I am baaaack!

Firstly - my apologies. I am sorry it has been so long between blogs!

Oh, so much to say. Where to start!

Ok, so I just got back from Kenya. I spent 9 days co-leading the Eat So They Can Distribution with an amazing group of people. We visited schools, orphanages,and camps, distributing funds and resources. As usual, there were many highs and lows (Kenya has them in abundance!) but I have come home feeling hopeful and excited about the potential to create meaningful change.

When I first arrived at the camp I immediately felt a wonderful sense of peace and familiarity. Seeing the committee members, the kids, and the families involved in the Rebuilding Lives project was really exciting. We received a lovely welcome and I felt such happiness. However it did not take long for a few little frustrations to trickle in. Some of the roofs of the houses were not finished which was pretty disappointing for me as I expected them all to be done. But, things are done differently in Africa, in Kenya, and especially in IDP camps! Lauren, relax!

The palaver that occurred with the iron sheets that the government promised to provide was just one of the bumps in the road. I found out that the IDP’s even held a protest to try and get them to deliver – unsuccessfully. I found this clip on You Tube - see below.

Awwww, I love these people so much...

The good news is all of the houses will be finished by the end of this month and we can move on to the next group of houses for the next group of families! We are going to purchase wood/metal houses this time in case the IDP’s are given land and they relocate in the future. This way they can simply take down the house and take it with them! Pretty cool hey!

The second piece of good news is that GVN Foundation has adopted the project and funds raised through the global campaign Eat So They Can will benefit the Rebuilding Lives project!!!! Yay! People around the world who sign up the campaign will be able to donate directly! It’s pretty awesome!

Please check it out and sign up! : )

Ok, I will post some more photos over the next few weeks and continue to write updates.

Until then, kwaheri and hugs,
Lauren xo

Camp update!

I was so excited to receive an email from Moses Mbugua this morning updating me on the project and situation at the camp.

“For the block houses that we started 5 of them are done IDP's are living in. The rest 5 houses Irene said she will provide the roofing, doors, and windows this week. For the timber houses it is easy to built and cheap to buy the material's. We also have iron sheets houses they are the cheapest and most of the IDP's like the houses. Generally in the camp IDP's are still facing challenges:

1. Lack of food.
2. Sheltered as some tents completely torn.
3. Medical facility , such as medicine.
4. School fees for secondary school students.
5. Uniform and textbooks for primary school students.

But all and all we still have hope because we still have new projects which were started by the volunteers. These are poultry for broiler hens to support the clinic. We have a fish pond to support the ECD.”
-Moses

It has been a long process but we are making progress! It looks like I will be back in Kenya in April. I can’t wait to go back to the camp and spend time with the community. It will also be a great opportunity to review the project and set new goals.

Thank you again to everyone for your support.
Hugs,
Lauren

Image: Clinic built by GVN volunteers.

A Home for Christmas!

Thank you to all of the wonderful new donors who have supported the Rebuilding Lives project at Pipeline IDP Camp in Kenya.
Honestly, your donations have not come at a better time. I have really been fretting the last couple of weeks because the government has pulled out of our agreement and wont be supplying us with the roofing materials as promised. This means that ten sponsor houses recently constructed remain unfinished, and reports from the camp this week have been quite distressing. Heavy downpours related to El Nino have meant that many of the tents have been flooded and destroyed. There are stories in the daily paper about families being knee deep in water during the night!

http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/674084/-/uo1kdn/-/index.html

However thanks to your donations we are now able to start purchasing urgently needed iron sheets, nails, frames, doors, windows and nails to complete the houses. Yay! I am still a little short of funds but hopefully a few more donations will come through and all ten houses will all be complete by the end of the month! A new home for ten families for Christmas – whoop whoop!
I am speaking to Irene next week so I will provide further information then.

Hugs,
Lauren

News: Kibaki directs closure of camps

Kenya President Kibaki has directed the resettlement of all internal refugees in two weeks.
This was taken from The Daily Nation newspaper:

The President ordered the ministries of Finance, Special Programmes, Lands, Internal Security and Agriculture to move with speed in ensuring that land is made available for the resettlement exercise.
“We should move with speed to resettle the IDPs who are still in camps. This matter has dragged on for too long. We must deal with it and ensure that we do not have persons still living in camps,” he said.
“We also need to help those who are going back to their land to resettle and undertake their farming. I also appeal to all communities to live peacefully and co-exist harmoniously.”
President Kibaki was speaking Friday at his Harambee House office where he chaired a meeting of the committee overseeing resettlement of IDPs.
During the meeting, it was resolved that all IDP camps should be closed down within two weeks once the IDPs are resettled on the land purchased by the government.

Read full article:http://www.nation.co.ke/News/-/1056/663294/-/unedqy/-/index.html

Irene is meeting with the Committee at Pipeline this week to discuss how these recent turn of events will potentially affect the families at Pipeline IDP Camp. I will be posting an update as soon as I have one. Stay tuned...

Lauren xo

NEW REBUILDING LIVES VIDEO!

New sponsorship video just released! So exciting! Check it out!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7sPvXSMNphE

Thanks Ray!!!!

Update from Moses, Camp Secretary

Thanks to GVN volunteer, Ethan Frisch, we have the latest Rebuilding Lives update from Moses, the Secretary of Pipeline IDP Camp:

"Six houses walls have been built and three houses are under construction and have been provided will all materials. The issue of plot no. 1 which was to be solved by the public health officer has been solved and the house will be built soon.

We have shortage of sand and each house need a truck of sand for what was budgeted for was not enough for one house.

For the roofing, the iron sheets, timbers and nails the DC has received the sheets and he still wait for timbers and nails."

Moses Mbugua

It's times like this in Kenya where one might say "pole pole" (pronounced polay polay). It means 'slowly slowly' in Swahili!

The building process has been slow and we are still waiting for the iron sheets for the roofs to complete the first set of houses but the outlook is promising! I am so excited that the health officer finally gave the go ahead for Plot 1 too. The family of four are currently sharing a tent with another family, I imagine it will be so wonderful for them to have their own space and their own place.

Baby goat!

This week I have been chatting to GVN volunteer Ethan Frisch. Ethan has been working at Pipeline IDP Camp for the past four weeks. Here is one of his stories which I could not help sharing with you!

"I was visiting with someone in the camp yesterday evening, just hanging out and chatting about nothing in particular. This morning, he comes running up to me with a big grin on his face - his goat had a baby last night, and he's sure it was my visit that brought him good luck and caused the baby goat to be born. Apparently I'm good luck - who knew? Anyway, he wants to name the goat after me. So there is a baby goat named Ethan living in an IDP camp in the middle of nowhere in Kenya." - Ethan

Also, here is a very interesting article from the Kenyan newspaper, The Daily Nation. Really puts the food procurement issue into perspective:

It's a Pig's Life for Starving Citizens