity at this point in time. So with that, I thank everyone – whether or not they even realized the significance of the date to my life – that made my birthday the best 22nd an American in Kenya could have hoped for.