Focusing on Faraja

     After 4 days on Safari I couldn't stop thinking about Faraja. Though I really haven't been able to be around the kids because of the work I do there is the continuous thought on how to allow Maura and Omari become sustainable.

The chicken coop

     Cleopus from Fadhili stopped by today to see how our placement was going. Gloria and I were more than happy to show them the orphanage, introduce them to Omari, and ask for some extra help. Claire should be joining us tomorrow but we'd like to get another male and female when the next orientation group comes on Sunday. Fadhili has been more than accommodating and we firmly believe that this can happen.
     Omari's chickens laid about 46 eggs today, nearing the magic number 60 so that they can begin selling in market. We talked about small loans from Faulu (a micro-finance institution) that might lead to larger loans. The difficult aspect is the first loan can only be 5000ksh and must be repaid in 6 weeks. We feel that Omari's eggs must be viable before taking the loan to guarantee repayment and move on to larger loans.

     Gloria's beans for lunch were a hit and my ugali was good (at least that's what I thought from the reaction of the kids. Ugali (right) is basically a maize flour based "bread". It's light but very filling. I prefer mine with chile sauce. Cooking for 30+ kids was interesting because the pots are huge. The ugali was mixed with the semblance of a canoe paddle and two hands on it at all times because it gets heavy to flip.

     There are many things to do here before we leave but I'm confident that Gloria and I can tackle any task and goal we put ahead of ourselves. When we are on "African time" it seems like we've been here forever and time is standing still (in a good way). When we find out the days date reality kicks in on how fast time is flying by.

      I've meant many kind-hearted souls, adventurous and energetic spirits, and downright great people so far in this experience and I hope it continues.


Capitalism (and incentives) might work:
$1 = 80ksh (Kenyan Shillings)

Laundry at Faraja

1. Considering incentives for day labor to build the fire pit. Eg: 100ksh for the day, 250ksh if done by 12:30, if not finished not hired back the next day. Laborers are used to being paid daily and I regularly see plenty on break when the "boss" isn't around for the day down the road. If the fire pit project gets off the ground I think it can be done in 2 days.

2. Talking with the Sudanese businessman (the "boss" I just mentioned) to get his unused mortar block or to get in on next week's shipment. 50ksh per block is the standard rate and we'd only need about 36-42. Don't plan on taking his labor, but 1 guy a day would be OK by me.

The donkey cart guys

3. Renting out a donkey cart from the water merchant who fetches water from the same pipe. He's there hauling 500L on the cart, maybe offering him 1/4 of the value of his haul to deliver it to the door. This wouldn't be done on a daily basis, but maybe on a Friday to cover the weekends. Kenyans pay a shilling a liter, and to have the tank filled in 45 minutes is a lot better than all day, and it will supplement the time needed to supervise the firepit project.

We've been fortunate to have some donated funds and hope to spend them wisely and appropriately for the duration of our time at Faraja. If you'd like to do anything to assist, just ask.