A few years ago one of our colleagues introduced the idea of cow dung fuel. Some people tried it and liked it but the use did not spread widely. It’s very simple: you take fresh cow dung, mix it with dry leaves or other combustible material, shape it into a thick pancake and leave it to dry in the sun. You then break it up into small pieces and use it like charcoal. It burns relatively smoke free, lasts long and saves the few precious trees. Not only do women no longer have to hunt for wood or buy expensive charcoal, they avoid the dangerous practice of wandering in the woods early in the morning or late in the day when many are attacked. This fuel is commonly used in India where the cakes are sold in the market.
A couple of days ago we were chatting with an energetic woman named Bibiana who is a town councillor. She was asking us to look at some water sources that need protection. As she spoke of the women’s groups she has organized, we mentioned the cow dung fuel. She immediately enthused about the idea and said she would arrange to spread the information.
We underestimated her.
I was doing Virtues Facilitator training on Saturday, so Rod agreed to go with Bibiana to look at water sources. To his amazement she had organized five seminars on cow dung fuel. Hastily he went to fetch Magdalene who has been teaching the women in our micro finance groups. Bibiana had a container of dung and another of dry leaves. The women wrapped a kanga (cloth) around Magdalene to protect her clothes and away they went.
Today we heard from Richard, Bibiana’s husband, that he had met a woman who was present yesterday. She had dried her patties and used them to cook. They don’t smoke! They last long! It’s free! Rod is mightily relieved. Although we know people who have used it successfully, there’s always the little nagging doubt that it will go wrong and be a disappointment.
Here are some pictures of the water sources Rod saw. One is very needy in that houses on a hill above send all their effluent down into the small river where people draw their water. As I said, it takes about $500 to protect a spring for a community

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I want to add the email I just received from the head teacher of one of my schools.
"I have been the headteacher of Ekwanda Primary School for the last 8 years and I have recently moved to Ebumbayi Primary School which is about three kilometers from Ekwanda. Ebumbayi Primary School is one of the schools in the Maseno North Diocese of Anglican Church.I am interested to share with you the situation at Ebumbayi Primary School and invite you for a visit any time that you may have the chance to do so.The school is right on the boundary of Western Province and Nyanza Province. We have an enrolment of 237 pupils from STD 1-8. Unfortunately this is a school that is facing very many crises that it is in deed crying for support. The drop out rate is very high in this school. Maybe because most people who were students in this school through the time have not been going to secondary school. Most children do not see the need to complete even their primary school education alone.Girls becoming pregnant seems to be a norm. the STD 8 class of last year had 24 pupils in total. By the time of KCPE exam in November 4 girls had already given birth and two others were very pregnant. I am told that the joke was that they were bringing forth several "Obamas." The STD 8 of this year has two girls who carried out abortions last year. One small girl in STD 7 dropped out last week because she was pregnant.In last year's KCPE examination virtually all the pupils failed the exam. In ranking of the schools in Emuhaya District we are among the last six schools in the same exam. Out of the 24 pupils only three have gone to secondary school. The community seem to be contented with the fate of the rest.As for the boys the trend is that once they are registered for the KCPE exam they mostly drop out or start coming to school when they want and keep off when they do not want to be in school.The facilities in the school are so dillapidated and my findings indicate that the poverty index in this community is extremely high. Mostly because not investing their future in education. We have only 9 classrooms. Fortunately the CDF gave us a grant of KSH 200,000 which we are using to renovate 4 classrooms. The rest have cracking walls or are falling apart. We have 3 pit latrines for all the girls and another 3 for all the boys. The latrines are equally in deplorable state.We are all new teachers in this school and our main target at the moment is to restore hope in everyone. The response seems to be very good as there is a very strong goodwill from the community.It is at this point that I wish to invite you to help us in the process of restoring the hope and the future of the community. My feeling would be that even by you meeting the pupils or the parents or by mounting workshops in this school can open it up and make the people here know that they belong to the larger community where people are responsible of each other.Thank you so much for your patience in reading this mail and we hope to read from you soon.

I have responded to say I will visit the school to encourage them and present the Virtues programme that will help them. If they wish I’ll arrange to offer a ful training session with our newly accredited facilitators. This will help with relationships and school performance. I can also help them implement the HIV/AIDS awareness programme we made that has a section on assertiveness for girls and staying in school. Pretty well all my funding is finished as we move into the last month here, but I will try to set some priorities with them for when I come back. Anyone feel like coming to dig latrines and repair classrooms?

Naming names, protected springs, uniforms and books

John Githongo, now ‘exiled’ in the UK, is bringing out a book later this month entitled “Our time to eat.” At one time he was head of Transparency International in Kenya and then appointed to lead Kenya’s Anti Corruption department under Kibaki’s new government. Parts of the book have been serialised in the Daily Nation. Attempts were made to involve him in the schemes and in 2005 he fled to Europe while attending a conference because he eventually feared for his life at home. He had all the details of the massive corruption scandals (Goldenberg, Anglo Leasing) where the ‘Mount Kenya Mafia’ were siphoning off billions of shillings. I believe he has returned once to Nairobi under heavy guard, but I doubt if he will be able to come home again very soon. He has named names just in the newspaper excerpts and explained how many of the current ministers were complicit, one of them being Ringera the present anti-corruption head. Todays’ edition promises to tell us about the tape recordings he made of ministers talking of their involvement and their plans to defraud the state.

We are still receiving requests for wells, and these are good installations for schools and health units. But since we protected the spring in Julius’s village (see my last post) many are asking for assistance to protect the natural sources from run off and contamination. It costs about 1/5 of the price to protect a spring as it does to put in a well ($500 compared to $2,500) so where it is feasible it is a very cost effective solution. In one area close by we are told there are 35 springs of which only one was protected at independence (1963) Since then nothing has been done.

I am posting a picture of some of the children at Emmaloba Primary who will be receiving uniforms from the grant from the Rotary Club of Victoria. The school has selected 60 ‘vulnerable children’ for uniforms and supplementary feeding. The head teacher is putting the supply out to tender since most primary school uniforms are made locally. This will also give some employment to tailors in the area, most of whom use old treadle machines under an overhang.

This week I left a deposit at a bookstore in Kisumu for the school to purchase text books from the same grant. I hope they will arrive soon so I can get some pictures of the distribution.

The good, the bad and the ugly

It is very easy to grow depressed and impatient with what is going on around us... Let me tell you a couple of the latest scandals. (One thing is true: there is never a dull moment) Lucy Kibaki (president’s wife) was declared innocent last week of involvement in the maize cartel that contributed to the food shortage. People on the street believe she was implicated but that the MP who accused her was bought off or threatened. We remember Tom Mboya, Robert Ouko and others who tried to walk a straight path and were assassinated.
Kenya’s education system is based entirely on ‘merit’ that is: examination results. It has just been revealed that for the past ten years a gang has been buying HS leaving exam papers ahead of time with the help and connivance of a police station, which would be entrusted to keep the papers safe. The investigation revealed late night ‘coaching’ going on using a stolen exam paper just before the test. So now many of the elite schools who topped the lists of exam results for many years, must now explain themselves. But the issue goes further. The system rewards the high achievers with reduced fees at the university (about 25% of normal) so it’s much cheaper to buy an exam that to pay regular rate fees. The fact that you are shutting out a deserving child with no financial support never seems to occur. If a student scores a B+ or A- (overall in exams) then the world of university courses is open. We must remember that the government selects a course of study for a student according to marks, regardless of preference. So the students we support with scholarships have an extra count against them: the children of wealthy parents winning government places.
The agreement with Kofi Annan was that if there was no internal tribunal by March 1 to try the people in the secret envelope for crimes against humanity stemming from last year’s mayhem, then the envelope would be sent on to the ICC in the Hague. At a vote last Wednesday in the House(I think I have the day right) there was no consensus on what to do. Many MPs refused to attend the house to form a quorum and the bill was defeated. This is largely because they don’t trust a local tribunal even with foreign members. Unless the President prorogues Parliament, the bill cannot be reintroduced. So now we expect any trial to be held in the Netherlands.
On Thursday a newspaper article reported on the finding of a group in the UK. It seems the UK banks a re full of the cash looted from Nigeria and Kenya. Millions of dollars are stashed away while Kenya, at least, appeals to donor countries to help feed the millions of starving citizens. One article this weekend pointed out that there is no interest in promoting foodstuffs other than maize, of which a huge amount is consumed. Other crops such as cassava and sweet potatoes are more nutritious and more suited to the climatic conditions, but while the government is offering subsidies and imports of white maize (the only kind people are conditioned to eat) there is money to be made.
So, having dealt with the ugly, I come to the good. The following stories are the ones that give us hope and encouragement that all is not lost.
This afternoon we went out to Shisalachi, the home of Julius the jeweler. The well we put in is working but needs a few adjustments to keep it sturdy. We also looked at the spring that was protected with the last of the Rotary Clean water organization funds. Julius tells us 200 families use the well and about 300 now go tot he spring. We protected the spring for about $500, so will look at requests from other villages when we come back in the fall.
I was touched by a group of women who wanted to speak to me personally about providing the spring. They said they were grateful that someone had done something for the women because they were always overlooked and neglected. Men have no interest in the source of water, so have no reason to improve things. During our conversation it became clear they want adult literacy and some micro finance assistance. My funds have run out for now, but I hope I will be able to help them later.
We have helped Julius over the years by buying his jewelry and with advice and support. He is now an important man in the community because we brought water to his village and two others in the area. Plus he has been able to buy some land for his children’s future. The tiny mud hut where he used to live is still on his compound, dwarfed now by a fine new concrete house. He has four children of his own (one is now a teacher) and three orphans he is taking care of and sending to schools. We bought jewelry on Sunday and those shillings will go immediately to the older boy in Form 4 to pay his fees and examination registration.
He has often talked of making fishponds and this year connected with Susan Thompson, a Canadian who has been helping farmers set up Tilapia ponds. One fish pond has been dug close to the protected spring and seven more are in the area. When they are ready and approved, they will receive the fry. The fish will be both a source of protein as well as a cash crop. Julius is only renting the land where he has made the pond, which is not a good situation and he would like to buy it.
On Saturday I went with four other Virtues practitioners to run a workshop in Maseno, at Ekwanda Primary school. Not all the participants we had been promised did turn up, but we had a group of over 30. They were great to work with and I’m looking forward to conducting the second session at the end of the month. This workshop is part of the training for facilitators who will take two days specialised training with me later this week. The trainee facilitators all have practical experience of implementing the Virtues Positive Discipline in their schools. It is very powerful for participants to hear strong testimonial from their colleagues, rather than a ‘foreign’ person. We have good hopes of eliminating the cane and other physical punishments in these schools.

Women of distinction

The President’s wife is called the First Lady. It always make me smile because she is fact also the first wife. There is a second wife who stays very much in the background.
"Lucy" as she is known likes the limelight and has a very volatile temper. She has been known to publicly slap aides who displease her.
This past week she was in the news twice. Once for publicly berating the Internal Minister (Saitoti) because of the Nakumatt fire and the tanker explosion when response was totally inadequate. The President had to belatedly announce that he was very happy with the Minister’s work.
The second time was when she was accused by an MP of having a business interest in the cartel that bought maize cheaply and sold it high when the shortage struck (or exported it to Sudan) It turned out the documentation was false and she was cleared, but the Agriculture Minister didn’t fare so well. Documents linking him to the plot were judged genuine.
Homa Bay where we took drugs to the Rotary Club recently, was in the news because of a group of women who refuse to be ‘inherited.’ According to custom a widow has to sleep with a professional ‘cleanser’ (ie a man authorised to do this. I have no idea how someone qualifies for the job.) Once ‘cleansed’ she can be inherited by her brother in law.
The group of six or seven women standing up for their right not to do this are being seriously harassed. Because of their ‘unclean’ status they are not allowed to use their deceased husband’s land or repair his house Some of the husbands died of AIDS and their widows are HIV positive. This inheritance tradition is one way the virus is spread throughout families. We hope they stay strong and united.

Only six weeks left

We are suddenly realizing how close we are to shutting everything down and finishing all the projects. We leave Kenya Mar 25 and should be home in Victoria on Mar. 28.
Every year I vow that I will keep the last couple of weeks free of commitments, but inevitably something crops us to push us closer to the wire. This year it is the possibility of my conducting Virtues training for a company in Nairobi. I hope we can fit it in around the other things since it would be a huge step forward for the Virtues Project in Kenya.
I want to thank all those who have held us in their thoughts and prayers. Since last December I have been through a very difficult time with disappointment and stress caused by someone we thought to be a trustworthy friend proving to be untruthful and devious, almost scuttling a big undertaking. It seems that we are at last coming to the end and a good resolution.
At the moment Rod is helping me make materials for a Virtues training session that will start this Saturday. We are hoping for about 50 teachers from four of my schools plus another six or so who want to become facilitators and run workshops. This means they will teach part of the basic presentation and then will do two days intensive training just with me.
Later this month we will go to Shisilachi the village of Julius the jeweler. We put in a well a couple of years ago and this year protected a spring down in the valley. So the community has more access to water. The protected spring will not be as clean as the water from the well but is good for household needs and animals. The slope is quite steep and treacherous in the rains and the women and girls carry 20 litres on their heads. We hope we can advise them on making some kind of steps that will make it easier and safer to negotiate. Julius wants us to hold a small ceremony to thank Rotary for the donation.
That is the last of the donations we received for water this year. We still have a list of places that want water in the community so will gratefully receive anything that can be donated. To see more about the water projects go to www.patriciacrossley.com/water.htm.
The last of the computers are now going to the schools. We were of course delayed by the teachers’ strike. I learned one lesson: I told schools they had to have a secure place and power. I neglected to point out that the power should run into the secure place. So we are waiting for one school to provide a proper room to accommodate their machines.
Kenya is a very religious country, 80% Christian and about 15% Muslim. The rest are Hindu, Sikh etc with some animism. It is disturbing to read accounts of elderly people who have been killed because of accusations of witchcraft. This is happening quite frequently on the coast. The murders seem to be carried out by gangs of young men. In a society where the old have always been revered and cared for this is a worrying trend.

Vulture culture

Reporters were visibly shaken and one said it was the worst thing he has ever covered. On Sunday a tanker exploded near Nakuru. Many are dead and dreadfully injured but the reason for so many victims is horrifying. The Nakuru-Eldoret highway is the main road from Mombasa & Nairobi through to Uganda and points beyond. All goods traffic including petroleum must travel this road which has a number of ‘black spots’ for accidents.
Young men from the poorest areas sit by the roadside waiting for an accident to happen, when they immediately loot both the goods and the victims.
On Sunday morning a tanker parked on the road side. Sometimes they pull off for a rest or for a mechanical check. Other times they park to siphon fuel from their tanks to sell to roadside brokers. Such illicit fuel is sold openly in the area. After the sale they free wheel down the hills, often contributing to more accidents.
For some reason (maybe the brakes failed or weren’t properly set) the vehicle slid into a ditch and burst open. If you’ve ever seen the condition of some of the tankers you would see how that could happen.
Hundreds of people swarmed the site armed with all kinds of containers and jerrycans.
To quote the article: ‘According to the official version of events, the (police) officers tried to keep the crowd away from the dangerous cargo. Some survivors, however, claim the officers were charging the villagers a fee of between 50 and 100 shillings to be allowed to fill their containers from the tanker.
Motorcyclists were called and summoned to the scene to take advantage of the ‘free fuel.’
Then disaster struck. As people waded or parked their vehicles in the spilled fuel there was suddenly an explosion. Over 110 people were burned alive and nearly 200 injured. A massive evacuation of victims to all available hospitals went on for hours.
Oh the humanity!