Our group is well divided today as the medical team is off to conduct a clinic, others are meeting a number of the EAMO children in Nakuru to take them shopping, which is a very rare event for the kids, and others are headed back to EAMO just to spend time with the kids there. Nellie and I are in the latter group, however my time playing was short as I also spent time with the folks who run the orphanage to develop strategies for the education of the older children and looking for opportunities within their present system of farming.
I started the day with Ralph and he talked about the challenges of providing food, education and shelter for 200 children as well as trying to give each child some individual attention. The logistics are difficult but Ralph and May have taught the children, even the small ones, to participate in the work needed to run the place. Much of the free time during the day is spent in chores and combined with their schooling these kids learn responsibility at a young age. The kids all share in cleaning up after the meals, they have a big day each week where they wash clothes and bedding . . . drying on the other hand is left to mother nature.
And of course everyone helps with the grounds keeping, the farm and garden areas and weeding. They seem to do all of this willingly and with a great deal of pride.
I then spent about an hour with Daniel, who is one of the original children at EAMO. He is 20 years of age and he is now in charge of the farm. He tells me he spent many of his teen years farming with his ‘dad’. All of the kids call Ralph and May Mom and Dad and they’re already calling us Auntie and Uncle. I was most impressed by Daniel’s knowledge of the operation as he not only oversees this part of the orphanage but also trains some of the older children in the farming techniques and he looks after the veterinary needs of some 80 chickens. They use about half of the 70 eggs they get daily and sell the rest. Part of the farm is three greenhouses one of which grows tomatoes where they harvest 600 kilos per week and use all of them. They also have a large selection of produce, some wheat, and of course maize. They make a bland paste from maize called ‘ungali’ . . . looks horrid, but seems to be a staple in the diet here. It is most often served along with beans or kale.
With the knowledge of a few others in group with agriculture expertise we discussed the possibility of adding more drip lines (irrigation) to the field of beans which would enable EAMO to provide for a larger crop of beans and legumes needs and hopefully save them from having to buy these from outside sources throughout the year as they do now. We also discussed adding pineapple and possibly some fruit trees to the gardens.
We might have shown a photo of the farm and green houses . . . if Charlie had provided them . . . need I say more?
Yesterday at lunch, one of the other boys called me a rich man and I asked him why . . . his answer: ‘you’re a white man’. It is a common sentiment here. Another boy told me if he was rich he would eat biscuits every day, so when we returned today, our group brought 20 boxes as well as some other ‘sweeties’ . . . lots of happy kids at lunch.
I spent the afternoon with Jack who is the general manager of the orphanage. He is a passionate young man. We discussed some projects they are starting including the building of a campground and guest accommodations as a way of generating more income for EAMO. We spent a lot of time discussing training for those older kids who do not have academic skills or university aspirations. There are no apprenticeship programs in Kenya presently; however, there may be opportunity to partner with local businesses who could teach these kids carpentry, sewing or hairdressing and other trades that would benefit both the children and the orphanage itself.
I started the day with Ralph and he talked about the challenges of providing food, education and shelter for 200 children as well as trying to give each child some individual attention. The logistics are difficult but Ralph and May have taught the children, even the small ones, to participate in the work needed to run the place. Much of the free time during the day is spent in chores and combined with their schooling these kids learn responsibility at a young age. The kids all share in cleaning up after the meals, they have a big day each week where they wash clothes and bedding . . . drying on the other hand is left to mother nature.
And of course everyone helps with the grounds keeping, the farm and garden areas and weeding. They seem to do all of this willingly and with a great deal of pride.
I then spent about an hour with Daniel, who is one of the original children at EAMO. He is 20 years of age and he is now in charge of the farm. He tells me he spent many of his teen years farming with his ‘dad’. All of the kids call Ralph and May Mom and Dad and they’re already calling us Auntie and Uncle. I was most impressed by Daniel’s knowledge of the operation as he not only oversees this part of the orphanage but also trains some of the older children in the farming techniques and he looks after the veterinary needs of some 80 chickens. They use about half of the 70 eggs they get daily and sell the rest. Part of the farm is three greenhouses one of which grows tomatoes where they harvest 600 kilos per week and use all of them. They also have a large selection of produce, some wheat, and of course maize. They make a bland paste from maize called ‘ungali’ . . . looks horrid, but seems to be a staple in the diet here. It is most often served along with beans or kale.
With the knowledge of a few others in group with agriculture expertise we discussed the possibility of adding more drip lines (irrigation) to the field of beans which would enable EAMO to provide for a larger crop of beans and legumes needs and hopefully save them from having to buy these from outside sources throughout the year as they do now. We also discussed adding pineapple and possibly some fruit trees to the gardens.
We might have shown a photo of the farm and green houses . . . if Charlie had provided them . . . need I say more?
Yesterday at lunch, one of the other boys called me a rich man and I asked him why . . . his answer: ‘you’re a white man’. It is a common sentiment here. Another boy told me if he was rich he would eat biscuits every day, so when we returned today, our group brought 20 boxes as well as some other ‘sweeties’ . . . lots of happy kids at lunch.
I spent the afternoon with Jack who is the general manager of the orphanage. He is a passionate young man. We discussed some projects they are starting including the building of a campground and guest accommodations as a way of generating more income for EAMO. We spent a lot of time discussing training for those older kids who do not have academic skills or university aspirations. There are no apprenticeship programs in Kenya presently; however, there may be opportunity to partner with local businesses who could teach these kids carpentry, sewing or hairdressing and other trades that would benefit both the children and the orphanage itself.
