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23 items tagged "EAKenya"
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18:49
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
Something tells me that this gadgetimoja will become very popular in some parts of Kenya….
[via]
AOB: my first post from Ubuntu! Earlier this week, a colleague of mine asked me which firewall software he should use next to his Avira antivirus scanner on WinXP. I told him to try Ubuntu instead if all he does is surfing the web + some office tasks. Why? Because it may just be what he needs.
As for me, I’ve switched from Kubuntu (KDE 3.x + 4.x) back to Ubuntu (Gnome) earlier this week as I realized that Ubuntu is what I need on my laptop here. A perfect alternative to WinXP. The only thing I dislike about Ubuntu & Co so far is that it really only makes sense if you have an internet connection that provides enough bandwidth for updates (I am still to figure out how to download updates to an offline repository). Slowly switching from WinXP to Ubuntu apparently also includes the realization that a limited availability of programms (see also Apple Mac) isn’t necessarily that bad. Hey, it even connects to my phone! And printer installation….wooohaaa! 25 minutes / 800 MB software package to install an AIO HP OfficeJet 7210 printer within WinXP, but less than one minute within Ubuntu. Sure, this will only cover the driver, but then - even the driver package alone is ~70MB on WinXP.
  
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20:17
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
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12:37
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
This (quote from an article by Rebecca on the new M-Pesa online payment gateway):
Intellectual property is another challenge identified by Mulamba, where software developers who work for a company realize they can offer similar services.
“Safeguarding intellectual property is a challenge; people thrive on stealing other people’s ideas and that is why there is a high turnover of software developers in many companies,” said Mulamba. “One is forced to work with a smaller team of trusted people and take a longer time, instead of a larger team that would have taken a shorter time to complete the project.” (source)
…reminds me of an e-mail I’ve received two weeks ago:
“To be sincere I do not like dealing with Kenyans when it comes to jobs or something professional, not that I hate my people but because sometimes I know how they feel about other people´s success.”
Mchonga mwiko hukimbiza mkono wake?
  
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19:25
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
Maybe it’s just me and my way of looking for the core information on websites that goes beyond the usual marketing blabla - but could it be true that there have been various Kenyan websites coming up lately that actually do NOT have any serious content? Or at least not much more than what the webdesigner had initially put up online and has since been waiting for a content update (to be published online)?
Where are those content editors out there? Do I smell a job opportunity out there for young folks? Ppl who will help companies and organisations to edit their message for online publishing?
Am asking because I sometimes come across such websites where I think: aah, ok, these guys just had some extra funds and wanted to be online for no apparent reason and actually haven’t thought about what to put online. Makes me think of Ayittey and the leaking bowl…
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14:37
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
source: Understanding Small Scale Providers of Sanitation Services: A Case Study of Kibera, WSP, Nairobi, Kenya.
Found this in a very nice & detailed & straight forward + honest field note on SSPSS in Kibera, published by the WSP.
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10:48
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
Ever wondered what happens to your *waste*?
…and that’s just Dandora.
Now, since an agreement to form a great coalition gov. has been found, maybe the Deputy of the Deputy to the Deputy Vice Mheshimiwa will eventually put this on the national agenda.
In reality, those who can afford to worry about the environment just don’t care or have not enough influence, and those who actually have to deal with the waste (even if it secures their income), prefer to dream about multimedia entertainment instead of such burning issues.
Sure, this is just one landfill out of many, out of many places, out of many countries, who just don’t do enough (or anything) on this issue. You’ll find similar landfills in the greatest democracy (sic!) aka USA and even in the UK. But it is one planet.
So why did I blog these pictures here?
- in reference to this comment
- to raise some awareness, similar to this approach
- sustainable tourism: maybe the Tourism Industry should take this restart after the post-election violence to remarket their holiday destinations and come up with a solid concept on what to do with their *waste*.
Again, governments just provide the legal framework - it’s up to us on how to turn this into a win-win situation for everyone involved.
I’ll start reposting these stories just like EthanZ keeps on repeating his Tripod & activists stories and will only stop once I see some real progress. Pole :-)
All pictures courtesy of MB, February 2007.
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22:32
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
dafür, dass unser musikalischer Botschafter Walter Lindner im ersten Jahr seines Schaffens den goldenen Käfig Nairobi gut ausgetestet hat, war das jetzt aber ein sehr, sehr positiver Bericht im Weltspiegel (mit Video).
Lindner in Mützelburgischer Art bei der Erkundung Kamukunjis Kiberas im Gespräch mit Einheimischen zu beobachten, zeigt wohl das momentan Mögliche auf.
Für seine Sicherheitsbeamten sind seine Alleingänge im Slum ein Albtraum. Doch immer wieder zieht er ohne Bodyguards los, denn sonst käme kein vernünftiges Gespräch zustande. “Sie geben uns Hoffnung,“ meint der Mann. „Diese Größe haben unsere eigenen Politiker nicht. Keinen von denen hat sich hier je blicken lassen.“
Sorry, es sind einfach diese beiden Nairobi Welten, die hier für mich nicht immer zusammenpassen wollen. Auf der einen Seite ein widerspruchsloser MA des AA, auf der anderen Seite der Wunsch zur Anteilnahme am Zeitgeschehen in Kenia. Und doch ist es vielleicht gerade dieser Widerspruch, der in der Diplomatie und, viel wichtiger, beim Volk ankommt.
Anzumerken habe ich außerdem noch, dass es beim scheinbaren Desinteresse der meisten kenianischen Politiker (wohl aus politischem Kalkül/Angst/etc.) gar nicht so schwer sein dürfte, Aufmerksamkeit zu erregen.
Freilich, wenn man andere Diplomatie gewöhnt ist, erscheint es manchmal eher sonderbar. Fand ich jetzt aber gut, den Bericht.
Außerdem: Musik verbindet.
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18:17
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
Twitter…what I particulary like about microblogging via Twitter et al is that you get to see new links and see what others are up to. Just a few minutes ago I came across AfroM’s twitter message (”tweet”?) which informed me about David Kobia’s new site: iHaveNoTribe.com
No matter how you feel on tribalism in Kenya, pls check out this nice new website and see what KENYANS ONLINE have to say about tribalism and nationalism.
I just skyped David on this as I - as a “mzungu” (gosh, I hate this word but you get the idea) - may be outside enough of the ring to contribute my 2cents on this. It’s because I’m often reminded of this debate we had on thinkersroom some time two years ago about what Kenya(n)Tourists are actually doing for Kenya - and how they perceive their status vs. those who are left at home, at the basis, trying to struggle with a corrupt regime and daily life. Well, I am not the person to judge who does it better, what strategy a young Kenyan should follow after school’s out. Everyone just tries to struggle, and we all know of the plenty Kenyans abroad who are busy making a life (with or without a visa!).
My Kenyan colleague from university recently told me that he was (financially) better off working as a cleaner for Mercedes-Benz factory in Europe than doing this 30.000 Kshs job for a GoK agency in Nairobi. Go figure…
Rather, I’ve been wondering about what Kenyans in Kenya think about their friends and relatives abroad, and how they expect us to help them.
Let me tell you something: no matter how bad the situation is in Kenya right now and no matter what kind of hatred we’ve seen - even online by educated ppl who should know better (although one could argue that’s just the power of an anonymous internet & normal flaming/trolls) - I cannot name any country right now that has more national pride than Kenya!
Remember the Kenya Airways slogan “The Pride of Africa” - there’s much more to this than just marketing. This has affected me in a way that I am constantly wearing this wristband - I feel proud of it. And this although my passport says I am German national. Can you imagine?
So, to make it short: the silver, no: golden lining underneath all this horror we have seen in Kenya lately - to me - is that we do now see people helping each other and beautiful initiatives like MamaMikes.com Special or food donations in front of Nakumatts where Kenyans are helping Kenyans. Did it take all this sheded blood to realize what’s inside of us all?
What I’ve seen and heard from Kenya lately strongly reminds me of Adolf Hitler and his fucked up policies: ppl being torn out of matatus just because they belong to another tribe and then beaten to death…
Now what… imagine you’re a Kenyan in the US and shocked just like me about this. What can we do about it?
Yes?
What else can one do except for showing unity and wishing for a better future?
As for the governments (worldwide) - I’ve said it before: we can not expect anything from them except for some political frameworks and lots of empty phrases. Everything else will be has to be provided by individuals - like you and me.
And yes, I do understand that we used to laugh about Tanzanians because of their economy & failures and that we are now addressing those very same issues that had been ignored in Kenya for a long long time due to “progress” + not even having a national language like Kiswahili. But so what? Does _unity_ depend on government decisions?
(on a lighter note: I take it that I am the only one out there who may call himself a “Kikuyu” these days :-)
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18:42
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
Kenya.
I do not understand why ppl are wasting their time online at various forums, spreading hateful comments on this or that group. Just like KP, I’ve also deleted some comments here which were just too insulting. I take it that those who have managed to get online are smart enough to draw a line between the things that need to be said and those that aren’t shared with the rest of the world. If you are having some aggregated anger - keep it to yourself or go and do some sports.
And believe me, I am also extremely pissed at the (current) situation in Kenya. Hell, everyone is! Relatives are telling me: Thx God you’re not in EAK these day, JKE. Oh, well…. what do you do when things are breaking up and you’re feeling so damn helpless because all you can do is donating money and praying that this “crisis” will soon come to an end?
“Germany”, my Austrian landlord told me today, “is a country where ppl aren’t directly helping each other. Only through anonymous donations…upon which they will receive a (tax exemption) receipt.” Hmmmm. I know many other cases where this assumption doesnt apply to - but coming back to Germany, I am reminded of this issue ppl had after WW2 when the following generation asked the same questions: what did YOU do to prevent this? Really nothing?
Fast forward in 2008+. Let’s hope that moods will have settled a bit by then and that business is “back to usual”. What will happen to those who did crimes? Will they be able to live with this guilt? Or will they come up with the infamous “i was obsessed with daemons” phrase?
And what will happen with those who lost relatives and property during the recent “post election”-violence? Forgive and forget?
…
Fuck.
I wanted to blog my new Leatherman sheath and I end up talking about Kenya again.
Ok. *cough*
Remember my Leatherman Wave 2004 sheath issue? Well, in 2005 I had bought a successor to my old LM Wave (pre 2004 model) which came with a bitset. Unfortunately, both the LM Wave multi-tool and the bitset do not fit into the sheath that came delivered with the tool (or rather: it was way too bulky), so I ended up making my own version:
#1 attempt (there’s Kenyan canvas underneath the blue brocade!)
As for the AAAmaglite: who needs this in times of luminous LEDs? Dismissed.
#2 attempt i’ve used this version up to today.
After almost two years of daily usage and various trips, this very same cover now looks like this:
Can you see dim holes, maaan? Pretty useless like this, as the front cover may fall apart any day soon. So I was in dire need of a suitable substitute. Checked the inet again for alternative solutions, but nothing seemed to be right. Then i popped into a bunduki-selling shop in Frankfurt Kaiserstraße today (which is like buying arms in Eastleigh) and found the right sheath between all those Hatori Hanzo Samurai swords, air rifles, hunting knives and scary 9mm pistols (btw, there’s a new law in Germany these days which requires stricter setups - similar to what used to be the rule @ the Firearms Department in Nbo ~ gun safe @home + having the OCS of the nearest police station coming over for inspection, etc - so that many ppl are now desperateley trying to sell their rifles & pistols for which they will never manage to obtain a proper licence…):
Voilà, attempt #3 in my quest for the ultimate tool sheath!
Old and New.
It fits, it works, it wins.
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12:53
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
Weil mir Ole am Sonntag abend Rocker gezeigt hatte - einen ganz wunderbaren Film aus Hamburg von 1971:
YouTube Direktvideo link
AOB: Interview mit Gladwell Otieno von TI im SPON über die angespannte Lage in Kenia.
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7:34
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
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It just took me less than 2 minutes to donate some mbeca to the Red Cross Society in Kenya - online, via mamamikes.com.
With your support we will buy food, slippers, blankets, clothes, sanitary products, etc. All these items are going to the Kenya Red Cross Society. Who are distributing them to Kenyans in need.
Your action will make a difference. The more help, the bigger the difference. Please act.
If you have some money left to share with those who will make good use of it and are willing to use an online payment service, please feel free to contribute via a service such as mamamikes.com.
If anything, we can only rely on Kenyans helping each other.
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15:30
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
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How do you define “back to normal” in Kenya?
Are the many displaced people also going “back to normal”? And if yes, where to?
Ee, ndio wajibu wetu
Kenya istahili heshima
Yeah, right.
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16:43
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
Football is a simple game; 22 men chase a ball for 90 minutes and at the end, the Germans always win. - Gary Lineker
Kenyan politics are a simple game; over 2600 candidates chase votes for 5 years and at the end, those who have the worst campaign always win.
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18:17
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
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Been on the road and had problems getting online. An irritating situation as I wanted to stay informed on the news from Kenya.
486 lives lost (according to official figures) due to such unnecessary, avoidable and stupid riots. An uncountable number of causalties and displaced persons, a nation in shock - not because of riots which everyone more or less anticipated at one point, but because of a conflict that - according to the international media - boiled down to a tribalistic reasoning and the clear failure of the so-called “leaders”. And those who did actually contribute to the conversations had to rely on citizen media as the official broadcasters were muzzled.
Anyone remembers the floods in Garissa in Nov 2006? It took the GoK at least three days to send the local police helicopter to save some lost kids from trees (who had stayed there for three days without any food or water). While floods are temporary, a government that has cheated its own people will stay for good.
I had dreamed about Kenya during these days, had to think of my friends and loved ones who are struggling hard to make a living in an environment where the Government will only intervene when business is at stake.
I am so grateful for the various bloggers out there who took their time and money to keep us - everyone - up to date on what’s going on in Kenya. We didn’t have Blog Awards for the Kenyan blogosphere in 2007, but maybe we should just give them to those who contributed content during the Kenyan elections 2007.
Also, I comment Ory on her work as she lets others speak up and posts their very own stories. Global Voices taken to another level. I say: if you’re interested in Kenya as a country and have something to share, go ahead, come up with a blog, comment on other blogs and contribute to the ongoing conversations. People are connected in 2008, even via mobile phones, and the ban on live coverage does not help to end any conflicts. We can not rely on “leaders” to come up with a top-down approach to implement any peace approaches. This is why I am so convinced of the power of these online tools.
Oh and btw: a Happy New Year to everyone! 2008. What a start.
AOB:
UNITED Ole Maasai. UNITED!!!
Been to this (great!) Kenyan bar right here in Frankfurt on Sato evening. My wife Ische has never been to Kenya before, so I wanted to introduce her to some important things she needs to be aware of. Sort of a “soft start”, if you like.
1. loud music (even if there’s no one dancing)
2. people ordering more than one bottle of beer
3. Kenyan hospitality.
Verdict: she likes it A LOT and even liked the beer…
I felt a bit irritated, nipping on a Kenyan beer in a Kenyan bar while people are dying at the same time back home. This is also why I am a bit lost for words these days as I am struggling to adjust to this world. There’s so much more even words couldn’t describe - and I just couldnt stop thinking about this old, worn-out proverb that once again proved to be so true:
“When elephants fight, the grass gets hurt.”
Quote of the day:
Before the elections, the majority of Kenyans were in an upbeat mood, expecting their parties to clinch victory, but the violence that broke out after the announcement of the presidential result has terribly eroded our democratic gains, says Thomas Odhiambo. He now wishes that President Kibaki could reactivate the SMS number he had advertised for voters to use to discuss issues with him during the campaign period. “I would have informed him that many of us are suffering, having fled our homes due to violence,” says Thomas. (src, reg needeed)
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18:50
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
Probably like many others, I’ve been following the intense coverage of the current situation in Kenya through the media and especially the Kenyan Blogosphere online. Kudos to everyone within the blogosphere (bloggers & commentators) who contributed valuable news & information!
Ory of KenyanPundit already pointed out a few good things how we - those that are sitting in the save heavens during these days and watching the unfolding events with sadness - may be able to help and contribute our share, i.e. by documenting the events online with names of all the victims, buying airtime for our family & friends online or maybe also by pushing our local government to assist Kenya in finding a quick solution. While the latter one may not be possible, I’d still like to second her ideas on this and offer my help. For those of you who are able to read German, pls have a look at this interesting article on why Germany would have an interest in helping Kenya. I also heared that Germany’s foreign minister, Mr Frank-Walter Steinmeier, today talked to Raila A. Odinga.
I wonder how Germany may be able to assist Kenya on this? Maybe Daimler-Chrysler should build a remote control / backdoor access to their Mercedes cars so that whenever a president or government does something “undemocratical” (sic!), they can stall the entire car pool. Ha!
…
Besides all the pain and sadness of the recent developments, I am with Bankelele when he concludes that the Kenyan voters are the actual winners (despite the rigged tallying) as they turned out in record numbers. And I believe it’s these very same people who will make a difference for Kenya and show to the world that Kenya isn’t ruled by a handful of powerful people, some executive forces and rioting youth, but instead a strong electorate that knows how to do business, care for itself and those in need and thus also knows how to maintain peace in a multi-ethnic society.
In an attempt to do some bridge blogging, I will try to compile a short summary in German during the next few days pole, sina saa…, also because the German media has in the past few days reported about the riots under the usual Kikuyu vs. Luo label - something that has really put me off!
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22:05
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
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Seriously…what else can one comment on the current situation of the outcome of the elections in Kenya in 2007?
There’s so much anger, so many hopes lost just because some guys have once again (!) taken Kenyans and the World for a huge ride.
I hope the European Union will not even dare to confirm “fair” elections.
This isn’t about Kibs or Agwambo, but instead about some fishy elections that were provided by a very diciplined electorate who turned up as early as 4 a.m. to cast their votes, endured till the end - only to be told two days later on that the guys who wanted to remain in power had actually tweaked the results to fit their needs.
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19:52
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
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Some cartoons are never outdated…thx Gado!
I WISH ALL OF YOU A MERRY CHRISTMAS & PEACEFUL ELECTIONS!
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19:27
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
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A post over at Ory’s Realm inspired me to create the following mashup of logos as used by the registered (Kenyan) political parties for the upcoming elections. All logos were copied 1:1 from a publication available online (PDF, 1.6 MB) from the ECK website and the listing isn’t complete as not all parties published their logo in time.
different sizes available @ flickr
As with other smart online content, this mashup work (not the logos themselves) comes with a (CC) Attribution-Noncommercial 3.0 Unported licence, meaning you are free to share and remix it as long as you don’t use it for commercial purposes (as I am also not gaining anything by publishing this except maybe for visitors which results in Google AdSenSe increases, but that’s another story). THIS ALSO INCLUDES YOU, dear KenyaTimes ;-)
Seriously, it was great fun copying the logos into one big sheet and seeing how some are really well done while others are…well….judge for yourself.
Using logos instead of just names in a country where the illiteracy rate is still high enough makes sense. But then, also, the most important reason seems to be that there are so many parties with similar names and since most of us humans are visually orientated, I think it’s much easier this way.
p.s.: my favourite logo is the Kikombe one - such brilliant artistic skills! Oh, and btw: logo = symbol [sihm-booohlll]
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9:22
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
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I’ve said it before: the moment, bandwidth becomes available at reasonable rates in Kenya, I - and I guess a lot of other KenyaTourists (KTs) - will resettle to Kenya. Ama?
“The entry of the cable is expected to cut bandwidth costs, currently standing between $6,500 (Sh435,500) and $7,500 (Sh502, 500) per megabyte to around $400 (Sh26,800) per megabyte.” ??? (src)
Seriously, with this initiative by the WB / GoK to subsidise broadband costs in Kenya for the Business Processing and Outsourcing (BPO) Sector, let’s hope that things are improving a little bit faster and that it will help to create a healthy competition within the Kenyan ICT sector + enabling them to compete with other regional players.
If you’re already on broadband, you may be interested in this video where the CEO of Kencall, Nicholas Nesbitt, talks about the relatively high monthly costs of running a call center in Kenya today. Other videos on regional players (aka the competition) are available here.
Imho, it will eventually come down to a few big players who are a) able to afford all these membership fees to this and that political lobbying group, b) able to afford 24/7/365 power supply to their machines and c) able to afford a serious admin team who will make use of *secure* software so that business doesn’t stall just because someone distributed a virus or other malware.
However, the following quote from the above mentioned article really impressed me the most:
To ensure more Kenyans access the digitized services easily, the government is also facilitating installation of Digital Villages countrywide.
This will save citizens the agony of traveling to urban centres to access the online government services and encourage growth of the sector.
To me, this is exactly what people like Prof Ayittey are trying to explain: helping the “Atingas” to promote their business in rural areas as they are the ones who contribute the biggest part to the economy.
And for me, as an environmenatlist/marketing guy for proper sanitation facilities, anything that helps to reduce urbanisation (= by creating local incentives, even if it’s the availability of enough bandwidth in rural areas) is the right approach to promote growth in rural areas. We urgently have to create a good framework for the next generation so that they want to stay in their home area.
On another note: what happens to the Raila/Kibaki virus once the elections are over? Is there any expiry date on them? :-D
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6:21
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
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Uvoo waku?
In case you’ve been wondering why you’ve never received the desired ecosan information material from GTZ…well…I’ve received that particular parcel today which was returned to our office. “Boy’s given up”, it says on the address sticker.
The letter inside is dated December 18th, 2003.
Witheka kyau? :-)
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8:48
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
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Pls don’t nail me down if this has been mentioned before (as I haven’t been following KBW lately due to other obligations - which is sad because the feed is pretty much interesting these days), but I just stumpled across this interesting note on another network about a German company from Potsdam that apparently programmed a web-based interface which will allow internal whistleblowers (!) to report any cases of corruption anonymously.
In Kenya, that is.
The Kenya Anti Corruption Commission recently implemented the Business Keeper Monitoring System (BKMS®) which shall assure “anonymity & information confidentiality” as well as an “anonymous diaologue”.
screenshot from the website
Says it on their website: “The BKMS® system is used as an internet-based communication platform by whistleblowers worldwide (employees in companies and administrations as well as outsiders) to report misconduct and risks. If necessary, whistleblowers can remain absolutely anonymous in order to be protected against repressive measures.”
Obviously, such a system may not be working for those poor souls who are constantly harassed by the police, and may also come too late for Mr David Munyakei (1, 2, ex 3), but it’s a good start, I think. Also, I am wondering about the - fear - this may generate among members of the public service.
According to the website, the BKMS system is already in use with some companies and orgnanisations in Europe, but I wonder if anything like that has already been applied to the EU commission? Ah?
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14:46
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
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Barbara of the GI in Nairobi forwarded the following invitation to a public forum, which I think is of public interest, hence the desire to reblog this on my blog.
PRESS RELEASE
PUBLIC FORUM
“THE KIONDO AND THE KIKOI”
Tuesday 31st July 2007
4.00 pm to 6.00 pm
Goethe-Institut Auditorium
(=> Maendeleo House, Nairobi)
“The Maasai Market Empowerment Trust in partnership with Legal Research and Advisory Centre invites to a Public Forum “The Kiondo & The Kikoi”.This is a cooperative effort in the highlighting and development of Intellectual Property Rights in Kenya.
The forum brings together artisans, designers, producers, legal officers, law enforcers, activists and policy makers to deliberate, trouble shoot and strategizse on how to tackle intellectual property issues specifically in regard to the Kiondo and Kikoi in an attempt to preserve the Kenyan heritage.The Maasai Market Empowerment Trust is a non profit making organization whose key xobjective is to uplift the standards of living of the people in the Curio-Crafts industry. It is registered as a public charitable trust and is led by a board of trustees drawn from the industry and from other strategic movements with similar ideals.”
I wish I could just attend this event, especially since this matter of Intellectual Property Rights is something I had blogged about two years ago - after stumbling across an interesting paper by James Shikwati on this matter. I recently met someone of the (liberal) FNFoundation during an event organized by the GTZ and was pleasantly surprised to find Shikwati’s paper among those primary papers they displayed as proof of their work. Kenyanism everywhere :-)
Also, I am using a picture of a Kikoi I bought on Maasai Market as the header logo of my blog. I founded a Kikoi group on the German equivalent of Facebook, Studivz.de, and am having a particular interest in promoting this part of the Swahili culture as found on the Kenyan coast line. I never travel without one of my Kikois, and as such find myself at terrible unease to associate the brand name “Kikoi(y)” with a UK based privately held company.
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10:20
From: Kikuyumoja's realm
Read This Entry & More At Kikuyumoja's realm
In a world where bad news are good news, it’s about time for some really good news that show us something else instead.
My sweet and beloved niece is celebrating her 2nd birthday today, and while she was busy unpacking all her many presents, I couldn’t help but thinking of those many kids that have to share their toys with others. As soon as my niece grows up, I will teach her the joy of sharing.
One of those places dominated by kids and lots of love is The Nest Home in Limuru, Kenya. The Nest Home is “a Project for the Rescue, Rehabilitation and Integration of Children in Conflict with the Law & Children of Imprisoned Mothers” and was founded some years ago with the help of many different people who all contributed to this worthy cause.
The children’s orphanage is located about 20 km outside of Nairobi and provides a loving home for those less fortunate, who’s parents are either in prison or dead.
screenshot of The Nest Home’s website
The fact that their website currently runs on my webspace actually prevented me from blogging on them for a long time, as I didn’t want to be biased on this. There are in fact many wonderful experiences I could put here, lots of joy I encountered while visiting the Nest last year. This is such a wonderful place!
As MB, who diligently maintains the website, already mentions on one of the pages: there are many ways YOU can actually help these kids!
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On a very personal note, and why I decided to blog about this anyways:
- fellow blogger AfroM recently informed me that she, Hash, Mental and others are having plans to visit The Nest soon - great! :-)
- we’ve built this website (running on WP) not only to inform others on the project, but also to show the transparency of the project and that the persons in charge don’t “benefit” in any (financial) way as some sceptical pundits might assume for whatever reason or so…
- i really appreciate the “ownership” from the Kenyan side, and how locals in Limuru have started to acknowledge the home being inside their community.
- i recently read this note on the Cutting Edge @ the DN on fathers who want to do some DNA / paternity test to see who’s the real father of their children. now that’s so stupid! that’s exactly why some of these children have never seen their fathers. Being a father, I believe, isn’t about having a coherent DNA with your kid, but about giving it the love it needs. I actually changed my mind on adoption after visiting The Nest Home.
- maintaining a website in at least two different languages isn’t easy, as some contributions come from countries like Germany where not everyone (especially the older generation) speaks English. The challenge is to include all audiences and showing them how their contributions are being used for the benefit of the children.
I know many critics will mix up Charitable Trusts with overfunded NGOs, but I can assure you that The Nest Home has a remarkably low expenditure on overhead costs.
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