The owners are keen supporters of the HATW charity, and have been to Kisumu and know Africa. They invite groups from local schools to their farm and teach them about organic farming, and how things are done in Africa; for example, they have a Ugandan cow-house (which in Uganda would be used to keep a good quality cow in, and food is brought to the cow, thus preventing the animal trampling crops, picking up diseases and being mated by any old cow, instead of AI or a quality bull). It also keeps the droppings together, where they can be used on the fields.
The house we stayed in is a bunk-house ... most comfortable, with a wood fired Rayburn for heating and cooking, and composting loo's, solar panels, solar water heating and so on. Not the camping in tents I had feared it might be !
We worked all of Saturday, making an outside octagonal barbecue area, which involved moving and spreading gravel, carrying crazy paving slabs, mixing and laying concrete ... its a good job the weather was fine !
D. the youngest member of the team making and then spreading concrete.
The organic vegetable garden, with pond in the middle, and one of the 'bag' gardens in the foreground ... this is a mesh bag, the sort you buy grass seed or various agricultural or horticultural products in, fixed to the ground with four stakes. A plastic pipe is put in the centre; filled with chippings or gravel, and soil or compost put all around the pipe, which is then withdraw ... thus leaving a central core where water can be added. Plants such as strawberries, onions, lettuces, carrots can be grown in holes all around the bag. This idea is used in Africa ...
Sunday dawned wet and cold, so we worked for a long morning in a poly-tunnel making wooden edging for small flower beds to go round the outside of the octagonal barbecue area we had paved the day before.
It was a good weekend, and a chance to get to know the others in the team better. I gave them their first Luo lesson ! We also discussed things we might take that we can give to people, such as tools, and bra's for the ladies ! Women without a bra can and do get molested and even raped, for it is considered they are 'loose' women ! I'm collecting good quality small childrens clothes ...
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