After months of planning and designing, the EAC has finally launched a brand new website (and logo). We are extremely pleased with the new look. Please check it out, and though we are happy with it, we still testers to ensure all our links are working properly. If when you are on the site you notice a problem, please simply reply to this email to tell us about it. If you click on the logo on the left, you'll be taken directly to our new site. Enjoy perusing!

We arrived in Takaungu on Thursday, January 5th, 2006. "We" are Els, Petra and Marianne (left to right), and we all work at the Triangle School in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Marianne and Petra are teachers, and I am a headmistress (principal) of the school. We all took leave from our work and will be here in Kenya for three months.

We liked Takaungu from the start. The Center looked nice, and the shamba (where we live) is lovely; rather green, with small flowering plants. The groundskeepers name is Katana, and he takes care of our compound every day. There is also a cook, Nancy, who makes delicious food. At 6:00 PM Kalume, the watchman, comes. Everyone is extremely friendly. They invite us to their homes and cook for us. And as a present we take rice, sugar, and tea leaves. There is also a nice dog called Lucky in the shamba, and two friendly cats. This place is very rural. Palm trees and cashew-nut trees are everywhere.

We want to help and improve education at the primary school. There are four classes at Vutakaka (KG1-Class2). When we arrived there were not enough books for all the students. There are also not many materials, like we are used to in the Netherlands. The children sit and listen to the teachers, a lot. It is hard for them because their native tongue is Giriama, they also speak Swahili and from class 1, they learn English (all textbooks in Kenya are in English).

All the people who work here are very nice. Katana, the groundskeeper, had us over to his house for dinner and we had a lovely time. We sat on mats on the floor and ate by candlelight. Also, Nancy, the cook, has had us over for dinner as well. She cooks on a small coal stove and her food is delicious. Also the people at the school and in the village are friendly. They sometimes call us "mzungus" (white people). All the children say "jambo". In school everyone shakes hands and are very polite. They don't just say "hello", but also shake your hand.

The children are very happy and laugh a lot. They can play everywhere. They climb in coconut trees to pick coconuts, they swim in the creek or on the beach and in the sea.

It is a pity there is not much work here; people really struggle to make a living. That's why the Center is so important. At the Center children go to school, there is also a sewing group where women can learn to sew, then after a year they get their own machine and through sewing they can then earn a living. There is also an agricultural group, and an adult education class.

We are here to try and make a contribution, especially as far as teaching is concerned. People here in Takaungu appreciate the work of volunteers, which is very inspiring to us. - Els, Petra and Marianne

As of February 20th, the foundation of our new clinic was complete. The walls are said to be 7-feet high now!

Once in awhile, as a member of the local community, I am informed about special needs that don't necessarily fall under the EAC's program areas, but are nonetheless very dire. There is a man in Takaungu by the name of Raphael who fell from a coconut tree about 15-years ago. This accident left him paralyzed from the waist down. About 3-years ago we renovated his chair, but recently received word that his chair was now beyond repair. Wanting to help, our volunteers purchased for Raphael a brand new, extra sturdy, tri-cycle chair ($150.00 USD).

We made the donation on the morning of Saturday, February 4th. There was actually quite a large group of spectators and volunteers that made the trip to Raphael's house that morning. He was happy to see us coming and thanked us many times for the gift. Raphael makes a living by weaving roofing "tiles" out of palm tree leaves. Without a chair he is unable to collect the leaves and therefore support himself and his family. Now he will be able to continue with his business for years to come.

The EAC is a remarkable grassroots development organization offering real opportunities for positive change in the lives of hundreds of people, each and every day. In order to keep the organization continually running in good order, we are in need of ongoing volunteer support, both in and out of Kenya.

If you are interested in volunteering in Kenya, visit www.comekuona.org (Come Kuona has a brand new website - complete with a photogallery with more than 50 pictures of Vutakaka, Takaungu, and the volunteer compound). Come Kuona is a separate organization, based in Kenya, that recruits and guides volunteers through the entire volunteer experience of working with us at Vutakaka Center in Takaungu, Kenya. We always need more volunteers to help us run the Center. If you have any questions about the program, please email volunteer@comekuona.org.

Moreover, if you have a passion for international development, and/or skills in non-profit / NGO management, and can't get to Kenya but would still like to volunteer, please contact Theresa Wilson at twilson@eastafricancenter.org. We would be happy to list you as one of our "on-call" volunteers in the US. (This means we would contact you if we need extra assistance for specific events or special tasks)