Community Groups - News & Updates, April 2009

The following are some of the latest news & updates from community groups and supporting organisations during April, 2009. Further news & updates will be added as & when they come in....

Received from Leonard Muhanga, Nature Kenya Site support officer for Kakamega Environmental Education Programme (KEEP) on 20th April, 2009.

We are fine in Kakamega.

I recently attended the Nature Kenya centenary celebrations in Nairobi (NMK) where Wilberforce Okeka, the founder of KEEP was awarded Conservation Award Certificate to honor his contribution to conservation in Kakamega forest.

I have been facilitating exchange programs for community based organizations to visit Kakamega to learn about energy conservation. Two groups (one from South Nandi and the other from Kijabe) attended where they were taught by KEEP educators on how to install fuel efficient stoves; fireless food warmers (Shimwelo) and briquette making as a supplement to charcoal and fuel wood. So far 45 members (mainly women) have been trained. I expect another group to visit the forest towards the end of the month. John has been quite instrumental in this.

The news in Kakamega, as concerns energy saving devices is that KEEP acquired a briquette making machine, courtesy of James Parkas, a volunteers from FSD (Foundation for Sustainable Development). 20 KEEP members were trained in this venture (Briquettes are small cubes made from everyday agricultural and commercial waste material e.g. dried leaves, weeds, sawdust, maize stalks etc). Although briquettes can come in different sizes and shapes, the ones produced at KEEP are circular (cylindrical).

Received from Samuel Bakari, Friends of Kinangop Plateau on 8/4/09:-

"We are doing well at the workshop. We are getting some help on marketing from Charlie of 10000 birds. You can have a look at what we have done from his site

http://10000birds.com/the-njabini-wool-spinning-workshop.htm0birds.com/the-njabini-wool-spinning-workshop.htm

http://10000birds.com/back-to-the-njabini-woolshop-kinangop.htm.

Also view http://10000birds.com/10000-birds-sharpes-longclaw-and-the-kinangop-grasslands

We have also contacted the Arocha Kenya, Mwamba, to see if they can help us in marketing by displaying some of our products and they get a commission for every item sold.

I will forward some photos that I have send to Charlie and see if they can be useful."


Received from Joan Nesbit, SpanAfric Safari's re development & promotion of ecotourism at Musul, Laikipia on 6/4/09:-

"It's been a tough year. I did manage to register the Musul group into Eco-tourism Kenya and we still need to plan a trip over there for them to survey and identify what next steps to take....
...I havent heard from the USA yet and no replies are coming in.
That's all for now, I still do believe things will work out, it's slow but doors will open soon."

Received from Gordy Liddle re SherstonMusul primary school & educational sponsorship at Musul, Laikipia on 23/3/09:-

"...We have been on hold ourselves for a while now but we have been quietly getting a little more organised and are now linked in with some local contacts and have a web site that should be up and running shortly..."

7/5/09

It's now possible to find out more about the Sherston Musul primary school and to make much needed donations to their educational sponsorship programme at: http://www.sherstonmusul.com/info/home_page.

(Further information about the community at Musul, which is located in western Mukogodo in Laikipia, Kenya, can also be found at here at 'Postcards from Kenya' and at CCI-Kenys's main website.)