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. …
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 …
The last few weeks have been busy for the Community Economic Development (CED) program, or as Jake calls it, the artist formerly known as Small Business Development. The name change was an effort to better reflect the program’s goals, not all of which are covered by small business development alone. During my time in Kuria …
Yesterday we held a staff development day at our house. The Community Development Chairmen (CDC) came over and we discussed everything from banking, to female empowerment, to maps. Philip Mohochi (our head chairman and community business guy) taught the rest of the CDC how to keep a budget and do their own books. The CDC …
Last week I spent most of my time roaming around the area with GPS and camera in hand to map and photograph as much of the area as possible. The original map I made didn’t have much in the way of location information and no pictures to associate with any of the structures. This time, …
It’s amazing how providing access to simple information and resources can dramatically improve the lives of the extremely poor. In February, Nuru issued farmers in the Nyametaburo and Nyangiti communities a loan of maize seed and fertilizer. Why? Their soil was so depleted of nitrogen and phosphates (critical to crop growth and sustenance) that the …
Nuru’s farm loan program is a critical foothold program for us here in the community. The farm loan program involves Nuru purchasing high quality inputs (fertilizer and seed) so that famers can dramatically increase their crop yields (400%-500%). At harvest, the farmers repay the loan and have plenty left over to feed their families for …
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 …
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 …
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 …
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 …