Here in Takaungu, we're also busy fawning over the work of our Bridges to Understanding students and preparing for the arrival of the Bridges photography workshop! Bridges to Understanding is a U.S.-based NGO that has been co-sponsoring a program in the village that helps local students learn to use digital cameras and computers to document their lives and share them with students in other parts of the world.

We've recently posted some of our students INCREDIBLE work on the EAC website. Please click on the link at the of this article to take a look. The work includes projects on tribal ceremonies, child labor, the local coral mines, and other topics of local interest. We're all blown away by the work the students have done and want everyone to see. You can also see more of their work and that of students in other parts of the world on the Bridges website, bridgesweb.org.

We're also excited about the Bridges workshop, which begins October 5th. A group of photographers from the U.S. are coming to Takaungu to work with our Bridges students, take photos in our incredible environs and experience village life. For more info about the workshop, click here: http://bridgesworkshops.org/NewFiles/international.ht ml, or to see the itinerary, click here: http://bridgesworkshops.org/NewFiles/intinkenya.html. We'll keep you updated on the workshop's progress and maybe post some of the results in our next newsletter.

A big part of the EAC's mission is to help local residents increase their income and eradicate poverty (our Sewing Club and Farmer Field School aim to fulfill this mission). To further fulfill this mission, we've decide to expand and restructure our class in basic business skills. Up until now, our business class has been attended by several very determined entrepreneurs, but was not reaching many in the community who seemed to feel that it was too advanced for them. We announced at a recent meeting of the Vutakaka Committee that we were restarting the class and were going to take the class through the process of opening and operating an actual business. As a class, we will research and explore business options and learn how to judge which is most viable, and go on to learn about record-keeping, marketing, financing, etc., as we open our very own business. The committee was very excited. As we develop our business, we will hire employees, order stock, and pay wages as needed, with members of the class doing all of the work. At the end of the class sessions, we will gather any profits from our business and have a contest. Every class member who has attended the regularly and actively contributed to our work will submit a business proposal, either in writing or orally (many of our class members are illiterate), for their own business. The one with the best proposal will win the money to follow-through on their proposal.

The excitement of the committee carried over into our first class, which was attended by 37 students- four times the average attendance of the previous business classes! And a spirited discussion ensued over which business to pursue. Some contenders included a café, a coconut oil distributor, and a cashew farm.

In order to start our business, we will need some start-up capital. Ideally we would take the class through the process of saving and micro-financing, but our time and our class members' funds are extremely limited, so we're looking to get things moving on our own (though we will, of course, continue to talk about all essential elements of financing a small business in class). To this end, we'd like to ask our supporters to chip in and help our class get its business off the ground. At most, we would need around $500 Anything you can contribute would be greatly appreciated. Please contact Suzanne at Suzanne@swiftmombasa.com with your contribution and make sure to mention that it's for the business class. Thanks again for your support and we'll make sure to keep you updated on our progress.

This week, we come to the end of the first session of our Farmer Field School. Despite an extreme shortage of rain this season, which has hurt all local farmers, the school was a success. Over the course of the past 8 months, the class has planned for and cultivated a maize crop on a field adjacent to the Center. A teacher trained by the UN's Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) taught local farmers new techniques about spacing and arranging their seeds, pest control, and how to use new kinds of seeds and fertilizer. Already, many of the farmers participating in the class have reported that their crop yields are up despite the weak rain.

This week, the farmers will harvest the maize planted on the FFS farm. We plan to make some mahindi choma, or roasted corn (kind of like maize-on-the- cob) to celebrate. The farmers will discuss what to do with the harvest, since they contributed to buy the seeds, fertilizers, etc., that grew them. Some may elect to take their portion home to their families, while others plan to pool their plots and try to get a good price for the crops in Mombasa.

The farmers are already discussing what project they want to begin with next season. They've talking about growing tomatoes or cassavas, or even raising chickens. Those of us who live near the center think that sounds noisy. Stay tuned.

Our Business Class is looking to raise about $500 to get its demonstration business off the ground. (see story above)

Rechargable AA Batteries.

Plastic tabbies for hanging file folders. Aligator (black squeeze) clips for holding papers together. I'm sure there is a clever name for these, but I am at a loss for a better explanation. I need about 100 of them. Varying sizes is fine. We use them to hang posters and letters around our classrooms. Lexmark printer cartridges for a Lexmark X75 all in one printer: Black Cartridge 10N0016 Color Cartridge 10N0026

The EAC is looking for sponsors of hours, days, weeks and even months of our organization. Currently, it costs us $20.00 per business hour for us to successfully accomplish all that we do. That is the cost of running the entire organization. If you would like to sponsor the Center for a day, the cost would be $160.00, a week, $1120.00 etc. This money helps us pay our teachers, keeps this newsletter coming, provides porridge to our nursery students, buys books for our library and so on. If you can help with any of these items or you are interested in sponsoring hours, days, weeks or months of our operation, please contact us or send a tax- deductible donation to the EAC at PO Box 95703 Seattle, WA 98145-2703.

This photo is from our Bridges to Understanding students' project on Child Labor. Click on the photo to see all of their incredible work...

Garage sale to benefit the EAC-- Cala Klapstein of the Boeing Company is organizing a garage sale in the Seattle area where the proceeds will go to benefit the EAC. For details please email Cala at cala.j.klapstein@boeing.com.