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New Year Resolution

 

It is widely believed that transformative events will occur in the year 2012. This believe comes from the end-date predication of the Mesoamerican Long Count Calendar. This calendar lasts a total of 5,125 years and sets our ending on December 21st or 23rd of 2012. Besides this, there are plenty of hints and clues coming from legends, myths, scriptures, numerological, and prophecies. I have no idea what to think of this, if I should care or not…but this ‘fact’ could be an eye opener and reflection to many of us as a reminder to LIVE, GIVE and if you are like me learn how to TAKE. WE have one full year, so let’s do this.

Every 12 months, as the New-Year rolls around, we all brag about our New-Year’s Resolutions. With inflated chests and with all the authority we can muster, we announce to any and every available ear, that we’re going to lose weight, stop drinking and smoking so much, as well as spend more time with our family, in addition to investing more time down at the gym. Mostly our vision extends no further than our own noses. To add insult to injury, we usually don’t follow through on our "Me Orientated" resolutions and goals. In a matter of months, and sometimes even weeks, we’ve forgotten all about our "new improved" character, which results in feelings of frustration and failure. Most ‘experts’ tell us not to elevate our expectations too high. On the other hand, perhaps we fail because we don’t set out goals high enough.

What if we looked outward instead of inward when making our declarations? Would we then be able to complete a year feeling satisfied rather than contemptuous about ourselves? I’d like to take a risk and suggest one resolution that might last a year, or, maybe even, a lifetime. A resolution that makes you feel good about yourself whilst simultaneously including others.

The idea is simple.You do something good for other people. These people cannot ‘repay’ you… They are encouraged to pay-it-forward. In turn, doing something good for someone else. And so on and so forth. The mathematics is simple.If I’ll do something constructive for 3 people and these 3 people in turn do something for 3 other people (each) – we have already impacted 9 people in total. These 9 people will make a difference in 27 people’s life, which in their turn will touch 81 people’s hearts… See how fast it grows?

There are many ways to touch people’s heart. An action, a hug, a word, a smile. You can either ‘think locally, and act globally’ or ‘think globally and act locally’ in person or online, giving time or giving money. If you need inspiration and that extra push to help you research and commit, please don’t hesitate to contact me. I have 1000 ideas for ya!

Go ahead and make someone’s day. See how it makes YOU feel.

Happy International Volunteer Day

 

 We don’t live in a fair world. We don’t even live in a particularly decent world but one that is full of hurt. There are more people alive on planet today than all other generations of human being combined. The six billion people here are facing the greatest challenges in history. There are over ten million slaves in the world, more than ever before and forty bonded laborers in India. Over a hundred million people are hungry and there are over a million tons of food thrown away in Europe alone last year. In the US, we spend five times more on cosmetics than helping the poor world.Today across the world ninety million children are laborers, many paid less than a dollar a day. Our world is in pain. We say all men are equal but that depends on where you were born. If you are born black and poor in Africa, you are not equal, you never will be    equal. The oppressed do not want the crumbs off your tables when they starve.They do not want CNN cameras in their faces as they weep.They do not ask for white nurses holding up their wasted children for photographs in camps. They want equality, they want respect, they want decency.

It’s easy to be doubtful and skeptical as we look around us. ‘It’s a big world out there-all the pain in it is not my fault-,and I can not absorb all the crazy things that happen.’Sometimes the bloodiness of humanity can even leave us bored,indifferent, untouched.It is only when someone we love is in pain or afraid that we wake from our complacency.  I believe that each of us has within him an energy, a thread of life, that is shared by all creation. We have within us a connection a primal spark. I have always believed it is our actions, not our thoughts, that matter. Tears have never fed a child, pity has never healed a wound. Despite our weakness, because of our frailty we can touch each other with gentleness. In a world of brokenness, we can bring laughter. Where there is trembling and loneliness, we can bring love.We were not meant to have compassions, we were meant to become compassionate.

Never forget…

We are magic, we are power, we are promise.

 

I would like to thank all the kind and generous donors who supported DirectAida Projects, all of you who gave from far, all of you who came out to Directaida Fundraiser Event,all of you who believe in Directaida and our partner projects.

I also would like to congratulate and wish a happy Volunteer Day to all the wonderful volunteers I met through out Kenya!!!!

"I am only one, but still I am one; I cannot do everything, but still I can do something; and because I cannot do everything I will not refuse to do the something that I can do."

 

 

Aida 4 your pocket

Tags

aida, doll, holiday gifts idea

 

“You are so cute, I wish could just put you in my pocket? “ Now you can!

AIDA FOR YOUR POCKET

Just in time for the Holidays! Own your own Aida. She is flexible and quiet. Bend her arms, legs and head, in ANY direction!!! Makes  for a perfect gift to those who are looking for something unique and exciting!

 

 

Jenna, happy AIDA FOR YOUR POCKET recipient!

 

World Homeless Day

Tags

10-10-10, donate, give, help homeless people, help local, Homeless, hungy, volunteer, world homeless day

This SUNDAY,on the 10th of the 10th 2010 millions of people around the world will mark World Homeless Day in many varied ways and change the lives of homeless people in their local community. The purpose of World Homeless Day is to draw attention to homeless people’s needs locally and provide opportunities for the community to get involved in responding to homelessness, while taking advantage of the stage an ‘international day’ provides.This day is an initiative of our good old friends from Australia and I certainly  hope that it will inspire you to get involved and try to spread the word.

When I was in Kenya, I was a part of an Outreach Program for the Internally Displaced People,part of this program was me living with IDP’s for 12 days in one of the 5 Camps we were involved with.I lived in a normal 4 person’s tent and felt guilty about such luxury, in comparison.This experience was priceless,I was able to raise awareness and draw attention to  Kenya’s refugee needs and to help eliminate the stigmatization. Much like IDP, homeless people in America face very similar issues and live without basic stuff like FOOD, MEDICINE, HYGINE PRODUCTS…etc. I would like to see this World Homeless Day become another popular day and hip day to help. By this I mean, we are a very busy nation, working a lot, driving kids around, rushing through life like someone is chasing us into old age.It is therefore that Holidays seem like a perfect day to do something good. You are off work, have the time and plus you want to give someone else a nice Holiday too. The truth is we have way too many people do just that and not enough ‘regular’ day volunteers. The other day I met with a very inspirational gentleman, Mr.Michael Stoops,Director of Community Organizing at National Coalition for the Homeless. Mr. Stoop’s has been helping the homeless for over 40 years now, two of those years he even lived on the street as a full time homeless person himself! I was very inspired by this good hearted man and stories that he shared. One of his stories inspired me to write about the need to help on other days than Holidays. He basically just reminded me that this is a EVERY DAY life for many many people.

Lots of homeless people have diets consisting of fast food, basic staples such as bread and cheese and convenience food. While most homeless people don’t hold a job per se, many do earn some money by picking up and selling cans, plastic bottles or other recyclables. Because cooking is out of the question, the diet of a homeless person usually revolves around quick foods that can be bought ready-made or that require no heating or preparation. Fast food places such as McDonald’s are also popular because of their cheap menus and the fact that most locations are open 24 hours. You can help by donating good nutritious food directly on the street, packing a box with various foods for individuals and families or cooking a good nutritional meal at the shelter.

Whatever you do, DO IT NOW.Use this not yet popular WORLD HOMELESS DAY as you kick of day (and it’s 10-10-10,how cool!) or choose another random date, your favorite number or make up your own Homeless Help Day. Once a week, once a month , once a year… Ask yourself  ‘Self, what can I do? How can I help homeless people, even though I don’t have much?’

Here are two of my favorite ways, make Hygiene Gift Bags,here are a few necessities you may want to include in your hygiene kits ( but do try to make female and male bags)

• soap
• toothbrush
• toothpaste
• washcloth or hand towel
• deodorant
• comb
• shampoo
• tissues
• hand sanitizers
• feminine hygiene products
• Razor/shave cream
• socks

Make nutritional food gift boxes, or give pre paid cards to a good organic diner or a restaurant. And other items to give:

• Water- Specifically bottled water is a great and affordable item you can give to a homeless person. We all need water. Sometimes you can find bottled water at the grocery store that has a strap built onto it, so you can sling it over your shoulder. This would be a very thoughtful gift for a homeless person.
• Clothing – Specifically jackets. Why not clean out your closet and give away those warm winter jackets that are just gathering dust in your closet?
• Shoes – A good and durable pair of boots or tennis shoes would be an invaluable gift to a homeless person. I know we all take this simple luxury for granted when I see how many homeless people walk.
• First Aid Kit – This is a simple and lightweight item that would help any homeless person. You can buy great first aid kits for rout $10 at almost any drugstore. This simple gift would be priceless to a homeless person. I would not go for a bulky fist aid kit because they will have to carry it around with them. Look for something small that would fit into a pocket or a bag.
• Sunglasses – This is a very simple and useful gift. Many homeless people are exposed to a variety of environmental elements. Something as simple as sunglasses can make life little easier.
• Stationary – Ok, I don’t mean some stationary with fancy letterhead and their name on it. I mean what about a small bag filled with writing paper, a few pens, and even some pre stamped envelopes. You never know who a homeless person may wish they could get in contact with. Long lost family that they have been estranged from is probably a huge part of many home less people’s lives.

There are 1000 ways to help,really, but to help you get motivated here are some other thing you could do:

• Children that are homeless or in shelters don’t really have many toys to play with. Donate toys, books and games to family shelters.
• Volunteer at a local shelter. Shelters need volunteers all the time.
• Children who are homeless or in a shelter usually don’t have anyone to play with. Why not being a little sunshine to their day and take your kids to the local shelter to play with the kids there. They can color or play with dolls or model cars.
• Bring food when you go out. Whenever you go out for a walk, bring some crackers or fruit with you. If you happen upon a homeless person, offer them some extra food.
• Donate money to your local church or social organization that helps homeless people. Or donate to annual drives such as food drives or United Way.
• In many places, the homeless collect cans and bottles as a way of making extra money. If you recycle, why not give your recyclables to a homeless person?
• Recruit your company or child’s school to hold a fundraiser such as a craft sale or bake sale and donate the proceeds to a local shelter
• Go around your neighborhood and collect canned goods. Take these cans to a homeless shelter, food bank or soup kitchen.
• Many social services organizations that assist the homeless often need food, clothing and furniture. Calla the organizations in your area and ask what supplies they may need. Make a list for each organization, along with its address, phone number and contact person. Send these lists to area churches, American Legion, local businesses and schools

And to help you find where to help, here is a list of links:

HOMELESS SHELTER DIRECTORY

ARTIST HELP CHILDREN-GREAT SITE !!

http://www.nationalhomeless.org

gov.

END HOMELESSNESS

10-10-10 WORLD HOMELESS DAY SITE

bLOG ON THE tOPIC

Still think you have no time, well here is an idea. I would be more than happy to do it for you!!!! I am serious, send me the cash, I will go to the store, buy the items for you, and deliver the items/boxes in your name. After all is done I will even post it on my blog so you (and your family and friends) can see the happy faces! Anonymous or with your name published.

Whatever you do, make sure to write to me, I would love to know what you did! I will share how I spend the World Homeless Day on here, so check back in, and a big thank you for reading this! Happy Volunteering!

 

The Dangers of Corn Fields

Tags

children, help a child in africa, idp, internally displaced people, Kenya, sponsor a child in africa, support kenya, youth development

Sunday 13th of June 2010. While living in Neema IDP Camp I was asked to go to “church” with my friends. I use the apostrophe here because there was no church. We met in the shadow of a big tree in the middle of a field. Although not religious at all I enjoyed the drum music and the great energy flow.

At one point I walked away to find more shade and sat down under a near by tree.A cute, skinny girl followed me and sat right next to me. “I am Anne” , she said ” What is your name ?” … the beginning of a great 2 hour conversation and mutual discoveries.
Anne Wangui, 16 year old living in Amani IDP Camp.

It took me moment to realize that this 16 year old completely opened up to me in such short time, she told me :

I have problems getting to school. I am in Maai Mahiu Secondary School and have to walk alone  to my school. The other children from my camp are much younger and they leave later in the morning, after myself. I have to leave at 6 A.M. while it’s still dark outside. Walking through maize ( corn) fields is very scary because sometimes there is a man waiting and jumping out. One morning that happened to me. A man jumped out of the thick maize, I did not know him so I screamed and he left me alone.I told my mother,she also got scared for me.I have to go to school regularly because if i miss a day I get beaten. There is no one who can follow me through the maize fields, my mother is also a female so she is scared. I still have one and a half years left in secondary School, but I fear every day that walk through the maize.

Anne’s story inspired me to visit her school and meet a lot of her peers. The school is Maai Mahiu Secondary School and Anne is one of the top students that needs your support.  Later, I met with Anne’s friends and became very close with them. Just like Anne, her friends have touched my heart with their ambition to change their lives and be a good influence to others. After talking to them and spending days following them through out their every day flow, I am most certain that those ladies WILL make it , they have what it takes in every other way but financially. It is sad that $300 a year will stand between a girl and her future. Please act now and support one or more of them , e mail me at aida@directaida.com for detailed info.  Sponsor a child

My visit to Maai Mahiu secondary School

I spoke to Mr. Naftali Chege, Maai Mahiu Secondary School Principal

Sixteen pupils, out of 667 were chosen by Mr. Chege as the top scoring students with the most desire to achieve their career goals, but need financial help. Anne and her friends are amongst them.

I visited their classes and gave motivational speeches

 

 

 

 

forever friends bracelets

Anne’s touching letter to me and School’s Fee Chart

chase me on:

Change the memory of our past into a hope for our future

When we were kids we all had dreams. There were no boundaries to our imagination and anything was possible. Do you remember your dreams? What happened to your dreams? Did life get into its way? Are we all to busy to use our imagination? Well, our whole life we’ve been told that being a dreamer is equal to being a loser. Only losers dream and who wants to be a loser.

You know what I mean. “get real”, “welcome to reality” you heard these phrases over and over.

Life sucks at times. One of my most memorable  is the time I trained to be a little Shaolin fighter, for almost 4 years I dedicated every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday afternoon learning techniques and secrets of Vietnamese  Shaolin King-Fu.The training  facility was 10 minutes bike ride through Guetersloh City Park away and had the most amazing training room, third floor, huge windows surrounding all three walls facing the city with a huge fourth glass window wall looking out into the health bar area where viewers could sit and enjoy watching us sweat and get our asses kicked by 5.1 feet Vietnamese man who had 3rd Dan in Kung- Fu and was one of the greatest Kung Fu teachers in the world at that time. In many great ways this 4 years have contributed to great memories and one big bad one.

No one from my family has ever seen me as radiant and joyful as I was during training. The examinations for passing into a new belt color/level was always a big deal and the Sport Academy always made sure to make it spectacular. There would be so many parents,friends and curious by watchers lined up in the window by the bar that the School had to have security hired for that day just making sure no one breaks the window and keeps calm.They did not have to worry about any of my family or friends…Did this stop me? Year after year…NO! I kept going till I stopped because I had no courage  to take the black belt exam. I got to brown. Would I have done it if I had moral support, no idea don’t know how that feels.

Why am I telling you this? Because it has something to do with dreams, security, endurance, coup d’etat! Would I have been different if I had support? How did this affect me in my personality development, did it make me stronger, meaner or more cautious of other people’s feelings? Or did it not matter at all? I don’t know. What I do know is that dreams can come true if you are strong enough to do it. I did it over and over and over again with not only with no support but barricades put in my way by people close to me, they thought my dreams were not connected to reality and possibility.

+1 336 378 05 93

Tags

don't speak on the phone, I do not like cellphones/mobile phones, no texting, sms are dumb

Everyone has a cell phone now. There are more than 280 million mobile subscribers in America, according to the Federal Communications Commission. According to a 2005 international study by Advertising Age, 15 percent of Americans have interrupted sex to answer their phones.

Not having a cell phone is a way of getting the world to run on your time. A lot of powerful people are already on to this. Warren Buffett doesn’t use one. Nor does Mikhail Prokhorov, the 45-year-old Russian billionaire who owns the New Jersey Nets. Tavis Smiley doesn’t own one, either.

Smiley, 45, the host of a weekly PBS talk show and a national radio show, freaked out two years ago after realizing he couldn’t remember phone numbers or appointments without checking his cell. Smiley believes his decision to give up his cell phone has benefited his 75-employee company, The Smiley Group. “At first everybody was complaining that it would be the death of the company,” he says. “What’s actually happened is that they get more conversation  with me than they used to.”

Getting off the mobile grid forces others to wait for you to get in touch with them. Before you get to thinking that I am some sort of control freak I will say one word: PLANNING.

With proper planning all can still be done. I don’t like being interrupted in my moment of being, but I do however like being with my friends and socializing. How do I do it then without a phone is the question many people ask.

People these days are so caught up in the convenience of the phone for last minute arrangements or cancellations. Phones are misused in so many ways these days. Annoying little things those gadgets are. One vibration and your phone makes it’s way into your hand, no matter what you are doing, being in the middle of a conversation or driving! Just recently I was told : “At a certain point, resisting technology stops being a principled stand and starts being inconsiderate.”

If I had a cell phone, I think I would find it difficult to take life seriously. A modern cell phone would give me access to a news feed of the tooth-brushing habits of distant acquaintances I never even spoke with in high school classes I barely remember ( this is another love hate relationship I have with social networking sites). By design, a cell phone would interrupt my thought process several times throughout the day. It would inundate me with information, including startling quantities of misinformation and disinformation, at all times, when I can already barely handle the amount of data I already come across daily. Even if only temporarily, a cell phone would make me forget more frequently what is important to me.
It’s not that I’m against digital devices. I think my iPod Touch is a fantastic invention. When I need to use it as a phone I make an effort to find an open wireless signal and bring up Skype with a tap of my finger. Otherwise, I can listen to music, or if necessary, check my e-mail after making a similar concerted effort. I force myself to use the technology as a tool, because any other way, the technology (or more precisely, each company behind it) uses you.

The fact that cell phones are ubiquitous, and that we are consequently all pawns in venture capital-funded schemes for market domination, have changed us as a society. The United States had many problems in the 1960s, but its youth knew what was important. Even with a startling number of them on hard drugs, they protested war; they marched on Washington; they stood up for their beliefs. Our youth are so distracted now that they might as well be on hard drugs. At East Coast universities today, students compete to rack up awards while ignoring their peers of the same age dying abroad in two unjustified wars. In Silicon Valley, where anti-establishment sentiment used to lead students of all kinds to create brilliant innovations that would frighten the likes of I.B.M., there’s no greater honor than flipping a “social game” that can suck up the attention of a hundred million people, steeping them further in ignorance about the problems that surround them.I recently returned from Kenya where even the Tribes like Masai had cell phones with a whole banking system on it called Mpesa. Mpesa allows a micro finance borrowers to conveniently receive and repay loans using the network of Safaricom airtime resellers. Now this is where having a phone makes much more sense. And I will end this article by writing… It has been 4 years since I had a phone, many of you never had a phone conversation with me and yet we always get in touch. My point. Your point.

Ecological Holiday

Tags

Africa, Camping, Ecological Holiday, Kenya, Luxurious but Eco friendly Holiday, vacation

Ecotourism is nature and culture based tourism that invests in and supports the protection of the environment, respects local cultures and involves local communities to ensure equity amongst all stakeholders.Many ecotourism enterprises are partnerships between communities and private investors. The community provides the land (and the resources thereof), funds and labor, while the private partner brings funds and professional lodge management and marketing skills. In most of the partnerships, the community is involved in the lodge’s management.

You can support community initiatives directly by including at least one of them in your personal travel itinerary.While travelling to 5 such Eco Camps I also developed a ‘business” idea partnership with them in order to spread the word and help them publicize.The camps I visited are located in all parts of Kenya, from the green north west down through dry masai land to the beautiful and sunny coast. One of the camps location is in Tanzania, Kneya’s bordering country. All experiences I had were unique in their own ways and allowed me to learn about the nature I was surrounded by, the people who lived there, the food, the challenges local people are facing, what makes them happy, what makes them sad. I traveled alone to all of them except Oikos East Africa in Tanzania. Traveling alone has it’s good sides and bad sides. I think I got bitter a couple times ( in the past) while travelling with some people that I decided that ‘free’  time in Kenya will be just all about me and facing my fears and alternately facing my strong sides I never had to face. What many people don’t know about me is that I get super anxious and nervous whenever I travel or face a new adventure. Beating my own fear is half of the adrenalin I get when stepping into a new adventure. I would make a quick and spontaneous decision and agree to it without putting much thought into it, because I know it will work out and be fun…then after making the decision I have to face the actuality of it.

That is pretty much what I did when traveling to all those Eco Camps. My most recent trip I took just two weeks ago ( end July 2010) I decided to go to Mida Eco Camp in Malindi and then to Island Lamu and stay at Ahmed’s Eco Nest. I find out about Mida by googling  “eco Camp Coast” and ‘Ahmed’s’ was recommended to me by my good friend Myriam. The idea was to take my laptop with me to update my website while having all this free time in my 7 days adventure and to kill the boring time.I ended up using the pc only to check my emails and tell people that I am still alive, I never was bored or wanted to spend time on the pc. I never once in those 7 days read the news online or picked up the local paper. This vacation was so pure, happy and mostly simple. No bullshit ass kissing hotel staff, no ass kissing of any kind as the matter of fact I do have an interesting story to tell about this.I told a lot of my friends that have been to Lamu that I am going ~ all those friends were past volunteers from western countries were long back home and happy to talk about the great times they had on Lamu. Every one of those girls met one or two of the friendly, dread headed young fisherman with very tight bodies The fisherman’s hung out just near the main lorry and try to grab your attention as much as they can as soon as you get onto the Island. They offer various cool boat rides to the even more exotic places than Lamu, all in one hour radius and you can spend a whole day with the fisherman if you like and he will show you the most perfect sunset and prepare dinner for you and tell you the most interesting Island stories- just charming young man. So when I got off the boat and stepped onto the Island I was greeted by a very old man who was promoting a hotel near by. I did not want to stay at that hotel but he kindly showed me where Abdul’s Eco Nest was, so that was cool and I took him out for a cold soda drink after dropping my bag of. Lamu Island is a very tiny place where Islam and Arabic influenced architecture rule. My name was a big hit, since it is used among the Muslim community a lot and the fact that I knew a bit of Arabic put smiles on many people faces and opened up a lot of doors for friendships. Two days after walking past the young fisherman to get to the beach I was walking the same walk when this young western tourist guy spoke to me. He asked me if I had any problems with being harassed by all the very intense fisherman. Hmmmmmmm…No not at all. And this fact made me curious, WHY AM I NOT BEING APPROACHED? It hurt my feeling kind of that all those good looking fisherman paid no attention to me. The same day when I came back home I video skyped ( love technology) with my friend Myriam ( mainly to show her her friends at the Camp and wake up old memories) and she asked me why I was not answering my phone because Fisherman Dolphin was trying to reach me. Huh? I run to my tent and got my phone to find fifteen missed calls from 8 numbers that I did not know, and about seven text messages all reading basically the same thing “ Hi Aida, I am Fisherman so and so, your friend bla bla gave me your number and I would like to take you out to the sea”  I then checked my emails and facebook after three days to find out that a number of my volunteer friends that I met back in Nairobi during the past 3 years that have visited Lamu contacted those fisherman, gave them my number and they were trying to reach me. AAAAaaaaaaaa, say what? So the next morning I went out there and walked a bit slower past them and one of the cuties gave a longer look so I fixed on his eyes ‘till he came over. He called me by my name and asked me how I was doing WOW, that is when he showed me texts from other muzungus and told me that almost ALL fisherman received a text from oversees that read “ Hi, my friend Aida will be there from July 26, make sure you show he good times” Lamu being the small Island and me being the only single female walking around they figured out it was me and since I knew so many people they were intimidated to approache me. Aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa what a relief ~ here I was thinking that I had buggers in my nose or toilet paper still stuck to my behind or something else weird and no one wanted to talk to me. I made great friends with all the fisherman and ended up facing my fear of water several times in old rigged boats to find some most amazing scenes.

Lamu was amazing all together, the people, the architecture of the city, beautiful beaches and staying at the Camp definitely helped me feel tranquilized.

Shela Beach, Lamu Island

ABDUL’S ECO CAMP, where I had my own tent on stilts

backyard at MIDA ECO CAMP in Malindi

All the camps I visited are very very cool and differ greatly from geographical location to the community and ecological purpose, there is soooooo much to say about them that I will have a full description (soon) of all those camps on Directaida’s website. Until then here is just a summary to give you an idea,a and you can click on the each name of the camp it will take you to their website.

Oikos East Africa Training Camp near Arusha, Tanzania run by Istituto Oikos promotes and participates at educational campaigns on environment and development to spread a more sustainable lifestyle and to inform about North-South interdependence, with particular focus on desertification, responsible tourism, energy and climate change issues.

we took a day trip even deeper into the wilderness where we roasted Masai style (freshly killed) goat and slept under the stars

ma crib and da view ya’ll…

Jambovolunteers is an NGO run and operated by my very good friend Luis del Alamo. Their objective is to increase the living  standards of the Kenyans, by shearing knowledge with the community in different ways seeking development and cooperation between different individuals and organizations, focusing our efforts on the needy communities.They host volunteers in a very Eco friendly environment where electricity comes from solar light and food from the garden.It is located in the heart of Masai Community land which makes it a very popular place to come to learn and help with community projects aiming to help the Maasai Tribe.

modern Eco Camp surrounded by the very traditional Maasai tribe

Kilimo Talli

Kilimo Talii is an Agro tourism promotion project based in Kitale, north west Kenya.It is a one women initiative, Sarah Masam offers her 17 acres of land to locals who like to learn about farming. North West Kenya has the most fertile land and gets a lot of rain. Sarah hopes to end poverty and make her neighbors “food rich” by allowing them to use her land as a training ground before they continue farming on other land. While enjoying the stay, tourists will learn the cultural, social and environmental diversities of this rural areas through organized tours. The project aim is to attract farm-based rural tourists, nature based tourists, culture and adventure tourists. I stayed in Mama Sarah’s house for 2 nights and loved the whole farm living experience. Fresh food, exotic fruits and good conversations were plenty here!

Mama Sarah’s very organized Agro Class she holds every Friday with current student groups

Bio Gas production

French Bean Farming Class ( initiated by Directaida)

Sengwer Aid: Eco-Tourism at Kapolet

This is one of most remote and unique experiences I had while visiting the camps. Everything from the location ( high up in the Cherangany Hills near Kitale, NW Kenya) to the beneficiaries~ the Sengwer Tribe provides for  an meaningful exotic experience that I will definitely never forget. African Commission on Human and Indigenous Rights, and other international institutions have recognized Sengwer Tribe as Indigenous Peoples in consideration of their close attachment to their land, non-dominance, distinct culture and language, etc.Their population is estimated to be about 20.000! and with this Camp project they are hoping to bring the Sengwer people together in order to preserve their culture.If you have seen the film Avatar, this is how those people live! They love the nature, they consider their god to me mother nature and it is a sin to cut a tree or harm nature in any way. Very touching and you will definitely start recycling and be more nature aware  in general after visiting their camp. There is a lot more to say about who Sengwer are and more personal stories, but for now here are some of the photos from the area and the camp.

MIDA ECO CAMP
ABDUL’S ECO NEST
JAMBOVOLUNTEERS
KILIMOTALLI
SENGWER AID Sengwer Aid
OIKOS EAST AFRICA