Students, Teachers and Trees: Project One Update

I stepped off of the bus in Taveta and was immediately blindfolded.  Slightly dazed after the six hour journey from Mombasa I had no clue what was going on.  Once I regained my senses, I spun around discovered Sammy one of my friends from Taveta standing there laughing hysterically.  At in that moment I knew I was home. 

It’s been four months since we left the school in Mtakuja completed and in the hands of the community there.  Handing the school over to the community members in Mtakuja was an important step in enabling the growth of a sustainable project this community.  The ultimate proof of the success of this project would be in the community’s response to the project with the absence of staff from 4frica.  And their response has been incredible.

I revisited the Makutano Nursery School last week and was thrilled to be greeted by just under twenty students learning in the classroom there.  Since we left the community of Mtakuja have sourced a teacher for the school, cleaned the compound, set up an interim committee to manage the school and enrolled seventeen students for the remainder of the 2012 school year.  The enrollment for 2013 is expected to double to around thirty-five students.

The teacher at the school, Madam Dorcus, is also starting a tree planting program where each student will bring one tree seedling and plant it.  Each student will then be responsible for watering and caring for their tree.  I was very impressed by this initiative and the repercussions it has for the environment around the school.

Madam Dorcus Delivering Tuesday's Lesson

Congratulations to everyone how has been involved in this project.  This first pilot project fills me with such great hopes for the future of 4frica and the communities in the Taveta District.  Plans for Project Two are well on their way.  We are currently working on budgets for the project/s and meetings with the community and government stakeholders were held last week.  The project will be announced before the end of the year.

Students Learning At Makutano Nursery School

Return to Tsavo

It’s been six months since I’ve set foot in Taveta.  Six months too long.  However, in life sometimes practicalities must been seen to.  And for that reason, I’ve spent the past six months back in Australia earning some much needed money to fund my return trip to Kenya.

But here I am.  Right back where it all started.  Not much has changed in Taveta - some new government offices, a new sign claiming credit for road repairs (the road is in worse condition than when I left) and a few other things which were functioning and now ‘aren’t working’.  That’s about it.  I didn’t expect anything different.  In fact, on a selfish level, it’s comforting that nothing has changed.  Because it feels as though I never really left.

Walking back to the Nursery School in Mtakuja

So why am I back? First and foremost to put some much needed finishing touches on the school we built in Mtakuja at the end of 2011.  Secondly, because it’s my home away from home and it feels incredibly wrong that it’s been nearly six months since I’ve walked to through the villages around here, waved to the children, greeted the elders and shared a joke with the young guys who always make me smile.

All that I really need to say in this post is that I am back.  For those of you reading this who know me, you know what it means to me to be back in Taveta.  For those of you who don’t know me, it means the world.  After re-visiting Mtakuja today and bumping into countless familiar faces, I am confident that Taveta will continue to be a part of my life for many years to come.  And for the next week, my focus will be on getting everything totally finished in the Nursery School in Mtakuja so the children can begin reaping the full benefits of attending a quality school to kick off their education.

Tsavo Sunset

Project One: Mtakuja Nursery School

So it’s been a while since I’ve posted, but I certainly hope that wait was worth it because the children of Mtakuja now have a Nursery School! Amazing support was shown for the project and donations totaling $3500 rolled in just weeks after I announced the first project. In Decemeber (2011), I spent three weeks out in the village of Mtakuja – mixing cement, liaising with the village elders, mixing cement, purchasing materials, mixing cement, hammering, mixing cement, arranging transport and you guessed it, mixing more cement!

Mixing Cement

During those three weeks, over 100 members of the community of Mtakuja volunteered their time to come and help with the construction of the Nursery School in the village. Intense rains throughout the first 10 days of the construction slowed things down and flooded the foundations for the school a number of times. But with the unwavering support of some very dedicated members of the community, we managed to build the children of Mtakuja a school in just three weeks!

One of the Dedicated Volunteers from Mtakuja

Now, I’m back in Australia working on the administration side the charity I’m trying to start up, catching up with friends and family, and, working to get enough money to go back to Kenya in late March. Project Number Two isn’t far away and I’ll be releasing details of that in the coming months. In the meantime, I hope you like the images and footage of Project One! I know that the people of Mtakuja are thrilled with the result, and, so am I. I will also be revisiting Mtakuja later this year to put some finishing touches on the school, check in with the children and teacher, and, to make sure that everything is progressing well in the village. Watch this space for updates from Mtakuja and for the progress of my (still unnamed) NGO..

The Final Stages of the School Construction

High Fives All Round

Project One. Mtakuja Nursery School. from 4Africa on Vimeo.

Mtakuja Nursery School Construction

All Smiles and Laughter for Project Number One

It’s been a busy few weeks out in Tsavo but all of the hard work is now starting to pay off. After much debate I have settled upon project to implement later this month – we will be building a Nursery School in Mtakuja. As such, over the past weeks I have been coordinating with the village elders of Mtakuja to ensure that everything is set for the construction of the Nursery School. Last week one of the village elders said “if we get a good Nursey School which is safe and where children can sit at desks it will be very helpful”.

Some of the Children Who Will Be Attending the New School in Mtakuja:

None of this would have possible however without the incredible support that has been shown to my (still unnamed) organization. In just under a month we have managed to raise 3500USD. One hundred percent of this funding will be going towards the construction of a Nursery School in Mtakuja. Smiles and laughter were definitely the order of the day in Mtakuja yesterday when we finally announced to the entire community that we would be building them a new school in just over a week. The mothers of the community were particularly thrilled and broke into a song and dance after the announcement was made. The village elders are also enthusiastic about the project and are considering moving the children from Mtakuja B Nursery School (which is also lacking walls) to join the others at the new school we will build in Mtakuja A. If this plan goes ahead, then up 50 children could be attending the new Nursery School in Mtakuja A in 2012. If my words do not do justice to the happiness shown by the people of Mtakuja today, then check out the video I have added to this blog!

Mothers from Mtakuja Discussing the Good News:

Celebrations Following the Announcement of a New Nursery School in Mtakuja:

I Would Walk 500 Miles...

After eight days back in the land of Tsavo West, I have visited over 50 community members I formerly worked with, broken down on 5 different motorbikes, drank over 30 liters of fluids, visited and surveyed 14 communities, and, walked over 70km under the Tsavo sun. These epic adventures have not been in vain, however, as I am now one step closer to finalizing the first construction project I am going to undertake as a pilot project for my future NGO. Every community in Tsavo West lacks something; whether it is clean drinking water, medical facilities, access to arable land for farming or access to schools for the local children. As such, I know, probably all too well, that the process of starting my own NGO in Tsavo West is not going to be easy. Nor is it going to be a short term undertaking. However, we’ve got to start somewhere.

So I guess you may be wondering where I’m going to start? I have narrowed it down to two potential construction projects to be undertaken in late November and December.
Option A: Construction of a Nursery School in Mtakuja A
The population of Mtakuja A is 600 people, and there are currently over 30 students attending Nursery School in Mtakuja A. Unfortunately, the building currently used for the Nursery School in Mtakuja A has no roof and is made of mud and sticks. This means that these 30 children sit under the baking Tsavo sun whilst learning in a room with nothing more than 4 walls. The next closest Nursery School is over 3km away and is beyond capacity with over 55 children attending school there. As such, there is no other place for children of Mtakuja A to attend Nursery School. Nursery School is compulsory in Kenya and children will not be admitted to primary school if they do not have a certificate stating they have attended one year of Nursery School. The budget for this project is 3000-3500USD. We would build a permanent building for the Nursery School and provide desks for the students.

Option B: Construction of a Laboratory Facility in Ndilidau
The existing dispensary (basic medical facility which offers doctors services and some medicines) in Ndilidau serves the entire Ndilidau sub location comprising over 2000 people. However, the dispensary offers only basic medical services and does not have a laboratory facility. As such, the people of Ndilidau sub location must travel over 10km to Taveta town to access laboratory facilities. Given the high prevalence of malaria in the Tsavo West region, laboratory facilities are critical to the early detection and treatment of malaria. Laboratory facilities also help to detect bacterial infections in the digestive system which cause diarrhea. Diarrhea is one of the leading causes of childhood death in sub-Saharan Africa. As such, the construction of a laboratory facility at the Ndilidau Dispensary has the potential to significantly improve the health status of the people residing in this sub location. The budget for this project is also 3000-3500USD.

I am still in discussions with the communities of Mtakuja A and Ndilidua to determine which project will have the most beneficial impact on the villages in question. Regardless of the outcome, we are likely to undertake both of these projects over the next 12 months. If you would like to support me in my quest to make a difference to the people of the Taveta region, please follow the 'donate' link on this page.


I will be continuing my surveying and walking from village to village in Tsavo West over the next month. So watch this space for more details on my adventures and the project we choose to go ahead with in late November.


The existing Nursery School at Mtakuja A:

An Example of Another Existing Nursery School in the Taveta Region: This is the Standard of Building We Would Like to See in Mtakuja A

So Far...

In the past three and half years I have had malaria 15 times.  I’ve been in one fatal vehicle accident and three other less serious vehicle accidents.  I’ve had so many bouts of diarrhea that not having it is abnormal.  I have been robbed three times.  I have pulled ticks out of my own neck and hundreds out of all the stray dogs that seem to adopt me.  I have had a deadly snake on my foot whilst vomiting in a long drop toilet in the middle of the night. And, I’ve had my faith restored in humanity.

Where the hell am I you may wonder?  Well, I’m never in one place.  In fact, I’ve not spent more than 10 days in one place in the past two years.  I have, however, spent the majority of my time of the border of Tsavo West National Park near Taveta.  And, I love the place; and the people there.  So much so, that I’ve recently decided to devote the next chapter of my life to starting my own NGO out there.  The NGO does not have a name yet, nor does it have anywhere near enough funding to make a dent in the ridiculous amount of problems faced by people in the Taveta district.  But in time, it will.

For now, the NGO is not important.  I’m starting small with a few projects and whole lot of research.  In two days, I’ll be returning to Taveta to begin surveying every village in the Taveta district of Kenya.  Once the research is complete, I’m hoping to run my first construction project by the end of this year.  The research will involve determining where critical infrastructure exists and where it is lacking.  All distances to key facilities such as schools, water access points and medical facilities will be determined.  I would like to say that this information will be readily available from government offices and the like; it won’t be.  I already know that.  Therefore, all distances will be measured on foot by me.  It’s going to be a whole lot of walking – but it’s a beautiful place and I’m happy enough spending my days trekking through tiny villages in Tsavo West and chatting to the communities out there.  Watch this space for the results of the research, the adventures I have along the way and I might even reveal how far I had to walk to find all of this information out!