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Here in Kenya there is no free education although term fees are fairly reasonable, though all kids must wear a school uniform even for primary school. Our caretaker of the apartments, ...he has a child of about age 12 years. Last week he was telling Virginia how he couldn't afford to pay the school fees for this term. He gets paid about $150 a month, and school fees are about half that for a term ($75), so not easy especially soon after christmas. Virginia gave him about $15 for exercise books, and yesterday I gave him $75 for the school fees (3mths - first term). It is nice knowing that such a small amount of money can make a big difference to a child. I'm near the end of reading a book this week, written by the President of Liberia in western Africa. She says when she talks to children in her country and asks what they want, she always gets the same answer: We want to go to school.
Not all children here in Kenya get education, and our maid who comes in twice weekly to help, has children that need uniforms and school fees paid. We are looking for donors. Maybe you can help put us in touch with people that can give a little, and watch these children grow and be educated? I and Virginia will send you more information to pass on to others. There are many people helping in Kenya and abroad, that too devote a large portion of their time to helping the young.
Down-stairs apartment is a man from Switzerland (a retired school teacher) who has spent 30 years helping mainly orphaned children, and many of them have gone on to take leading roles in major comapanies (Kenya Airways, etc) and done very well thanks to donor help with education during their growing years (many sponsors and donors in Switzerland have all provided a little each and helped provide huge help for the children).
Most of my focus has been on looking after my business, my employees and my family.
Helping others and seeing the rewards compares easy, and seeing and hearing about the growths in the children is ...
We enjoy reading about the growths in the children, many we have never met, however we can monitor and see the changes in the children we are helping.
The children are extremely grateful and common in African sciety is the extended family. Even orphaned children have Mummies and Daddies (obviously most usually not their own Mums and Dads, but they have realatives and friends to help, and people they see as their Mum's and Dad's, helping them towards a better future.
24 October
Good here, been up the coast 100 km this weekend and stayed at a lovely hotel last night (Saturday) with huge swimming pool, ...swim last night and again this morning... lovely here in Kenya. (not a single night of the year you cannot swim either at the sea or swimming pools 365 days of the year).
6 October
Visited Haller Park today, and saw lots of monkeys which we fed with a huge bag of bananas we got for a £1 on the way ...saw large number of crocodiles (about 15 in one single pond with island in the middle), and snakes (not sure if i've ever seen a live snake before, but saw lots in glassed enclosures today), and one from the coast that was thicker than your arms width and about 3 metres length, plus heaps from other parts of Kenya, many of similar size.
Haller Park is only 1/4 mile from here as the crow flys (and entrance less than 1/2 mile). It was great wandering around in a tropical forest, and not too different to the semi-tropical forests in NZ, with very similar humidity and only slightly higher temperatures. http://www.hallerpark.com
Must go to Haller Park here in Nyali more often cos only got to explore a very small part of the park today and there is a huge area occupied by the elephants that you can walk through if you have half a day.
Seen about 15 crocodiles today... and more monkeys, and I'm sure I recognised a couple of faces from troops that have recently visited outside the office.
Saw tortises for the first time in my life, ...they have been around a long time and trust humans, but also have a hard shell to crawl into when someone, or another animal is a potential threat to them, so they usually live for more than 150 years.
10 October
Another great day for Kenya at the Commonwealth Games with all three Kenyans in the mens 800m getting medals. Apparently the team are always communicating in sign-language and towards the end (on the long races) up the pace and make the other participants tired, then all sprint forward as a team.
9 October
Watching lots of Commonwealth Games. Saw some good athletics again tonight including the NZ woman that got the Silver medal, and the 10,000 metre athletics race which the two Kenyan women won Gold and Silver medals. One Kenyan runner stayed behind the pack to check everything was ok, and the other stayed near the front, but not right in front cause you get the full forward wind, and two runners from India that stayed in front initially during the main part of the race, then 3/4's into the race the Kenyans sprinted forward, and won.
Here in Kenya, the signal to start sprinting is "We have to move". Two Gold medals won by Kenyan athletes tonight, and also a Silver medal.
29 September
Kenya has a variey of climates with mountains that are very large and snow all year on some, Mount Kenya being one of them which is on the equator. Even Nairobi being high in altitude is not hot and has similar climate compared to Britain except not as wet. Many British and also people from other European countries live in Nairobi.
On the coast of Kenya it is mainly Muslem people who have ancesters that previously colonised the coast, most of them several centuries ago. Many of their ancestors came here by boat from Iran and other countries in the Arabic region and also to the south of west Asia (Arabia), the place we know today as the Middle East.
Also there are lots of people from India that have settled here from central Asia, and Europeans that have also over the centuries colonised the coastal towns here in Kenya.
Mombasa is a very multi-cultural town and is about one million people being the largest town on the East African coast. There is a huge port here in Mombasa, an oil refinery, and also a large number of other significant industries.
2 September
Travel is cheap from UK and other European destinations to Mombasa cause Kenya is very popular and hardly ever any spare seats on the planes but cause that is so, and there are three airlines operating into Mombasa from UK to Kenya and return, they all make good profits on this plane journey, and the airlines can keep their seat prices relatively low compared to other destinations of similar distance.
High quality but low cost accommodation here in Mombasa which also helps make Mombasa a very popular holiday destination, and most people come to Kenya to do a safari tour. Fantastic selection of safari parks, many of them larger than some countries, and huge number of animals to see.
Three other airlines fly into Nairobi return from UK. They are Kenya Airways, Virgin Atlantic and British Airways. To & from Mombasa/UK, it's Monarch Airlines, Thomas Cook and Thompson (plus Kenya Airways do a great package from Mombasa via Nairobi to UK, and large number of other worldwide destinations including Hong Kong and Bali). So, in total there are six different airlines operating between UK and Kenya. Three airlines fly into Nairobi and the other three direct into Mombasa.
31st August
Kenya is a lovely place, and the people here are very nice. Mombasa is situated 4 degrees south of the equator on The East Coast of Africa. Sometimes it can get a bit hot and humid at times but helpful living very close to the Indian Ocean, ...within 300 metres and get lovely sea breeze, and too see the ships passing.
Get monkeys within a few metres of the office, but do not encourage them cause if they get inside the office (which can easily happen because normally the office door to the balcony is open during the day) they could create caos, or maybe I might be able to train them to help with office tasks? I expect one day will walk into the office after being on lunch break and find a monkey sitting in my chair.
Down the road don't mind feeding the monkeys, and often meet a group while walking back from the local shopping centre and feed them some bananas which they love.
Nyali is a lovely part of Mombasa located on the North Coast outside the main town of Mombasa, and beside the Indian Ocean. It has a nice shopping centre, and many huge hotels, most located on the beach front.
28th August
A day later everything is fine. No problems, with everyone enjoying themselves and feeling very positive about the future for Kenya.
27 August
Special today cause Kenya signed the new constitution. Kenya is changing.
Mobile phones and internet has made a big difference recently too.
The new internet deep sea cable was installed along the east coast of Africa and connection to Kenya completed in July providing much more reliable and faster internet.
Mobile phone companies have halved their prices in the previous couple of weeks in a highly publicised competative struggle to get the 50% of Kenyans that don't own mobiles, and others shifting mobile phone providers.
Nice to see Kenya coming together after the bitter civil war that developed in November 2007 after the previous elections. I've often wondered previous weeks 'when did Kenya start to change?' ...well, I suppose the answer is after the November 2007 fighting cause from then on things could only get better.
Today is the biggest change in Kenya's history, with maybe the exception of independence in 1964 (which they had before the Brits arrived century earlier and colonised the country, but if they hadn't the Germans or French would of arrived and colonised Kenya). The British did a lot of good in Kenya, and spent a huge amount of money and resources putting a train line in from Mombasa to Uganda, and numerous other projects to help Kenya and neighbouring countries.
Things have changed alot recently and Kenya has a son who is president of USA which they are very proud, and Barack Obama has been very helpful recently giving the people here in Kenya advice, and asking them to please stop fighting and come together as one nation. Today has been a National Holiday, and like many people here in Kenya I watched todays ceremonies on TV.
Tonight there are many large gatherings... everyone enjoying themselves, and feeling very positive about the future of Kenya...'it's like Kenya is finaly starting to stand on its own feet', and making sure through the constitution, problems that occured after the previous national election don't happen again, providing greater human rights and freedoms, and making a democratic country closer to those in the western world.
There will always be lots of poverty in Kenya, and many people choose or are forced into living a rural existence very prone to droughts, and in areas of large unemployment with low wage rates, ...but Kenya is the 3rd richest country in Africa, and there is no shortage of wealth in this country. Despite being the worlds largest producer of coffee, tourism provides the greatest revenue from overseas and along the coast here, there are many huge hotels, more beautiful than anything I've seen in other countries.
Mombasa was voted most popular tourist destination in Africa earlier this year. We often spend time down the beach and buy fish from the local fisherman when we are there at the right tides. The beaches here in Kenya are marvellous, and we will usually have lunch at one of the beach-side hotels if about midday, and for relatively low price we can get fantastic food.
9 June 2010
Digital television broadcasting started in Kenya tonight. Kenya is moving into the future cause the whole world is moving forward and they don't want to be left behind.
Television was started in Kenya in 1962. Tonight Kenya enters the digital television age, and moves forward into the future.
Kenya reckons they now have what BBC and SKY have, although aware of their technical abilities, know and want to use the opportunity to pass good KCB programmes that can reach as many people as possible here in Kenya, and reach people the same way BBC does in UK.
Technology is changing this country, and Kenya is embacing technolgy that helps Kenya to move forward.
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