Hodi – Karibu, said Joshua’s wife, hot milk and soy will be very nice.
Asante, chit and chat, now outside, the sun bathes us with its warmth (now 10:30) and we are waiting for Bob (a collaborator) who works for the community. He is under the direction of Joshua Machinga, the Common Ground Program (CGP) coordinator – a program headed by a Board of Trustees – whose mission is to tackle the nations single biggest threat, poverty. Poverty breeds hunger, disease, illiteracy, and environmental degradation. This is a Kenyan non-governmental community-based organization that was founded in 1995. Set on five acres in western Kenya, the organization’s training and storage complex includes demonstration gardens and food bank facilities that provide a practical model of a functioning Biointensive Agriculture system for local farmers, college trainees and children. CGP teaches poor people to develop and use technologies that give them more control over their lives and promote sustainable community development. The program builds on existing community resources. It does not impose solutions from the outside but seeks out new uses of local materials that will improve the quality of the local way of life.
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Spent most of the day on the farm, our community field visit. Todays topic was a Vision Matrix, aspects of life and how they will effect them in the future, a lot of brainstorming, things that they felt were important
in their daily lives. They came up with about 17 and prioritized them to the following six: Agriculture, environment, health, education, transport and communication and trade and industry. Looking into the past, present and future, a lot of discussion took place with Ben and Joshua being the facilitators. These once a week community work shops deal with issues that directly effect them, giving them an awareness as well as the opportunity to problem solve on issues that will effect their daily lives, teaching them to be self sufficient and yet having the support of their local community. Following these discussions they will attempt to put their solutions and ideas into practice. In doing so they will make their community much stronger by having a better understanding of the challenges that test them, i.e. local news today.
Famine Watch – the country has called this a national disaster and has made an urgent appeal internationally for food to save some 3.2 million Kenyans from starvation due to prolong drought and inadequate rainfall resulting in drought and crop failure. Other problems in the news is the AIDS problem. Now there are over 25 million people infected with the HIV virus (70 percent of total world infections ) in Africa and 20 million have died, leaving nearly 12 million children as orphans and another 3 million people will be affected this year.and it goes on and on! Just like me right now! I must also remind you that all the people who attend those meetings do not have inside washrooms or electricity (including Ben and Joshua), so I should not complain when the power goes off. Their transportation is more by bike and legs.
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Visitors’ View from Village Volunteers
Warm welcomes greeted my arrival to Pathfinder Academy with song and poetry and the planting of my tree Olea Africana (Elgon Teak). In six short weeks, I visited all the classes, interviewed potential ECD teachers, worked on the first school newspaper and consulted with Milton and Joshua on educational issues such as the organization and physical plant of the school. I also spoke to many parents in the community and the Parents Teachers Association. On a lighter note, I was able to enjoy the children in informal settings as well as observe them in their play.
I was given the opportunity to visit the Common Ground Projects in the Kiminini area. It was wonderful to visit and walk around your sunshine landscape and to be greeted with such happy smiles and welcoming handshakes. My guides and companions were Joshua and Ben Katimi (field officer) whose expertise and knowledge filled the gaps of my farming experience. I was able to visit the self -help groups at Sango “B: farm and the Masabe “”A” Widows Women Group. (I enjoyed their beautiful singing and of course my gift of a red chicken which has now found a SAFE home at the Pathfinder.)
In Conclusion, the Kenyan culture at the Pathfinder Academy reflects and forms a strong relationship with its educational program and agricultural community. The Pathfinder Academy and the Common Ground Program has much potential and I share Joshua’s vision, and perhaps someday I will be able to come back and help the Kiminini community to put that vision into reality,
Asante and Kwaheri,
– Alan Riley