Oyani to Mara

Continued from yesterday's post..

1. Block-making 101

The block-making process is somewhat tedious b/c of the quality control issues. Choice of soils is somewhat of concern b/c of the clay content and salts but generally all the local soils used to presently make block is suitable for our purpose.

Above a pic. of the locally manufactured block. It's a simple process of pouring wet clay-silty soils into molds. Air-dry and then cover with add'l soil and bake the whole mess for a good four days. Thereafter cool and uncover and build w/ traditional mud and mortar course.

Here's a pic of a traditional home made from the alternative to the block. Simply a stick and mud process. Sometimes covered with mortar/mud comp. to seal from the rain. Often just used as a temp. structure or outbuilding.

This structure being a permanent home for Tito's father.

Here's a pic of Tito's whole family. He has two wives and eight children. His home being constructed by the traditional stick and mud w/ a hefty copy of mortar. The roof a standard corrugated steel roof w/ simple truss design of straight limbs found in the bush. He's modified the home and installed a conc floor. Huge benefit and much easier to clean.

Above a pic of the women's group + men working on the final design sieve table. The soil must be sieved thru a 6-mm final grade and removal of organics is necessary. The group was not exactly willing to accept the process until they saw the finished block and the increase in quality and strength. The preparation process seemed long and tedious to the average group member. Still, in the end, I believe they got the process and the need for quality control. This soil being a silty clay w/ minor sand. The salt content at 24" + was neg. Final mix design saw 14:1 (soil:cement) by volume.

2. Cooking Keineji (local)

Jim liked chapati so much that Mama Rose (Tito's first wife) showed him the recipe and the procedure. Jim picked it up quick and offered a full time job by Mama.

3. Tree swing Oyani

There was only one tree in all of Tito's land worthy of a proper swing. The children had me at the suggestion and I did my best. Since I had all the climbing equip. with me I found the climb straight forward.

This pic doesn't do justice to the tree, or me. I climbed the lower portion w/ crampons. Placing the old sling and clipping in to Jim's worthy belay. The event caused quite the stir and all comers thought Jim and I completely mad.

The end result was priceless. A hundred well protections, 500,000 ISSB blocks couldn't equal the feeling I had to see the children having such fun on the swing. Silly I know. So I like swings. It could be far worse.

All for now. Thanks for reading..

PS. Becca and Noah here's a nice pic Jim took from the Mara. The elephants were dancing in the morning sunshine. Two young boys playing a game of push-pull.

Nairobi to Migori to Oyani

Sorry for the silence.

Finally find a place, e- power and time to post. Much to tell and I won't waste time. Trip to Migori and further to Oyani was very eventful and successful. Here's a short summary of the events since Nairobi arrival:

1. Nairobi adventures:
Sunday was a free day and we attempted to see as much as possible. Jim wanted to see the K. Bixen mus and Giraffe center. Pics below. We pickup vehicle and have a great meal w/ an old friend of PC years (circa 1991-93). God I'm old! Good we had down time as all hell broke loose on Monday morning. Note to self: driving a huge LHD 1970's Land Cursier at night in Nairobi is not recommended.



2. Nairobi equipment purchase:
Managed to find the block maker and hand pump with some small modifications to plan. We get lost in Nairobi's large Industrial Area and spend a nice hour in a "go slow" with the local donkey trailer making better time than our vehicle. Both items fill the vehicle beyond capacity but who's counting. We squeeze all our gear and the other appurtenances into the vehicle and head off to the west dropping into the Rift Valley with much excitement and hope.
3. Go west Mulia ya Uzee
Hectic 12-hr trip to Migori/Oyani w/ a relic of a 70's Land Cursor (See pics Mo posted yesterday). We named the vehicle "Mulia ya uzee" which translates roughly "the old whore". Which for some strange reason seems rather appropriate seeing as the vehicle has been both a blessing and a amazing burden. Top end is all of 70KPH -- not that the roads allow such spends -- and at least four breakdowns so far (holding my breath) we continue to exploit the vehicle's strengths. Roads are completely trashed. Base nonexistent, leave alone tarmac. Ground clearance being a major benefit. We pass thru some amazing tea country.
Small vehicle problem along the way. Carb is quite old and jets clog easily. I install new fuel filter w/ hopes of a brighter tomorrow. Also we're burning a pint a day of oil. Not sure where it's going as there's no leak evident nor smoke from the exhaust pipe. Jim attempts driving on the left for the first time. Doesn't like it but seems to adjust. He'll limit the driving to the bush where an error is less critical. Still he's adjusting well and doesn't appear to be too shocked by the Kenya spin. The food and the use of the toilet being the only exceptions thus far. He likes the attention all the Kenyan children bring.

4. Lodging Oyani.
We're staying on the shamba (farm) with our friend Tito Ogutu and his family. Jim and I put up a small tent on the lower edge of the family home site. It's quiet and cool in the evening. Makes for good sleep. Neither e- power nor running water forces change to general life protocol.
5. Block-making Joy

We meet with the block making team (women's group org.) and quickly setup a plan for the next few days. Jim is quick to assign duties and organise the group towards something I'll call efficiency. The end result being friendships made and block making business started. The group seems very excited with the end product -- less so with the suggested quality control measured.

The block-making machine is a simple, hand-operated press w/ a long fulcrum being your friend. The block is a cement stabilized soil block with a unique shape that allows for interlocking and also the elimination of the mortar course. No baking req'd. Minimize the cement. Stronger block than traditional mud block/brick. We are after about 250-400 psi at 28-days. The finished block are true and sharp and rather neat to look at. The interlocking feature attractive. The mold has chamfered edges so the block looks significantly diff. from anything avail. in the local market place.

Here's Jim with the group at the site where the first blocks will be made. All the equipment necessary to produce the blocks is shown. A sieve table is shown to the right of the photo.

Out of time for this morning. More later should there be power.


Thanks for reading.

Chris

PS. Becca here's picture of a lizard I caught for you. I asked him if he'd like to come to the US but he wanted to stay with his family.

Chris and Jim's pit crew during another break down...














Tito and his first wife and daughters at their family shamba - Oyani, Kenya

So it looks like I may be figuring some of this technology out... Hope you enjoy the photos. Thanks for everyone's support and encouragement.

Monique

photo 1

Unloading the block making supplies in Migori, Kenya


















The first interlocking stabilized soil brick.




















Tito and his son Chris at his shamba (small farm) - Migori, Kenya

The choo (pit toilet and splash bath) at Tito's shamba

Children orphaned by the post-election violence and AIDS epidemic - Migori, Kenya

The well team - Oyani, Kenya

Update by Monique

Hello out there...

Just in case anyone is still checking on this site to see if Chris is posting anything.... he's not and I am. He's been in the sticks with no internet access and now is in Nanyuki, but probably too busy to get online.

I heard from Chris the about 4 days after he left. He called from Nairobi. He called once from Migori, 7 days after he left. And he called once in the middle of the night, I guess it was 10 days after he left (still in Migori). The block making got off to a good start and Chris was relieved. Otherwise they are healthy and well.

Jim has an I-phone and has been taking some photos with the phone and posting them directly onto his Facebook page. I played around and managed to save them onto my hard drive. I'll try to upload them here with a short description.

Thank you all for your patience. I really hoped Chris would post to this site again by now...
Maybe in a few more days???
Monique

Flights and Arrival Kenya

Long trip w/o incident. We're flying Virgin Atlantic. Found the airline to be very good compared to the domestic alternatives. Highlight of trip was the turkey impression contest at the gate in SFO. Many very worthy contestants and all quite funny. The winner? Received 2x upgrade to upper class. Huge score. A very expressive Scottish gent won going away. Leave it to a scot --- very expressive faces. His true success came because he didn't over act the part.

Long layover in London. Managed a quick run into the city (Paddington Express, spendy but well worth it) where we had lunch w/ an old University mate of Jim's.

We arrived Nairobi early Sat. and managed the long wait through customs and visa req'm by talking with a group of Nigerian businessmen on their way to Dubia. Some suspicion at our large number of bags and unusual content but nothing to warrant duty fees. We hooked up w/ a large minivan driver/taxi who was kind enough to take us direct to the block making manufacturer. We spent a good hour there and arranged for Monday purchase and equipment pickup. (Pictures of the device to follow.)

Thereafter, with Nairobi waking, we were treated to a great go slow into the city center. Goats, an up-ended diesel lorry, peds everywhere, many bike, dust and no logic to the roadways being the highlights.

We made the stage for Nanyuki and had a long negociation for transport and security of the rather large parcel we wanted to unload before traveling to Migori. Long story. It just made sense to send the large box (bicycle and water quality testing equipment) on to Nanyuki w/o us. The minibus operator thought I was insain for photographing his ID card and the vehicle's license number. Finally I put the driver in touch w/ my dear friend Noah in Nanyuki. (Cell phones are amazingly reliable here) Noah is to meet the package on the arrival in Nanyuki and hold it until our arrival (9DEC).

A short aside here to mention Dan Fisher was kind enough to donate the bicycle (classic Schwinn single speed). Dan I'll send a couple photos of the grand steed when I get it built up and given to the right person(s).

Hopefully more later. Thanks for reading..

Kenya 2008

WELCOME to our KENYA 2008 blogsite!

We have developed this blog to follow Chris Gaido's and Jim Koenigsaecker's trip to Kenya this November 2008. The photo (left) shows Chris (on the right, if you hadn't guessed!) with his friend, George Tito and family in Migori, Kenya. If I had gotten started any sooner, we might have gotten a photo of Jim for the site as well. That will happen soon!

Jim is the CEO of Building Innovations Group (BIG), of Redding, CA. BIG has provided funding for a brick-making facility which is to be run by a local women's group in a village called Migori, near Lake Victoria. The region is plagued with poverty and disease, specifically malnourishment due to food shortages and a high density of HIV cases, among other problems. Also, Kenya recently experienced civil unrest associated with its last election and many structures in the region were destroyed in the violence.

Chris and Jim will purchase the brick-making equipment in Nairobi and arrange for its transport to Migori. Once in Migori, Chris and Jim will oversee the construction of a building where bricks can be dried and stored and meet with the women's group to plan the operations and maintenance of the facility.

Also near Migori are two hand-dug wells which Chris plans to deepen, sanitize, install hand-pumps, and seal. That will be their next adventure. If you enlarge the photo, you can see the well right behind the children. You can see how it would need to be sanitized, sealed, and how nice it would be to have a pump to obtain the water.

Once things in the Migori area are underway, a stop in Nanyuki is on the itinerary. Nanyuki is the city where Chris spent his Peace Corps years (see his history below). In Nanyuki, Chris plans to distribute several donated laptops, some water-quality testing equipment, and some clothing. His many friends and contacts in Nanyuki include Jerry Daniels (see photo right), a longtime missionary and friend who has constructed a church, a private school, and a new public library (2006).

In Nanyuki Chris will also explore the potential

for a kiosk where cell phones could be charged for a nominal fee. Cell phones are remarkably prolific in Kenya where only post offices have had telephone lines. Most people live without running water and electricity in their homes, making it difficult for them to charge their cell phones.

BACKGROUND

Now that we have detailed Chris and Jim's upcoming adventure, here is a little background on Chris and his time in Kenya...

Chris's passion for helping the Kenyan people began with his Peace Corps service in Nanyuki (1991-1993) and subsequent work under the Catholic Diocese of Marsabit (1993-1995). His work in northern Kenya has involved various water treatment and water distribution issues as well as crop stability and agricultural investigations.

Chris returned to the U.S. to obtain a M.S. in Civil Engineering and has maintained contact with many individuals in Kenya. He encourages his friends and coworkers in Kenya to develop project proposals that are both purposeful for their communities and reasonable in terms of operation, maintenance, and cost. He continually keeps an eye and an ear open for opportunities to match funding with projects and for another excuse to visit.

In 2000, Chris visited the South Nyanza province to investigate crop instability issues through the Farmer-to-Farmer program funded by USAID. He found that irrigation water channelled from Lake Victoria to nearby maize and bean crops actually became so salty (leaching salts from the soils lining the canals), that by the time it reached the crops, it killed the plants.

Chris returned to Kenya in 2006 to lay the groundwork for a spring protection system and water distribution system near Migori, in the South Nyanza province. Chris also stopped in Kitkern to help improve a local water supply system and Nanyuki to visit the newly constructed library for which he and Monique helped send 1300 lbs of books through their local church community.

Thanks for joining us and we look forward to your comments! Apparently you must open a gmail account to post comments. It's a free service, and we're sorry for the inconvenience. We hope to expand our blog to a service which is more available to others in the near future.

Monique and Chris