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To Kenya and back in just over a week..... my August 08 trip |
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Last month I spent 9 days in Kenya. Just how much can anyone hope to achieve in such a short time?? Well after making a list of organisations I wanted to visit, lining up appointments, drivers, accommodation, visas and vaccinations I left for my first solo trip in 17 years (last time was a trip to Greece in 1991 when I was single and rather more daring, I think).
I landed in Nairobi at 5am and was through customs/bag collection by 6.15 where the Hotel taxi-driver met me. I was whisked through the already busy streets of Nairobi, a city of 4 million people. Two things struck me almost immediately in my sleep deprived state. The first was how flat the city is and the second, the number of Maribu Storks sitting in the arcacia trees. (Maribu Storks are huge carrion eating birds usually found picking over dead bones in the game parks).
The next thing I noticed was the amount of vegetation in the city. I don't really know what I was expecting (naively the opposite, I imagine) but there seemed to be bushes, hedges, trees and vines everywhere there weren't buildings and roads.
Then of course there's the volume of traffic; people and cars, mini-buses, bikes and trucks that fill every surface of the road and pavements.
Now for the good bits - photos and what the people (and wildlife) are doing. |
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While in Nairobi I visited Amani Ya Juu (peace from above). This group of women produce some very fine pieces of jewellery, patchwork quilts, bags, and children's clothing. They also run a garden cafe. I met Magdelene who showed me around. She joined Amani some years ago after a car accident meant she couldn't complete her training as a nurse. Through Amani employment opportunities are given to refugees women from neighbouring countries. Amani is a very serene place and certainly lives up to its name. |
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This is one half of the Viva Africa team in Nakuru. Nakuru is about 170km from Nairobi. It is home to around one million people. | |
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| Viva Africa, which means "celebrate Africa" has been set up by Viva Bedi. Her desire is to provide training and employment for those attending the local Hearing Impaired and Dumb School in Nakuru, as well as people living in disadvantaged situations in the community. |
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I spent two days in and around Nakuru, meeting people and being shown the factory where fabric for Bedi Investments, the parent company of Viva Africa, is made. The factory is set up so that the raw product comes in (poly-cotton or cotton fibre) and is processed from start to finish (a completed garment). This process is called vertical integration. Viva Africa has outgrown its current premises and will move when the new premises is ready. |
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Lake Nakuru National Park (above) is famous for the flamingos which flock to the lake each year. This year only a few of the usual number arrived, however for me it was wonderful just to see a small number in the wild. |  |
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Back in Nairobi I visited two card making projects, Kibera Paper and Kipepeo, which means butterfly in Kswahli. Both these groups started up to provide income for women living in the slum area of Kibera (in Nairobi). Although I didn't go right into Kibera I did view the rusted tin roof tops and narrow dusty streets as we skirted around the perimeter. Apparently you only go into Kibera if you live there.... |
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This lady works at Kipepeo on the edge of the Kibera slum. I was invited to make my own card and experienced what it takes to create a card from scratch using shredded paper and water, a wire frame and a stencil and that's before getting to decorate it. I have some of their cards for sale at the markets and want to order more. | |
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The final project I visited was Goodwill Kenya in the Kikuyu district just outside Nairobi. This group was started by a concerned group of young Kenyan graduates eight years ago. During that time the organisation has grown from one primary school in the local village to now include a high school of around 100 students, several craft projects and with plans for further growth of the high school facilities (more classrooms and boarding dormatories). |
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These boys are attending school during their holidays for extra tuition, not because they are behind but rather because they want to push on ahead. Goodwill Kenya's primary school wants to provide a hot drink at morning tea for its students, most of which would have come to school hungry (their only meal being an evening one). The plan is to have a cow for milk, which has now been | |
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donated, and to find sponsorship to provide tea and sugar as well. Food for thought.....so there can be food for the kids. I've got a few ideas for fundraising so if you're interested, send me an email info@onecolour.com.au |
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I came home realising that there are many opportunities, it's just which ones do I focus on, beside running the business, which is itself contributing to a better life for a few already. I'm sure, over time, it will become clearer. |
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WILD BEAN CAFE at BP Connect |
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| Have you heard the news? I did via MMM radio and on my Bigpond News page that Wild Bean Cafes are now serving 100% fair trade coffee! We have a cafe just down the road at Kenmore so I'll have to go and grab a coffee to let them know that their switch has been noticed and it's much appreciated. |
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(Free) Fresh, Cool & Green - PEPPERMINT |
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A couple of months ago I heard about the launch of a new magazine which would fill the eco/ethical niche in the world of fashion glossies. This is a great new venture by Kelley Sheenan and to quote her, this magazine "will showcase the best of conscious clothing from Australia, New Zealand, and the rest of the world. There is currently no other magazine like this in Australasia or America, and it's about time there was. Attitudes are changing, new information about our planet and climate change is emerging constantly, and consumers want solutions instead of sacrifices." |
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If you like the sound of this you can get hold of a free copy at selected outlets. I know of one already, it's Bliss Eco Wear at 15 Latrobe Terrace, Paddington. Now also from my stall at West End Markets (down by the river). |
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You can pick up your copy from September. www.peppermintmag.com |
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TOWNSVILLE STUDENT GETS FAIR TRADE MOVING AT SCHOOL |
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During Fair Trade Fortnight I was fortunate to be put into contact with Michaela, a senior student in her last year of school in Townsville. Her plan was to have a stall at school giving information on fair trade and selling ethically made clothing, fair trade tea, coffee and chocolate and other ethically produced items so I sent up a parcel to her. The response to her stall was so encouraging that she has since run the stall at least another two times. Fantastic, grass roots stuff!! |
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| Great to see what happens when one person decides to get involved. |
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Did you know: 20 million more kids in sub-saharan Africa are in school thanks in part to debt cancellation and aid. (source: www.data.org)
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| After the successful launch of Fair Trade Fortnight 07 last year in Queensland, the Queensland Fair Trade Collective got stuck into Fair Trade Fortnight 08, which was between Saturday 3 May and Sunday 18 May.
During the day a High School Fair Trade Experience was held, with 90 students from Kimberley College attending. The students were invited to dress Ethical Ellie and Fair Trade Fred in Op Shop clothing to create an ethical outfit, they scored goals with fair trade soccer and rugby balls, there were coffee and hot chocolate tastings, the lifecycle of an ethically made t-shirt to be viewed and lots of fair trade stalls to shop at. It was fun, but what would you expect from fair trade?
From 6.30pm, the evening's festivities kicked off with a Fair Trade Fiesta. More fair trade shopping, terrific African drumming, acrobats and face painting along with delicious canapes provided by chef, Peter Lunn, of Monsoon in Fortitude Valley. It was topped off with our celebrity t-shirt auction, which raised funds to build fair trade crafters' homes in Indonesia.
The success of these events has encouraged us to put together a Fair Trade Christmas Market at the end of November. So stay tuned.
You can also stay in touch with the Collective by visiting the website www.qldfairtrade.org.au |
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BE INSPIRED... |
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| In April's edition of New Internationalist I read an interview with Vandana Shiva, an environmentalist and activist from India, who is taking on the task of addressing the cost in human life and the environment caused by agricultural modernisation.
It's both shocking (200,000 suicides amongst Indian farmers in the last decade) and inspiring (the Navdanya movement (which Shiva founded in 1991) distributes non-genetically modified seed to farmers and advocates going organic). In her own words "The big transformations always seem to move in the direction of destruction. But if you look at the small actions, the hundreds of people saying "I will speak against human rights violations, I will be part of the voice"; at the thousands of farmers who work with us who have created an alternative agriculture in spite of the dominant policy: that's where change is happening, and that change will continue to grow."
For more information on New Internationalist or to read this article go to www.newint.org |
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STAYING SOBER |
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After recently reading World Vision's WVConnect on line newsletter I was struck by the following statistic:
20% of the world's population consumes 86% of the world's resources. The poorest 20% of the world's population consumes 1.3% of the world's resources.
I know it's easy to throw statistics around but I only have to take a look at my own lifestyle to know where I fit in....I'm constantly challenged to be accountable for the life I lead on all levels, physically, spiritually and emotionally. This statistic is another reminder to me that although this is an imperfect world it's no excuse to ignore the plight of so many while I eat, drink and be merry. |
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| For more info on how you can make a difference go to www.worldvision.org.au |
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Great BIG LOVE IN NEW YORK |
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Valentine's Day 2008 saw Sotheby's New York auction over 60 contemporary works of art, all donated to raise funds to fight AIDS in Africa.
The auction raised AU$46.8 million. All proceeds go to the UN Foundation to support HIV/AIDS relief programs in developing countries. This means that stacks more people will receive the medicine they need to stay alive. For more go to www.joinred.org or www.data.org.
Source: Vogue December 2007 |
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Did you know: 5,800 Africans die of AIDS every day (source: www.data.org) |
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SUPPORT TEAR AUSTRALIA ANYTIME |
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TEAR (Transformation Empowerment Advocacy Relief) Australia is a Christian organisation dedicated to working in partnership with poor or marginalised communities around the world.
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Contact TEAR Australia this year if you want to get the perfect for the person who has absolutely everything they need (not want).
Whether it's a toilet (a favourite gift in our family), a goat, a mosquito net or school materials, TEAR specialises in giving us the opportunity to look beyond our own desire for things. Go to the links tab and have a look at the TEAR website. WARNING: You won't find any monogrammed golf balls, toys that need batteries or diamante-encrusted computer mice in the catalogue - just really useful gifts for other people. | |
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And now, just a few thoughts and photos from
my family's trip to South Africa in August 2007. |
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From barren, brown plains north of Johannesburg to the deep canyon at Blyde River, to some very close encounters with the amazing, wild wildlife of Kruger and its sunsets, we tried to sample a little of what South Africa has offered to those who visit.
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One of the wonderful aspects of the trip was when we were able to meet with people who are using their skills to create a variety of products to support themselves and their dependents. We spent a morning with members of the newly established project, Zimele, where women from several different groups use their individual skills to contribute to the making of one product. For example, several ladies with embroidery skills stitch colourful wool patches which are sewn onto material which in turn is made up into a bag by a group of ladies being trained to use the sewing machine. Synergy takes on new meaning as we see the immense value in using individual skills to the best advantage.
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Meeting some of the Zimele ladies |
We also had a happy afternoon at a rural school where the children were being educated through drama and song about how to be informed and how to inform their community about AIDS/HIV. The 5 day programme is run by four young Zulu men. A highlight for one of my sons was to play soccer with some of the students.
The Drakensberg Mountains, where Zimele is based, provided a dramatic backdrop to the realities of township living where life is hard and water is carried in a plastic bucket from a central pump. We often saw women carrying large loads of wood on their heads so that they could cook the evening meal.
We were constantly confronted with the contrasts of travelling in a country where both first world and developing world exist side by side. At the same time, though, we were humbled and inspired by the resilience we so often saw displayed in the people we were fortunate enough to meet.
Next stop Durban, a city that looks out over the Indian Ocean (end of part 1).
Durban is a large city with a very similar climate to Brisbane. It is built amongst a number of valleys with both the rich, the very poor and all in between building their dwellings on the sides of hills. After all, Durban is very close to the famous Valley of Thousand Hills (which lives up to its name). We stayed with friends, who showed us around and we visited a large shopping centre to play a game of mini golf on a course built inside the building. The courses were so hard we ignored the "par" and just went for as many hits as we needed. Good for a few laughs at least.
I also had the privilege of spending the day with the lady who is responsible for the administration of Sinikithemba, based at McCord's Hospital.
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Sinikithemba provides education, counselling, medicine and support to those affected by AIDS/HIV. The organisation also runs a sewing training centre and provides an outlet for ladies to sell their beading and clothing. I was able to purchase a variety of beaded items and some small, reasonably priced wall hangings with a Zulu shield and spear design.
Simikithemba also does vital work with children and adolescents, providing education in a non-judgemental environment. |
We then travelled to Hillcrest, which also works in the AIDS/HIV area. Hillcrest provides support and training in craft work and market gardening. They had some amazing Christmas-themed wire work and I'm keen to get more in. I took the goods I had to the markets last weekend and sold half of the pieces I brought back with me. I now need to order more.
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| Market garden at Hillcrest Hillcrest Shop |
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We took a few drives north through hectares and hectares of young sugar cane plantations just in from the coast. All along the way, we passed people walking on foot or travelling in the back of utes. There is no visible form of public transport so people walk or hitch a ride. We often saw people walking and wondered where they had come from, or where they were going, as there didn't seem to be a building or town in sight.
On one particular trip we found our way to Shakaland, which was built as a movie set for the telemovie Shaka Zulu. Shaka was a Zulu chief who united all the Zulus under one banner. He fought many wars with the Zulus, the Boers and the English before his life was taken by one of his own brothers. We enjoyed the architecture and found the Zulu dancing invigorating. Jeff's and my attempt at the dance were mediocre and our kids were suitably embarrassed, but forgiving.
It was now time to leave the eastern coast and head south to Cape Town, the last leg of our journey. |
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