Green Bean Coffeehouse is a non-profit coffeehouse in Seattle's Greenwood neighborhood. The store is the first in the US to stock our sewing products on a regular basis. Their staff is exceptionally friendly and their coffee is excellent. Please do pay them a visit (they even have a website www.greenbeancoffee.org). If you do stop in, make sure to thank Lisa and Hayden for their gracious support of the EAC.

The picture above shows EAC board members from Seattle with Lisa Etter (in the apron) from Green Bean Coffeehouse.

On March 21st, I had the great opportunity to give a presentation to the West Seattle Rotary members (and guests) on how the van they donated to us last year has literally saved lives in Takaungu. In addition to using the van for our day-to-day work, the van provides emergency transport to community members with critical medical conditions. (The nearest hospital is approximately 10 miles away.)

On March 24th, the West Seattle Rotary Club announced that a matching grant application, submitted by the West Seattle Rotary and the Kilindini Rotary of Mombasa, Kenya, with funds going to benefit the EAC, had been approved. What will this grant do for us? The EAC will be able to buy 20 more sewing machines, install solar panels in the Center, finally purchase office furniture (such as a file cabinet which we don't have now), purchase a tv, dvd player and stereo to use in our classrooms, and purchase satellite internet equipment which will enable us to have high-speed, 24/7 internet access straight from the village. Speaking on behalf of the Takaungu community, and the EAC board of directors, thank you Rotary!

A special thanks goes out to the H. D. Fowler Company of Bellevue, Washington, and our other very generous donors for their support toward the construction and operating costs of our new medical facility. Our clinic has actually developed far beyond this picture. We should be opening the facility in just a few weeks.

The EAC-US Board of Directors met in Falls Church, Virginia, for its annual face-to-face board meeting the weekend of March 4th and 5th. We usually meet the third Wednesday of each month, via conference call. Our members bring to the organization a variety of expertise. You can read more about our board by clicking on the picture of board members above.

From left to right, first row, Theresa Wilson and Suzanne Jeneby. Second row, Kristi Arthur, Emily Sanders, Ann Albrecht and Rose Wilson. Third row, Tim Rowe, Perry Pirsch and Evan Serpick (not shown, Susan Richardson and Alex Jones). The EAC organization has three boards in all, one in the US, one in The Netherlands, and one in Kenya. We work together to fulfill the organization's overall mission.

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)