Norbert and the ‘7’
Helen is currently visiting our Uganda and Kenya Projects and writes about the progress and her time with Norbert on the Asilomar Permaculture Project on the coast just north of Mombasa
456 lives changed by access to fresh tap water - Aysha's story
Link International Innovation has been working with John Njenda for 30 years and together with our generous supporters so many iives have been transformed through education, healthcare, access to clean water and genuine mutual partnership with communities across Uganda. Helen writes this month about her visit to John and the work of the Nkuru Nziza Foundation and the transformation brought by providing water taps to a village.
In fact the piped network, seen in this map of the system, has changed the lives of 456 people in this remote rural community. Click below to read the full story.
A Marvel - Asilomar June 2024 progress
Helen, our project co-ordinator from UK has been to visit Norbert, the team and pupils over the last few days and she reports, “It was a delight to visit the school, meet the students and staff, and hear about the permaculture project there – so much positive feedback, and I am still marvelling at how much has been achieved in such a short space of time.
The demo plots at Asilomar base are also going well, and Norbert and I have had some really good conversations looking not just at the now, but also at the possibilities of what could lie ahead.”
Above: Norbert’s pupil/staff leadership team - Norbert, Daniel (vice chair), Lucy (chair), Daniel K (secretary) and Lennox.
Below: Photos of the water tower and demo gardens showing new improved and more environmentally friendly methods of food production.
Helen has written up a fascinating personal summary of her visit on her own blog “Soft heart, hard feet” - it is in 2 instalments!
Asilomar restarts following rain devastation in Kenya
Norbert reports:
We are now back in action following the aftermath of the heavy rainfall that left many people devastated in many parts of the country.
We were spared the havoc here in Msumarini. Schools have now resumed this week 13th May 2024 and we hit the ground running. Today we were at the school garden with the young farmers planting fruit trees, bananas and trees.
We had prepared the plot and planted cowpeas before the rains. They are blossoming. We will add a variety of vegetables by the weekend.
And here l am holding an empty tray of cake made from nutritious finger millet that the students enjoyed just before we started the planting sessions.
Now that the rain have suddenly stopped, the ground has also gone dry very quickly and the plants are 'asking for water'. Watering all these plants with a bucket is a very complicated and interesting exercise for some of these students who have never planted anything. The school doesn’t have long enough pipe connected to the water tank next to the garden. The students are sharing the green bucket to water the plot. What a learning curve for them!
The end of May brings encouraging progress
The work on the Water Tower is still on going. The work is tedious and it has to be manually done - with no scaffolding!! But…the construction work will be completed by early June and then we embark on the plumbing work.
The school garden is doing well. The students got on with transplanting more vegetables among the cowpeas and a first crop has been harvested.
Notice the treasurer of young farmers club keeping a record of the first sale! The vegetables were bought by the teachers and some students to take home. The harvested amount is not enough to supplement students meal at school just yet.
"Talking Works" an exciting collaboration with Quakers in Britain
Link International Innovation is proud to be involved in facilitating this new initiative.
The Asilomar Permaculture Project - Students learn on the first two intensive courses
Norbert writes: on Wednesday 17th April we have kicked off the training workshop. We prayed the rain would hold until later tonight, however, the skies opened...but the training continued on my veranda - 27 students crammed up in my veranda taking notes.
The second day of training went well. It rained most of the day but we had chance to do some practicals - mulching, growing plants in pyramids and grow bags , companion planting etc.
They also had group assignment to design their own garden on paper.
Third day of training and the groups are making presentations of the farm. We are lucky we have a dry afternoon today and we can sit outside and not crammed up on my veranda!
Norbert interviewed several students about what they had learned and the difference it would make to their food production.
CONGRATULATIONS to Norbert and team and all the students.
The Second Course struggled a bit with the rains. Norbert reports: “The training for this group was interrupted by rain but we made good progress”.
Below are some photos of the course and videos of a few of the students saying what they had learned and what they plan to do with this new knowledge.
Norbert reports that the construction of the Water Tower has also started and the columns are now being set even as the rain pour down!
The next thing to do with the students is to establish the one acre garden in the school compound when schools resume next week.