Yes, Kenya!

With kind thanks to the Laura and Emanuel from Foundation for the Future, I am back again in Kenya with Jambo Volunteers (www.jambovolunteers.com), after five months “leave” in Ibiza, and this time I return with Mariano (also from Greenheart Ibiza), who’s gung ho to be joining us to work on the Maasailand projects. Luis from Jambo wanted me to arrive a week before Mariano, so as to plan things and check out what’s happened since I was here with Danny in May 2011. Here commence the tales from this second mission in the magnificent Maasailand…

Monday 14^th November – after a “noche en vela” in Ibiza and rushed packing and farewells to the Casita Verde crew, I was on the move… and Kenya bound! Egypt Air delivered me safely Madrid-Cairo-Nairobi and the dawn light was breaking as I stepped onto Kenya soil – a damp one – to meet Luis and the Rav4 for transport to Maasailand! It was great to be back in Kenya and at Jambo HQ, meeting again Luis’s wife Mercy and little Luisito, plus new house staff Patrick and Joyce…and to see how the recent precipitation is making a most green and verdant rift valley. This is officially rainy season and it’ll last till April. Wellington boots are already on the shopping list!

On Wednesday Luis and I head for the town of Karen to meet Mercedes who will be assisting in the development and admin of Jambo Volunteers. Supplies and some trees for base are picked up on the way back before we stop at Ngong town, meeting up with our local Maasai Chief (Daniel), plus Jambo staff Julius and Tobiko. It’s super to see the guys again and catch up on news. We drop the chief off at his home, where the borehole generator, which supplies water to Jambo HQ, is housed. They hadn’t pumped water for a few days so we were not surprised to see that the generator was broken. The mechanic will come tomorrow to diagnose the problem.

We pay a visit to Kimuka primary school to meet the teachers and pupils and to check on the veggie garden (“shamba”) we created back in May. It’s a pleasure to be so warmly welcomed again…and there’s been much fine work by the “shamba stars” with new beds in place and transplants sprouting nicely in the nursery. There’s plenty to do, though, including maintenance of the fence (cows had been pushing over the posts), a clean up of the beds, mulching, compost tidying and grass cutting being the first tasks, beside tackling the renovation of the kitchen, our main objective. New tools are required plus a lot of wood and materials for the new constructions. It fabulous, therefore, that the Foundation for the Future have again provided funds for new materials, as well as backing this mission for Mariano and I.

The next day starts off sunny but with enormous clouds building and the rain is never far off. I potter around at base and check out the swales Patrick is busy digging. The whole area is so green and vibrant and Jambo HQ looks splendid with tall grasses, well-mulched trees, veggie gardens in good shape and the twenty-odd new trees bought yesterday have already been swiftly planted by a speedy Patrick. Heading out, Luis and I jump in the “matatu” (4wd shock-reinforced minibus) and cross the savannah on muddy, potholed roads to the borehole to check on the generator latest. We find a jovial mechanic and the genny in bits. The worst fears are confirmed – it’s buggered. This’ll mean our water will have to be delivered by truck (60 euro a journey), plus there’ll be the expense of new parts and fixing the genny – and a good few weeks till it’ll be done.

The weekend saw us getting in a swift hike, enjoying some sunshine mixed with rolling thunderstorms, dumping plenty of “maji”! We’re joined by Jambo partner, Borja, from ONG, The South Face, who works scouting Africa for bright young things to sponsor through higher education and university. A group of foreign visitors arrives at HQ and we all go to visit the girls’ Rescue House, an important Jambo Volunteers project where we’ll be focussing on making improvements. When we drop the group later at their base, the rain is really hammering down and rivers come out of nowhere, whilst the road becomes a slippery mud bath. An old truck is stuck and blocking the road. Luis and I resign ourselves to getting soaked and mud-coated and help the locals to eventually tug the pile of junk out of the mire. Mzungus to the rescue!

Week 2 – The team builds!

We collect Mariano at dawn the next Tuesday and our nen is shown the delights of Maasailand and welcomed to Jambo HQ. No time waster, Mariano rapidly gets to work on the shamba, composting, mulching the plots and getting some new seeds ready to plant. Luis is grinning widely. A new composting toilet is planned on site, and the plot is prepared. We pay a visit to the Rescue House where an eco-loo had been built earlier this year. The structure is good, but there’ll need to be some modifications and proper training in use for the girls there. Afterwards, making the most of a sunny afternoon, we drive over to the view point near the home of Julius. We spot baboons and delight in the immense vistas to the west, but all too soon another storm is building and we head for base to make plans for the next days’ tasks.

Back at Kimuka primary school, Mariano and I get busy in the shamba, cleaning and tidying up, making plans for the kitchen and checking what needs fixed. The pupils are shown some tips in the garden by Mariano and then we head for town to get material supplies and tools for the jobs – and a plate of chips!

The next day we spot giraffes nearby and rush out to get some snaps. Later we head for the school where it’s end of term with a gathering of parents, pupils, teachers… and mzungus (us)! We make a list of the kids who want to help us work on the shamba during the hols. Back at base before sunset and we’re out chasing wild turkeys with four dogs and two of the eleven puppies. The turkeys win the race and waddle off to hide in the distant bushes. Albert and Julius arrive back from the airport in the matatu with our new team member, Aya from Australia. The Jambo team is growing and is ready for action…

Another update soon in the next installment from the mighty Maasailand! Have a look at some photos below from the time here so far…