“I visited Pipeline on Thursday and everything has been great so far.
I had one and half hour meeting with District Commissioner and he informed that he is waiting for the humanitarian board under his office to organise for the timber and nails delivery for the houses. The iron sheets are already at the store in Nakuru and as soon as the timber and nails are released they will be delivered to the site. He also asked me to see him on Tuesday next week as I will be going to Nakuru at Mbaruk IDPs camp to take food and I also want to put 2 classes for the kids there since they don't attend the school due to various issues. The camp is in a very bad state compared to others.
The four houses have been finished and they are waiting for the roofing.
Alot of women were no where to be found at camp and when i asked the guys they told us that they have already gone to work with the funds which have been donated to them through the community loans project by GVN Foundation. They have really been waiting for this golden opportunity to come to their lives where they will be able to support themselves more than relying on well wishers for their basic needs.” -Irene
I am so excited to hear that the first four houses are nearly ready! Irene also told me that she has ordered the materials for the next six houses and the community has started digging the trenches and preparing the foundation – yay! Although it was hard to read in Irenes email that the other IDP Camp she visited is worse off than Pipeline. Far out, things are so desperate there right now, its hard to imagine what the Mbarak camp must be going through. I am glad to hear that Irene has managed to supply them with some food. Hopefully she will be able to place some volunteers there too...
In case you are wondering what the community loans are that she mentioned in the last paragraph, it is another great need in the camp that we are trying to address. With barely any employment available in or around the camp and no capital GVN Foundation are funding soft loans to registered groups to help them start a business and get back on their feet. I did some work on the community loan project at the camp while I was in Kenya. The proposals included businesses such as chickens, charcoal, rabbits, cereals (maize and beans) and farming.
The IDP’s are desperate to work and the thing is they have the skills. Many of them owned successful businesses before the violence. They have been idle for over a year and just hoping for a chance to be self sufficient once again.
I really do believe in them.
As always, thank you for your support and believing in this project.
More to come soon!
xo
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