The months of March and April and May have been busy for us. We are digging down into each of the proposed projects and seeing with our fundraising since the end of December what first phases of them we can support. We have celebrations in May
Western Kenya: Sr Agnes: We have been working with Patrice Lumumba, a voluntary consultant to Sr Agnes and to Hand-in Hand. Patrice works for the Kenyan government and lives very nearby Sr Agnes. He has land he is willing to have Sr Agnes use for her poultry farm. Patrice raises chicks already so is a good resource for information. We have enough money to start the construction of her poultry shed and hope by the time it is completed; we will have more for the incubator and chicks. One challenge for us is we need a car/van to deliver the eggs and broilers to a local market of residential schools and small hotels. Hiring someone to do the deliveries is very expensive and with the deeply rutted roads, especially in the rainy season, bicycle delivery is not feasible. The monies raised from this venture will be put in a special fund for the children in the orphanage to go to school, including high school and additional occupational training. Three of the girls have already completed nursing training
Lome, Togo Mama Charity: Mama Charity had found 4 plots of land north of the orphanage that would be suitable for poultry farming and it was sold before we had enough money to help her purchase it. She has an indomitable spirit and is familiar with the area as she works closely with a pastor in this area who cares for some of the older children. She has found a larger plot of very fertile land that makes her eyes light up with joy. This land can be used for raising poultry as well as planting orchards of fruit trees and crops. By May 2021, with generous donations, we had raised enough money to help her purchase this land and have sent a down payment to secure it.
Once the down payment is made, the land is secured and will be hers once the second installment is paid within the next 2 months. Mama Charity is anxious to start planting trees and crops during the rainy season and we have missed this target. She will plant what she can and ready the land for additional planting in the spring when rains will come again. A borehole will need to be dug for a steady supply of water. We are contacting international organizations that have a presence in Eastern Africa to see if there is any help for drilling bore holes or planting trees. Siobhán Mullan, our team member located in Ireland is aware of an Irish organization that plans to plant trees in Africa and we talked with them to see if they would consider planting fruit trees in Togo and other trees in the Maasai Mara area of Kenya where Mama Dinah is located. This may come to fruition and not before 12 to 18 months at the earliest. Siobhán is a chartered civil engineer so she is front and center on our projects that need water, getting access to hydrology maps, and working with local African consultants to determine the best steps forward.
Mama Dinah, Maasai Mara, South Western Kenya: Part of our leadership team met with a representative of a water and energy resources company in Narok, Kenya. We have explored various options. The present borehole does not supply enough water for the whole community and the water is salty (brackish). Right now though, the women are walking several kilometers to carry water back from dammed-up areas that collect rainwater. Mama Dinah spoke with a local NGO that helped drill the borehole 10 years ago and they have repaired the generator. We would like to find a partner to help pay for a new and hopefully abundant source of clean water from a new borehole. With a little more fundraising Mama Dinah can hire a hydrologist to find the right area for drilling a second borehole. We have the name of a hydrologist and Mama Dinah will be negotiating with him. We should have more information in our next newsletter.
Our world is a magical place sometimes so we are asking if you have any contact in Africa that can assist us with finding a van for Sister Agnes so she can market/deliver the eggs and broilers once we have the incubator; or have a resource for a hydrologist or for drilling a new borehole for Mama Dinah in Kenya or Mama Charity in Togo, please let us know.
If you feel called to support the next steps of our venture with these exemplary dedicated women, you may donate on our website www.handinhand.space. Know that this is a gift that will keep on giving!