January 6 – Ndwara
It was a day of good news, which helped to offset the sadness brought about by the drought. The dryness is awful: corn that should be ready to harvest brown and falling down in the fields. In some cases, farmers are just letting the cows eat it. The trees are thin and lifeless with only a few leaves. There is a new calf that is two days old; its life expectancy is about 50/50 – without enough water, the mother can’t give enough milk. The pond is dry. There is one well in the village that still has water and by the time it is unlocked in the morning there is a line up of people from all of the surrounding areas. The bees have gone. Everything is covered with a layer of red dust and the wind blows constantly.
The good news is that everyone is well. The even better news that greeted me when I arrived was that in the national exams that the students wrote in November, three students did well enough to earn “direct entry” into university. That means that the government pays 75% of the cost, and the student can borrow the other 25%. The school came second in the region, almost unheard of for a new school. The student who ranked second, Collins, was one of the students we sponsored, and now he is off to study electrical engineering.
There were seven sponsored students and all but one did well enough to go on to post-secondary. A new technical college has opened within walking distance of Ndwara, so they have a chance to continue their studies. Families came and met with me and shared their plans to send their children to the college for a certificate or diploma. Because they can live at home, the cost is about half of what we needed in the past for any technical training. The girl who didn’t do well was sick at the time of the exams, and although she had good marks until that point, her exam marks were too low.
The other amazing news is that electricity has arrived! There is a rural electrification project – the timing suggests a pre-election strategy to me, since there is a national election in August, but the reason doesn’t matter. Previously when we discussed electricity, the price was prohibitive…about $30,000 for a transformer, and then wiring to each house. Now the cost is 15,000 KSh (about $195) for each house to be connected. It can be paid in installments of 400 KSh a month ($5). The electricity is prepaid, and for about $6 each month a household can get enough for a single light in each room, and an outlet for charging phones and laptops. The world has changed! Mama Doris has a refrigerator which means she can eat cheese and other things that need refrigeration. Everyone was happily enjoying an icy drink in the heat.
We visited the secondary school so that I could congratulate the teachers on the exam results, and I could greet each of the classes. One of the unexpected consequences of the success in the exams is a large number of requests from the surrounding area from people who want to send their kids to Kipasi Secondary School because of its high academic standard. The Headmaster told me that next year he anticipates enrolling two classes in Form 1 (Grade 9) and he has already started planning the fundraising for another classroom. I met with all of the graduating sponsored students, and was impressed that each one had a plan for further education, including one heading for teacher training, one to become a surveyor, a nursing assistant and a certificate in art and design.
On the way home we stopped to visit Mama Doris’s sister in law, who lives in a small mud house with her daughter. The image of a mud house is that it would be dirty…this one was spotless. The furniture was covered with freshly ironed white cloths…and her standard of housekeeping far surpasses mine. When I consider the labour involved…this house doesn’t have electricity or running water, I am overwhelmed. Even the iron needs to be heated over an outside fire.
Tired and happy, time for bed.