Monday, May 18, 2009

Thanks for the tanks!

The tanks have completely filled during the recent rainy season and are providing water for the vegetable gardens that give our children the most nutritious meals they have ever eaten, as well as drinking and bathing water. We expect to have enough water in the tanks to get us through the dry months that precede the next rainy season in February. Thank you MIMN for helping us achieve water sovereignty!

Friday, May 15, 2009

May update from Kim & Clive

We’re back from a happy, refreshing two-week holiday with our daughter (Claire) who came over from Australia to visit us. We went to Nairobi, The Serengeti National Park, Ngorongoro Crater and Jinja in Eastern Uganda (for some white water rafting). East Africa is a fabulous part of the world for an adventure holiday! Claire also visited Sabina School to meet some of the school community (although many of the children are away during holiday time), and to see the project here.
Sharon – Nyero – Kim – Charles – Claire – Bukenya – Irene (with the volunteer accommodation ‘Bandas’ in the background).

Work didn’t stop at Sabina while we were away ... Bukenya did a sterling job overseeing all the construction work while we were away. Our good mates, Charles and Nyero, have almost completed the construction of the strawyards for the new chicken system. Sharon and Irene (also ex-Sabina School children, now at Mbuye Farm School) did a lot of good work in the Mandala garden. What a great holiday permaculture team we have!

Construction of the new Chicken House is almost completed except for a bit of carpentry work, the verandah, the separate small brooder strawyard and the final rendering of the walls. The main strawyards are just a few days away from being finished and Kim has already starting to prepare the ground to plant food and herbs for the chickens (when they arrive).


Charles and Nyero proving the strength of the strawyard frame they’ve constructed! (Clive and John, our Contractor, in the background).

Nyero attaching chicken wire to the strawyard frame.

The new ‘hero’ of the permaculture project is John, our Contractor! He had a nasty motorbike accident while we were away, spent a couple of days in hospital and then, in typical no-nonsense-Ugandan-style, came back to work with a badly swollen face and a lot of bruising. John, you’re amazing and we’re very glad you’re on the job.

The 1st Banda, to accommodate a couple (This year, Clive and Kim). The indispensable Bukenya standing in the doorway.

The 2nd Banda, divided into quarters to accommodate 4 people (or 8 in bunk-beds)

A holiday snap .. Clive, Kim, Claire standing on the edge of Ngorongoro Crater, Tanzania