Our last full day at Elsamere. Today St. Clare’s Secondary Girls School visited Elsamere. 55 girls in total arrived in two shifts (their 2 minibus did shuttle runs). It was great to watch Cliff Barkatch, our host, in action. Following on from a screening of ‘Born Free’ Cliff told the story of Joy Adamson, she was an inspirational woman. After that it was up to me to give a lecture on ‘Environmental Education’. I’d spent the previous evening frantically hashing together something relevant to say. In the end I talked about the need for us to explore the drivers of our behaviours, explaining how in the UK, our consumer obsessed society is driving climate change because of the over emphasis we place on the sign value of commodities. Climate change is observably having an effect here, now. We are on the shore of Lake Naivasha and there is clear evidence that the water level is falling. This is due to the extraction of water for agriculture, particularly to feed the 40 or so flower farms that flank the lake. While it is true that the flower farms are removing water too quickly in a classic case of ‘the tragedy of the commons’, the lake is also not replenishing itself because the rain is not coming. It is very possible that the droughts suffered in this region over the last two years are the result of climate change. This climate change is the result of the activities of Western cultures.
After a break for lunch and a boat trip, the girls gathered again in the main hall to be taught by Cliff about Natural resources. There is clearly awareness among the pupils of St Clare’s about environmental issues. They have developed a campaign of giving out green ribbons (similar to the ones used to raise awareness of aids and breast cancer) to encourage people to think about conservation and adaption to the changing climate. There is a large emphasis here on tree planting, to commemorate the visit of St Clare’s Cliff instructed a few of the girls to plant a tree in the grounds of Elsamere.
During the evening I headed out on a short bike ride, a mile or so down to the gates of Oserian (one of the biggest flower farms) and back. On reaching the gates of Elsamere I met Howard and walked with him up to the nearby township, in search of beer. Townships such as this have sprung up, completely unplanned, all around Lake Naivasha. Everyone was very friendly, the children, parrott fashion, all asked ‘how are you?’ as we walked passed them, not all of them were smiling and you can see why. The paths were rutted, sewerage spilled out onto the street, there is no running water and will probably never be any electricity. As soon as we left the main road we were met by Salom who enquired what we were after. ‘Beer’. He led us up through the very tight knit community until we eventually reached a small bar. We bought 6 bottles of Tuska and thanked him for his help before he led us safely back down to the road. When he’d met us he’d left his bike leant up against a shop front, advising me to bring mine with me. On returning he pointed at his bike saying ‘nobody will take it, I am a big man round here!’
Saturday, 27 June 2009
Flower Farms
Below Alice Matthews writes about a varied Friday on the shores of Lake Naivasha
Friday 26th June
Surrounding Lake Naivasha, and Elsamere, are flower farms and this morning we had the opportunity to visit one. As the lake is decreasing, from lack of rain, but is still needed by the local people for their crops, we were interested in how the flower farms were using the water effectively. It seems slightly unfair that the farmers have thriving crops of flowers when the locals do not have enough water to grow crops, or feed themselves.
The farm that we visited was a ‘breading’ farm, which means that it creates new types of rose and then gets royalties from people who plant crops of them. They change the colours and strength of scent of the roses by mixing existing types together. Each new batch of flowers is given a number, which the farm keeps, and a name, which can be used freely. We were told that they have a watering system that only gives the flowers a tiny amount of water, enough to survive on. Any extra water is collected back up, topped up with fertiliser, and fed back to the plants. It is an efficient but expensive system that was in use, and although other farms, and Lake Nivasha, would benefit from it, most cannot afford to install it all in one go. Unfortunately we were not shown where the waste water is put, outside some of the other flower farms are ditches of dirty water.
The working conditions in the farm seemed good, although we were only allowed to visit one of the many plant houses, and although it was hot the workers seemed relaxed and the place was very clean. It is likely that not all of the plant houses are as pleasant. Unfortunately the wealth from the flower market does not seem to be making its way to the locals, only the owners (there were two expensive cars in the drive). The closest village to the farm was made of corrugated iron ‘shacks’ and was highly underdeveloped. Apart from the farms creating jobs for local people, they appear to have little interest in the area, or the protecting of its resources.
On leaving the flower farm, Cliff was keen for us to see a local snake farm. The place was not quite as we had expected and consisted of a few huts on the side of the road, but at 100 shillings each we couldn’t complain! The owners had caught many species of snake from around Nivasha and Aby and I were allowed to hold a small one. They also got out a Python and were keen for us to touch it. The Kenyans seemed to be more scared than the English! On the drive back to Elsamere we saw many giraffes on the side on the road, some of them were incredibly close. There were also warthogs and zebra. We noticed that some farmers have started to dig irrigation ditches from the lake, which is disliked by the locals, and Morgan and Howard interview Cliff about the effects.
Friday 26th June
Surrounding Lake Naivasha, and Elsamere, are flower farms and this morning we had the opportunity to visit one. As the lake is decreasing, from lack of rain, but is still needed by the local people for their crops, we were interested in how the flower farms were using the water effectively. It seems slightly unfair that the farmers have thriving crops of flowers when the locals do not have enough water to grow crops, or feed themselves.
The farm that we visited was a ‘breading’ farm, which means that it creates new types of rose and then gets royalties from people who plant crops of them. They change the colours and strength of scent of the roses by mixing existing types together. Each new batch of flowers is given a number, which the farm keeps, and a name, which can be used freely. We were told that they have a watering system that only gives the flowers a tiny amount of water, enough to survive on. Any extra water is collected back up, topped up with fertiliser, and fed back to the plants. It is an efficient but expensive system that was in use, and although other farms, and Lake Nivasha, would benefit from it, most cannot afford to install it all in one go. Unfortunately we were not shown where the waste water is put, outside some of the other flower farms are ditches of dirty water.
The working conditions in the farm seemed good, although we were only allowed to visit one of the many plant houses, and although it was hot the workers seemed relaxed and the place was very clean. It is likely that not all of the plant houses are as pleasant. Unfortunately the wealth from the flower market does not seem to be making its way to the locals, only the owners (there were two expensive cars in the drive). The closest village to the farm was made of corrugated iron ‘shacks’ and was highly underdeveloped. Apart from the farms creating jobs for local people, they appear to have little interest in the area, or the protecting of its resources.
On leaving the flower farm, Cliff was keen for us to see a local snake farm. The place was not quite as we had expected and consisted of a few huts on the side of the road, but at 100 shillings each we couldn’t complain! The owners had caught many species of snake from around Nivasha and Aby and I were allowed to hold a small one. They also got out a Python and were keen for us to touch it. The Kenyans seemed to be more scared than the English! On the drive back to Elsamere we saw many giraffes on the side on the road, some of them were incredibly close. There were also warthogs and zebra. We noticed that some farmers have started to dig irrigation ditches from the lake, which is disliked by the locals, and Morgan and Howard interview Cliff about the effects.
Thursday, 25 June 2009
Karianduri Primary School
This afternoon we visited Karianduri Primary School that is situated on a slope overlooking Lake Elementatia in the Rift Valley. On the drive there we saw one of several hundred refugee camps set up by the Red Cross to house families forced from their homes during the post-election violence in December 2007. Anam Echakari, head teacher at Karianduri later told us that up to 30,000 people are still stuck in these camps, surviving off rations from the Red Cross. There are regular outbreaks of diseases such as Cholerea and conditions such a Pneumonia during rainy periods. Fortunately for the inhabitants of these camps the ‘long rains’ which usually fall in Kenya between Marc h and June have failed to arrive in the intensity that is usually expected. This, however, is unfortunate for the region as a whole as was exemplified by what we learned and saw at Karianduri.
Karianduri is a rural primary school, children walk up to 7km to attend, in total there are around 500 people in the school, crammed into classes which vary in size between 30 and 70 pupils, many sitting tightly together at small desks. Karianduri, is fortunate to be led by a forward thinking Head teacher. Anam Echakari is a tall young man in his thirties, he dresses very smartly and carries a great deal authority in his school and in a positive and caring way. Following training at Elsamere and his own awareness of the acute environmental problems of drought, desertification and deforestation that effect this region, Anam has made it his mission to promote environmental conservation, not only in the school but in the entire community. The failings of the long rains are of great concern here; dust is continuously thrown up from the land by vehicles, animals, humans and small gusts of wind. Anam told me how difficult it is for people to grow crops here and graze animals, hampered not only by the lack of water, but also by the more serious impacts of soil loss.
The environmental education delivered by Anam is very much in the category of mitigation. The children here need to learn how to cope with the impacts of climate change, it is directly effecting them today and will only worsen as the impacts of global warming continue to reek havoc on fragile impacts such as those found here in the rift valley.
Aman has begun a project of tree planting on the land belonging to the school, he plans to grow a ‘forest’ of around 20 yellow barked acacia trees for each class in the school. The Yellow barked Acacia is native to the region and will help bind the soil together on the slopes surrounding the school and slow down rainwater run-off. Aman continuously reinforces the need to do this amongst his pupils encouraging them to grow trees on the lands surrounding their home. Listening to the pupils, it seems that the message is sinking in. Cliff, our host at Elsamere, promises to bring the pupils from this school to Elsamere to further their environmental awareness, it can only be a good thing!
In the UK the impacts of climate change seem a long way off, either into the future or in some far off land. Standing in this school, seeing the efforts being made to preserve life here by a committed and passionate teaching staff, brings both emotions of hope and despair. As I walked away I was fighting back the tears as the realisation that the future of this dramatic and beautiful place is not really in the hands of those who inhabit it. Climate Change will force them away from here, taking with them the wildlife, the lakes, the traditions, the languages and eventually the memories. They will do their best to cope and survive here for as long as possible, as will the rest of Kenya, but the sadness, for me lay in the knowledge that their fate has been pre determined by centuries of Western industrialisation.
Karianduri is a rural primary school, children walk up to 7km to attend, in total there are around 500 people in the school, crammed into classes which vary in size between 30 and 70 pupils, many sitting tightly together at small desks. Karianduri, is fortunate to be led by a forward thinking Head teacher. Anam Echakari is a tall young man in his thirties, he dresses very smartly and carries a great deal authority in his school and in a positive and caring way. Following training at Elsamere and his own awareness of the acute environmental problems of drought, desertification and deforestation that effect this region, Anam has made it his mission to promote environmental conservation, not only in the school but in the entire community. The failings of the long rains are of great concern here; dust is continuously thrown up from the land by vehicles, animals, humans and small gusts of wind. Anam told me how difficult it is for people to grow crops here and graze animals, hampered not only by the lack of water, but also by the more serious impacts of soil loss.
The environmental education delivered by Anam is very much in the category of mitigation. The children here need to learn how to cope with the impacts of climate change, it is directly effecting them today and will only worsen as the impacts of global warming continue to reek havoc on fragile impacts such as those found here in the rift valley.
Aman has begun a project of tree planting on the land belonging to the school, he plans to grow a ‘forest’ of around 20 yellow barked acacia trees for each class in the school. The Yellow barked Acacia is native to the region and will help bind the soil together on the slopes surrounding the school and slow down rainwater run-off. Aman continuously reinforces the need to do this amongst his pupils encouraging them to grow trees on the lands surrounding their home. Listening to the pupils, it seems that the message is sinking in. Cliff, our host at Elsamere, promises to bring the pupils from this school to Elsamere to further their environmental awareness, it can only be a good thing!
In the UK the impacts of climate change seem a long way off, either into the future or in some far off land. Standing in this school, seeing the efforts being made to preserve life here by a committed and passionate teaching staff, brings both emotions of hope and despair. As I walked away I was fighting back the tears as the realisation that the future of this dramatic and beautiful place is not really in the hands of those who inhabit it. Climate Change will force them away from here, taking with them the wildlife, the lakes, the traditions, the languages and eventually the memories. They will do their best to cope and survive here for as long as possible, as will the rest of Kenya, but the sadness, for me lay in the knowledge that their fate has been pre determined by centuries of Western industrialisation.
Lake Naivasha
Today was action packed, Howard Marshall reports on our morning activities, a boat ride on Lake Naivasha!
This morning we had the pleasure of a boat trip on lake Naivasha. Morgan, Aby, Alice and myself were quite breath taken by the wildlife and natural beauty surrounding the lake. The birds and wildlife on the banks of the lake such as Zebras were an experience not to be missed, not to mention the birds and herds of Hippos swimming in the lake, many quite close to our boat.
Apart from the wildlife Zak our skipper was telling us a little about the history surrounding the lake and its colonial past. On the banks of the lake alongside Elsemere is the Djinns Palace originally owned by Lord Hayes. Lord Hayes had this palace designed by a North African Architect to a grand Moroccan design of architecture. Lord Hayes sold the palace to the Delamere family and is now owned by the Oserian Flower company. The Djinns Palace provided the setting for the film White Mischief, set in the early part of the 20th Century when Kenya was a British Colony. Alongside this palace is a water pump used by the controversial Oserian Flower company to provide hydration for their horticulture. Oserian is one of many companies drawing water off the lake and its tributaries that is both affecting the water level of the lake and its wildlife.
Howard Marshall.
This morning we had the pleasure of a boat trip on lake Naivasha. Morgan, Aby, Alice and myself were quite breath taken by the wildlife and natural beauty surrounding the lake. The birds and wildlife on the banks of the lake such as Zebras were an experience not to be missed, not to mention the birds and herds of Hippos swimming in the lake, many quite close to our boat.
Apart from the wildlife Zak our skipper was telling us a little about the history surrounding the lake and its colonial past. On the banks of the lake alongside Elsemere is the Djinns Palace originally owned by Lord Hayes. Lord Hayes had this palace designed by a North African Architect to a grand Moroccan design of architecture. Lord Hayes sold the palace to the Delamere family and is now owned by the Oserian Flower company. The Djinns Palace provided the setting for the film White Mischief, set in the early part of the 20th Century when Kenya was a British Colony. Alongside this palace is a water pump used by the controversial Oserian Flower company to provide hydration for their horticulture. Oserian is one of many companies drawing water off the lake and its tributaries that is both affecting the water level of the lake and its wildlife.
Howard Marshall.
Nairobi to Elsamere
This post was written by Aby Morley yesterday following our arrival at Elsamere
Wednesday 24th June
We left the YMCA and Nairobi today. Changing scenery as we travelled to Naivasha on the ‘Easycoach’ bus. We quickly moved out of the more developed areas and into the surrounding parts of the city; where the poor and rich seem to live side by side. Slum like areas of corrugated metal and self made houses pile on top of each other next to small erected stalls and market stands which appear metres away from wealthy new buildings and developing areas, where wood scaffolding hold the new buildings together. Crops are being grown right next to the roadside, as cattle, goats, sheep, donkeys and chickens graze. Some being herded along, as others stand tethered to the ground. The streets get dirtier and the roads worsen as we leave the city. It is still a beautiful place though, we soon passed vast areas of countryside, leading for miles up to the Kenyan mountains, the view down into the famous African Rift Valley was incredible and rolled on and on. All of a sudden we were in Naivasha and were collected from a petrol station by Joshua who drove us to the Elsamere centre. We passed many more stalls and street sellers, as well as huge flower farms that cover the roads leading the way. There are fifty two of these farms surrounding Lake Naivasha providing income, yet using the water resources from the lake.
We are currently in Elsamere where we were very warmly welcomed, our cabin-like accommodation is very comfortable and clean; and it really seems like a community here. A wonderful lunch was provided for us in the restaurant, and everyone is very hospitable. The restaurant, like most of the place overlooks the lake and forests. Giraffes and tortoises can be seen out of the window. A tour of the grounds was given to us, and we were able to see the museum and home of George and Joy Adamson, where the centre is able to get tourist trade. We also walked down to the lake which seems to stretch on forever. We had tea and coffee on the restaurant balcony, watching the giraffes as they had moved even closer, Howard managed to get within fifty feet of them! We are now back at our cabins having a rest and looking forward to the days ahead at Elsamere, as hopefully a boat trip and visit to some local schools awaits us tomorrow!
(Photos to follow)
Wednesday 24th June
We left the YMCA and Nairobi today. Changing scenery as we travelled to Naivasha on the ‘Easycoach’ bus. We quickly moved out of the more developed areas and into the surrounding parts of the city; where the poor and rich seem to live side by side. Slum like areas of corrugated metal and self made houses pile on top of each other next to small erected stalls and market stands which appear metres away from wealthy new buildings and developing areas, where wood scaffolding hold the new buildings together. Crops are being grown right next to the roadside, as cattle, goats, sheep, donkeys and chickens graze. Some being herded along, as others stand tethered to the ground. The streets get dirtier and the roads worsen as we leave the city. It is still a beautiful place though, we soon passed vast areas of countryside, leading for miles up to the Kenyan mountains, the view down into the famous African Rift Valley was incredible and rolled on and on. All of a sudden we were in Naivasha and were collected from a petrol station by Joshua who drove us to the Elsamere centre. We passed many more stalls and street sellers, as well as huge flower farms that cover the roads leading the way. There are fifty two of these farms surrounding Lake Naivasha providing income, yet using the water resources from the lake.
We are currently in Elsamere where we were very warmly welcomed, our cabin-like accommodation is very comfortable and clean; and it really seems like a community here. A wonderful lunch was provided for us in the restaurant, and everyone is very hospitable. The restaurant, like most of the place overlooks the lake and forests. Giraffes and tortoises can be seen out of the window. A tour of the grounds was given to us, and we were able to see the museum and home of George and Joy Adamson, where the centre is able to get tourist trade. We also walked down to the lake which seems to stretch on forever. We had tea and coffee on the restaurant balcony, watching the giraffes as they had moved even closer, Howard managed to get within fifty feet of them! We are now back at our cabins having a rest and looking forward to the days ahead at Elsamere, as hopefully a boat trip and visit to some local schools awaits us tomorrow!
(Photos to follow)
Wednesday, 24 June 2009
Nairobi
I write this on our last morning in Nairobi. The bus to our next destination, Elsamere, departs in about 2 hours time.
We've been very fortunate to enjoy the company of Kevin and Dennis Gichanga during our brief time here. Kevin picked us up from the airport on Monday and took us over to the YMCA hostel in central Nairobi. We were all exhausted from the long journey, so it was a relief to be transported hassle free to our bedrooms! Kevin helped us to buy Kenyan mobile phone sim cards and took us to a pizza place for our dinner. We all crashed into bed by 7pm and slept through until 8am!
Yesterday, Dennis picked us up from the YMCA and showed us round a few sights. The most striking thing about Nairobi is how clean it is. Dennis told us that there is a 'man eat man' culture here in the sense that if you litter the streets it will not be long before somebody has reported it to the authorities, landing you with a very heavy fine. The result is very clean streets facilitated by an excellent waste collection service, run privately, but paid for by the government. Kevin took us to Nairobi national park, which is right on the margin of the city. We went on the 'Safari Walk' which stirred up my usual emotions about caged animals. While understanding the educational value of these places, I never feel that I need to see animals in small, lonely, enclosures to understand the need to conserve them.
Nairobi is very green, there are large areas of natural forest right in the centre of the city inhabited by indigenous flora and fauna and the streets are lined with towering trees (when you can see them past the huge billboards advertising mobile phones, internet providors, perfumes and TVs). Deforestation is, however, a big problem in and around Nairobi, efforts are in place to conserve these forests and Dennis was hopeful that these efforts will be successful. The fact remains however that Nairobi's 3 million plus population is growing every day and the pressure for land grows with it. Nairobians are desperate for better roads, the number of cars has risen dramatically in the last decade, many of them are new japanese and european vehicles causing huge congestion problems and pollution. Road building has not begun in earnest here, but when it does, more areas of wildlife are sure to be divided by concrete and tarmac.
Our penultimate stop on our trip round Nairobi was at the factory of 'Kazura' (meaning small and beautiful). Kazura produce beads and pottery from locally sourced clay. We were shown into the factory where over 300 females work in shifts in excellent conditions to produce these beads for export around the world. We learned that the beads were sold at an outlet in Cambridge in the UK, as well as across Africa, America and Australia. Perhaps one day, we can sell these fair trade goods at Rendezvous in Cheltenham.
Following an excellent and very simple meal, we returned to the YMCA and I sat down with Dennis to discuss events that led him and his family to move to Nairobi from their hometown on Kisumu. I recorded an interview with him which will contribute to the radio documentary I'm putting together. Dennis and his family are from the Kikuyu tribe who were forced out of Kisumu during the post election violence in December 2007. It is an incredibly sad story and his family suffered terribly. With time, it seems, Dennis and his family have been able to put it behind them and he is now very settled in Nairobi and looking forward to a bright future working for Kenyan Airways.
Friday, 19 June 2009
Its Global Venture time!
Hi, Morgan Phillips (Global Footsteps Director) here!
Howard, Alice, Aby and I are all getting very excited about our Global Venture to Kisumu, Cheltenham's friendship link town in Kenya. We'll be leaving on Sunday on a flight to Nairobi, where we'll spend two nights at the YMCA. From there we will move on to the Elsamere Centre in the Great Rift Valley for four nights. It will then be on to Kisumu for 10 days of cultural linking! With a bit of luck I'll be able to update this blog regularly with stories, photos and videos so that you can see what we are up to! Below is an outline of what each of us will be getting up to while we are there.
Aims of Visit
Aby Morley
Aby is an art student here in Cheltenham , she is very interested in crafts, particularly 'jua kali' and would very much like to swap skills with local craftspeople in Kisumu. She, with Alice, will be responsible for purchasing handmade jewellery and crafts for sale at Rendezvous.
Alice Matthews
Alice is the same age as Aby and is currently taking a 'gap' year after finishing school. She will start a degree in Education in September. Alice is keen to visit local schools, she, along with myself and the others will be very happy to talk to the children about life in the UK. We would all love to visit all types of school.
Alice is the same age as Aby and is currently taking a 'gap' year after finishing school. She will start a degree in Education in September. Alice is keen to visit local schools, she, along with myself and the others will be very happy to talk to the children about life in the UK. We would all love to visit all types of school.
Howard Marshall
(1). Establish Ethnic & Faith Reflection of Kisumu.
(2). Find out the effects on Kisumu since US election of Barrack Obama to the White House.
(3). Take official Letters of Greetings from Civic Officials in Cheltenham such as the Towns: Mayor, Member of Parliament & Chairman of Twinning to the: Mayor of Kisumu.
(4). Re establish links with St. Lukes Anglican Church & promote awareness of St. Gregorys Roman Catholic Church in Kisumu, with the RC community here in Cheltenham.
(5). Find out if either of these churches have connections with schools.
(6). To contact both St. Johns Primary School (St. Lukes Link) & St. Gregorys RC School with a view to input from their pupils that I can take to Kisumu. Take letters of greeting from their Head Teachers.
(7). Visit the above Churches & Schools in Kisumu.
(8). Establish how we can help the above in furthering their aims & objectives with links with Gloucestershire.
Morgan Phillips
My main role will be to ensure that as much as possible of the above happens smoothly.
I will also be promoting our next footsteps conference: Footstep 12 in Cadca, Slovakia (August 2010). I am hoping to meet and interview potential participants. To do this I will be visiting schools, universities and cultural centres to find suitable candidates.
I am hoping to meet some environmentalists to discuss environmental issues affecting Kenya, especially the impacts of Climate Change.
I will be working with Cadif Kenya http://www.cadifkenya.interconnection.org/ to help them with funding and volunteers.
We will also be making a film and radio programme to document our experiences.
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