K-Blog

Tackling Malnutrition

The troubling statistics in a new report on the dire situation of malnutrition worldwide, issued by Save the Children, is a sad reminder that we need to do more to support the youth in developing countries.

The report states that 2.6 million child deaths each year have as their underlying cause -- malnutrition. A common sideeffect of malnutrition is stunting, which means that poor nutrition prevents children's bodies and brains from fully developing. The report points out that one in four children around the world are now stunted.

The facts are hard to swallow, but the lesson is clear: we need to address malnutrition now to stop this trend. The report identifies six steps to tackling malnutrition and Kageno is both relieved and proud to know that we are poised and already following these steps to address malnutrition in the communities where we work:

1. Visibility: Kageno's Vulnerable Child Assistance Program highlights the existence of malnutrition in the communities where we work. We don't hide this reality --we work with Community Health Mobilizers to identify the most vulnerable children in the community so that we can include them in this program. We're currently revamping this program to ensure that children identified as severely malnourished receive meals immediately and that we effectively improve their nutrition before they cycle off the program.

2. Invest in direct interventions: We partner with amazing organizations like Table for Two to find the funding necessary to provide daily school meals to the youth who need it most.

3. Fill the health worker gap: Before Kageno came to Banda Village, there was no proper health clinic and the nurse assigned to the village was rarely present or sober. The village now boasts a clinic with two in-take rooms, a minor surgeries room, and a laboratory. We also employ an incredibly qualified nurse. We also appealed to the Ministry of Health to partner with us in these efforts. They now send us two nurses and one lab technician to help us address the needs of Banda Village.

4. Protect families from poverty: Kageno's fundamental mission is to help these communities eradicate poverty. With an emphasis on women and children, we provide trainings, microloans, employment and much more to help change the course of poverty from the ground up.

5. Harness agriculture: One of our four program areas is agriculture. We help small, local farmers learn new techniques to increase yields and diversify their crops to improve nutrition at home. Our nurse also teaches lessons on varied diets to provide better nutrition. We use our own demonstration farms to provide vegetables and fruits to the children on our feeding program.

6. Galvanise political leadership:  We need to use our work in places like Banda to appeal to the authorities in-country to help us tackle this issue. We do however hope that, through eco-tourism and our future eco-lodge, we will bring critical awareness to the problems like malnutrition that the government should be helping us address.

Kageno's nursery schools and feeding programs understand the importance of providing early education and nutrition to the youth in their most formative years. This period is essential for cognitive and physical development and we're doing everything we can to help children learn, eat and grow at a young age.

A new kitchen, currently being built in Banda through the generosity of Japanese organic grocer Oisix and TFT, has the potential to increase the number of children we feed 5-fold. Our goal is to expand beyond our feeding program and nursery school in order to also feed the two primary schools in Banda village. We need your help to do this.

To take action in directly addressing malnutrition where Kageno works,

please donate online now.

For more information on the kitchen project and the funding needed to expand our feeding program, please email info@kageno.org.

Thank you for joining us in this fight to battle malnutrition and to give vulnerable children a fair, healthy opportunity to grow into successful adults.

Children line up on Mfangano for mealtime, Jan. 2012

Some of Banda's kids on the malnourished feeding program. Photo provided by Lauren de Remer

 

source: Save the Children, "A Life Free from Hunger"

Mfangano at mealtime

Kageno Kenya is working hard to make our feeding program strong. Whenever possible, we're adding fruits, vegetables, and fish like sardines (omegas 3s!) to the meals we give to the kids. And in addition to teaching nutrition, we're teaching the importance of sanitation. Rule no. 1: always wash your hands!

Guest blogger: Lauren de Remer

Lauren de Remer came to Banda on a total whim when her other travel plans in the region were derailed by unsafe conditions.  She had heard of Kageno's great work, and so she rerouted to Banda to see for herself.  Read a full account of her stay below.

Land of a Thousand Hills, by: Lauren de Remer

    I never intended for Rwanda to be my first stop in Africa. It was more like Rwanda chose me – and I couldn’t be happier that it did. My plan was to fly to Samburu, Kenya for a week to volunteer at an elephant conservation project, when two days prior to my international flight, I was told not to come because of revenge killings in a nearby village that occurred as a result of increased pressure on ivory poaching. I had no choice but to pull together a Plan B in a matter of 48 hours. My first instinct was to safari in the Maasai Mara, or go gorilla trekking through Uganda. I even seriously considered a last minute summit up Mt. Kilimanjaro. That is, until Kageno was recommended to me by a friend – a friend whom also happens to work in the travel industry (so I was confident he knew what he was talking about). “It was my favorite spot in Africa. I even named my dog after the village there,” he explained. “Here’s the thing. Would you rather be climbing up a steep, miserable, highway-of-a-route in the dark with a mail-order-guide when you can go back and do it properly with friends another time? Or would you rather be relaxing in a remote village eating bananas and playing soccer with the kids?” Soon as he said that, my decision was made. Banda Village it is.

    From the moment my plane landed, I felt safer than I did at some places at home. It’s funny what the media will put in your head, and I refused to let my American stereotypes fool me. What might be dodgy in the US, was quite the opposite in Rwanda. Strangers were friendly, and the others, skeptical, but smiled the moment I reached out to them. They seemed to question why a Westerner like me would choose to visit their country. The sociable one approached me immediately and didn’t seem to care what my reasoning was; they embraced me openly and with helpful advice. Before that day, I knew very little about Rwanda. Images of violence and corruption came to mind. Fortunately, I was about to learn that this country was so much more than gorillas and genocide.

    Finding a taxi was a piece of cake, they all wanted to help me get to where I needed to be, which was the bus station at the other end of Kigali -- and fast. My driver chatted me up, selling Rwanda like it was a tourism advertisement. I hadn’t even been there for an hour and he was already asking me what I thought and when I would visit again. Oddly enough, it wasn’t the least bit bothersome; I found it settling that he loved his home so much that he wanted to show it off.

    Thirty minutes after joining some mid-day traffic, we arrived at the Impala Bus Station, just in time to catch my twelve o-clock bus. It took ten minutes just to buy my ticket as I found myself lost in a crowd of people, none of whom spoke English except one girl named Wizzy who was close to me in age. We immediately made friends, and her sister took a liking to me too. She informed me that the ride would be five hours long, so we ran across the street to a gas station to stock up on a few snacks. It started raining once we left, and I was nervous about arriving in Nyungwe before the sun went down. Wizzy soon convinced another lady on the bus to let me borrow her phone to text Levi (Kageno’s on-site project manager) as to which bus I was on so he’d know my ETA. I tried to give her the equivalent to a US dollar but she refused to accept it. The following hours were spent chatting away with my new girlfriend Wizzy, exchanging laughs as if we’d known each other our whole lives. To this day, I am kicking myself for not getting her email address.
 
    Not only did Kageno make it super easy for me to visit their project last minute, they made it hard not to. I was met at the top of the hill by a man named Appolonaire who took me on the back of his motorcycle down the hill. I was dressed in hiking clothes, anticipating a 3-hour trek but was happily surprised with the change of plans – this was my first time ever on a motorcycle (embarrassing, I know). The scenic hillside overlooking Banda Village as we navigated the muddy switchbacks was more green and lush than words can describe. It started raining again suddenly, and the helmet Appolonaire let me use was five sizes too big and bobbing about as we crossed roots and puddles. I couldn’t help but laugh at the situation I was in. I had made it in one piece, and there was no place I would have rather been in that given moment. “This is what true adventure is all about,” I thought to myself.

Everyone at Banda was excessively welcoming -- an admirable reaction given that they have a substantial number of visitors passing through each year. In the five days that I was there, I learned about ten words in Kinyarwanda and could converse using basic greetings by my second day. My chauffeur and lovely new friend, Jeremiah took me with him everywhere. We went on a few “home visits” and he gave me a tour of the entire village. He introduced me to a boy named Thomas who had a severe brain tumor resulting from an aggressive cancer which is probably the hardest thing I’ve ever had to witness (I still don’t know how I kept from crying in empathy for this 7-year old boy). There was nothing they could do by that point than comfort him; unfortunately, a month or so later, I received notice that Thomas had passed away shortly thereafter. I figure at least he is not suffering anymore, which I am more than thankful for.

One morning, Jeremiah took me to mass at the local Pentecost Church, and I was treated like a celebrity (just about every head turned when we entered, even though we were a few minutes late; we were requested to sit at the front). That week a local couple had just purchased a car – the first in the entire village – so you can imagine how big of a deal that was. Everyone was excited and proud, especially since it was a gift they intended to share with the entire community. Jeremiah encouraged me to introduce myself in front of them all – some 600 people – in their native tongue no less. Talk about embarrassing! I was blushing and surprisingly nervous, which is odd considering I have such an outgoing personality, but after pulling it off, I spent the following hours individually greeting and hugging about 70 people. The thing is, Rwandans spend half their day making small talk, and happily at that! It’s almost considered rude if you don’t stop and say hello, so I made the most of this cultural norm, and in doing so, I found more joy in it than I have in any of my previous travels. My personal opinion: they even put Fijians to shame (and that’s saying a lot).

 The rest of my time in Banda was spent doing a variety of things there. I was able to play soccer with a group of kids one afternoon, helped Mamma Sophia prepare sosoma for malnourished children, and even taught the students a song and how to play Red Rover on the grassy field. I also taught the teachers some basic English and geography one morning, which made me wish I were able to stay longer as that seemed to have made the most impact. The teachers were eager to learn, and given the opportunity, would have excelled rapidly – there’s no doubt in my mind.

The other Americans that I came across were slim to none. Jeremiah and I went on a hike with an English woman named Natasha who was visiting the week before I’d arrived but left on my second day. Natasha was looking to get into humanitarian work and had set up some interviews back in Kigali with female genocide victims. There were also two Peace Corps volunteers there – Sarah and Jarod – who had completed a drinking water project for the elementary school that was funded by Kageno. It had four classrooms with approximately 80 students in each. Sarah and Jarod had also painted a map outside in the hallway so the kids could familiarize themselves with Africa’s geography. There were other sustainable projects in the works too: soap making, briquettes created from recycling natural fibers for cooking purposes, scheduled immunization days at the hospital, etc. Sarah and Jarod had months ahead there still, and I was undeniably jealous (even more so because of their of their fluency in Kinyarwanda; if only I had an infinite amount of vacation time to spare…)

I will never forget the kindness of the staff both at headquarters with giving me detailed directions and putting me in touch with ground operations there, but also the faces in the field who inspired me with love and encouragement. I even ran out of money as I was leaving (long story), but the Kageno staff lent me what I needed to return home safely. I felt horrible having to ask them for anything, and paid them back the moment I got home, but the point is – they got me out of a bind. I wouldn’t put my faith in a better organization. They know what they’re doing, their work has proven successful, and the best part is, they’re creating an entirely new image for their country while doing it. Having seen the real Rwanda with my own two eyes and felt its compassion with my own soul, I can’t help but want to go back, and this time, with a completely new perception of what it means to be Rwandan.

Cash cows

Less than one year ago, Kageno Rwanda had one, single cow to its name.  It was a pregnant cow no less, but many thought the calf would never come.  We're very proud to announce that we now have 5 cows, 3 of which are pregnant, 1 more en route to the village and 2 more promised cows on their way very soon. 

The term "cash cow" has a whole new meaning in a village like Banda.  Dairy cows are an incredibly rich resource. Their milk is incorporated into the feeding program at our nursery school, further fortifying the sosoma the children receive.  We're also starting this year off with a new bio-gas program that will ensure the cows waste doesn't go to waste.  Instead, we'll use it as an energy source and to enrich the soil that grows crops for the feeding program and beyond. 

Click here to watch a fun video by Levi, Jeremiah and Japhet introducing us to the first cow in Banda and her little calf.

A more (eco-)friendly fuel

If you've read the K-blog before, you know that we are big fans of briquettes.  In a community like Banda, which is surrounded by one of Africa's richest forests, or on an island like Rusinga, which suffered from deforestation, briquettes are an eco-friendly solution to the need for fuel/firewood. 

Thanks to our partners at Table for Two and Oisix, a new kitchen will be added to the Kageno program in Banda in the coming months, and this structure will be equipped with briquette-ready stoves.  Briquettes are an excellent fuel-alternative because they use waste materials like trash or paper, compressed and dried, to burn in the place of firewood.  Briquettes create less smoke and some more advanced stoves only emit small amounts of steam.  They are not only a more environmentally-friendly source of fuel, but they are more efficient.

Click here to see a quick video update on our briquettes in Banda.

As Kageno's kitchen and feeding program make the transition to briquettes full-time, we'll host workshops for the community to teach them how they can convert their stoves to better support briquettes.  We'll also sell briquettes at a low cost to promote a more wide-spread use of this fuel alternative.

Click here to watch the video below to see what kinds of stoves some other communities in Rwanda are developing to integrate briquettes.

 

 

Testing, testing, 1 - 2 - 3

Last summer, our awesome health team appealed to the government for permission to add a laboratory in Banda.  After some convincing, they approved our proposal to convert one of Kageno's clinic intake rooms into a working laboratory. 

This is a very important upgrade for the clinic and the larger community, because now standard tests can be performed in Banda. Before this, villagers were required to walk 3 hours to the nearest health clinic in Rangiro, only to have to return to Banda for treatment. Kageno, and our outstanding nurse, Jeremiah, will be better able to serve the immediate needs of the community.

The laboratory isn't ready just yet, but Levi and Jeremiah (along with our newest employee, Japhet) sent a short video below to give us a tour of the preliminary facilities. 

Click here to view the video tour!

Then and Now: Look how far we've come -- Banda edition

Every once and a while it's fun to reflect on how far we've come.  When we pause to remember what Banda Village looked like before Kageno began working with the community, we see the progress we've made together and the beauty in tackling the difficult challenges of development work abroad. Thank you for making this possible. We're excited for a new year and plenty of new strides in Banda. 

Banda Town, early 2000's

A brighter Banda -- today

School is now in session

Each year, our awesome Peace Corps Volunteers, Sarah and Jarod, write about the start of a new school year.  It's an exciting time for Kageno as it means at least 150 new students who begin at the SL Nursery School.  Like those who've come before them, they'll receive a warm meal every day, take sanitation lessons, receive health care, and learn everything from English to Art.  This year, the 3rd they've seen, seems to be one of the best starts yet. 

After only one week, the two new classes are already warming up to the new environment and their teachers. By day four, there was no crying -- last year this took two weeks! Enjoy a few pictures below of the kids playing games and getting to know the Kageno nursery school.

Duck, duck ... goose!

How many kids on one see-saw?

Introducing (drum roll please!)

We're very happy to introduce the entire Kageno family to our newest employee addition, Mr. Japhet Harerimana.  Japhet joins us as our Community Programs Director in Banda Village, and we're lucky to have someone with such impressive experience.  

As Head Master in a secondary school in Kibogora, Japhet not only taught his own classes and helped manage the school, he also spearheaded plenty of important extra-curricular initiatives.  He served as the supervisor for the Anti-HIV/AIDS club as well as sanitation and environment-focused clubs.  He is the District Trainer of English in Schools for the Southern and Western Provinces of Rwanda and has worked with the Why Wait Program which combats HIV/AIDS. 

Japhet has only been on the job for one week and he's already begun to make real progress. He is designing new ideas for the nursery school that will improve efficiency of the school and help create tangible growth among the students.  He's also picking up new general English classes for the community to ensure more community members have access to English in 2012. 

We look forward to keeping you updated on the great strides Japhet will make with Kageno. In the meantime, please join us in welcoming him to the family.

World AIDS Day 2.0 -- Banda style

Back in December we reported on a three-day extravaganza on Rusinga Island that celebrated the progress communities like Rusinga have made against HIV/AIDS and to educate the community on the epidemic.  Our hard-working staff in Rwanda didn't let WAD pass without a similar celebration in Banda Village.  Kageno's community center welcomed more than 500 villagers for a seminar by our nurse, Jeremiah, on HIV/AIDS and a full day of creative performances. 

Other presenters included testimonies from HIV positive individuals, a poem by a young girl on the plague of HIV, songs sung by Banda's Anti-AIDS group, and various skits related to HIV/AIDS contraction, treatment and prevention. Village leaders also spoke to the crowd on the importance of WAD.

We'd say this was an all around success that helped educate the community and celebrate its health and well-being. 

Jeremiah's lesson on HIV/AIDS

The best kind of actors: those that entertain and educate!

Scene from a skit performed

Straight from Rwanda: Grey Matter at the MoMA

We rarely get the opportunity to enjoy arts from Africa, but this month the MoMA is screening a film from and about Rwanda. Matière Grise, or Grey Matter is the first feature film by Kivu Ruhorahoza and it's shot in Kigali, in Kinyarwanda, with English subtitles. This film chronicles a young filmmakers's attempt to make his own film about a brother and sister grappling with the aftermath of the genocide even after his funding falls through. 

Grey Matter was selected as part as the MoMA's Global Lens 2012 Film Series, which selects the best films from around the world to participate in a touring exhibition. We're thrilled to see a Rwandan film in the series that can showcase the creativity and arts from this country.

The film will be showing once a day from January 19 - 25th so don't miss out! More information on the film and screenings can be found here. Watch the trailer below:

 

New year, new additions to the Kageno family

The start of every year feels like a new beginning.  This year, we have reason to celebrate the new year with the addition of four cows to the Kageno Rwanda project.  Last summer, our partner, Table for Two, came from Japan with Grazia magazine to cover the progress we've made on the ground. Motivated by the hard-working exmployees and spirit of the community, the photographer on the trip, Roland Kirishima, vowed to bring cows to Banda.  Roland brought his story and the images he captured back to Japan and started fundraising to keep his promise.  A few months later, his goal was realized and four cows are joining the project. 

Livestock -- especially dairy cows -- represent a valuable commodity in a village like Banda.  And we aren't the only ones who think so. In 2008, President Kagame instituted a new policy, One Cow Per Family, an intiative that aimed to give a dairy cow to approximately the 250,000 porrest families.

The milk from these cows is a resource that is not only rare, but one that can help bring important nutrients to a malnourished youth. We've blogged before about the benefits of "amata", but the reality is that cows provide another vital resource for a largely farming-based community: manure. While it might sound, well, unappealing, the reality is that cow manure helps enrich the soil and increase crop yields. Composted manure is a natural, free fertilizer -- i.e. a cost-effiective and organic means to increase output. 

And manure doesn't stop there.  Through anaerobic digestion, a process in which microorganisms breakdown the manure and convert it to gas in the absence of oxygen, manure is converted from waste to renwable energy. The resulting gas can be used immediately for cooking, heating and other sources of power. Banda is, for now, a village without electricity, and so the ability to convert manure into an energy source will prove invaluable. This year, we hope to begin this process and help the community do the same. In the meantime, meet the animals who will make this all possible below:

 

 

In 2011, we're thankful for all of you!

There's no doubt that Kageno's success is in a large part due to the sustained support of so many creative and dedicated volunteers.  After all, we're almost entirely volunteer-based, and every year we pool our resources and enthusiasm to help fight poverty in Kenya and Rwanda. 

A perfect example of our volunteers in action can be seen here on The Delicate Pen's blog.  Since the beginning, The Delicate Pen and Jane Labanz have generously given time, talent and beautiful calligraphy to Kageno.  Read more about her hard work, and see just how Jane brings our giving tree to life at every Harambee gala, after the link.

To Jane and all of our invaluable volunteers, thank you for your hard work in 2011.  We're looking forward to an even more productive year in 2012!

 

 

Rusinga Aims for Zero

That's zero people with HIV or AIDS, of course.  While this goal might be ambitious, Kageno and our partners on Rusinga Island started now by sponsoring a three day extravaganza for World AIDS Day.  This might be a terrible epidemic and a seemingly endless battle, but this year, our partners celebrated awareness, prevention and healthy living.  The theme was "Getting to Zero" -- a positive target in light of the struggle to properly address and fund the prevention of AIDS.

Rusinga Island was bustling with almost 1,250 attendees each day of the festivities, which coincided with the National AIDS Control body (NASCOP) who was using the events to target couples. Together with Kageno, we were able to mobilize. Alongside the International Medical Corps, 79 couples were tested for AIDS and 103 children were also tested. 

The event and resources were all-encompassing: The Impact Research & Development Organisation also had a mobilization unit with a vehicle used to shuttle young men and boys who needed circumcision to their facilities in Mbita. Medical circumcision is proven to help prevent the contraction of HIV and AIDS. More than 40 circumcisions were performed.

Apart from these important medical services, we celebrated the progress we have made with everything from football, volleyball and netball tournaments, to poem recitals, bicycle racing and tug-of-war. Despite the struggle that AIDS presents to so many communities like Rusinga, we used this important day to celebrate life and a brighter future.  

World AIDS Day: A celebration and a reminder

Today is World AIDS Day and Kageno has exciting events happening in both Kenya and Rwanda. We're trying to spread awareness, celebrate the progress we have made, and encourage more people to get tested. We'll give you a full rundown of our festivities very soon, but in the meantime, we want to take today to give attention and concern to the problem of HIV and AIDS.  

The reality is that even with all the hard work we do we can't ignore this epidemic and we should continue to support endeavors to fight it.  In Kageno's own malnourished feeding program, we recently tested 35 kids and 7 were HIV positive. This was a grave reminder that even in a country like Rwanda, whose statistic are considerably more promising than other African nations, this is still a problem. We're thankful to our donors and partnerships with Table For Two that we're able to add these children to our feeding program in hopes of giving them nourishment they need in light of this.

Please read/listen to NPR who today brought like to the struggles of organizations fighting for funding to fight AIDS:

What a Lack of AIDS Funding Could Mean for Africa

Schalk van Zuydam/AP