Travelling to a foreign country is always filled with excitement and a little trepidation. A different culture with different customs, unusual food, an unfamiliar currency and shopping experience, unusual sanitation facilities are all things one must cope with. Having participated as a host family for several years with the Canada World Youth program and travelled quite a bit worldwide, my most important advice is to be sensitive to other cultures. When travelling and working in foreign countries you cannot impose our western ways on others, you must respect the habits of the people you are visiting and working with. Cultural diversity is one of the wonderful aspects of this planet we live on. So it is important to learn a little about the country you are travelling to and the people who live there.
Prior to our trip to Kenya, we met with our friend Bill, who works in Kenya, Rwanda and Sudan on a frequent basis, to find out about money, business etiquette, etc. Bill provided us with a couple of books which gave us great insight into the culture we were about to visit. We had a better understanding of what to expect and how to deal sensitively with situations when they arose. Before you leave on your volunteer trip abroad take some time to read and familiarize yourself with the new culture - by lessening the surprise of the unfamiliar, you'll be better able to cope with less stress and able to enjoy your experience more fully.
Some books to read:
African Friends and Money Matters by David E. Maranz
Foreign to Familiar by Sarah Lanier
I Dreamed of Africa by Kuki Gallman
African Nights by Kuki Gallman
Also don't forget to watch the movie
Out of Africa by Karen Blixen
Friday, January 30, 2009
Thursday, January 29, 2009
Connection
I feel very blessed to have Peter and Kathy as my Canadian parents, since I met them my life has continued to change for the better every second and this has inspired me to reach out to very many need souls whom I could not have done on my own.
I have been connected with very many beautiful Canadian people who are working for the better of other humans in every corner of my beloved country, each of them has brought a whole new world to me and I have learned so much from these people.
I am very passionate about community development I still feel empowering the grass root community is the best way to equip need people help themselves. Come help change the world I am proud of you all and you're doing an awesome job lets keep connected and help each other achieve their dreams
I salute you all the good doers
Ronnie
I have been connected with very many beautiful Canadian people who are working for the better of other humans in every corner of my beloved country, each of them has brought a whole new world to me and I have learned so much from these people.
I am very passionate about community development I still feel empowering the grass root community is the best way to equip need people help themselves. Come help change the world I am proud of you all and you're doing an awesome job lets keep connected and help each other achieve their dreams
I salute you all the good doers
Ronnie
Thursday, January 22, 2009
KickStart - The Tools to End Poverty
Are you working in an area of Kenya that relies on subsistence farming or agriculture? If so, this Kenyan company can help you to help others. During our summer 2008 trip to Kenya we made a visit to KickStart in Nairobi. KickStart makes three tools that can help to end poverty. As Wongonyi Village is agricultural based, The Ronnie Fund, thanks to donations from the churches of the parish of St. Stephen's in Muskoka, was able to purchase two Money Maker Irrigation pumps and a brickmaker.
The irrigation pumps are foot-powered and work like a stepmaster exerciser, and both young children and those more advanced in age found the pumps easy to work. A length of hose in put in the water source and the second hose is attached to the pump and then taken out in the field to water the crops. The area of water distribution was amazing. Already one of our farming groups has increased their kale production by 5 times and is selling the kale to the secondary school for their meal programs.
We also purchased a brickmaker. The 'Action Pak' Block Press can be used to make a much stronger brick. The block press has already been used to make bricks for the new western-style pit latrine the youth built at Wongonyi Primary School. Working together the youth can make 400-500 bricks a day. The youth in Wongonyi have received training on the block press and already have orders for bricks for two homes.
Another item we saw demonstrated was the 'Mafuta Mali' Oil Press. The press will produce cooking oils and high protein seedcakes from sunflowers and sesame seed.
If you are looking for business opportunities for your villages or simply tools to increase food production or provide better housing, check out these tools at http://www.kickstart.org/.
The irrigation pumps are foot-powered and work like a stepmaster exerciser, and both young children and those more advanced in age found the pumps easy to work. A length of hose in put in the water source and the second hose is attached to the pump and then taken out in the field to water the crops. The area of water distribution was amazing. Already one of our farming groups has increased their kale production by 5 times and is selling the kale to the secondary school for their meal programs.
We also purchased a brickmaker. The 'Action Pak' Block Press can be used to make a much stronger brick. The block press has already been used to make bricks for the new western-style pit latrine the youth built at Wongonyi Primary School. Working together the youth can make 400-500 bricks a day. The youth in Wongonyi have received training on the block press and already have orders for bricks for two homes.
Another item we saw demonstrated was the 'Mafuta Mali' Oil Press. The press will produce cooking oils and high protein seedcakes from sunflowers and sesame seed.
If you are looking for business opportunities for your villages or simply tools to increase food production or provide better housing, check out these tools at http://www.kickstart.org/.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Your Home Away from Home in Nairobi
Home Sweet Home – Kenya style
Are you looking for a place to stay while you are in Nariobi? Whether you are conducting business or picking up supplies before you embark to your village project, you want to be comfortable and feel at home.
Mdawida Homestay can be your home away from home. Your amiable hosts are Ronnie Mdawida, Sera Mucha and Steve Kimkung. Ronnie works as a Volunteer Co-ordinator and Field Officer for World Corps Kenya and Sera serves as the Grants Officer, so they have numerous connections throughout Kenya. Steve provides car and driver services and tour guiding. Ronnie and Steve can help you find the resources you need for your special project.
Their new house, located in the gated Langata area of Nairobi, has several rooms available with meals provided for reasonable rates. A large common area provides space for small business meetings and networking while the outdoor garden area provides a place to rest and relax. Internet is available 24 hours per day. Laundry services can also be arranged.
Perhaps you have volunteers coming to assist with your organization’s project who need a place to congregate at the beginning and end of their assignment. Mdawida Homestay provides not only lodging facilities but can also provide sightseeing tours to make your volunteers trip complete, with visits to such places as the Masaai Market, Kazuri Beads, the Karen Blixen Museum, Nairobi National Park (located in the city of Nairobi) and safari tours too. To see more about the services available at Mdawida Homestay visit their website at www.easysite.com/mdawidahomestay and for bookings contact Ronnie at rmdawida@gmail.com.
Rest assured you’ll be well cared for, like a member of the family.
Just another example of the KENCAN Connection at work.
Are you looking for a place to stay while you are in Nariobi? Whether you are conducting business or picking up supplies before you embark to your village project, you want to be comfortable and feel at home.
Mdawida Homestay can be your home away from home. Your amiable hosts are Ronnie Mdawida, Sera Mucha and Steve Kimkung. Ronnie works as a Volunteer Co-ordinator and Field Officer for World Corps Kenya and Sera serves as the Grants Officer, so they have numerous connections throughout Kenya. Steve provides car and driver services and tour guiding. Ronnie and Steve can help you find the resources you need for your special project.
Their new house, located in the gated Langata area of Nairobi, has several rooms available with meals provided for reasonable rates. A large common area provides space for small business meetings and networking while the outdoor garden area provides a place to rest and relax. Internet is available 24 hours per day. Laundry services can also be arranged.
Perhaps you have volunteers coming to assist with your organization’s project who need a place to congregate at the beginning and end of their assignment. Mdawida Homestay provides not only lodging facilities but can also provide sightseeing tours to make your volunteers trip complete, with visits to such places as the Masaai Market, Kazuri Beads, the Karen Blixen Museum, Nairobi National Park (located in the city of Nairobi) and safari tours too. To see more about the services available at Mdawida Homestay visit their website at www.easysite.com/mdawidahomestay and for bookings contact Ronnie at rmdawida@gmail.com.
Rest assured you’ll be well cared for, like a member of the family.
Just another example of the KENCAN Connection at work.
Tuesday, January 13, 2009
KENCAN Connection
Welcome to the KENCAN Connection. The name stands for the Kenya Canada Connection. We decided to create this blog as a means of networking, sharing information and making a connection with others working for improving life in Kenya.
Two years ago we created The Ronnie Fund, a humanitarian organization working to provide quality village life in Kenya. Our work is primarily in Wongonyi Village, located high in the Taita Taveta Hills in southeastern Kenya. Over the past two years we have experienced an interesting journey helping our friend Ronnie, a young man in Kenya, achieve his dream of empowering the people of his village and the youth of Kenya to a better way of life. During this time we have met many wonderful people who are also working in Kenya on similar projects or connected to Kenya. From people in the Kenya High Commission and the Kenyan Community in Ontario to regular folks just like us who have met someone who has inspired them to share the blessings they have been given to provide equality of life for others who are without. And so we hope that this blog will become an open forum for sharing. We sometimes feel it is hard being so far away from Kenya most of the time but that through the KENCAN Connection, we can help each other to make a difference, whether it is through fundraising, information exchange, perhaps combining resources to send over a container of supplies or provide a center in Nairobi for visitors to congregate and network (www.easysite.com/mdawidahomestay).
An example of the connection is our recent meeting with Kyla & Greg McMullen-Dent, also of Muskoka who are working to build a school in Kenya. Kyla told us of her project with a women’s group who are making cloth sanitary napkins for girls and women. Ronnie told us that was a problem in Wongonyi, so Kyla shared with us her pattern and told us of Charles, her Kenyan contact for the project. A week later, Charles met with Ronnie in Nairobi to discuss the implementation of a similar project in Wongonyi, at the same time Ronnie was able to enlighten Charles on how he could reduce his cell phone charges by 98%. Had we and Kyla not connected, Ronnie and Charles would not have met. Now they are helping each other in Kenya, as we and Kyla are helping each other in Canada – that’s the beauty of the KENCAN Connection.
Our story - The Ronnie Fund is working with Wongonyi Village. To date we have initiated several projects, the purchase and creation of Biosand Water Filters for homes in the village, purchase of irrigation pumps for farming groups and a brickmaker, funding of a new two seater western-style toilet for Wongonyi Primary School as well as provision of farming, carpentry and masonry tools thanks to our many donors and sponsors. This past summer our family traveled to Wongonyi Village to meet the people and find out the current needs of those in the village. Now we are raising funds to provide equipment for Mwambirwa Health Centre (District Hospital) and educational supplies and structural repairs for Wongonyi Primary School. We are already planning our next trip to see our new family and friends in Wongonyi. To learn more about our work in Wongonyi Village and our inspiration, Ronnie Mdawida – a young man making a difference in Kenya, we encourage you to check out our website at www.easysite.com/theronniefund.
We invite you to join our blog and tell us the story of your work in Kenya, the source of your passion and how we might help each other. We feel this is a wonderful journey and we have just started out towards our destination. We hope you’ll join us for the trip.
Kathy, Peter, Martha and Jeremy Wood
“If we are lucky enough to be living a good life, we should recognize this gift and thank God for it by looking out for others who need our help in breaking out of the cycle of poverty.”
Dalai Lama
Welcome to the KENCAN Connection. The name stands for the Kenya Canada Connection. We decided to create this blog as a means of networking, sharing information and making a connection with others working for improving life in Kenya.
Two years ago we created The Ronnie Fund, a humanitarian organization working to provide quality village life in Kenya. Our work is primarily in Wongonyi Village, located high in the Taita Taveta Hills in southeastern Kenya. Over the past two years we have experienced an interesting journey helping our friend Ronnie, a young man in Kenya, achieve his dream of empowering the people of his village and the youth of Kenya to a better way of life. During this time we have met many wonderful people who are also working in Kenya on similar projects or connected to Kenya. From people in the Kenya High Commission and the Kenyan Community in Ontario to regular folks just like us who have met someone who has inspired them to share the blessings they have been given to provide equality of life for others who are without. And so we hope that this blog will become an open forum for sharing. We sometimes feel it is hard being so far away from Kenya most of the time but that through the KENCAN Connection, we can help each other to make a difference, whether it is through fundraising, information exchange, perhaps combining resources to send over a container of supplies or provide a center in Nairobi for visitors to congregate and network (www.easysite.com/mdawidahomestay).
An example of the connection is our recent meeting with Kyla & Greg McMullen-Dent, also of Muskoka who are working to build a school in Kenya. Kyla told us of her project with a women’s group who are making cloth sanitary napkins for girls and women. Ronnie told us that was a problem in Wongonyi, so Kyla shared with us her pattern and told us of Charles, her Kenyan contact for the project. A week later, Charles met with Ronnie in Nairobi to discuss the implementation of a similar project in Wongonyi, at the same time Ronnie was able to enlighten Charles on how he could reduce his cell phone charges by 98%. Had we and Kyla not connected, Ronnie and Charles would not have met. Now they are helping each other in Kenya, as we and Kyla are helping each other in Canada – that’s the beauty of the KENCAN Connection.
Our story - The Ronnie Fund is working with Wongonyi Village. To date we have initiated several projects, the purchase and creation of Biosand Water Filters for homes in the village, purchase of irrigation pumps for farming groups and a brickmaker, funding of a new two seater western-style toilet for Wongonyi Primary School as well as provision of farming, carpentry and masonry tools thanks to our many donors and sponsors. This past summer our family traveled to Wongonyi Village to meet the people and find out the current needs of those in the village. Now we are raising funds to provide equipment for Mwambirwa Health Centre (District Hospital) and educational supplies and structural repairs for Wongonyi Primary School. We are already planning our next trip to see our new family and friends in Wongonyi. To learn more about our work in Wongonyi Village and our inspiration, Ronnie Mdawida – a young man making a difference in Kenya, we encourage you to check out our website at www.easysite.com/theronniefund.
We invite you to join our blog and tell us the story of your work in Kenya, the source of your passion and how we might help each other. We feel this is a wonderful journey and we have just started out towards our destination. We hope you’ll join us for the trip.
Kathy, Peter, Martha and Jeremy Wood
“If we are lucky enough to be living a good life, we should recognize this gift and thank God for it by looking out for others who need our help in breaking out of the cycle of poverty.”
Dalai Lama
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)