July 17, 2013

A new training centre


In April, Mugo went to the Murugi Youth Training Centre to check on their progress in getting the new buildings ready to be used. He learned that there had been various problems in the parish, building had come to a stand-still and the instructors had left the institution.
At an emergency meeting, the MKICDO board members discussed how to deal with the new situation. With the solar cooker training scheduled for early August, a new location for the course had to be found. And that is how a new idea was born: MKICDO needed its own workshop, equipped with machines and tools to do the training. We would no longer have to pay rent to other institutions; instead, we would have our own place for future training of members. The workshop would be built at Mugo´s former homestead in Kiini which had been handed over to our organization by the elders of his clan.
The idea was well-received not only by the board members but also by all Germans involved in the project. The headmaster of Kiini Primary School offered his assistance in accomodating and feeding the course participants and expressed the great need of the area for vocational training institutions for school leavers.

So a new project was started that proved very challenging to everybody envolved. In Kenya, Mugo had to organize the construction of the workshop, get water connected to the property and apply for access to electricity. In Germany, we had to raise funds and make a list of the machines, tools and materials required for the training. The MKICDO board members assisted in getting quotations for machines to be bought in Nairobi and in checking the availability of course materials.

All of us are full of hope that the training workshop will be ready by early August.


one of many small board meetings


the location of  the future training centre in Kiini


Mugo gives some of his trees for construction...
...and a skilled craftsman splits them into timber.


one of many truck loads of building stones
lunch break


renovation of the future "office"


visiting board members

By late June, the construction of the new workshop was in full progress.


hard manual work


Can hardly wait to see it finished!

 

Basket cooker promotion

During the April school holidays Mugo went to Nairobi to get blanket waste. He took it to Isiolo by public transport and handed it over to the officials at the Isiolo Cooperative Development Office. With the chairman, the treasurer and the secretaries he discussed strategies to promote basket cookers. They agreed that one of the Gaketha women would come to train members of local women´s groups how to make baskets into `fireless cookers´.

From the muddy backroads of Nairobi...
...to the bus station.
Mugo hands over the blanket waste.

Another group that is going to be trained is that of MKICDO board member Ivonne. They received blanket waste as well as baskets. In addition, they were given 20,000 Kenya Shillings (approx. 200 Euro) from MKICDO´s newly established revolving fund for the women to start table banking.

blanket waste and baskets
Ivonne´s group
money for table banking