Food for the Hungry/UK
Registered Charity 328273

Nkunga Community Development - Visit of Doug & Jackie Wakeling, June 2007

	The small building to the right is the rabbit hutch and chicken coup, providing food, training opportunities and income generation at the school. The building to the left of this contains the nursery school which is also used as a venue for meetings of parents, stakeholders etc.
	The school classrooms run from the headmaster's study in the foreground.
	Visiting a small farmer with sorghum growing in the background. From the left is Jackie, Charles (leader of the adult literacy class and of the informal school), the farmer, Doug, Pastor Silas Kinoti (Methodist Minister and chairman of the Stakeholders Group), Francis Maitethia (Headmaster and secretary of the Stakeholders Group), Rosemary (FH Field Staff).
	With Rosemary. She is a lovely lady with a beautiful relationship with the children and community members. She was formerly a teacher at the school, but everyone feels she is doing an even more valuable job now.
	The Meru Town rubbish dump, which is located in Nkunga. This was formerly a filthy pace where children would scavenge and play. Now it is securely fenced off and clean. Rubbish is burned so there is some smoke, but this is far preferable to the flies that formerly brought disease to the village.
	Pastor Silas Kinoti and Charles at the Sacred Lake. This area is frequented by wild animals, so the water is not good for drinking. Villagers have to walk to the far side of the lake to collect clean water from a spring. It is on this path where women and children are vulnerable to attack and rape.
	The Headmaster at the lake.
	Violet Ruria. She is the Manager of the Child Development Programme for FH in Kenya, which includes the Nkunga project. She is normally based in Marsabit in the north of Kenya, where most of FH work is centred. We very much enjoyed our time with her and feel she is a great asset to the work.
	Rosemary
	Grade 8 pupils reciting a poem to us about how life has changed since FH started working in the village. The headmaster pointed out the children in different coloured uniforms. This is because they have joined Nkunga Primary School from another school in the area because of its improved standards.
	The teachers. The Deputy Headmaster was absent, accompanying one child who was competing in a national athletics event. There are 8 grades plus nursery, but only 7 teachers. Some schools are able to raise their own funds to pay for additional teachers, but Nkunga Primary School is not yet in such a position.
	Members of the Stakeholders Group.
	Each of us was asked to plant a tree, either an orange tree or a papaya. There is a strong emphasis on planting productive trees in the village.
	We were introduced to the Toggenburg Billygoat. He is responsible for improving the stock of goats in the community, thus providing more milk and better meat. He is cared for by Daniel, the man crouching down in the photo, who is also a member of the stakeholders group. All goats are kept in pens with fodder brought to them; otherwise they would eat the crops! The billygoat is exchanged periodically to prevent inbreeding.