Leadership training over the holidays – Leila and Grace, who previously attended a conference about women’s opportunities in Kenyan politics, are at an East African Self Leadership training in Nairobi. They have spent most of their week in the city, learning from other women and members of GROOTS. Both girls are very active in the Grassroots club on campus, so we’re confident that they’ll have plenty to share with their friends and teachers when they’re back on campus next month.

Grace and Leila

 

Recovering from the downpour – After weeks of rain, people all across Kenya are getting back on their feet after floods caused damage to livestock, crops, roads and bridges. On campus we were quite lucky, although we’ve been unable to pump river water since the storms. Daraja’s drinking water is boiled rain water, of which we have plenty. But for cleaning and bathing, we rely on water pumped from the river. Peter Rutere, director of maintenance, suspects there was damage to the connection between the generator and pumphouse, which should be repaired this weekend. While most buildings on campus are without running water, staff are fetching water from a borehole on the property.

One of Alex's gabions, standing strong

The rains were the first big test for gabions that volunteer Alex Rodondi built in the summer. The gabions are wire-mesh frames filled with rocks, which act as miniature dams to slow the flow of water and prevent soil erosion during heavy rains. Rutere says they held up very well against the downpours.