All Smiles and Laughter for Project Number One

It’s been a busy few weeks out in Tsavo but all of the hard work is now starting to pay off. After much debate I have settled upon project to implement later this month – we will be building a Nursery School in Mtakuja. As such, over the past weeks I have been coordinating with the village elders of Mtakuja to ensure that everything is set for the construction of the Nursery School. Last week one of the village elders said “if we get a good Nursey School which is safe and where children can sit at desks it will be very helpful”.

Some of the Children Who Will Be Attending the New School in Mtakuja:

None of this would have possible however without the incredible support that has been shown to my (still unnamed) organization. In just under a month we have managed to raise 3500USD. One hundred percent of this funding will be going towards the construction of a Nursery School in Mtakuja. Smiles and laughter were definitely the order of the day in Mtakuja yesterday when we finally announced to the entire community that we would be building them a new school in just over a week. The mothers of the community were particularly thrilled and broke into a song and dance after the announcement was made. The village elders are also enthusiastic about the project and are considering moving the children from Mtakuja B Nursery School (which is also lacking walls) to join the others at the new school we will build in Mtakuja A. If this plan goes ahead, then up 50 children could be attending the new Nursery School in Mtakuja A in 2012. If my words do not do justice to the happiness shown by the people of Mtakuja today, then check out the video I have added to this blog!

Mothers from Mtakuja Discussing the Good News:

Celebrations Following the Announcement of a New Nursery School in Mtakuja:

I Would Walk 500 Miles...

After eight days back in the land of Tsavo West, I have visited over 50 community members I formerly worked with, broken down on 5 different motorbikes, drank over 30 liters of fluids, visited and surveyed 14 communities, and, walked over 70km under the Tsavo sun. These epic adventures have not been in vain, however, as I am now one step closer to finalizing the first construction project I am going to undertake as a pilot project for my future NGO. Every community in Tsavo West lacks something; whether it is clean drinking water, medical facilities, access to arable land for farming or access to schools for the local children. As such, I know, probably all too well, that the process of starting my own NGO in Tsavo West is not going to be easy. Nor is it going to be a short term undertaking. However, we’ve got to start somewhere.

So I guess you may be wondering where I’m going to start? I have narrowed it down to two potential construction projects to be undertaken in late November and December.
Option A: Construction of a Nursery School in Mtakuja A
The population of Mtakuja A is 600 people, and there are currently over 30 students attending Nursery School in Mtakuja A. Unfortunately, the building currently used for the Nursery School in Mtakuja A has no roof and is made of mud and sticks. This means that these 30 children sit under the baking Tsavo sun whilst learning in a room with nothing more than 4 walls. The next closest Nursery School is over 3km away and is beyond capacity with over 55 children attending school there. As such, there is no other place for children of Mtakuja A to attend Nursery School. Nursery School is compulsory in Kenya and children will not be admitted to primary school if they do not have a certificate stating they have attended one year of Nursery School. The budget for this project is 3000-3500USD. We would build a permanent building for the Nursery School and provide desks for the students.

Option B: Construction of a Laboratory Facility in Ndilidau
The existing dispensary (basic medical facility which offers doctors services and some medicines) in Ndilidau serves the entire Ndilidau sub location comprising over 2000 people. However, the dispensary offers only basic medical services and does not have a laboratory facility. As such, the people of Ndilidau sub location must travel over 10km to Taveta town to access laboratory facilities. Given the high prevalence of malaria in the Tsavo West region, laboratory facilities are critical to the early detection and treatment of malaria. Laboratory facilities also help to detect bacterial infections in the digestive system which cause diarrhea. Diarrhea is one of the leading causes of childhood death in sub-Saharan Africa. As such, the construction of a laboratory facility at the Ndilidau Dispensary has the potential to significantly improve the health status of the people residing in this sub location. The budget for this project is also 3000-3500USD.

I am still in discussions with the communities of Mtakuja A and Ndilidua to determine which project will have the most beneficial impact on the villages in question. Regardless of the outcome, we are likely to undertake both of these projects over the next 12 months. If you would like to support me in my quest to make a difference to the people of the Taveta region, please follow the 'donate' link on this page.


I will be continuing my surveying and walking from village to village in Tsavo West over the next month. So watch this space for more details on my adventures and the project we choose to go ahead with in late November.


The existing Nursery School at Mtakuja A:

An Example of Another Existing Nursery School in the Taveta Region: This is the Standard of Building We Would Like to See in Mtakuja A

So Far...

In the past three and half years I have had malaria 15 times.  I’ve been in one fatal vehicle accident and three other less serious vehicle accidents.  I’ve had so many bouts of diarrhea that not having it is abnormal.  I have been robbed three times.  I have pulled ticks out of my own neck and hundreds out of all the stray dogs that seem to adopt me.  I have had a deadly snake on my foot whilst vomiting in a long drop toilet in the middle of the night. And, I’ve had my faith restored in humanity.

Where the hell am I you may wonder?  Well, I’m never in one place.  In fact, I’ve not spent more than 10 days in one place in the past two years.  I have, however, spent the majority of my time of the border of Tsavo West National Park near Taveta.  And, I love the place; and the people there.  So much so, that I’ve recently decided to devote the next chapter of my life to starting my own NGO out there.  The NGO does not have a name yet, nor does it have anywhere near enough funding to make a dent in the ridiculous amount of problems faced by people in the Taveta district.  But in time, it will.

For now, the NGO is not important.  I’m starting small with a few projects and whole lot of research.  In two days, I’ll be returning to Taveta to begin surveying every village in the Taveta district of Kenya.  Once the research is complete, I’m hoping to run my first construction project by the end of this year.  The research will involve determining where critical infrastructure exists and where it is lacking.  All distances to key facilities such as schools, water access points and medical facilities will be determined.  I would like to say that this information will be readily available from government offices and the like; it won’t be.  I already know that.  Therefore, all distances will be measured on foot by me.  It’s going to be a whole lot of walking – but it’s a beautiful place and I’m happy enough spending my days trekking through tiny villages in Tsavo West and chatting to the communities out there.  Watch this space for the results of the research, the adventures I have along the way and I might even reveal how far I had to walk to find all of this information out!