Kindfund

Thur 14th February 2006 Marallel

Greetings from Marallel on st. Vals day.

Mon 11th: we travelled back from Nanyuki hoping to be at Ngaremara early afternoon. Not to be. Nancy and Locham had been delayed and were waiting for us at the stage with 12 beds on the roof to be taken to the Childrens Home 5kms out of Isiolo.
First visits to Equity Bank(check if funds sent by Phil have arrived - not yet) and Barclays. We have decided to open an account at Barclays to avoid total dependence on Equity.Nancy needed photo etc signed and the manager of the branch would pass by internal mail to Nanyuki where we had filled in forms before leaving.

Phone call from Blind unit. 

They have no cooking fat. Just in time we buy as they are beside the Childrens Home
At the home we offloaded the beds to the mama and several of the children. One of the bed bases needs to go back. A weld has broken. Enquiring we discovered solar not working. We will visit electrician when returning bed to welder.
At Blind Unit we deliver fat and inspect solar. All working but 11 new bukbs needed. Pamela is shown around and is amazed at the changes. We look at the new dorm and confirm measurements for curtains.
We discuss with school a meeting with Education Department and agree they will arrange for first week in March. We want to clarify arrangements about Blind Unit and our role as sponsors.
Back in Isiolo it is now 4pm and we have a lot to do. We meet electrician. He wanted to agree type of bulbs, quickly done and agreed to visit Childrens Home again Tue to investigate problem. Paid him for work at Blind Unit. Called with welder and he agreed to fix and deliver bed. ON to other Gen Eng. to ask about curtain poles. He has some made and design is good.
We ask him to make 16 metal hold backs for curtains. We explain design and leave with him till next week.
More shopping and collect flour, maize and beans at posho mill. Finally it is now after 6pm we arrive at BP to fill up for journey North. Full back and front tanks. We have more fuel at base we will carry on top.
A very full and tiring day. We are back. Lillian has food ready for us. Shower and in bed by 9pm.

Tue: Today we are expected at an Ngaremara Development meeting at Catholic Hall at 10am. However after morning worship we are inundated with people waiting. Requests for sponsorship to Secondary, medical and other. Pamela again bears the brunt while I prepare for our trip North and to Wamba to-day. We have decided to visit out 70+ orphans at Wamba, and then travel on to Marallel to see Govt about land. We have two of the five letters we require from Departmants before we can go to Nairobi to register land.
Samburu blankets arrive from Samuel at Archers. Pamela and Nancy get Elizabeth to work turning them into curtains for the Childrens Home. Nancy and I attend Development meeting for one hour and make our apologies. Councillor would like to talk to us later to sort  out the Ngaremara land issue. Finally aroud 2pm we set off North. The men building the shower block had to be paid up to date. They ask for 14,600 ks. I eventually agree 6,000ks. We are off at last.
A brief stop at Samuels shop in Archers and then on. The sun is very hot. Half way we stop for a soda at Lareda arriving Wamba 5pm. We meet Margaret and the team and some of the children. Little Margaret is looking much better. John also but Sophia not just so good.

We call at the Catholic Mission and Father Tallone welcomes us to one of their houses. We can stay two nights. By now it is dark and we have not eaten. Locham and I walk into town and buy bread, blue band, sodas and some tomatoes and bananas. My swiss knife saves the day as we dine in style.

Wed: Next morning after a night with none to friendly mosquitos we call at the Central cafe for breakfast. We sit on the veranda watching life go by. Next door is the friendly butcher. On the ground outside a small cow has literally been frightened out of its hide. Why else would hooves and skin in one piece be lying on the road beside us? Fried eggs and chai - not bad. We will be back for lunch. Hope the hide is gone.
We call with the Chief to bring our greetings and update him with progress on the land and Home issue. He runs a town football team so we will present him with the Kesh football kit.
Outside we meet the District Officer. A District Commissioner has been appointed to Wamba. He is temporily living in the house we normally use. We will meet him another day.  

We spend the rest of the morning with the two Margarets who lead the Kindfund orphan work here. We listen and share and pray together.

Lunch at Central Cafe - cabbage, potatoes and japati. We order dinner.

The afternoon is given over to photos, reports and the children drawing and writing to sponsors. We see lots of improvement in most of them. Afterwards we present pencils and pens given by donors and wrist bands - Macartan 1500 given by the church diocesan secretary back home. Hold them up, wave, more photos.

A phone call from Mohammed Moti in Meru. He has received the Afridev Hand Pump we need next week for Laisamis. He will hold and forward to us when we are back in Isiolo.

Dinner - yes you guessed. Potatoes, cabbage and fried eggs washed down with a soda. Off to bed but my faith in honesty is restored. I left my bag behind. Returning after 20 min it is behind counter. Someone handed in.

Thur: We need to be out by 8am. Some shopping, call at Wamba Boys to pay fee for Margarets son and then at 08.40 on to Marallel.
106 kms and just over half way and we loose no.3 gear but Locham manages adequately without. We will investigate at Marallel where we arrive at 11am.

'The man with the key has gone' If you have read the book you will understand this next bit. We go straight to Govt Offices to see if we can progress land issue. We need 5 letters and we have 2. The process started in Aug and was to have been complete by end October. In Nov Nancy trasvelled twice to Marellel by matatu to progress and obtained two Govt Dept letters. In the compound we call first with the Physical Planner. Door locked. I call him. He is in Nairobi. The letter from the Council Clerk is in his office but we cannot get it until he returns at 2pm on Monday. We agree to be there. 50 yards away is the office of the DC.
He has already stamped and signed to say that he has no objection to us having the land but the planner is insisting on a letter. Nancy on her second visit in Nov had brought the letter to his office and left it in Registry to be signed by the DC on his return. This letter cannot now be found. They will look we will need to get him a new one to sign. Unless they find we will have to complete on Monday. We thank the DC who is obviously annoyed remembering my visit last Aug and Nancy in Nov. We are  only thankful
he is not suggesting we start again with the new DC at Wamba although his appointment was mentioned.
We visit the child Officers office 30 yds away. Door locked. Call him to find he is in Nanyuki. He also will be back on Monday. He will complete letter then.
Three offices within 60metres of each other within the same compound and we have to travel from Ireland to physically get progress with a minor admin matter. Begs a lot of questions. However we will be thankful and pleased if we can depart from here by Tue with the letters we need for the lands office in Nairobi.

Locham is working at the car. Nancy is nursing a cold and reading at the Hotel and Pamela is resting there and reading.

Continue to support us with prayer. The children at Wamba deserve and need this home. Let us have a breakthrough.

Tomorrow God willing we will travel 5 hrs North of here to Tuam to visit the Cowan's from Co Down. Stephen has a brick making machine I want to find out more about and we want to say HI to all from home.

Be blessed

Ken and Pamela