Went for a Visit to the Hospital

I went to visit mom at the hospital Monday. It is a statutory holiday here so it was rather quiet around the town. I will post photos of the city later.

A view of the City of Kamloops toward the north shore from the hospital grounds.

A view to the hospital from my walk up the hill.

A view from the hospital window. See the Kamloops River in the background.

Mom is doing well but very eager to get out of the hospital. She feels uncomfortable in there because it isn't set up for her like her apartment. At home she not only has the comfort of home, but she also has a special lift chair, and many other aids for mobility and independent living.

In the hospital room they don't even put a sheet on the bed. I have no idea why because they cover most of the mattress with pads and small blankets so they might as well put sheets down. It makes no sense. When she has asked about it they tell her the mattress is covered (which is it) and it is like having sheets on it (which is isn't).

The mattress does have some kind of fabric on it which is very slippery so it is hard for her to get comfortable as she slides around on it. Also she finds the mattress fabric irritating to her skin.

Here is a look at her leg. It had cellulitis and she has been in the hospital bed for 3 weeks waiting for it to get better. You can read more about cellulitis here

 Can you see how the dead skin has just peeled off?

Leg with cellulitis and dead skin peeling off. As you can see the leg is still very inflammed.

Her left leg used to look like this too but now there is absolutely no redness and previous wounds have healed. I think the heavy duty antibiotics she was receiving intravenously for a week really helped.
Mom is really anxious to get out of hospital. She says it is too difficult to keep the leg from getting reinjured in there when they insist on her having physiotherapy while there and that she do everything herself. Given all the equipment lying close by it is easy to see how the leg can be injured as it is quite fragile when red like this.
Once she gets home, (today is supposed to be discharge day), she can rest her leg.

My brother washed the carpets when he was here over the weekend. I have also been making the apartment ready by putting everything that was moved during carpet cleaning, back in place. I also washed dishes, floors and the bathroom and packed some clothes for the discharge girl. That was how I spent my statutory holiday. In my travels to and from the hospital, I saw a lot of hub=bub on the city buses. The high school students were out in full force doing last minute school shopping and hanging out with their friends sharing excitment about back to school which commences Tuesday.

Family Matters

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

I will be away visiting and helping an elderly family member for the next several weeks. I will be busy sorting, purging and packing for a move. If I find something of interest to blog about in my sorting and packing or in my visit, I will pop in again. Otherwise, I expect it may be a bit quiet for me on the blogging front for awhile.

In the meantime, I encourage you to search around my blog as there are many different subjects covered within it's almost 300 posts. If you have time please also check out Missions of Hope website and blog here.

While I am away I hope to have more time for study of God's Word and meditating on it. I've been somewhat lax in that area of late.

I hope that each of you finds something of joy and usefulness to do with your hands or your mind or both as we transition into a new season weatherwise. All the best until I read you or hear from you.

Jiko Stove Project - Phase 2, Final Installment

The second phase of the Jiko Stove Project in Rift Valley Kenya is nearing completion.  We are making stoves in the villages of Chepkurbet, Anamoi, Kapcheptoror (5 miles from Kericho Town) and Kimilot which is inside the tea estate about 20 miles from Kericho Town.

As I mentioned in  my last post here, we have not had to supervise Emily and Regina who are making the stoves.  Yet these two women have gone beyond the call of duty, making beautiful stoves and even teaching the other women how to take care of their jikos.

Now the rest of these  photos below will show you the latter phases of the work.  Some of the pictures were taken at night so they are a bit dark but they will more than give you an idea about how well this project has gone.

This is a new stove that is in the process of curing (drying and being readied for baking).

Another angle of the stove.

The majority of stoves were made in Chepkurbet for the village women there and last time I checked in, Emily and Regina were on their third day of stove making for the widows in Anamoi. The balance of stoves will be made in the other villages and altogether this part of the project will see 35 stoves completed. In the first phase of the project which occurred about one and a half years ago, we were able to make 11 jiko stoves.  If you like, you can read more about that here.

A small child who will benefit from the reduced smoke emissions of this stove.

All the children in this household who will benefit from reduced smoke and reduced labour to collect firewood.

We are now able to get to more women and families with the jiko stoves. Not all of the women recipients of the stove are widows. Some of them have husbands. The thing they all have in common is that they need a new stove to help them with the environmental and health risks associated with the three stone fires they had been using. Read more about that here. For humble villagers like these to put in such a stove would be quite costly and also viewed as a luxury item.  While it might be financially doable for some it is likely at the expense or risk of not providing food and education for the children and other family members. Food is a necessity for people who often only get one meal a day and education would be considered far more valuable than a jiko stove.

Here is the mother. Just think how much better her daily cooking experience will be. Thank you God!

A fire is lit.

Another family benefits from the jiko.

A mother and her child with the new jiko.

This is an older type of jiko stove that at least one village woman had. You can see that it is an improvement over a stone fire but it is not energy efficient. Smoke and heat still escapes from the top. In a new jiko model the smoke is funnelled to the outside of the home and the stove would need less wood to keep a fire going due to energy efficiency.

I want to say one thing about the husbands also. Generally in Kenya, the men do not associate themselves so much with the concerns of the kitchen or the hardships of cooking. These areas of home life fall under the responsibility of women.  Consequently, I was very happy to hear how as a result of this project, some of the husbands are actively engaged and supportive of these new stoves and that they value them as an advantage for their wives and their households. You will see one of the husbands posing in the photos. You can see he is smiling and proud to have a new jiko stove.

One husband who so appreciates the stove for his family.

This concludes my series on Phase 2 of the Jiko Stove Project. Phase 3 will happen when I get to Kenya. You can read about that in the weeks to come.

Chepkurbet Jiko Stove Project Continues (Part 3)

Hello readers and friends,

I began telling you about the Jiko Stove Project awhile back. If you would like to read more please look here and here.

You will remember perhaps that my friend Pastor Jonah hired two local women, Emily and Regina to make the jiko stoves. These women are so passionate about making the stoves and they do it with a lot of joy and gusto. They have to be strong to make these stoves but they are also very creative and I am so pleased and happy that they have been able to help us out in making this project come to life. 

Emily and Regina are working very hard on behalf of all the women in the villages.  They have worked so tirelessly and they have worked with gusto despite not being supervised. They have also taken it upon themselves to teach the other women how to care for these stoves. It is a true pleasure to have them working on this project and to see them take on the making of the stoves as their own project. The widow woman in the top photo wearing the blue t-shirt is Mrs. Irene Songony, the recipient of this particular stove.

Here you see the two ladies pounding the soil that will ultimately become the new stove.

Here the ladies are smoothing out what will become the bottom end of the new stove.

Here is a look at one of the new stoves. See how the ladies have made some decorative edges all around. they have also created shelves at the back of the stove.

A clearer view of the stove.

Here is a close up of the stove. You can see the spaces for the firewood and also see that the stove top has two holes for cooking pots. Both holes need to be covered even if you are only using one. Chances are you need two pots to boil water. One for tea and one for cooking the food.

The Jiko Stove project continues. We have a few stoves to make in a handful of villages but most of them will be made in Chepkurbet. I pray these stoves would be a wonderful blessing to the women and their families.  I praise God we can help widows through this project. May God abundantly bless them and help all the widows we are helping so that their life can be as God intended for them.  I hope to share some final pictures with you soon and a few words about the impact of this project on the husbands, in my next and final instalment in this series on the Jiko Stove Project.

I hope you are enjoying this project as much as I've enjoyed sharing about it. Please pray for these women who are building the stoves. Pray that they would be blessed beyond measure and that the recipients of the stoves will also feel a great blessing from God.

Pure religion and undefiled before God and the Father is this, To visit the fatherless and widows in their affliction, [and] to keep himself unspotted from the world. James 1:27

Chepkurbet Jiko Project Comes to Life - Pt. 2

(Continued from part 1 which you can read here).

I tried different ways to raise funds for the Jiko Stoves Project in Kenya. First, I tried selling photos taken in Kenya. I opened an Etsy shop. I only sold one photo but I will try again later as I feel this can still be successful. I also tried to sell home made crosses on commission. You can read here about that effort. The crosses were wonderful and I did sell some. However since they aren't mine I returned the remainder to the craftsman. I used the funds raised to pay for school needs instead of jiko stoves.

From time to time I thought of other alternatives for how to bring about energy efficiencies and I did find a fireless cooker. Read about it here.  I think fireless cookers are a good thing and they are much less expensive than putting in a full stove and jiko pot.  I considered going this route instead of putting into a full stove and buying jiko but 28 households in the village were waiting to have jiko stoves like the first set of 11 women.  I also felt that a proper stove and pot would be a better investment over the long term in helping improve the lives of these village women and children.

I scour the internet a lot.  One day through Simon, one of my blogging contacts, I was encouraged to have hope that I could  really find an answer to the dilemma of the jiko stove needs.  Simon suggested I could get a mold (cast) made and the villagers could build their own stoves.  Simon also kindly provided me some information as to where to get the building plans. The challenge then became how to find the carpenter, how much to pay him and how to get the actual stoves built in the village huts because this process requires taking the mold from house to house and the houses are rather far apart.

I discussed it with my Pastor friend, Pastor Jonah and he agreed to find a carpenter. After a few weeks of  communicating with my Kenyan friend about the various ins and outs of the project and working on and tweaking the budget, I gave the "green" light to Pastor Jonah to look for a carpenter.  This wasn't as simple as it sounds. Pastor Jonah had to speak to several carpenters and show them the building plans.  Some of them would not even consider trying to follow the plans for building the mold. I could in fact understand why.  When I look at the diagrams and instructions, they seem very complicated.  I imagine that some of the village carpenters might not read very well and so could not follow the instructions. I also concluded that some of them probably have a few projects they make and limit their work to those things which they know they can sell.  I am so glad we did find someone who would take on the challenge!  He is obviously someone who is a bit more adventurous and willing to take on new things.

The first attempt at building the mold was a little rusty in that the lines of the wood were crooked.

First attempt was a little crooked

After the carpenters adjustments, the mold looks beautiful!

Two days later we had this wonderfully finished mold to make the stoves.

The next step was to get someone to make the stoves. My friend went ahead and hired two enthusiastic women in the village who are passionate about making the stoves.

Come back again soon and see the work they have accomplished. ....to be continued

Chepkurbet Jiko Project Comes to Life

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

I had to  come out from my blogging break for a short while to share some exciting and wonderful news with you. I've written before about my volunteer efforts in Kenya for the widows and orphans. One of the projects that has been on my mind for quite some time is providing all the village women in Chepkurbet with a jiko stove.  These women are from the Kalenjin tribe in the beautiful Rift Valley.  Read more about the Kalenjin people here.

This is a traditional Kalenjin hut. Usually there is a separate one for cooking.

These women and their children live in huts without running water or comforts that many women in the west have.  I wanted to help give them just a little more ease in their lives than what they have been accustomed to. It didn't seem right that I would have running water, electricity, washer and dryer and dishwasher and these woman don't have any of these things.  Beyond that I wanted to do something that would improve their quality of life in other ways.

I learned that the women traditionally make 3 stone fires. It is the cheapest stove to produce, requiring only three suitable stones of the same height on which the women can balance a cooking pot over the fire. However, this cooking method also has many problems.

Making these fires requires the women to travel far and spend hours out of each day to gather the twigs and firewood that they need.  For women alone and travelling far, there can be safety issues and threats to their security. Purchasing wood or charcoal to make the fire are options but these villagers have limited funds which must stretch to meet many other needs.

The energy use in a 3 stone fire is not very efficient as there is nothing to contain the fire.  This means more wood is burned and the women have to spend a lot more of their time to gather the wood. The more wood that is used, the worse it is for the environment because more trees are consumed and deforestation then occurs.

You can see from the photo below that the 3 stone fire is open on all sides. The cook must balance the pot on the stones and so cooking and stirring the contents of the pot can be precarious. This is very dangerous work for women and children alike and can lead to burns and scalding from both fires and hot water or hot food.

The 3 stone fires also create a lot of smoke.  The smoke creates lung and eye problems for the women and their children. The World Health Organization says that smoke that is vented into the home is responsible for the deaths of 1.6 million people worldwide every year. This is one death every 20 seconds. That is an astounding figure and a very sad situation indeed.

A 3 stone fire will only enable a woman to use one pot at a time. This means that it is inefficient for preparing tea and a meal of ugali (ugali is an East African dish made of maize flour). It will takes hours and hours as you must boil the water in separate pots for both of these things. This is also where I got the photo of the girl making ugali on a 3 stone fire in the photo above.  I could not locate my own photo.  Since my photos were taken in 2007, I went through many computer problems and virus attacks. The photo I was looking for is either damaged or on a disc somewhere in my files.

After I learned all about the cons of a 3 stone fire, I knew I had to do something for these women.  In 2008, I was helping the school children and farmers with educational and seed and fertilizer needs as well as harvesting needs. At the same time I was trying unsuccessfully to raise funds for these projects and to find safer and greener ways for the women to cook. Finally in the fall of 2008, I went ahead on my own to fund the construction of 11 new stoves/ovens for the village women. These stoves/ovens are called jiko ovens. First we build an oven like the one you see below. It is still a bit orangey in colour as it must cure (dry) before it is ready for use. Next we add a jiko pot made out of ceramic. You will see that in one of the photos below.

3 stone fire to the left of the post. new jiko stove on right

A Kenyan ceramic jiko pot is also needed.

Many organizations and individuals have been working on developing improved stoves to address the kind of issues raised in using a 3 stone fire. Of all the improved stoves, the Kenya Ceramic Jiko (KCJ) seems to be the most widely accepted and has become a standard item in many homes in Kenya and neighboring countries in East Africa.

Charcoal is the standard cooking fuel in East Africa if you have some funds to buy it or you can make it yourself. Otherwise women have to collect many twigs to start their fires.  Traditionally it was burned in a metal stove or “Jiko” as stoves are called in the Swahili language. The KCJ is simply the traditional Jiko mated to a ceramic liner, producing a stove that is at least one fourth (and up to 50%) more efficient than traditional all-metal alternative. You will often read that it only costs $2 to $5 US but I have yet to find them at that price. Although the exchange rate today is much better for the Canadian dollar than it was three years ago, Canadian money still doesn't go as far as American funds. Also, Kenya is a very expensive country with ever increasing prices.

The new stoves and jiko pots went over extremely well with the first 11 households. Over the next year and a half I received a half dozen requests as to when we were ready to continue building the stoves and ovens for the remaining village women. There are still 28 households to service.We also hope to build 5 stoves for widows in another village called Anamoi.

I racked my brain and reviewed my budget a thousand different ways to see what could be done. It was challenging due to the global recession to see how we might proceed.
 .....to be continued.

Still on my Break

Hi friends and fellow bloggers,

I am so happy the weather has cooled down considerably because it means we no longer have 400 forest fires burning in my province. Instead we have about 260 fires burning with most of them under control. Sadly, it has been a year of great forest devastation but I pray that out of the ashes will spring forth new and vibrant life.

I am not actually back to blogging but I did want to share my weekend baking. It has been so hot that I haven't been able to bake anything or feel much like cooking but I was able to bake some muffins and some one bowl bread today.

The muffins I spotted recently on Katy's Food for the Hungry Soul.  Katy always has scrumptious recipes and photos on display. Once in awhile I get to try them if the recipe looks simple enough and I have the ingredients on hand.

Recently, these French Breakfast Muffins looked so tasty and Katy described them just right so I had to try them and get them ready for breakfast.

Here is the recipe Katy used from Better Homes and Gardens.


1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon salt

1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup butter, melted

1/4 cup butter melted
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

In a mixing bowl combine flour, the 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, nutmeg, and salt. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.
 
In another bowl beat egg slightly; stir in milk and 1/3 cup melted butter. Add egg mixture to flour mixture. Stir just until moistened (the batter may be lumpy). Lightly grease muffin cups. Fill cups about two-thirds full with batter. Bake in a 350 degree F oven for 20 to 25 minutes or until muffins are golden.

Meanwhile, in a shallow bowl combine the 1/4 cup sugar and cinnamon. Immediately dip tops of hot muffins into the 1/4 cup melted butter or margarine, then into the cinnamon-sugar mixture until coated. Serve warm.

Makes 12 smaller-sized muffins.

I doubled this recipe and made larger sized muffins (18). I didn't have any nutmeg on hand so added a bit of cinnamon instead of nutmeg.  They taste very good and Katy described them just right.

I also made some one bowl bread which I have made once before. Here is a photo. You can find the recipe here.  They might look a little different. That is likely because I didn't take as much time or care to shape them this time and I added a little less flour.

Enjoy!

Taking a Blogging Break

Hey readers and friends,

I hope you are all enjoying your summer in North America or the end of your winter in other parts of the world. I do love all the various seasons we are blessed to have here in North America but the coming Fall in September is my favourite time of year.

Having said that I have been very busy this summer and have found I am not paying as much attention to the blog as I would like. I think most, if not all of you, can relate *smile.

So I am going to be taking a blogging break for awhile. I'm not quite sure how long. It might only be a week but then again it could be until the Fall. I just want to enjoy the rest of the summer and activities with friends as well as my swimming lessons and travel to family. I am not "pulling my blog" or deleting it. I have a lot I want to share but am not able to do so just now. Though I am taking a blogging break I will likely still pop in and read your blog entries. I hope you will all enjoy the rest of this season.  Happy blogging.

Houses on the Way to City Hall

Making Powdered Laundry Detergent

Hi friends,

Some of you will remember my first foray into making liquid laundry detergent. I've used about half or just under half of it so far and it is working very well. It doesn't suds at all but that doesn't affect it's cleansing properties. I've even started hanging out clothes to dry on the patio as a way of saving on electricity costs and doing my part to go green.

My mother has been having a lot of skin issues which have baffled the doctors and her skin is extremely sensitive so we thought I should make her some powdered detergent. This is the recipe I used.

Powdered Laundry Detergent:

- 2 cups Washing Soda (I get mine in the laundry section of a local food supermarket).
- 1 cup of Borax (I get this at another food supermarket which is closer to my house than where I buy the Washing Soda).
- 1 1/2 bars of Sunlight Bar Soap (If you don't have Sunlight and you are in Canada, you can use the Ivory Bar soap. In other countries, I understand people use Zote, purchased in Mexican food shops or Fels Naphta).  If none of these are available in your area, have a look on line and order that way.

The process is rather simple. You simply mix the washing soda and the borax together. I then shred the Sunlight Bar soap in my food processor and all it to the powdered mixture and shake it well to mix it evenly. If you do not have a food processor you can grate it all up with a hand grater. It will just take longer.
Now store the mixture in a jar or a plastic baggie. When you want to do your laundry you use only 2 tablespoons of this mixture.

I've never made this detergent before but it is a variation of the same recipe that many others use and post on line so I'm sure it will work quite well. I didn't do the cost calculations per load this time but I may add them  later.

Next, I will be making bar soap for washing my face and body and I hope to post about it in future. I have been scouring the local shops to find lye which is one of the key ingredients. I've found a supply but I've also read on line that the lye is of inconsistent quality. I will probably try it anyway and see for myself. Otherwise my only option would be to purchase the lye on line which will increase the cost.

Blue Houses, Blue Monday, July 26, 2010

Join in the Blue Monday fun at Smiling Sally's blog.