Ngecha School Awards

This afternoon I attended an awards ceremony for the Ngecha Primary School near Limuru. After several years of poor academic performance, the school has turned around their test scores and has established an environmental awarenes program. Craig Sorley, who I have mentioned in other posts, provided 500 trees to the school, which they planted in several areas around the school (see clip below). Even though they experienced a severe drought last year, the trees have done extremely well - hence the award for the school. In fact, the trees shown in the clip below were only knee-high 2 years ago when they were planted!

We were treated as special guests, sitting with various dignitaries and local leaders. The event was MC'd by a radio celebrity from Nairobi and portions were broadcast.

The school serves 600 students with 20 teachers. Classrooms are very basic - no electricity or running water - note the latrines in some of the pictures. Parents pay several hundred ksh (Kenya shillings - ~80 ksh/dollar) per year for their children to attend. Even so, in the last picture you see in the top clip, a line of parents are shown waiting to contribute to the fundraiser. Most dignataries gave on the order of 1000 to 2000 ksh (about $10 - $20). I'm sure the parents could only afford a few ksh each.

The speakers emphasized academic acheivement. It was certainly amazing to see how supportive the community and parents are of education, especially given how poor the surrounding area is. I understand that they have very strict standards for progressing in the school system - no child left behind here means that if you don't pass various grade-level exams - you are left behind! From what I have seen, those who make high school and university levels are definitely well prepared.

The final clip below has some general scenes from the local area. Pretty standard conditions for the areas I have been in so far. Can you see why education is important for so many of the people here - it offers hope and opportunity that otherwise is non-existent. We are all so blessed!

More later - HDG

Museum Trip and a Metaphor

Not only does Kenya and its people have a very interesting history, but Kenya contains some of the most important paleontological sites for hominid fossils. That is to say that scientists have found fossils here that point to the biological origins of humans. Naturally, I didn't want to miss the opportunity to see some of these original fossil finds on display in the National Museum of Kenya. I arranged for a driver to take me to the museum in Nairobi this past week - a trip that was a worthwhile learning experience - with added dimensions - read on!

When the driver (Peter) picked me up at Brackenhurst, I noticed that his low fuel light was on. (I also noticed that personal hygiene was not his strong point - but you have to get used to that here.) Now, I assumed Peter was a professional driver, so I assumed that either the fuel light didn't work, or that he would get fuel somewhere along the way. As we rode together, it became clear that we would have a communication problem - he spoke very softly and his english was not clear enough for me to understand. (Do you see where this is going yet?)

As we neared the museum traffic became congested, so we took back streets through the city - at least they seemed like back streets to me - they might have been major thouroughfares by Kenyan standards. There were many whites on the streets - we were close to the UN offices and embassies - so I really didn't feel uncomfortable at all.

So we arrived at the museum with no difficulty. I found my way in, found the ticket booth, and purchased a ticket - and since I was by myself, I was feeling pretty proud.

My first stop was the bookshop - I am a field guide junky - needed a bird guide and plant guide. Found'em - thought i would pay with a credit card - but they didn't have the necessary forms. So, I paid cash. This was a very nice shop - like any you would see in a similar facility in the states, but they needed to make change for my purchase. There were two attendants - who had to pull money from their purse and wallet to make change. hmmmmh?

My walk through the museum was very nice. Power went out when I was viewing hominid fossils. No big deal - everyone is used to rolling outages of a few minutes - so the visit continued. Interesting displays of tribal costumes, relics etc.; also very extensive display of birds.

I returned to the car after about 2 hours. Again, I thought maybe the driver would get some fuel while I was in the museum - or that the gauge was not correct. We started home.

About half to 2/3rds of the way home, the car started to sputter. I knew immediately what the problem was - but the driver acted puzzled when the car rolled to a stop along the highway. We had passed a couple of gas stations, but he had made no indication he was going to stop. I told him that if he wanted to get gas (I should have said petrol) that I would pay. He tapped on the gas gauge; made phone calls; and said we would be rescued. Now, tapping on the gas gauge might have meant something 40 years ago - but electronic gauges don't respond to that kind of attention.

Anyway, after a few minutes he turns the key and the car starts - he revs the engine and we are off again. I thought we would head for a fuel station - Nope! We go until we come to a coughing stop again. Same routine - wait til it starts and push on.

He motions that over to the right there is something - I had no idea what - I thought he was talking about his son (not even close). So we turn off the main highway onto another busy but smaller road. I thought we were pretty close to Brackhurst and was feeling pretty good.

Finally we make our final coughing stop in a pull-off for the Matutu's (small vans that haul people around - crowding 12 people in the space taken up by 4-6 americans). More phone calls and annimated swahili discussions with someone on the other end - who - I don't know - what did they say - I don't have a clue.

Next he says that I should stay in the car while he goes to something he points to up ahead. There are people walking by, and it's a busy road. We are near a community of sorts. I don't feel particularly threatened by this circumstance - but I certainly feel like I stand out - so to speak. So I just sat there in the car and try to blend in (yeah - right!) while he takes off at a trot to a truck about 1/2 mile ahead. In the meantime, at least one white person drives by and signals their sympathy for my circumstances through facial expressions, but they couldn't leave the traffic stream to help.

About the time Peter returns with a 1-gallon gas can, a couple of police on foot come by. As he pours the fuel in the car (using a funnel he makes from a scrap of cardboard lieing along side the road) the police arrive and there ensues an animated exchange in swahili that seemed to have a scolding tone.

Well, the added fuel was what we needed - started right up and we headed off. Fuel light was still on. No stops for more fuel - we headed for Brackenhurst, which was further away than I thought - but we made it with no difficulty.

As I exited the car and thanked Peter, he was very appologetic and I did understand him to say this was not his week. But the thought could not escape me that this is a metaphor for the Kenyan condition (and the condition of other developing nations) - the low fuel light is on for the entire country - they are so close to empty with regard to all the necessities of life, but are unable to gain a margin of sufficiency to avoid episodic catastrophe. This is a condition that most westerners are totally unfamiliar with - we don't understand what it means to live so close to the edge. Of course, some of our less fortunate understand this, but our society as a whole is far removed from worrying each day about the basics that the large majority of Kenyans must struggle to obtain - everyday!

Our first response is to want to give what we can to help Kenyans - or people in similar situations - by giving them some food, or clothing, etc. Indeed, such acts of charity have their place, but the missionaries I have spoken with on this journey see a need for deeper involvement in community development - which in a country where subsistence farming is the norm - also translates to environmental stewardship.

These are largely a people of tremendous endurance in spirit and strength. The more I see and learn, the more convinced I become that our support for Care of Creation is well placed and offers a kind of hope for change that is missing in other more traditional approaches.

Soon I will be leaving for an awards ceremony for one of the schools Craig Sorley works with. They are receiving an environmental award from the government - a success story I hope to include in a future post. In the meantime, I be more careful to pay attention to low fuel lights! (by the way - I have since learned that they seldom put more than a few liters (1 liter = 1 quart) of fuel in their cars at a time because it is easily stolen).

Safara Salama - HDG

Care of Creation Class Trip

Jambo!

One of the things I have learned while in Kenya is the broad range of missionary and other non-government organizations (NGOs) that try to make life better for the Kenyans. As my previous posts attest - it is a continuing struggle - one that will never end as long as the culture of corruption in the governmental structure of the country remains as it is. There is hope however, by impacting the lives of individuals through enabling them to affect positive change in their lives and community. I am not qualified to criticize or find fault with where Kenya is in its develpment, or why it seems to be faultering, that would take a lifetime of study - but see my post on the Museum Trip for other observations.

A ministry that Linda and I support is called Care of Creation (see http://www.careofcreation.org/). The ministry is run by a friend of ours in Madison, WI - Ed Brown. Craig Sorley runs the Kenyan extension of that ministry and is also a friend of ours. Both Ed and Craig stayed with us last year when they came to speak at WBU. Craig lives here at Brackenhurst, but is preparing to move to an area about 45 minutes away where his two sons will attend a school for children of missionaries, etc. (more on that in a later post). What follows is a series of pictures and narrative of Craig speaking to my class followed by a walking tour the class took of the indigenous tree nursery Craig runs with the able assistance of Winnie and George - two local Kenyans who I found to be extremely knowledgeable of botany and nursery techniques.

Craig has developed a very effective understanding of biblically-based principles of environmental stewardship that he (and many others) prefer to call creation care. While this understanding of a scriptural mandate calling for Christians to be environmentally responsible is not new - its basis goes back to the very first leaders of the Christian church - we have been led away from this practice of our faith by our desire to aquire wealth of various kinds, which in turn has led to a degradation of God's creation.

In Kenya, there has been an absence of a creation care ethic in the mesage brought by missionaries over the years. Hence, while Christianity is statistically the most prevalent belief-system in the country, very few people have drawn attention to how faith and environmental responsibility are linked. Or, by extension how restoring a degraded environment and reducing human suffering are linked.

Of the topics Craig emphasizes through his ministry is application of farming methods that preserve and restore soil fertility, and replanting the forests that have been clear-cut for fuel and building materials. He teaches his biblically-based principles of caring for creation through workshops presented to churches and schools. The demonstration shown to the left illustrates the value of mulching the soil to reduce soil erosion and improve water quality.

The students were completely enamored by the demonstration and many of them described how they had experienced the kind of landscape degradation that Craig is trying to reverse through his teachings.

The pictures are probably not clear enough for you to see the difference in amount and clarity of water running off the mulch covered vs. bare soils in the demonstration - but the differences are quite striking.

Craig has an intersting background - he grew up as the son of missionaries in several countries in Africa. After schooling in the US in forestry and environmental science, and surviving treatment for a rare form of brain cancer, he returned to Kenya where he and his wife and two children continue in the mission field. He has been here at Brackhurst for the last 7 years. He is very much a part of the local culture and interacts very effectively with the Kenyan people. Indeed, I know of no one who can communicate the principals of creation care to either American or Kenyan audiences as well as he can.

After Craig's lecture and in-class demonstration, the class went on a walking tour of Care of Creation's indigenous tree nursery, which is located on the grounds of Brackenhurst. There are two local Kenyan's - Winnie and George - who manage the nursery. Although it looks primitive - it is a very successful and well-run operation supplying churches, schools, and local landowners with valuable tree seedlings that they plant to try to restore the native forests that have been removed for fuel, etc.

Although I have not captured this in an image yet, it is not unusual to see older women in particular carrying large bundles of sticks and small limbs on their backs. The bundles would have to weigh 60 - 80 lbs. They will sell or use the wood for cooking. In some areas where deforestation is severe, women (mostly) will spend up to 30 hours per week walking to and from the areas where firewood is available - and the distances they need to travel are getting longer and more arduous.

Winnie and George led the students through the entire process of preparing seed beds, to transplanting seedlings, to transplanting the larger seedlings into plastic bags (no pots - the bags work much better - I was impressed). What I found most interesting was Winnie's lecture on mulch - She definitely had that worked out!

The challenges of mulch production here are a bit different here than in our climates. Any organic matter is acceptable, and Winnie knew rather precisely the proportions of soil vs. organic matter that was required. The trick is keeping the moisture concentrations just right to avoid having the mulch pile invested with safari ants. These are rather troublesome ants - similar to the fire ants introduced to the SE US and TX from south america. Anyway, she showed the students how to tell if the mulch was done - put a stick in the pile all the way to the bottom - if it is hot when you pull it out - let the mulch continue to work - if it is cool - the mulch is ready to apply to the soil. She also passed around some leachate from a mulch pile - when it is done, the leachate smells alot like beer (the students thought that was pretty funny - some jokes in swahili brought some healthy laughter).

Although many of the students in the class are from towns or urban areas - Craig's message and the tree nursery tour rang true for virtually everyone. They took detailed notes and made Winnie repeat her instructions on planting and mulching techniques on many occasions. This had nothing to do with worrying about whether I would test them on the material - they wanted to know the information so they could apply it at home! How refreshing!!!

Craig has two books on his message and techniques, and there is a third book he had copies of with similar information. I purchased copies of the books for the class and distributed them with an assignment - as part of their final, they have to write a 3-4 page paper on what they thought about creation care before taking this class; how the class had changed their thinking; how they would apply this information in their personal lives; and how they would apply it in their professional life. Of course, their paper had to reflect their reading of the book they were given.

In the course I am teaching (Life Science), the students learn some basic chemistry; structure of the cell; photosynthesis & respiration; cell division, etc.; and some human biology. But I close the course with several lectures on environmental stewardship. I feel that part of the course has the potential to make the greatest difference in the lives of Kenyans - if the students take this ethic to their families and their communities. If that happens with just a few of the students I have touched, then I will feel this has been a most successful endeavor!

byefornow - HDG

Worshiping in Kenya

Happy 4th of July!

It is Sunday in Kenya and I had the opportunity to attend a church near the Brackenhurst compound. It was an interesting and fulfilling experience.

The pictures I have posted show some more views of the Brackenhurst compound taken this morning as I walked to the gate and then up the hill to the 1st Baptist Church of Tigoni. In one of the later pictures in the clip, you will see the outside of the church. My guess is it is a building left over from when this was a British club in the early 1900's - it was probably a storage building. It is about 30' by 50' - galvanized roof - rafters exposed - painted walls - raised platform in front. The pews are 1x12's on metal frames - no comfort here. But, there is a sound system - which is good because I have NEVER heard better music in a church service. Perhaps we have all seen footage of services in Black churches in America that were pretty animated - I'd put this at least in that category.

The service started with praise-type songs - only accompaniment was drums (bongo-type) - later there was an electric guitar. The songs have a cadence, rhythm, and harmony that is amazing! Eventually the music shifted to a hymn or two - in swahili. One song sounded a lot like Red River Valley. Oh Yeah - men sat on the right; women on the left. Of about 150 in attendance (at least!!), there were 9 whites. We introduced ourselves to the congregation - the other whites were missionaries from surrounding countries - one of the wives was from Miami, TX, and one of the missionaries had served in Perryton and Shamrock, TX. All were staying at Brackenhurst, but we had not visited up to that point.
After prayers at various times, some testimonies, and several songs from a couple of different choirs and individuals (all of which could have been recorded in my estimation - and all in swahili - so I don't have a clue what they said) - there was a sermon. The sermons was presented by 2 pastors - one would speak in swahili, the other in english. What was interesting is they would hand off to one another - you never knew which was going to speak in english vs. swahili. The message was from Jonah - which I can relate to given my early reluctance to make this trip.

Anyway - this was an amazing service - and being clearly in the minority added a new dimension to the entire experience.

As I start my second week I expect a routine to develop. I hope to go to the National Museum later in the week - Kenya is the place were the oldest hominid (human ancestor) fossils have been found. I also hope to take a safari next weekend. So I don't expect to be posting much til something new happens.

Byefornow - HDG

Kenyan Highways

Jambo!

Our trip to Nairobi National Park was my third opportunity to enjoy the Kenyan highway experience - the first was coming back from the airport when I was sleep deprived and it was late at night; the second was the brief trip to Limuru (see post on children's school); and now the trip through Nairobi to the National Park. The pictures below do not do the experience justice! While there are many areas with beautiful views of tea plantations and fields of corn and other crops, much of the route consisted of narrow, 2-lane highways. Actually, they were more like 4-lanes, but the outer two lanes were filled with people walking and donkey carts hauling all sorts of stuff.

Here's what I have learned about highway travel my frist week in Kenya:

Roadway Rules --> There are no rules! It takes nerves of steel to drive in this country. For the passenger, it takes a deep faith in your driver. It's like going on a roller-coaster - you know there's going to be some excitement - you are reasonbly certain you will arrive at your destination safely, but you still keep an open prayer going that everything holds together - and it almost always does.

1. On straightaways you have to dodge potholes; burrow carts; people carts; people; and other cars. Actually, they aren't really potholes - more like bomb craters! People joke about seeing rabbit ears sticking out of a pothole, only to discover it was a giraffe!

2. There are traffic lights, but I haven't figured out why - I have only seen them at round-abouts (we called them circles in NJ) - and I have yet to see anyone pay attention to whether they are red or green. AND - there are no police to give tickets - as far as I could see. However, my students reminded me to buckle-up or I would be incarcerated! They thought that would be funny (I didn't!).

3. Intersections are not for the chicken-hearted - in fact, that's what it is like - playing chicken! Whoever sticks their nose out in the path might get to go on through - or maybe it will just be gridlock. We came close to causing a gridlock, but one of the other drivers backed down - after it was clear there was no other option. People tell me that sometimes drivers have to get out of their cars and negotiate a truce, then direct traffic to restore flow.

4. Nairobi is a big city with no bypasses! We drove by embassies and the parliment - there was construction (or destruction) everywhere. Bicyclists rode through traffic without fear. We commonly saw motorcycles with stacks of milk carts 4 or 5 high(!!) filled with stuff for delivery - same true for bicycles. Even hand trucks were being used for local delivery.

Note the sign for Pizza Inn - I think I'll wait til I get back to Lubbock for some good ole' Dion's (ought-oh - homesick attack!).

5. As for motorcycles - taxiing people on the back of your motorcycle is a cottage industry. Sometimes I would see two passengers on a motorcycle; sometimes one passenger along with a bale of hay. I thought it strange that the motorcylce drivers were bundled up in coats and wore helmets - it wasn't that cold. Then it occurred to me - that was their safety gear - better to tear up an old coat than your skin!

6. Small, half-ton pickups (like my Toyota) are not full until they are carrying at least twice what I could fit in mine - along with 4 passengers in front! And they are all virtually 30 years old. I still see Datsun trucks - and that name changed in the 70's

7. Fortunately, no one drives very fast - we might have hit 50 once or twice - most of the time was 30 or slower. Which is good - except when going up hill behind a truck (they call them lories). Most of them will be slowed to a walk - and produce a plume of black smoke that obscures the truck!

8. And don't forget - they drive on the wrong side of the road. But you can't scream - it will distract the driver and he might drop his cell phone. That could be very bad! Yes - everyone has a cell phone here and they are constantly talking to someone.

(By the way - when you are walking down the sidewalk, you also pass one another on the opposite side us westerners are accustomed to.)

The last few pictures are of Limuru - the town down the hill from Brackenhurst. We stopped there on the way back to drop off a couple of our students who apparently live there. What is amazing is that these students are among the best in the class and are definitely on par with students in the US.

Even given these circumstances - the people I have met are happy and kindhearted. The van was full of laughter. I couldn't understand the swahili jokes, but it was clear that joy and happiness is not far from their common experience. We can't apply western expectations to their lifestyles - I have alot to learn about that, which I may share later on.

Allfornow - HDG

Nairobi National Park

Yesterday I took my class to Nairobi National Park (see http://www.kws.org/parks/parks_reserves/NANP.html or http://nairobinationalpark.wildlifedirect.org/).

It was a wonderful trip! Although this park is easily accesible to at least some of the students, and reasonable affordable (less and $1 for residents; $40 for non-residents), very few of them had ever been. Also, they rarely get to see the animals we saw during our drive through the park.

The park is interesting for another reason - it is within view of downtown Nairobi. There are fences to keep the wildlife from getting into the city, but otherwise the animals we observed are free to roam anywhere in Kenya. Our drive took from about 10am til about 3 pm, with a stop for lunch at a controlled picnic area.

Among the large animals we saw were Ostriches (more than I espected); Kongoni (a type of antelope); Zebras; Impalas; Buffalo; Wart Hog; Vultures; Springbok; Monitor Lizards; and Baboons (beware - picture of male Baboon is R-rated; see if you can figure out why!). At lunch we took a short walk with a park ranger (he carried a WWII vintage rifle). Hiking is discouraged - Kenyans would prefer tourists stay alive so they can spend money - there is plenty for the predators to eat without adding tourists to the menu. Anyway, we walked along a river to view some crocodiles and we were able to see one Hippo (at least his head).

I visited with the ranger for some time. He had been working for the Kenyan Wildlife Service for 18 years. His observation was that wildlife was on the decline overall due to habitat destruction. However, Kenya certainly recognizes wildlife and the tourism it generates as their primary natural resource, so they do a reasonably good job of managing their parks.

At the end of the trek, we went through the Animal Orphanage - basically a small zoo with wart hogs; lion; cheetahs; leopards; and a few other animals. By US standards, the facilities were substandard, but everyone enjoyed the visit. We got there just as they fed the lions - it is impressive when you can hear the crunch of a leg of something being knawed on by a 500 lb lion!

We left the park at about 4:30 and arrived back at Brackenhurst by 6:00 or so. (See my roadshot post for that experience!) The students were given an assignment - to take one thing they observed and draw a picture; then chose a scripture that applies to that experience; then write a one-page summary of how they would use that experience in a sermon or devotional. I am anxious to read their papers.

Safari Salame - HDG

Teaching Life Science Labs in Kenya

On Thursday we had our first "Lab Day". Most days I lecture for a total of about 3 hours - then we need a break. This week's lab was on osmosis and diffusion. Sometimes we use deshelled eggs as cells, other times we use a special tubing called dialysis tubing. The eggs had been soaking in vinegar to a day and a half, but the shells were still intact, so we had a lesson on pH and acidity - the acidity of the vinegar had been exhausted by the CaCO3 in the egg shells. Anyway, I brought some dialysis tubing. This is like sausage skin - so to make a cell, you have to tie each end. Now - what about string? String is something they don't commonly use here, so we unraveled some jute twine. Students placed some water or sugar-water in the cells, then we placed the cells in a pot of either water or a sugar solution. The cells will then gain weight or lose weight depending on which solution they are bathed in. I have never had a class so involved! They completely invested themselves in this very simple demonstration - and the results were very good.

After we finished the osmosis exercise, it was time to look at cells in the microscope. I brought a variety of prepared slides - onion root tip, amoeba, bread mold - the standards for this lab. There are about 10 microscopes available for 33 students. All of the scopes use 110v lights - but Kenyan electricity is 240v. We have a transformer with 2 outlets - how do we get all scopes working. Fortunately, someone had brought several extension cords - each cord ran two scopes with an outlet for the next extension cord, etc. So we daisy-chained the scopes - and it worked! I have never seen a class so excited about looking through the scopes. Not only that, but they stayed after class so they could take pictures of one another looking through the scopes. That in an of itself is a reward after dealing with students in the US who can't wait to leave class - even if they haven't done half the exercise.

More on the students and people of Kenya in later posts - byefornow - HDG