A Kiva Loan to John's Group in Kenya

From the Kiva website:

"John is 45 years old and has 6 children. He has been a farmer for more than 20 years and is always said to be a very experienced farmer. Even though John is the only one featured in the above picture, he is actually representing his group formed by 10 farmers in Chwele District, Kenya.

John started working alongside One Acre Fund a few years ago, in 2010, and decided to do so because he wanted to have access to quality training and acquire new farming methods. Since then, he has seen his life improve; especially in the sense that he has learnt a lot from farming trainings ever since. This year he decided to represent his group because he wanted to help more farmers.

John’s Group will receive farming inputs to plant a total of 4.25 acres of land. Additionally, some of the farmers in the group will be purchasing a solar light so, with this loan, the group will also receive a total of 3 solar lights. A portion of John's Group's $525 loan helps a member to buy cost efficient seeds and fertilizer for the coming harvesting season."

Clean Water for Kenya

"Charles is 48 years old, has 8 children, and lives in Aora Chuodho B village in Ndhiwa sub county, Kenya. Charles works as a subsistence farmer for a living. His community of Aora Chuodho B village does not have access to clean water. The water that is used for drinking and cooking is easily contaminated with bacteria that can cause diarrhea and other water-borne diseases. Charles is a friendly member of the community, and has been elected Promoter by his village to help its members obtain safe drinking water.
As a volunteer Promoter, Charles represents the community on Kiva’s website and educates the community on how to protect their families from unsafe drinking water by using a chlorine dispenser system. Charles and 4 other promoters in his community, namely Carolyn, Mary, Olivia and Ruth, need a loan to cover the costs of installing and maintaining chlorine dispensers at the water sources in the area. Charles wants to be a promoter because he believes that the chlorine will kill germs in water, thus making it safe to drink.
This loan is part of Evidence Action’s Dispensers for Safe Water program, providing rural communities with access to safe drinking water by installing chlorine dispensers where people collect water. The dispensers enable community members to treat their water with chlorine to make it safe to drink."
EvidenceAction

Here is a beautiful batik cloth picture of a market scene that I bought in Kenya many years ago.

Peace talks in Kenya

Former UN Secretary General Kofi Annan is in Nairobi today in an attempt to bring some resolution to the conflict that has been going on in that country since the disputed election in December. One proposal being considered is having Kibaki continue as president with Odinga, the opposition leader, serving as prime minister. They have also signed an agreement which will help 300,000+ displaced persons return home. A UN human rights group will also be investigating the violence that has killed over 1,000 people.

Kenya

The British newspaper the Guardian reported today that 800 people have been killed in Kenya and 225,000+ displaced since the disputed presidential election. What started out as a political dispute between the incumbent Kibaki and his rival Odinga has turned into a battle between rival ethnic groups. The violence is so widespread that some feel that if something isn't done soon there will be a civil war and Kenya will lose everything they have worked so hard to achieve. The economy is down, as well as tourism, and Kenya, is no longer seen as the role model for economic stability and peace by other African nations. As is usually the case in these types of conflicts, the one who are suffering the most are the poor and defenseless, although violence is spreading to the wealthier areas.
I have been to Kenya and met some wonderful people there. It's hard to imagine what they are going through because of this. Lets hope there will be some resolution soon.