K-Blog

A more (eco-)friendly fuel

If you've read the K-blog before, you know that we are big fans of briquettes.  In a community like Banda, which is surrounded by one of Africa's richest forests, or on an island like Rusinga, which suffered from deforestation, briquettes are an eco-friendly solution to the need for fuel/firewood. 

Thanks to our partners at Table for Two and Oisix, a new kitchen will be added to the Kageno program in Banda in the coming months, and this structure will be equipped with briquette-ready stoves.  Briquettes are an excellent fuel-alternative because they use waste materials like trash or paper, compressed and dried, to burn in the place of firewood.  Briquettes create less smoke and some more advanced stoves only emit small amounts of steam.  They are not only a more environmentally-friendly source of fuel, but they are more efficient.

Click here to see a quick video update on our briquettes in Banda.

As Kageno's kitchen and feeding program make the transition to briquettes full-time, we'll host workshops for the community to teach them how they can convert their stoves to better support briquettes.  We'll also sell briquettes at a low cost to promote a more wide-spread use of this fuel alternative.

Click here to watch the video below to see what kinds of stoves some other communities in Rwanda are developing to integrate briquettes.

 

 

Testing, testing, 1 - 2 - 3

Last summer, our awesome health team appealed to the government for permission to add a laboratory in Banda.  After some convincing, they approved our proposal to convert one of Kageno's clinic intake rooms into a working laboratory. 

This is a very important upgrade for the clinic and the larger community, because now standard tests can be performed in Banda. Before this, villagers were required to walk 3 hours to the nearest health clinic in Rangiro, only to have to return to Banda for treatment. Kageno, and our outstanding nurse, Jeremiah, will be better able to serve the immediate needs of the community.

The laboratory isn't ready just yet, but Levi and Jeremiah (along with our newest employee, Japhet) sent a short video below to give us a tour of the preliminary facilities. 

Click here to view the video tour!

Then and Now: Look how far we've come -- Banda edition

Every once and awhile it's fun to reflect on how far we've come.  When we pause to remember what Banda Village looked like before Kageno began working with the community, we see the progress we've made together and the beauty in tackling the difficult challenges of development work abroad. Thank you for making this possible. We're excited for a new year and plenty of new strides in Banda. 

Banda Town, early 2000's

A brighter Banda -- today

School is now in session

Each year, our awesome Peace Corps Volunteers, Sarah and Jarod, write about the start of a new school year.  It's an exciting time for Kageno as it means at least 150 new students who begin at the SL Nursery School.  Like those who've come before them, they'll receive a warm meal every day, take sanitation lessons, receive health care, and learn everything from English to Art.  This year, the 3rd they've seen, seems to be one of the best starts yet. 

After only one week, the two new classes are already warming up to the new environment and their teachers. By day four, there was no crying -- last year this took two weeks! Enjoy a few pictures below of the kids playing games and getting to know the Kageno nursery school.

Duck, duck ... goose!

How many kids on one see-saw?

Introducing (drum roll please!)

We're very happy to introduce the entire Kageno family to our newest employee addition, Mr. Japhet Harerimana.  Japhet joins us as our Community Programs Director in Banda Village, and we're lucky to have someone with such impressive experience.  

As Head Master in a secondary school in Kibogora, Japhet not only taught his own classes and helped manage the school, he also spearheaded plenty of important extra-curricular initiatives.  He served as the supervisor for the Anti-HIV/AIDS club as well as sanitation and environment-focused clubs.  He is the District Trainer of English in Schools for the Southern and Western Provinces of Rwanda and has worked with the Why Wait Program which combats HIV/AIDS. 

Japhet has only been on the job for one week and he's already begun to make real progress. He is designing new ideas for the nursery school that will improve efficiency of the school and help create tangible growth among the students.  He's also picking up new general English classes for the community to ensure more community members have access to English in 2012. 

We look forward to keeping you updated on the great strides Japhet will make with Kageno. In the meantime, please join us in welcoming him to the family.

World AIDS Day 2.0 -- Banda style

Back in December we reported on a three-day extravaganza on Rusinga Island that celebrated the progress communities like Rusinga have made against HIV/AIDS and to educate the community on the epidemic.  Our hard-working staff in Rwanda didn't let WAD pass without a similar celebration in Banda Village.  Kageno's community center welcomed more than 500 villagers for a seminar by our nurse, Jeremiah, on HIV/AIDS and a full day of creative performances. 

Other presenters included testimonies from HIV positive individuals, a poem by a young girl on the plague of HIV, songs sung by Banda's Anti-AIDS group, and various skits related to HIV/AIDS contraction, treatment and prevention. Village leaders also spoke to the crowd on the importance of WAD.

We'd say this was an all around success that helped educate the community and celebrate its health and well-being. 

Jeremiah's lesson on HIV/AIDS

The best kind of actors: those that entertain and educate!

Scene from a skit performed

Straight from Rwanda: Grey Matter at the MoMA

We rarely get the opportunity to enjoy arts from Africa, but this month the MoMA is screening a film from and about Rwanda. Matière Grise, or Grey Matter is the first feature film by Kivu Ruhorahoza and it's shot in Kigali, in Kinyarwanda, with English subtitles. This film chronicles a young filmmakers's attempt to make his own film about a brother and sister grappling with the aftermath of the genocide even after his funding falls through. 

Grey Matter was selected as part as the MoMA's Global Lens 2012 Film Series, which selects the best films from around the world to participate in a touring exhibition. We're thrilled to see a Rwandan film in the series that can showcase the creativity and arts from this country.

The film will be showing once a day from January 19 - 25th so don't miss out! More information on the film and screenings can be found here. Watch the trailer below:

 

New year, new additions to the Kageno family

The start of every year feels like a new beginning.  This year, we have reason to celebrate the new year with the addition of four cows to the Kageno Rwanda project.  Last summer, our partner, Table for Two, came from Japan with Grazia magazine to cover the progress we've made on the ground. Motivated by the hard-working exmployees and spirit of the community, the photographer on the trip, Roland Kirishima, vowed to bring cows to Banda.  Roland brought his story and the images he captured back to Japan and started fundraising to keep his promise.  A few months later, his goal was realized and four cows are joining the project. 

Livestock -- especially dairy cows -- represent a valuable commodity in a village like Banda.  And we aren't the only ones who think so. In 2008, President Kagame instituted a new policy, One Cow Per Family, an intiative that aimed to give a dairy cow to approximately the 250,000 porrest families.

The milk from these cows is a resource that is not only rare, but one that can help bring important nutrients to a malnourished youth. We've blogged before about the benefits of "amata", but the reality is that cows provide another vital resource for a largely farming-based community: manure. While it might sound, well, unappealing, the reality is that cow manure helps enrich the soil and increase crop yields. Composted manure is a natural, free fertilizer -- i.e. a cost-effiective and organic means to increase output. 

And manure doesn't stop there.  Through anaerobic digestion, a process in which microorganisms breakdown the manure and convert it to gas in the absence of oxygen, manure is converted from waste to renwable energy. The resulting gas can be used immediately for cooking, heating and other sources of power. Banda is, for now, a village without electricity, and so the ability to convert manure into an energy source will prove invaluable. This year, we hope to begin this process and help the community do the same. In the meantime, meet the animals who will make this all possible below:

 

 

In 2011, we're thankful for all of you!

There's no doubt that Kageno's success is in a large part due to the sustained support of so many creative and dedicated volunteers.  After all, we're almost entirely volunteer-based, and every year we pool our resources and enthusiasm to help fight poverty in Kenya and Rwanda. 

A perfect example of our volunteers in action can be seen here on The Delicate Pen's blog.  Since the beginning, The Delicate Pen and Jane Labanz have generously given time, talent and beautiful calligraphy to Kageno.  Read more about her hard work, and see just how Jane brings our giving tree to life at every Harambee gala, after the link.

To Jane and all of our invaluable volunteers, thank you for your hard work in 2011.  We're looking forward to an even more productive year in 2012!

 

 

Rusinga Aims for Zero

That's zero people with HIV or AIDS, of course.  While this goal might be ambitious, Kageno and our partners on Rusinga Island started now by sponsoring a three day extravaganza for World AIDS Day.  This might be a terrible epidemic and a seemingly endless battle, but this year, our partners celebrated awareness, prevention and healthy living.  The theme was "Getting to Zero" -- a positive target in light of the struggle to properly address and fund the prevention of AIDS.

Rusinga Island was bustling with almost 1,250 attendees each day of the festivities, which coincided with the National AIDS Control body (NASCOP) who was using the events to target couples. Together with Kageno, we were able to mobilize. Alongside the International Medical Corps, 79 couples were tested for AIDS and 103 children were also tested. 

The event and resources were all-encompassing: The Impact Research & Development Organisation also had a mobilization unit with a vehicle used to shuttle young men and boys who needed circumcision to their facilities in Mbita. Medical circumcision is proven to help prevent the contraction of HIV and AIDS. More than 40 circumcisions were performed.

Apart from these important medical services, we celebrated the progress we have made with everything from football, volleyball and netball tournaments, to poem recitals, bicycle racing and tug-of-war. Despite the struggle that AIDS presents to so many communities like Rusinga, we used this important day to celebrate life and a brighter future.  

World AIDS Day: A celebration and a reminder

Today is World AIDS Day and Kageno has exciting events happening in both Kenya and Rwanda. We're trying to spread awareness, celebrate the progress we have made, and encourage more people to get tested. We'll give you a full rundown of our festivities very soon, but in the meantime, we want to take today to give attention and concern to the problem of HIV and AIDS.  

The reality is that even with all the hard work we do we can't ignore this epidemic and we should continue to support endeavors to fight it.  In Kageno's own malnourished feeding program, we recently tested 35 kids and 7 were HIV positive. This was a grave reminder that even in a country like Rwanda, whose statistic are considerably more promising than other African nations, this is still a problem. We're thankful to our donors and partnerships with Table For Two that we're able to add these children to our feeding program in hopes of giving them nourishment they need in light of this.

Please read/listen to NPR who today brought like to the struggles of organizations fighting for funding to fight AIDS:

What a Lack of AIDS Funding Could Mean for Africa

Schalk van Zuydam/AP

CNN reports: "Women are the economic backbone of Rwanda" -- we couldn't agree more!

CNN recently profiled a few women making a living for themselves and their families in Rwanda. The article points out that these sorts of stories of women who are working hard, starting savings accounts and looking for business opportunities are what has helped Rwanda recover from the devastating economic effects of genocide.

Kageno couldn't agree more! So often we find women are the ones saving all earnings to fund their children's school fees or paying for health visits. And we like to support their efforts. We hope to bring our microloan program from Kenya, which specifically extends loans to women, to Rwanda soon. In the meantime, we support women-operated co-ops that make crafts that we help sell abroad and employ women in the school, feeding program, agriculture or for special projects like making uniforms for the nursery school students. We hope to help them, help Rwanda, continue to grow!

Thanks to Ryan for sharing the article with us. Check out the full story HERE. 

(c) 2011 | Wieland Brendel & Anke Droege | www.wielandbrendel.de

Nathalie - the perfect example - hard at work in her very own shop in Banda Village. She works with Kageno on various projects

Good news and growth for sub-Saharan Africa

Today Reuters is reporting that sub-Saharan African growth will likely average six percent in the coming year. Read about this positive outlook for the region here:

http://af.reuters.com/article/topNews/idAFJOE79I03T20111019?cid=nlc-dailybrief-daily_news_brief-link20-20111019

 

Fall update from Jarod & Sarah: Progress

Greetings from Banda Village, Rwanda!

It has been a rather long time since I have written and for that I apologize.  But that isn't to say that nothing has been happening here in Banda.  Actually, on the contrary, things have been very busy around here.  The briquette factory is up and running and producing 300+ briquettes a day.  These briquettes are an alternate fuel source made from sawdust, paper, cardboard and any other bio-degradable materials and cost half the price of charcoal, not to mention help with the issue of deforestation in and around Nyungwe National Park.  Kageno has hired 3 new workers to staff the machine and they are all enjoying their new job and
steady source of income.

Tomas pressing briquettes on the machine

Briquettes drying in the greenhouse 

Also, a brand new cow shed has been built that can hold up to 8 cows. The cows that will be house there will produce milk that we can use as a supplement with the feeding program, their manure will be harvested and used in Kageno agricultural program as natural fertilizer.  Plus, the shed has been built and designed to collect the waste of the cows which will be turned into bio-fuel and used to cook in the Kageno Kitchen.

Front of the new shed

Inside the new shed

There is also some exciting news with the Kageno Malnourished Feeding Program.  For a while now, roughly 35 children (diagnosed malnourished by the Kageno Nurse) have been coming to Kageno everyday for their cup of Sasoma, a vitamin and nutrient enriched porridge designed to help children fight malnutrition.  But, sadly, for many of these kids it is the only meal they receive a day.  And while is is extremely good for them, it is simply not enough.  Kageno has been desiring for some time to incorporate other foods into their daily meal, these foods being harvested from the Kageno garden.  Well, just recently we have been able to start doing this and the kids are receiving an additional source of much needed protein.  We are also planting many new vegetables and fruits in the garden which will be incorporated into the diet of these children in the upcoming harvesting seasons.

Girls on the feeding program enjoying carrots

Feeding program children ready to eat

There is no doubt that Banda Village is a special place.  There is just something different about the village that you don't seem to find anywhere else in Rwanda.  Don't take my word, almost every Rwandan that has visited from outside has said the same thing, not to mention nearly every visitor of Kageno.  Banda Village is truly a beautiful place.  Sure it has it's share of difficulties to overcome, but with the help of Kageno working hand in hand with the community, we are getting there.  If you want to visit a place that will change the way you perceive life and maybe even the way you live it, book your plane ticket and get out here.  I assure you.  You will not be disappointed.

Jarod Ring
Peace Corps Volunteer
Rwanda, Africa

More Yoga for Good!

On Sunday, September 25th, Jordan Mallah and Andrea Frade will host a yoga benefit experience at ViraYoga in Soho to benefit Kageno!

Join these awesome teachers and learn how to integrate your mind, heart, and body to create deeper purpose in your life. Together, we will deliberately shift the fabric of our consciousness, move intention into action, and harness the fire of hope in our hearts to catalyze peace in the world. (And benefit a good cause!)

Space is limited so sign-up today: Practice for Peace From Soho to Africa with Love 

Suggested donation is $40

Namaste!