16 February 2009 Hapana is the Kiswahili word for no. Unfortunately, during my work here I have had to use that word probably more than any other word in this beautiful language. I use the time during my daily walk to work for many purposes. It’s an hour and a half, so it’s a pretty …
The Nuru Foundation Team returned to Kenya in mid-January and we’ve been running 100 mph ever since. A lot happened in the first couple weeks back on the ground: – I finished a report documenting pretty much everything I did in the first 3 months here and the water and sanitation needs we’ve seen and …
I returned to the U.S. from Kenya this holiday season with a very heavy burden on my heart: we were critically short on funding for our program here in Kuria. As I stepped off the plane at SFO, I couldn’t help but feel the weight of the hopes and dreams of 3,000 brave souls, the …
Well…another year is upon us. The approach of a new year always brings such a mixture of emotions in me – beginning with New Years Eve. Every year is the same…trying to figure out what party to go to or what “event” to be at – all the while holding such incredible expectations that this …
No matter where you go in Kuria you’ll be surrounded by kids. They seem to have a built in mzungu radar (mzungu is the term for a white person in Kiswahili) and come running to greet you. Greetings here are a big deal. If there is a small group of 10 kids standing in a …
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 …