November 19 was World Toilet Day! I was notified of this from my friends at Water Partners: “We celebrate World Toilet Day and the incredible value of the can. Call it what you will – the pot, the loo, the throne, the latrine, the water closet, the bog, or here in Kenya – the choo. It’s one …
People have been asking what a typical day looks like for me here in Kuria, so here goes: 6:30 a.m. We wake up to the rooster crowing (oh wait, he crows pretty much all day). I put on my flip-flops and head for the choo (toilet) out back. The squat provides a great morning leg …
12 November 2008 Rain can be a pretty restoring thing… It rains every day here like clockwork. We’re in the middle of the short rainy season. I have never seen rain like rain in the rainy season here in Kenya. It’s crazy – I’m talking Biblical deluge-type rain. One minute, the skies are a beautiful …
I’m drinking a Coke, she’s getting an HIV test. Let me back up. Kuria has one health care facility – the poorly equipped and understaffed Nymetaburo Health Center. The center lacks basic supplies like pens and paper for keeping records, and is without running water for the staff to wash their hands between treating patients.
Well, I hear that the sky is pretty much falling back home. With the investment banking industry going the way of the dodo, the Dow Jones fluctuating wildly, consumer confidence tanking, and rising food and energy prices, the current administration and the Fed seem to be left scratching their heads in utter confusion and frustration. …
Over the past months I’ve had the absolute joy of spending some quality time with the Kurian people who have warmly welcomed me, opened up their homes to me, cooked for me (or begged me to let them), and kindly answered my million strange questions about magi na choo (water and sanitation). My biggest observation …
2 November 2008 Well, I hear that the sky is pretty much falling back home. With the investment banking industry going the way of the dodo, the Dow Jones fluctuating wildly, consumer confidence tanking, and rising food and energy prices, the current administration and the Fed seem to be left scratching their heads in utter …
Last weekend the Nuru Grassroots Movement Team traveled to West Virginia Wesleyan College to make our debut in the NGO conference world. The “Engaging Our World” conference was sponsored by Oxfam America and the Bonner Foundation, and was focused on helping students gain a greater understanding of global issues and how to effectively work towards …
26 October 2008 A few people have asked me to describe a typical day in our life here. After thinking about it, I thought it would make for a good story, and if nothing else, bring a smile and a laugh to your heart wherever you are in your busy routine today. I had a …
22 October 2008 So we had a big victory today that I would like to share with all of you to give you a little “pick me up” after all the gloom and doom of lightning strikes and malaria cases. I need to give you a little backstory, though, first. One of the hardest things …
A few thousand years ago the Kingdom of Israel was at war against a vicious, oppressive people called the Philistines. The two armies were camped across a valley from each other in preparation for battle, and as often happened in those days, a champion from the Philistine side challenged any man from the Israeli side …
12 October 2008 Over the next few weeks, I’ll be writing about Nuru International’s work here on the ground in our pilot project in Kuria, Kenya. Already, we have seen some incredible potential for the program to really have a significant impact in the community. But I couldn’t pass up the opportunity to share with …
9 October 2008 One of my favorite stories in the Bible is about a poor shepherd boy slaying a trained warrior to save a kingdom. The story goes something like this…The kingdom of Israel was in combat against a tribe of people called the Philistines. The two sides were camped across from each other in …
Birthdays are a funny thing. Their value seems to deteriorate over time. As a kid, I remember thinking that my birthday was basically the most important day in history – minus Christmas of course. I would toss and turn all night long the night before my birthday thinking about how much fun the following day …
Thursday August 9, 2007One of the more uncomfortable “adventures” I had while in the Marine Corps was the prisoner of war (POW) training we had to go through at Force Recon. The Navy has this diabolical little school called SERE to accomplish this training. There, you learn (among other things) how to survive and resist …