Nuru Kenya

The Idlers

Loaders are men who wait by truck stops and along the border to load and unload truck cargo. The pay is high because the work is physically demanding and, eventually, damaging. The career lifespan of a loader is not long. The work is also inconsistent, and between loading gigs they become part of a larger

The Economics of Part Time Employment in Rural Kenya

Figuring out the economics here is hard. I’m used to the US where people work for money, and there’s no time left in a day. Here it’s completely different. Farm work seems to take half a day. The other half of the day is free. And that’s during planting season. The work gets even lighter

Groundbreaking

At harvest, Kurians rely mostly on traveling buyers to sell their maize. Because of the high seasonal supply and Kuria’s relative isolation, these middlemen are able to drive prices much lower than the going market rate. We’re hoping to change this. Today we broke ground at the Nuru granary construction site. The goal is to

594 Farmers Have Joined Nuru Kenya

In a little over a year Nuru international has managed to reach 594 farmers in the Kuria region of Kenya. The amount of farmers involved in the program means that approximately 2,970 people will be directly impacted by these positive results. Jake Harriman, CEO said, “This first year has produced some very humbling – almost shocking – results

Primary School Teacher In-Service Training

I’d like to think of myself as a morning person. I mean, I am a morning person. More or less. As long as I have a cup of coffee in my hand within fifteen minutes of stumbling out of bed and nobody speaks to me in a voice above a whisper for at least an

The Surprising Work Pace!

The work pace here is surprising. In the Peace Corps we were constantly reminded to be patient, that people would arrive hours late to meetings (if at all) and that getting anything done would take inhuman perseverance. For two years the majority of my work planning was done weeks early while I waited in empty

Healthcare in Rural Kenya – Disease Intelligence Network

[Some of these posts will include topics that I’m working on. For such topics, I’d really like feedback. Now I know you don’t think you have anything to contribute, but that’s a lie. I want these blogs to be understandable by everyone, both in vocabulary and concepts. So if there’s something you don’t understand please

Taragwiti Savings Club

An update from the Nuru CED Program Program Manager, Vivian Lu, at the Taragwiti Savings Club.

Primary School Teacher In-Service Day Reflections

The school year is about to begin in Kuria, and Nuru held its first Teacher In-Service training for local school teachers in the community. See the update from Education Field Manager, Chelsea Barabas.

To lead is to serve…

So, the wells are finished, the maize is harvested, the farmers have repaid their loans, and the first phase healthcare construction is complete. I have had a bit of a chance to sit back and breathe for a second this past week…kind of a calm before the storm. We have been driving really hard here

Investing in Teacher Training Instead of Classroom Supplies and Infrastructure

I am terrible at introductions. If you met me on the street today you probably wouldn’t believe it, but as a kid I was overwhelmingly shy. I avoided talking to strangers at all costs, preferring to hide in silence behind my chatty little brother every time a family friend or relative came to visit. Over

Join a Revolution

“Isire has just killed his brother. -Nelly” David Carreon (Nuru Healthcare Program Manger) stared in disbelief at the text he had just received from Nelly, the Kenyan Field Manager for all Nuru’s healthcare programs.  He looked up at me with a bewildered look on his face, and just handed me the phone without saying a

East of Eden…

“Isire has just killed his brother. -nelly” David Carreon (Nuru Healthcare Program Manger) stared in disbelief at the text he had just received from Nelly, the Kenyan Field Manager for all Nuru’s healthcare programs. He looked up at me with a bewildered look on his face, and just handed me the phone without saying a

Local Leadership Development is Key to Hope of Kuria, Kenya

There are many things we take for granted. The thing I realized today is that we take opportunities for leadership and advancement totally for granted. In the US, almost every single job has some way to advance. If there’s no advancement in the job, then it’s seen as a stepping stone to some other job.

Community Economic Development

So, I have received a lot of requests to do another blog entry. I have been working on several, but I often leave them half finished. After a day or so of sitting unfinished, they become dull to me, so I fear they we will be dull to others. I am never sure which portion

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