Meeting Inspiring People



A bull was donated to the Village to ensure that each family received meat this Christmas.  Each portion is for one family of 10-12 people.

 Nyumbani Village was fortunate enough to host a two week Permaculture Course this month. This was the ultimate scenario to test my newly acquired hospitality skills. My responsibility was to prepare accommodations for 15 students attending the course and solving any problems and concerns during their stay. This responsibility was in addition to the six volunteers I was hosting. Permaculture is a sustainable approach to agriculture that seeks to maximize the use of indigenous plants and landscapes to enrich the land for future generations while also providing for present needs (organic farming is a piece of the approach).

Warren Brush (Permaculture Teacher) and Myself.  He is quite an inspiring man!



On the left is Nicholas (Village Manager), center is Warren Brush, on the right is Joseph (Village Sustainability Manager)

 I must admit that I was somewhat dreading the arrival of the permaculture students knowing how much work they would cause me. Little did I know how enriching our time together would become. The course was made up of two American professors and various students: 1 American, 2 Liberians, 4 Kenyans, 1 Ugandan, 1 German, 1 Kenyan from Indian decent, and 2 of the Village staff members. I was invited to attend any class I liked and ended up learning quite a bit and developed a desire to gain more agricultural knowledge. Through this process, I realized that each one of these individuals had powerful life stories and were accomplishing inspiring things throughout the world. The two Liberians had survived the 15 year long civil war and were now working to improve their country, one of the Kenyans grew up in the Kibera slum in Nairobi and is contributing to starting a garden in the middle of the slum to provide learning opportunities for the struggling youth, another Kenyan is working with the Masai people to aid with female victims of genital mutilation, the German is living in India and volunteering for a well known philanthropist in India named Amma (AKA “The Hugging Saint), another Kenyan is a board member of a foundation that conserves wildlife, etc. The point is that I thought I was going to have to babysit the students but instead was lucky enough to meet some amazing and inspiring people. It goes to show you that you never know who you will meet and where life will take you if you are open to meeting new people and brave enough to embrace new experiences.

Permaculture teachers and students

On a sad note, one of the grandmothers of the Village recently passed away from medical complications. The grandchildren were devastated and have had to experience the pain of losing yet another loved one. The children will stay in the Village but will live with another Village grandmother. I was invited to the funeral and was honored to witness a Kenyan funeral. In ways, it was very similar to our funerals in USA except that the funeral took place at her home outside the Village and she was buried in land directly behind her home. I was given the responsibility of making sure that our Village driver bought a goat to ensure that there was meat to serve prior to the funeral. I was the only white person at the funeral and it was evident (considering my height and skin color). I felt bad for all our staff members as I was being treated like an honored guest. Of the several hundred people in attendance, I was offered the only chair as everyone else either sat on long stools or stood. Additionally, I was immediately offered some food with meat while the other staff did not even get to each because of food shortages. The four hour ceremony was a unique experience that I am grateful to have attended.

The funeral with the deceased grandmother's homes in the back left.

Some women carrying the casket.

Burying the grandmother behind her home.

On December 23rd we had our Christmas Party at a nice place in the town of Kitui. The 75 employees of the Village were in attendance. Each department head was called up to the front of the room to talk about the department and introduce the employees. I, being the Volunteer Coordinator, am the head of the Guest House and presented the volunteers and cooks. I then gave a brief speech about my job and experience in the Village. After all the speeches, bonuses were handed out and then food was served. After receiving their bonuses, the staff were ready to celebrate so we went to a local pub for some adult beverages. It turned out to be a fun evening of conversation, joking, and dancing. Africa is behind by decades in many aspects of life and music is no different. The newer South African music that was being played sounded like vintage 80s music, which, as many of you know, I thoroughly enjoy. This music inspired me to reveal my sweet dance moves.

All the staff of Nyumbani Village at the Christmas Party.

Staff and I after the Christmas Party.

I am showing the Kenyans how to dance.  They are laughing with me, not at me.

By the way, MERRY CHRISTMAS.  A generous individual provided a donation that allowed for each child to receive a pair of new shoes this Christmas.  Another donor provided another small gift for each child and a bull was donated to the Village to ensure that each home had beef this year (1 of 5 times that the families receive meet each year).  This is all the children received for Christmas (much different than the multiple gifts we receive each year).  Currently all the volunteers and visitors have left for the holidays, and I am now living in the Guest House by myself with 7 other empty rooms. Do not worry because I am leaving tomorrow on a 10 hour bus drive to the coast of Kenya for two weeks of enjoying the beach and amazing seafood. I can’t wait to show off my beach-body that I have be sculpting for the last ten years while drinking one too many beers, eating one to many fried meals, and participating in little to no exercise.

Lastly, the weather in the Village is getting hot during the day.  We are definitely now in summer.  Every day it gets into the 90's (although it is tolerable considering there is little to no humidity), but the evenings and morning are splendid.  Once the sun starts to go down around 6pm, the temperature drops to the low 70's and stays that way all night.  I don't miss the climate in the midwest!
Until Next Time…

Kenyan Thanksgiving



The Spanish magician group from the Foundation of Abra Cadabra


Thanksgiving Day was very hectic in the Village. A group of Spanish magicians from the Spanish Foundation Abra Cadabra visited for the day. I must admit that my excitement level for their visit was fairly low considering my interest in contributing to preparing Thanksgiving Dinner. To my surprise, the visit by the magicians was one of the more powerful experiences of my trip. These people used their gift of magic and playfulness to put smiles on all 728 children’s faces. Few people have the ability to connect with children. These people have that gift and brought abundant joy and energy to the Village. In the morning they offered a 1.5 hour show for all the children and staff. After lunch, I put on my Volunteer Coordination Hat and guided them on a tour of the Village. Although these visitors have a unique ability to approach life with joy and humor, it was quite interesting to witness the serious side of these visitors as I explained the reality of life for these children. I made it a point to explain how much happiness and joy they brought to these children who experience limited forms of entertainment in the Village. The group was on a tight schedule and explained that they needed to leave by 3:30 pm to return to Nairobi for a show the following day. At 3:30pm, as the tour of the farms concluded, I expressed the importance of visiting a Village home to witness how the families live. As I suspected, these social individuals were touched by the personal interaction with these families in their homes. Our time together was a wonderful experience for both me and them. A special thanks to Marian Alvarez, from the COGRI Spanish Board, for organizing and accompanying the magicians on their visit.

Magic show in the Social Hall

After bidding farewell to the visitors, I checked on the progress of our Kenyan Thanksgiving Dinner. The previous weekend I had been in Nairobi and did not assist in purchasing or organizing the dinner. That day, I did not contribute to the preparation of the meal except for taste-testing a few items as they came out of the coal oven. So basically, my contribution to the feast consisted of drinking the beer and eating a hefty portion of the delicious food.

The volunteers that organized and cooked the meal were Rafael and Anne (two Spanish volunteers), Natessa and Aliza (two American volunteers), and Chris (another American volunteer). The dinner items prepared included: 2 chickens, pineapple sauce, mashed potatoes, stuffing, caramelized onions, guacamole and chips (of course the Spaniards prepared the guacamole), pumpkin pie, and Tusker beer. Before digging in, we took a few moments to explain to the Spaniards the true purpose of Thanksgiving which was followed by offerings of thanks for many of our blessings. Although the chickens were not quite the same as turkey and gravy, it was a respectable substitute. As the sun descended and the room darkened, we lit some candles and enjoyed a unique atmosphere and conversation as we sipped on our warm, yet tasty, beers. Overall, the food was excellent and the company and conversation was even better. At times during the day I definitely wished I could be at home sharing this holiday with my family and friends. That being said, I have to admit that our Kenyan Thanksgiving was uniquely special in its own way.


The volunteers preparing for Thanksgiving Dinner



Our Thanksgiving Feast

I am enjoying a warm Tusker beer before dinner

Our Village Priest, Fr. Nicodemus, asked for my assistance the other day in taking pictures of all the children in the Village. A generous Kenyan made a donation to ensure that all the children receive a present this Christmas and Father wanted to give the donor a picture of the children. Additionally, I am working with a former volunteer to buy shoes for every child for Christmas. Without these generous donations, the children would not receive any present this Christmas.

All the children at the Village entrance

The younger children near the Village entrance



This is a solar cooker that is being presented in the village for all the families to use.  It makes no sense for the village to have to search for wood every day for cooking, not to mention deplete the wood supply in the village, if the solar cookers can be used.  The village has an abundance of sunlight that should be used.  Above, the solar cooker is cooking two eggs and purifying water in the pan for safe drinking.  The families should be able to cook a meal with three hours of sunlight.

 Until Next Time…