A New Village

So what's happening in the new village of Ikuka? As you know, the stove project in Kimande is in full swing. But now it is time to start the next project in another village which is about 75km away... in the opposite direction from Kimande. It is also in an area in which women and girls struggle to collect firewood which is one reason we are taking the project there. It is also a village where Andy has already completed a water project, providing the school there with clean water through rainwater harvesting.

One of Andy's tanks at the Ikuka Primary School

The long line for water down in the village ... no tanks here!



Amisadai pumping water - very hard work!

We were in Ikuka with Jesca a few weeks ago, visiting the church and giving a brief introduction to the stoves project.


Ikuka Church Building
(the old hubcap hanging by the door is banged with a rock when the meeting is ready to start)

Inside the small church building sitting on mud "benches"

Friday was the official village meeting to which people of Ikuka were invited to find out more about the stoves and the project, and a sign-up list has been started for those who would like to join the group. Ezekiel and Mendriad came to stay with us in town and helped at the meeting alongside Tim and the girls, Kate, Jesca and Andrew. At first there was a group of about fifteen people, which would have been disappointing. But the meeting turned out to be the biggest we've ever had with 270 people showing up! So now to get a good group of just 25-30 people!




Setting up the demonstration stove

 


Ezekiel talks about the project

  

Louisa at the stove demonstration

So now the challenge of running two projects simultaneously begins! It has been a really crazy few months and yes, this is all a little daunting! But exciting too. We are so pleased with how well things are working out with Jesca. She is going to take responsibility for the Ikuka project while we remain focussed on the Kimande group. It has been a busy time with her as she has been learning how to make stoves, how to run the project, we have been working on getting her set up with a place to live in Ikuka, we have ordered all the new moulds and Mendriad has been busy making new tools for the new group to use. Having Ezekiel and Mendriad alongside us in this has been so fantastic! They are going to join Jesca, along with Anna, one of the star stove makers from the Kimande group, for the training week in Ikuka at the end of this month.

We are in town today as Tim preaches at the Pentecostal Church and then early tomorrow morning (far too early for my liking!!) we are all off to Magozi for the making of the fuel-efficient institutional stove for the school there. We are really excited about this for several reasons. One is that we are looking forward to having time with friends in Magozi again. Another is that this stove is the result of some fantastic fund-raising by Amisadai and Louisa's school in the UK (Aldermaston Church of England Primary) and the Aldermaston Brownies, which makes it really personal! The work should take about three days, so we will stay in Kimande although Tim will be in Magozi every day. On Tuesday, Kate, the girls and I will stay in Kimande and join the stoves group there and do some more English lessons. We will also be taking Dan with us, a great young guy, now working with Andy on the EI water projects, so it will be a good opportunity to get to know him better as well!

It is a lovely, warm Sunday afternoon here. Kate made us some delicious banana chocolate chip muffins ... thanks to out friend, Sarah just back from the States! We are almost all packed up to go again tomorrow... the biggest job is keeping up with all the bedding and getting enough water treated to take with us to drink! We're down to four bottles!

And now the girls are enjoying a bit of fun with their sewing projects (thank you, Auntie Marian!) and lego. And that's all from us until Thursday!



Collecting the metalwork for the institutional stove, ready to take the Magozi School