Planning for the Mida Bird Hide renovations

At last we can meet and plan for the renovations. For the last six months we have been waiting for this moment. The Safaricom Foundation has very generously given us a grant of Ksh. 750,000 (USD 9,600) for a complete overhaul of the Mida Creek walkway and Bird hide which has in the last four years contributed over 100 bursaries to the local secondary school children.

This facility has been closed for the last one month awaiting funds as promised by the foundation.
Todays meeting was to select five casual employees from the community to work on the facility. Rojan Taylor, a local engineer has offered to help us with designing and implementing the renovations.
My day started very well this morning. While getting ready to go to work, I was listening to the radio basically for the weather focast to know whether I need a rain-coat or not but in the process heard more pleasant news. Tourism projections for the rest of the year according to the Citizen Radio news bulletin this morning look very encouraging. With over 80% bed-night bookings for hotels along the coast, there is at last light at the end of the tunnel. The renovations are therefore very timely as they will be completed just before the tourism season peaks.

Where the rubber hits the road!

Over the last two weeks, we were involved in a vigourous environmental education programme. The whole ASSETS team dropped everything else to participate in meetings with the ASSETS beneficiaries. This time we were meeting both the parents and students in two seperate meetings. It is always fun to welcome the new beneficiaries to the ASSETS scheme and see how exited they are. Meetings started with the closest school, Mida where we were meeting with students from Mida and Chipande primary schools. We then proceeded to Nyari primary school on the southern side of the forest where we were meeting over 70 students. Bogamachuko and Kahingoni primary schools where most of the beneficiaries come from were next . It is always very pleasing to meet these very cheerful students who almost entirely depend on the ASSETS bursaries for their education. We camped at Bogamachuko for the night in order to save on fuel and cut our carbon footprint by not driving back the 70 km to Watamu just for the night. By 9.00 a.m. we were at Malanga to meet students from Malanga and Girimacha primary school. Last was Mijomboni primary school on Friday the 24th.

This year's theme for our meetings was "Bush Meat Trade". The students had an opportunity to learn about the consequences of Bush Meat Trade and particularly on the ASSETS eco-bursary scheme. In deed this is a really crucial activity where the primary aim of the ASSETS scheme can be realised.

A Mongrove Planting Day

It is Thursday morning and every one is up and ready to join hands together in building our nation. At A Rocha Kenya where I am on attachment we up for another day of conservation; particularly creating a better environment. Being a student of Tourism Management, my duty is mostly helping issue tickets at one of the ASSETS Eco-Tourism facilities; the tree platform at Gede Ruins. Thus I commence my day as usual and head to my place of work.

A phone call from the ASSETS Co-ordinator informs me that today I am supposed to join a group of community members planting mangroves at Sita, a village along the Mida creek; an activity that turns out to be the climax of my three weeks stay at A Rocha. It was fun!

It was here that I was to learn that mangroves are actually trees belonging to totally different families of plants and that traditionally they have medicinal value. The mangrove forest also creates a healthy fish and crustacean habitat. We planted approximately one thousand seedlings which took us less than one hour since we had a group of 15 people. The team effort exercised was fun! I however had quite some scary experiences; 1st walking on the soft, muddy ground with millions of tickling miniature shells. Some huge hermit crabs carrying shells twice their size was also quite breath-taking.

After the mangrove planting we visited a snake project which has been put up by the Sita community. Here we saw a number of different kinds of snakes including the African rock python, Puff adders, a spitting cobra and green mamba among others. The objective of this initiative is create awareness to the communities about the poisonous snakes and the harmless ones. It was indeed a fascinating, scary, fun and a very useful experience!

ASSETS Need Assessment

"therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself" Goodness! this may sound really foolish to most of you, but what do you do if you cannot even find fair solutions for today? This is one of the most quoted verses by christian religious counsellors that I am not sure whether they really mean it or they are using it as a booksellig metaphor.

Today I found myself murmuring these words to myself even though I am not a counsellor. We went to Bogamachuko,one of the communities to the west of Arabuko-Sokoke Forest that benefits from the ASSETS programme. Accompanied by Frossy Nelly a student on attachment from Coast Institude of Technology, we had gone to assess potential beneficiaries to receive bursaries from ASSETS this year. At the home of Patience Ngole, one of the applicants, we found three old ladies, one of whom was Patience's mother and two young girls. All the five were gathered together preparing mchunga (a wild vegetable) that hadly had any leaves due to the very dry conditions of the place. This was meant to be the lunch for the ladies who explained that all the men had gone to towns looking for employment. We stared our interview and established that Patience's dad who lives and works in Kilifi has not been supporting the family at all and the mother had to do it all by herself. As the interview goes on, Kanze, Patience's sister who is deaf and dumb appears. At 15 years of age Kanze has not been taken to school yet. Sitting next to her mother she keeps on smiling as she follows on our conversation by lip reading. "I wish I went to school," Patience mother says. "Then I would have known that there are schools for deaf and dumb as well" Thanks to the area civic leader who has secured a sponsor and a place for her at Kibarani school for the deaf.

It's 2.15 p.m. and we have to move to the other applicants. "Do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself" I murmer as we head back to the car.

Eco-Bursaries; where is the link?

It may sound one thing to give bursaries to needy children and totally another thing to do environmental conservation. Now this assumption is what makes ASSETS unique as it keeps a very close link between the two qualifying it to be an "Eco-Bursary" fund. ASSETS beneficiaries days are meetings organised by the ASSETS committee for all the ASSETS beneficiaries during which the link between the bursaries, eco-tourism in Arabuko-Sokoke forest and Mida Creek and conservation is made. During this year's meetings, the main focus is sustainable utilisation of natural resources, challenges faced by students in secondary school and HIV/AIDS among students.

Five meetings are organised this year at Mida, Nyari, Bogamachuko, Malanga and Mijomboni primary schools. A really tight schedule has been planned to make ensure maximum impact of the exercise. In preperation, Juice and biscuits have been purchased to nourish the participants during the all day meetings.

A Management Audit

It has been quite a long day again on the truck! After spending almost a whole morning at Mida creek together with Colin, A Rocha Kenya's national director, and later to a workshop at Ngala girls' secondary school we came back to the centre for lunch and more interviews. A Rocha Kenya is at the moment conducting a management audit to aid in a better and logical expansion of its programmes. This will also enhance improved effectiveness in the organisation's performance. Very characteristic of the audit have been the lengthy and very detailed interviews being conducted. This will however help us a great deal when it comes to strategic planning budgeting and implementation of our projects.

GIFT Awarded to Oscar

His name and photo has featured in many of both ASSETS and A Rocha newsletters. Possibly all the ASSETS beneficiaries know him. Severally he has delivered moving speeches as a representative of the ASSETS beneficiaries in different forums including during the official openeng of the Arabuko Tree platform; one of the 3 ASSETS eco-tourism facilities. Oscar Mwaro is the very 1st student to be considered as an ASSETS beneficiary. Oscar was enrolled in Lenana School in 2002 where he gratuated with grade B. Since leaving school, Oscar has been teaching French in a private institute in Watamu while trying to save enough money to join University.

His dream came true last week when he was considered to receive support for his university education by GIFT International. Grassroot Initiative Funding and Training (GIFT International) is a UK based charity that supports local community initiatives and training for the purpose of environmental conservation.

A huge burden off his shoulders! Oscar will be joining university in mid 2009 for a degree in environmental science. Oscar is very keen to come back and support the conservation of Arabuko-Sokoke Forest when he graduates from the university.

Candidates in Conservation

Our visit to Chipande primary school, one of the 8 ASSETS benefiting primary school with Jonathan was uniquely marked. Our main cause of our visit was to meet the potential ASSETS beneficiaries, who are currently the class 8 students. It is was long time since both of us visited this school. We were excited to be back. The school’s face has changed, with a new and very beautiful building being built facing the entrance of the school. Looking around are lovely trees planted during the rainy season. The WCK patron Mr. Mputhia was happy to receive us. He was also excited to have us around. He took us around and showed us the wonderful work the candidates are doing. In the last rainy season, this year around May, my colleague Jonathan gave more than 100 seedlings to each class in the school. “It is wonderful job”, Jonathan commented on seeing the well maintained Casuarina woodlot by the candidates. I was very impressed by their efforts and the interest in conservation at this age. It gave me hope for our environment and how useful is youthful age and its involvement is vital. After the walk to the talk. I could not believe but the truth is that we took more time than we had thought. The talk with the candidates was excellent and very timely. Keeping in my mind that they had only 14 days to go before they sit for their national exams. They needed a booster and ASSETS was right there to encourage them to work extra hard in order to be able to enjoy the ASSETS eco-bursary fund come next year. 

As we concluded, the head teacher encouraged them to put up the hardworking spirit and vowed nobody will be left behind.   

Tree Nursery Seedlings

  Hopeful Candidates

 

Meeting Potential ASSETS Beneficiaries

On the truck, off we zoomed. On a hot bright afternoon we head off to the western side of the Arabuko Sokoke Forest. Make a wild guess; to which school this time? Yes! Your right. It is Malanga primary school, one of the ASSETS benefiting primary schools. After a long drive on the dusty road here we are finding parking for our truck. The class 8 candidates had already been informed of our going by their teachers. So they were expectant students eager to hear from us. We have brought you good news; we started our talk after the introduction. Their eyes and ears went wide open. My colleague Tsofa did general introduction of A Rocha Kenya which brought forth the ASSETS programme. As Tsofa was winding up, hands were raised to ask questions. The first question was what do I need to benefit in the ASSETS scheme? It’s a question all wanted to ask. Hold your horses, Tsofa replied as I took them through the details of the recruitment criteria. Which is as follows:- All the candidates from the eight ASSETS benefiting primary schools have equal potential to benefit, students must have been in these schools for 3 years or more, they should attain 320marks or more in the national exam out of the 500 marks, they should have good track record of discipline, they should have interest in conservation, be a radius of 3km from the edge of the forest to their respective homes and lastly they should have won admission in any public secondary school in the country.  The candidates who were 37 in total got a sigh of relief after this talk. Ours was to motivate them as they approach their national exams in 46 days time. Their Deputy Head Teacher Mr. Thuva encouraged them too, saying ‘despite your poor backgrounds work extra hard you never know’. He continued, ‘you all stand to benefit’. He also cited examples of former students of this school who are currently beneficiaries of the ASSETS scheme despite their poor backgrounds. As we were winding up, we wished them every success in their coming exams.  Tony Kanundu (Bats) – ASSETS Community Conservation Officer

Esther tells her story

   It was nice to have Esther visit our offices in Mwamba today. As a graduate in the ASSETS bursary scheme, Esther Kache Karisa graduated from Bogamachuko primary school and headed to Ribe girls for her high school. She graduated from Ribe girls in the year 2007 and attained a mean grade of B-. During her time in high school she was really hardworking and dedicated to her education. Because of  her poor background Esther did not believe she was going through her secondary education. ‘It’s the ASSETS support that has seen me through my high school education’, Esther said. ‘Lots of appreciation to the ASSETS scheme’, Esther continued.  Esther is now 20 years old.

 Esther visit was also to inquire if there was extended support to university. It was very sad when she learnt that in the month of July I went to her home looking for her. It was sadder when the parents said they did not know the whereabouts of this girl. Esther was really bitter of this lost chance.  Below she explains her sad story.

‘I left home 3 years ago when I was in form two. Enough had been enough. I remember very well, I went to school and over the holiday I would work as a house maid to get some money for my pocket because the ASSETS scheme was paying for my school fees. It was not easy. After my final exam in November 2007, I went to my sister in Malindi town. Since then I have worked as a kiosk attendant in Kilifi and Mombasa and now am quitting job to help my sister who had an operation recently.’

It was like squeezing water out of a stone when Esther was telling me her story. She broke down in the midst of the story and was unable to finish. Too sad for Esther, it dawned on me that she was greatly mistreated by both parents.

The worst part is that she was 1 of 10 students to be interviewed in July 2008 for the chance to be the winner of one bursary from GIFT International which would pay fees for a university course.  Because of her parents mistreatment she was not at home when I went looking for her and so missed out on the chance to even try for the place.

It’s so sad when we hear these stories, mistreated by parents who are unable to see how well she has done in school. Esther even worked during the holidays to get money to top up the school fees.  But at least through the work of Assets Esther has been able to complete her high school certificate and therefore her chances of employment are far greater than they would otherwise have been.  Please pray for her as she looks to the future.

Tony Kasungu, ASSETS staff member.