We are pleased to share our first e-newsletter and to update you on the activities of the Jubilee Village Project. The heavy rains season is upon Kenya right now, so in addition to the farmers being very busy, the pangs of hunger and famine are at their highest until the next harvest comes.
Blessings to you all,
Ned Campbell
Jubilee Village Project
BUV Makes it Through Somali Pirates 
The Basic Utility Vehicle (BUV) has landed in Mombassa and is on its way to Nairobi. Please pray the BUV and the 42,000 pounds of other goods on the sea container destined to Kager clears Customs and makes the final leg from Nairobi to Kager without incident and without loss. We are grateful to our mission partners at Institute for Affordable Transporation, LESEA/Feed The Hungry, FAME, CMF International, Hospital Sisters Mission Outreach and East 91st Street Christian Church for making the sea container shipment possible. | |
JOY Kitchens - Upesi Stoves 
The Upesi Jiko improved stoves are one of the five improved Household solutions of the JOY Kitchens Initiative. It is the goal of the Jubilee Village Project to help deploy all five of these solutions in 100% of the homes in Kager village within a three year period. These five soutions include:
- Upesi Jiko improved stove
- Household water purifier
- Solar lantern
- Home canning
- Smoke hood / chimney
JVP has been able to provide improved stoves (Upesi Jiko) to the first 16 women in the village. This was done to bring awareness on best energy conserving stoves, the results of this distribution and donation of improved stoves has had great results. Two weeks after distributing these Improved Stoves, these are some of the feed backs from the women:
- The Stove preserves heat even after fires is put off. This was observed when one woman had her food on the Stove and decided to go to bed leaving her food half cooked, so that she cook it fully the next day. When she woke up, she found her food fully cooked.
- The Stove use less than half the fuel as compared to traditional stoves. It also burns more steadily with less smoke compared to traditional stove.
- The Stove is portable makes it advantageous to those who do not have constructed kitchen, as they can easily move them to a sheltered place and cook.
- It serves well with the most cooking pots, as compared with the three stone stove where you have to adjust based on the size of cooking pan one in using.
The women all agreed that transformation has taken place in their homes. The news has spread all over and we are overwhelmed with requests of those who want the stoves. The transformation with these has taken centre stage and has now exposed the real needs and problems faced by many women in Kager Village. JVP has also began its bi-weekly program of meeting with the Joy Kitchen women on Bible Study, educational programs on nutrition, hygiene, HIV/AIDS, food canning and others. |
Model Farms Progressing
Here is a short report from David Kayando on the progress of the four model farms that were started in March 2009:
"I truly believe at this point, the mission of JVP is taking course. The work with the Model Farms is going great, and even this morning I walked through three of these farms. From my observation, George and John are doing quite well and they have assured me that they expect very good harvests. Charles' farm is also very good and quite encouraging. The work has stirred many people and there should be not doubt, as JVP we should think of how best to roll a program for the whole village, come the next season of farming.
John has began his horticulture farm, and the vegetables and tomatoes are already planted. Crops like beans are quite healthy and he attibutes this to use of insecticides to control infections.
I have also seen Charles' farm of Butternuts, and he expects this to grow and spread to cover the whole farm in a few week's time. They are already sprayed with insecticides and look very good. Talking to three farmers, they are keen to say, this program has motivated them and the other people in Kager, and they are optimistic that in the next planting season, the plan should aim much higher.
I also felt encouraged from this statements, as they all recognize the work being done and their faces showing life and joy. A statement from Charles' when he gave me two big pinneaples from his farm was, "David, I feel indebted to you to give you this, since through you, JVP has helped me have food for my family".
PRAISE THE LORD! | |
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Village Electricity Project
Our fundraising for bringing electricity to the entire village of Kager is underway. Our goals is to raise $30,000 which will allow for the installation of a Phase 3 transformeer for the entire village. It wil also fund the wiring of the village medical clinic, a a local church and a new JVP community centre.
E-mail Ned Campbell at ned.jubilee@
comcast.net to join the cause! |
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