Friday, January 18, 2014

The Grass is Always Greener on the Other Side of the Fence

Yesterday morning we visited a local orphanage for girls, Vumilia.  We had visited it and met its founders in years past and we have both held Vumilia in our minds as an example of how things ought to be run.  When we last visited a few years ago, we took soccer balls and enough uniforms for two teams.  We also made a donation for the purchase of 50 chicks.  Then the orphanage was in the process of building a dormitory/office building and had just moved the girls to their new home in what is now the home schooling classroom building on their 7 acre plot of land down a dirt road from Bukahaywa primary school about 20 km north of Kakamega.

 

Vumilia ran and continues to run the orphanage and the associated primary school.  They also had a small active health clinic and few motorcycles used to deliver medicine and health care to rural villagers.  The orphanage was nutritionally self-sufficient based on their 7 acres of organic farm, an active poultry project, a small tilapia pond, a good source of spring water, and a few cows.  They really had green grass in our eyes.

When we visited yesterday, we found the 20 girls (and one boy) to be happy and healthy.  

The dormitory building was completed and in active use.  The two cows still give enough milk for the girls to drink plus a bit to sell and the tilapia pond is filled with fingerlings.  

The home school operates with two teachers. But not all is rosey.  Funds have run out for the clinic and the motorcycles lay dormant for lack of funds.  The farm and funds had been mismanaged under the previous project manager and is just now recovering after 3 months of supervision by a new project manager, a 22 year old girl from the US who volunteered for a 9-month stint at the orphanage between college and graduate school.  Nearly all the chickens have died and the chicken coops are in disrepair (now being repaired by Liam, a young man from England who has volunteered to work at the orphanage for one month).  Staff turnover has been very high.  The orphanage faces many challenges.

We of CLOUT Cares count our blessings and are happy with color of the grass on our side of the fence.

More Training on Clean Water and Goodbye

Eric Lijodi from Friendly Water for the World met with eight members of the youth group today to continue training them to work with the widows as they become accustomed to their water filters.  About 2.5 hours of training in hygiene took them a step closer to being a real help and possibly starting a business manufacturing, selling, and installing BioSand filters someday.

While the kids played in the other room

that sewing machine stayed busy.

Then we said goodbye 

while the future hung over our heads

and Sandy tried to be a Kenyan woman.