New foods, new smells, new sights. It all seems surreal to finally be here in Nairobi. God has blessed us richly with great people to work with and a fun family to help us transition into life in Africa.
We are staying with a family of four who works with First Love. The five acre property they live on is in the Karen area of Nairobi. It is named after Karen Blixen, made famous in her book and the movie Out of Africa. The area is mostly for diplomats and other expats, but it was gifted to the organization from two very generous donors ;) to be used to develop as a refuge for kids from the Kibera slum, a school and a trade center for training young men with skills to provide for themselves and their families. The property has great potential, with several buildings currently under construction.
The nights are perfectly cool with a nice breeze that comes through the gated windows. Security is a much larger concern than I would have imagined. With the breeze comes the barking of the dogs protecting the property along with the Swahili chit chat of the guards. The other night a Ramadan festival at a nearby Mosque woke us up with fireworks and some long winded Muslim teaching over a loudspeaker.
Today, I am at the office learning more about the business groups Partners Worldwide works with - Gitithia Rural Agro Frinance Group and CHESS. Also, Martin and Tim are briefing me on possible partnerships in the less productive agricultural areas to the west. Lydia is off in Kibera at the educational center and feeding program.
Monday, September 8, 2008
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2 comments:
Tell us more about CHESS. What is that?
Sorry for the delayed response Mike. Just figuring out how to respond to the first comment!
CHESS
is a group of several hundred Christian, Kenyan entrepreneurs who use their collective savings to loan to each other. They are what is called a Savings and Credit Cooperative, a SACCO. I will have to tell you more as the my understanding grows.
Our relationship with this group is to help find North American mentors for members of the group, help grow their loan fund by getting US donors to match their savings, and create partnerships with Americans willing to help them better serve their clients.
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