Kindfund

Time to go

The tempo increased over the last two weeks as we sought to squeeze a quart into a pint pot in time for home.

Tue 26th arrived back from Isiolo to discover that the meeting of kitchen and cleaning staff had ended in disarray when several women began to fight. Pamela had suspended all 5 involved and we later (the following week) had no option but to let them go. Very sad to see women who had been given an opportunity to be lifted up destroy their blessing.

Wed 27th After filing the last report on the website and visiting the bank I travelled to Meru to meet Pamela and Nancy who had gone on ahead to buy material etc for the childrens home at Wamba and see if we can get our car (1979 landrover) of 3 years registered in the name of Kindfund with the change of engine. A major task we call in on a solicitor to swear an oath and decide to leave the process with him to handle. A busy day shopping curtain material, material for night wear, bedding etc. We hire a 7 seater and get back to Isiolo as it is getting dark  after a brief indulgence at Nakumat - new supermarket Western style. We meet our driver and pack the landrover for the last leg.

Thur back in Isiolo to complete shopping for the starter packs for the 5 new nursery schools with the Rendille, basins. pots. mugs.water carriers and flour for porrige for the first month. We will also be taking our well diggers to start their second assignment on this visit so we need the inspection trap door made, the y10 bars, 6 bags of cement. wood and nails. Is that everything?
Meanwhike Locham is working at the car fighting agains the corrugations on the road.

Fri we need a break. Our first choice at Nanyuki is booked out because of a rallye. We needed to see three people there but not possible. We take a local hotel in Isiolo for 2 nights - I am able to complete a lot of the
shopping and we have reasonable facilities

Sun 1 Sept after worship and lunch we have to pack for Rendille - My goodness will we get there Locham, James and Thomas well diggers and me with 300kg of cement, 400kg of flour, 5 starter kits, large steel Afridev hand pump and lots of small things like my tent and bag. Raphael calls he is waiting at the roadside at Archers Post. Can we find room for him. some food and 20 litres of fuel for his bike. I already have bought him 10 litres.
We set off cautiously at 5 pm.James and Thomas on top of the flour as we have removed all but the front seats. This is going to be a long journey mainly in the dark for 5 hours.
The weight on the roof and the twisting over the corregations soon causes doors to open and we end up tying rope between the doors.

A brief stop at Merille for eats and a check of the load and we take the direct route to Sokitie out the back
of the small town. One hour later we arrive in one piece but adventures ahead.

A mat on the ground we unload the essentials and I pitch the one man tent - £6.99 from milletts. Six am comes quickly. That rooster at 4.30!

We decide that James and Thomas should service the pump at Sokitie while Locham, Raphael and I travel to Lockashula and Corr with the supplies. We sort out what needs to remain and stack it beside Raphaels house.
After morning devotions under the tree with all those who had turned up off we go.

Everything went ok until we got to Korr about 70 kms across the desert where we developed clutch problems.  A leaky fluid pipe. Things were to get much worse. We limped back that evening using only 4th gear and the clutch getting worse. Vibrations and spitting teeth in the gearbox.

Tue am we decide to abandon the welldiggers. They will have to hire two donkeys and do the 4 hour walk to Lockaashula we need to dash for home if we can make it. Well we did and in record time despite getting stuck on three occasions in total losing ove an hour. Not bad on one gear and no clutch. In fact a miracle.
By mid afternoon the gearbox was out and we had the problem. 5 teeth missing from no 4 gear and other teeth damaged A new piece of flexible hose required on the clutch line. Locham is in his element. I am tired and that threatened cold has developed into a chest infection aggravated by the terrible dust on the road.

Wed after devotions we hire a car to go to Isiolo. Pamela, Lillian and Glory go on to Nanyuki to see the three people we needed. Nancy and I do the bank and some shopping while waiting on the car being fixed and coming. We also meet Agnes from Kilimani Home. One of two orphans there who have been accepted for 3rd level education. She hopes to go to teacher training college. We meet her at US Aid who have offered to pay 80% of her college fee of c.£200 for the first term. We agree to pay the 20% and give her 5000ks towards books and personal items but she still needs to find other sponsors to meet all her needs. Please pray for her and Bosco that they get to college. Late pm still no car and I have 12 boxes and other supplies ready for the Wamba Home. I have a months flour, maize and beans salt and fat ready for collection to take to Killimani Childrens Home and the Blind Unit at Kambi Juu. Pamela
arrives from Nanyuki with Patricia and Joost who are making our DVD to go to Kilimani. They offer to help and I load up their landrover with the 12 boxes and Nancy accompanies them to Killimani.
At last at 6.15pm I get word from Locham that he has left with the car in order. It is getting dark. I hire some men to carry the food to one location where I can watch it until the car arrives. We eventually deliver to Killimani at 7.30 and arrive back in Ngaremara around 8.30 pm again tired but happy that we had completed the job.

Thur Pamela accompanies Joost and Patricia to Wamba while Nancy and I head in the opposite direction for Isiolo to collect shopping and the Solar system which is to be installed by the electrician at a total cost of £1700. We will get to Wamba later.

Early afternoon we arrive back with a full car. One of the workmen is missing. I send on of the young people to the village to find him and he appears full of the local brew. Another unpleasant task to remove his possessions from the site and dismiss him. How the enemy seeks to destroy people. We had just taken this man through hospital to deal with malaria and a chest infection now he has little losing his job. I arrange for the other workman to bring someone from his village the next day to do the work before we set off for Wamba.

At the next village of Zebra we pick up Elizabeth our deaf tailoress who has made the curtains to take her to Wamba with us. We travel slowly and arrive 2 hours later just as it is getting dark. We had seen a beautiful sunset. We are staying in the new home even if some finishing touches required.

Fri 5th we discuss some landscaping issues and then visit our orphan children on the feeding programme. Some more sponsor reports and photos. We complete the footage for the DVD with interviews and Joost and Patricia leave for Nanyuki.

Sat 6th A time of fellowship with our Wamba orphan team and then down to the Catholic Hospital to see the 4 month old baby girl called Mercy. An orphan whose twin and mother died at birth and the wider family are unable to take. We have been asked by the Chief to take he under Kindfund. We talk to the nursing staff and take a photo. We will collect her as soon as we are in the home when Nancy returns from accompanying us to Nairobi. Our second baby. Glory is now c.21 months. We discuss turning one of the sick rooms into a nursery and manning needs for the home.
Time to go back to Ngaremara as our time is now very short and still plenty to do. Before leaving we gather the building team together to say thank you for a job well done and to take a photo. They much appreciate our thanks.

Sun 7th after morning worship Clifford and I remain on site to talk through what needs to be done (we are starting Mon to build a small house at Wamba to accomodate management and visitors). Pamela and Nancy go to Isiolo with Locham to meet some people. I had started on amoxilin on Sat to clear the chest infection and am glad of  the rest.

Mon 8th Banking again in Isiolo as we seek to get our various accounts in order before leaving. Also the Cereals Board to see if they will sell us some maize. We purchase 5 bags of 90kg of beans for 20,000ks and 30 bags of maize for 57,000ks - about one months supply. We take the beans and arrange to collect the maize next day in three trips.. We buy fat, soap and vaseline enough for four months to reduce the shopping when we are not there and make life simpler.

Tue 9th we are going to spend the night in Isiolo but first get the car away to the Cereal Board. Seats are out to make room. First 10 bags collected to go to posho mill for flour. Back for next 10 and deliver these to our store.
I help to unload and off they go again for last load. Taxi call for us at 2.30 and we take our leave accompanied by Nancy. We meet our car with the load of maize and stop briefly to chat. Later the car returns to Isiolo to collect the flour. I meet Locham and we go to BP to pay a bill for parts and add some reserve parts for emergencies.
We part. It is dark and I walk briskly back to the hotel.

Wed - travel to Nairobi stopping briefly with Robin at Nanyuki to say goodbye and pick up the dvd left by Joost. It is a first cut and he had worked till 4am to have something for us to take home. We arrive safely at ACK Guest House around 3.30pm.

Thur 10th Have been working on laptop to complete this report and finalise budgets for end Sept. Nancy has gone to Govt offices and Pamela gone for a wander.

We have some Govt business to complete please pray for success and for a safe flight home on Sat

Love Ken and Pamela.