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Dear East African,
This month we're full of cool news...
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East African Turkey Aprons! (Bet You Don't Have One...) |
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The wonderful men and women of the Vutakaka Sewing Club have
started making beautiful aprons using a Kenyan kitenge featuring
turkeys. Unspeakably adorable. Perfect as a Thanksgiving or
Christmas gift for your family, host, self, anybody. Guaranteed to
outshine the Macy's Parade and the Detroit Lions.
The EAC is selling these aprons for $25 between now and
Christmas. Please send your checks to the EAC at P.O. Box 95703,
Seattle, WA. 98145 with a note attached as to where you would like
your turkey apron sent. Orders begin to ship from Kenya November
1st. Don't miss this great opportunity to help support the EAC and
get a great apron. If you have any questions, please write me,
Suzanne Jeneby, at sjeneby@eastafricancenter.org. Thank You!
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EAC and UN Partner for World Food Day |
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The Kenyan Ministry of Agriculture recently selected the Vutakaka
Community Center and our Farmer Field School to host the annual U.N.
World Food Day celebration. After a lot of preparation and hard
work, the event took place on October 16th and it was an incredible
success, with over 400 guests. It was attended by the Kilifi
District Commissioner (equivalent to a U.S. governor), the
Provincial Commissioner of Agriculture (one of the four top
agriculture officials in Kenya), the Chief of the Takaungu-Mavueni
location, who presided over the event, the Sub-Chief of Takaungu
sub-location, and many local councilors.
Several different departments from the Ministry of Agriculture
came to display new technologies and projects, including an
energy-efficient charcoal oven, a new line of mass-produced herbal
medicines, and the results of a project to help rural farmers create
dried fruits and vegetables for export. Our own Farmer Field School
students displayed their incredible crop of cow peas, which they
grew using what they had just learned about drip irrigation, and
prepared several foods they made using cow peas.
After everyone had time to see the displays, the ceremony began
with entertainment from our local community. The students at the
Vuma Primary School (where the EAC donated funds to build a roof)
came and sang the Kenyan national anthem. The students of our
Vutakaka Nursery School came and performed several songs for the
assembled. Our Farmer Field School group performed a skit about how
the new knowledge they had gained in the FFS was changing their
lives. Finally, an incredible group of local acrobats came on to
entertain the crowd. After the entertainment came the speeches. The
Chairlady of the Vutakaka Committee, Margaret Fondo, welcomed all of
our distinguished guests and explained to the assembled what the
Center is and what we do here. The Chief, Agriculture Officers, and
Councilors all gave speeches and then the District Commissioner gave
the keynote speech on the theme of bio-diversity in agriculture. We
presented the Commissioner with an apron from the Vutakaka Sewing
Club, which he put on and posed for pictures. It was an excellent
day that further raised the profiles of the Center and the EAC.
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Poisonous Snakes Invade Vutakaka |
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Wednesday, August 26th, 2004: So there I was with Summer, and
Jamal, straightening up two of our Center's offices. We had been on
the task for approximately 2 hours, when we began to realize the
proliferation of hornets' nests inside the Center. Then, as we were
looking at all of the nests, we began to wonder where all of the
small twigs in the rafters were coming from. Upon closer inspection,
Summer noticed, wrapped high up near the peak of the roof, there was
a long green-bodied animal. She calmly, inquisitively then asked,
"Is that a snake?" Which was quickly followed be my shouting "OH MY
GOD!, OH MY GOD!, OH MY GOD! (A day has passed now and I am still
repeating this phrase)
A few moments later, I advised the adult education class
instructor that there was a snake IN MY OFFICE! After his brief
investigation of the situation, he said it in fact was the dreaded,
the nefarious, GREEN MAMBA and that it was there eating eggs out of
a bird's nest. I have no idea how it could have possibly climbed all
the way up the wall to perch itself approximately 12 feet high. I
had no idea snakes could climb walls! Within a few minutes, four of
our most courageous staff had a cloth, soaked in kerosene, wrapped
around the end of a ten-foot stick, and were poking it at the snake.
I was petrified with fear. Even with a ten foot pole, I wouldn't
touch a snake.: ) What if it fell on one of them? We don't have a
vehicle to transport anyone to the hospital if they get bit. What if
it was knocked down and came wildly after me? What if it can spit
venom from far and kills us all?
Of course, with the experience and courage these men possess, and
well against the wishes of a few volunteers who are against the
senseless killing of animals, the snake was killed within a few
minutes. What impressed me most, immediately after our adult
education teacher finished his role in the killing, he was back
teaching as fluidly as he had been just moments before. Having a
deadly snake in my office has been the most frightening experience I
have yet to have here in Takaungu. I can only take solace in knowing
that surely, that was the last snake to ever roam the planet and
forever on, I never, ever again need to worry about another snake.
-Suzanne Jeneby
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Bridges to Understanding Workshop Update |
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For the last two weeks, a group of photographers from the U.S.
has been in Takaungu, working with our Bridges to Understanding
students. We asked one of the workshop participants to explain a
bit:
On October 5, I came from Seattle, Washington, to Takaungu with
six other Americans as a volunteer photographic mentor. For two and
a half weeks, we worked with 11 students enrolled in the Bridges to
Understanding class which was started this year in Takaungu by
internationally known photographer, Phil Borges, the leader of our
group. Each volunteer worked with a small group of students and we
taught them photographic skills like how to shoot from different
angles and how to shoot close, as well as more general skills about
how to tell a story. We brainstormed with our students and they came
up with the subject of water as their focus. Then, we taught the
students how to select the best photos and edit them into a movie,
with music recorded in the village, and narrated by two Bridges
kids. On Tuesday, Oct. 20, we unveiled the premier of "The Flow of
Life in Takaungu" in front of a standing-room- only crowd at the
Primary School.
The experience of going from 0- to 60-miles-per-hour with the
Bridges students was amazing. The kids handled digital cameras,
photo composition, computer editing and Photoshop manipulations just
like kids in America: with great skill, hard work and plenty of fun
and fooling around. I was proud to be a part of passing along the
traditions of this village to the wide world beyond Takaungu.
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Bellingham Store Stocks Sewing Club Products |
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Shelly Muzzy recently finally to a final, scary step in committing
herself to supporting indiginous cultures by opening her own
business. She was introduced to me by a friend who knew our
interests would intersect. I met her the weekend before her store
opened, while displays were still being assembled and excitement was
mounting. The store was already beautiful--when I walked in I was
immediately surrounded by warm colors, sweet incence, items of
simple beauty, things that begged to be touched, the desire to know
the story behind each beautiful little doll, cloth, painting or toy.
Shelly's shop, Bijoux, sells products made by people in developing
nations all over the world. But the really wonderful aspect Bijoux
is this: the products Shelly sells are neither antiques sold by
families in hard times (which deprives future generations of
heirlooms and "physical history") nor mass-produced knock- offs. All
the beautiful items are handcrafted in the traditional ways,
according to the designs and patterns historically used. The focus
is on the quality of the workmanship rather than on the number of
pieces produced, and the producers are paid accordingly. This way,
the individuals making these items can continue to take pride in
their work, support themselves and thier families without having to
move to urban areas, continue the physical traditions of thier
cultures and pass them on to thier children.
Shelly is also selling some items made by the East African
Center's Sewing Club, items sewn from lesos and other cloths
traditionally worn in Kenya's coast province. Remember that the sale
of these items not only helps support the women who make them, but
also several other important educational programs that the EAC runs.
Besides being beautiful and functional, the sale of these items has
a far- reaching positive impact in the communities we serve. Those
of you in Bellingham, WA, or the surrounding area have the wonderful
chance to stop in to this incredible shop and check out the purses
and cloths we've been writing about in months past. -Yarrow W.
Goding
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Ways to Help |
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As some of you may know, a few months back the EAC's mini digital
video camcorder was stolen from our office here in Takaungu. It is
frustrating with their being so much we would like to capture, but
having no camera available. We are asking for either the money to
buy one that we can ship with a volunteer to Takaungu, or, if
someone would like to donate a later model that is still in great
condition, that would be wonderful as well. Please contact mmccarty@eastafricancenter.org
if you would like to help with this need. (We still have plenty of
our own tapes) Rechargeable batteries - we need them in all sizes.
We are also still trying to raise money for our business class
project. A gift of $25 can really help.
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Donate Now to the East African Center
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Did you know that it costs just $20 an hour to run all aspects of
the EAC? Even with such low costs, we very much need your help to
keep our doors open and our programming going. Please consider
sponsoring an hour or day each month so we can continue to offer all
our great programs to the people we serve. Your gift will make you a
partner in providing education and resources that hundreds of
children, women and men can use to improve their own lives.
Other ways to help... |
East African Center
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