Mementos

Precious Memento

Yesterday was the first day of a new round of food distributions. This series will conclude next Thursday, just prior to Christmas. It also marks the fourth and final set of distributions that we will be part of. The January and February distributions will be handled by our replacement World Renew International Relief Managers. It is touching to witness the reactions of the beneficiaries as we go around to some of the distributions and say ‘goodbye’. Today, the Chairperson of the local committee in Ndavaya gave Harry a wooden spoon as a memento. It had been hand-made by one of the beneficiaries. Invariably, the goodbyes are combined with very intense requests that the food distributions would continue beyond the end of February as many of their recently planted crops are once again withering from lack of rain.

Lillian and Annie

Yesterday, in Mwatate, a woman who Annie had met at a previous food distribution, begged her to return some day and ‘bring the rest of the family’! At the previous food distribution this woman had been too ill with malaria to be able to stand on her feet for any length of time. Although she had medication, she did not have any food to take with the medication, so Annie had shared some of the food we had with us – granola bars, so that she would be able to take her medication with food as prescribed. Yesterday we were delighted to see her well and happy !

Several weeks ago a Canadian Foodgrains Bank (CFGB) Discovery Tour came to Kenya. They were an enthusiastic group of long term supporters of CFGB who were eager to see their donations in action… and action is what they saw on the day we had an opportunity to host them! They were able to attend a food distribution and saw two water pans that are in progress. The beneficiaries at the Kishushe distribution welcomed them with speeches, songs, dance and gifts.

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Hugs of Gratitude

We were particularly taken by one of the gifts given and captured it in the accompanying photo – a gourd to carry water or milk. This past week we had the opportunity to visit the beneficiary who had made this gift, at his home. What a treat this was! We were welcomed to his home and he was delighted to show us around and explain his process for making the gourds. He had learned the skill from his forefathers and, due to the drought conditions and the absence of a harvest from his ‘shamba’ (small farm), decided to pursue this as another source of income for his family. After harvesting the gourds, it is a fairly lengthy process to clean them out using water and gravel, dry them for three months, make the sisal twine (by hand) that he uses to braid their carriers, and whittle the stopper. He sells the gourds either from his home or travels by foot to the nearest local market many kilometers away. We inquired about the price and he told us that he sells them for 300 ksh ($3.50) at home or 450 ksh ($5.30) at the market. We were happy to purchase two – a large one and a small one. However, he insisted on ‘presenting’ us with two more large ones, some small ones, and a number of half shells that can be used as bowls. When all was said and done we ended up purchasing the entire inventory !

The Homestead

Below are some more pictures of this entrepreneur, his wife, and two grandchildren. We were also welcomed to snap photos of their home including, their ‘kitchen’ (the round hut ). We were pleased to capture these buildings as they are typical of many of the homes we see on our travels. As well, you will see a close-up of his products.

PS –Looking for gift ideas? Don’t forget to check out page 10 of World Renew’s Canadian gift catalogue!