Letter from Dr. K

Here is a letter from Dr, Karambu that I wanted to share with you as I think it speaks to the leadership, heart and commitment that we hope to nurture and grow and the tremendous possibility it has! Hi Lisa, Thank you for your mail and understanding. I feel peaceful reading your email. And yes, it has been a constant reminder that this thing i started is no longer mine alone - i really love the way it has evolved and the way it has brought many together. That is the goal of this work - creating global partnerships that help us communicate better across cultural divides. Imagine Lisa-IPI has partners virtually in all continents of the World except South America - that is phenomenal!!! And this is just the beginning. So, i honor and thank you for 'BEING' with us and being part of this wonderful work. Like i always say, "IPI is not about building buildings, it is about building community." The buildings are part of that community building - and in the process there is transformation at all levels - intra and interpersonal; intra and intercultural; intra and intercommunity - across the world. In our endeavor to create better communication, we bring this vision and intention to life. It is an intention that comes to 'BE' when we recognize, each one of us, our intricate dance with our humanity. Always being present to our responsibility and roles, and always being present to our limitations. I like the idea of how RACH is beginning - with a vision and intention: a plan. It is an exciting model and I see it transforming things at many levels - and i see it being a more solid project. KACH is beautiful - and it has the greatest 'spirit' in it. You will ove it when you come next year - i am looking forward to that - very much. Blessings and Peace!!! Love, Dr. K

Grown in Detroit

Grown in Detroit ....love this! an amazing initiative transforming how we live and what is possible.....let's get growing!!!

Meru Bound

Heading back to Kenya for a quick trip, before the ski season is in full effect.

This is our last chance to catch up with everyone in Meru and see how everything is going. Purpose of the trip:

-See how the dining hall will be added to the kitchen

-Plan for a half basket ball court. (Oakley eyewear's Christmas present to the kids!!)

-Set up an AI bank account in Meru.

-See if anything else has come up that we need to plan ahead for. New needs.

-Talk to the local workers about their coffee fields/personal development.

-Measure and take photographic survey of the gardens and assessment of what has been accomplished so far.

-Last but not least; we'd promised the kids we'd show up for a quick visit before winter hits! ..and we've been missing them a ton! They just got done a school semester and are all back at KACH..

Thanksgiving " Board meeting"

JP, Lisa and Mikey's brother Brock apre ski.....All of us got together over thanksgiving to discuss next steps for the upcoming year! We hadn't all been together since June.... there were long nights of planning and fun days on Vail's few runs!!

KACH Gardens

Below is an update and some photos from Karamana...looks like all is going well on the newly acquired 2 acres! these gardens will provide food for all the kids at KACH as well as be sold to the local community. So exciting!

"Hello, Here are some pictures of the farm blocks on the other side of kach. Kids are giving a hand on a saturday when they are out of school. Crops are very green and healthy now that the rains came. This week we have a tree planting day in the forest. I am on my way to hear about the plans, I will get to you soon. Lots of Love from Karamana."

TRUCK FARM

Check this out!!!! if you don't have room for a veggie garden you can look into this option! i love that they use green roof components ( especially my friend paul's gaia soil), amazing resourcefulness, and brilliant documentation of what is possible just when it looks there are no options! get gardening!

TRUCK FARM - Episode 1 from Wicked Delicate Films on Vimeo.

TRUCK FARM - Episode 2 from Wicked Delicate Films on Vimeo.

Toronto! Cities Alive!

Hello,

JP and I met in toronto mid october and it has been a flurry of activity ever since... we went over all that has happened in 2009 and where we are headed for 2010. There was no shortage of ideas and direction for AI... so stay tuned

After JP left I headed to the cities alive conference and had a close look at some of toronto's beautiful green roofs! There is alot happening in the world of green roofs and cities alive was the place to be. There were delegates from all over the planet: germany, the Netherlands, France, China, Chile and Brazil. There were tons of unique projects from green walls in subway stations to clean air in Santiago, to forest rooftops in Singapore. there was also some definitve research showing that green roofs reduce annual temperatures in cities by 1-5 degrees ( i know that doesn't sound like alot but it is a big accomplishment as it that much of a difference which is raising our oceans and melting our ice caps! so here is to green roofs! and aren't they pretty!

Architecture for Humanity: Cameron sinclair

Open source architecture that is changing the world.... It is amazing how easy and possible it is for all of us to make a huge difference quickly!

Confession's of a Radical Industrialist

Here is an excerpt from Ray Anderson, a keynote at the West

Coast Green Conference I attended at the beginning of October.

He has a very interesting point of view and has changed

the face of how we look at Industrialism and big business.

Good Stuff!

Karamana's Letters

Seems as all is going well with KACH and the gardens.... Here are a few excerpts from Karamana's recent letters

October 2nd, 2009

"Hello Hi Lisa how are you? we are all fine here in meru,kach is doing really well The gardens are doing good we use the vegetables from the gardens most of the times. The onions are very good and have an amazing taste in the food . Several Blocks have been prepared on the other farm and the children help over the weekends. Simion and benard have done a good job.They instruct the children while working on the blocks.Am sure youll be amazed when you see the pictures.The Gate is now fixed ,there is a beautiful round about with a path leading to the kitchen and to the animal shed. About the Permaculture conference i would really love to be apart of it.this will enable us get very good information on how to bring the change we are advocating to our community. i have been sharing the idea of bringing nature back to nature ,with several groups.The biggest challenge is there interest to come and see our gardens. We were hoping to see you in nov. but since things have changed we undestand and we will keep doing the work here at our level best. we wish you all the best and thank you for each and everything.Thank you so much for the books you sent us.there is one that is really helpfull(herbal body care business)when i finish reading i will tell you more about it.asante sana..... regards to all your friends... peace and love karamana." October 6th, 2009

"Hello Lisa, How are you? It is my prayer that you are doing well. I am writing to thank you very much for the organic gardens which provide vegetables for the kitchen. There were 3 malnutritioned children who came to kach. The vegetables from the gardens have done a transformation in their health. Asante sana. We are expecting the rains any time from now. I will grow bushes of Rosemary. Simon and Bernard have really changed the face of the other farm. The blocks already have vegetables and the kids were working on others on Saturday. Will forward pictures soon. Pass our warm greetings to all. Peace/Love Karamana."

SEEDS WORKSHOP

Here are a few shots of the seed workshop by the Organic Seed Alliance at Abbondanza Farm. I will be taking over several varieties for testing in November!!!

Bikes and bikes part 2.

Since we've been staying at KACH, we don't make the commute from Makutano to Kithoka on our bikes.  We've been enjoying the time we get to spend with the "fortunate" few who moved into KACH but in the last few days.  I've been thinking a lot about Makutano's main intersection kids, the ones who still sleep on the street every night.  A lot of people have given up on chokoras because they are "too hard to rehabilitate".  To be honest, I know I don't have what it takes to truly help them myself.. or is it courage I'm lacking?

We've heard about how a lots of them escape homes like KACH to go back to the streets... too addicted to glue or simply unable to integrate with other kids their age.  In the street, they have their own world, their own rules, I assume they find some level of comfort there.

Lisa talked to Simon (who looks after the garden at KACH) about starting gardens in Makutano, where the street kids would work and eat from.  Everyone is exited about the idea but more thinking needs to be done before it becomes reality.

Funny how our encounters with the chokoras was the part we dreaded most about our bike ride home.  By the end of the trip, it was the part we were looking forward to.  As we approached the main intersection, we'd wait to see little barefoot people running out of alleys, screaming "Mike!  ..JP!".  We'd nod and invite them to follow us if we had food, a couple would jump on our bike racks, we would  go around the corner and pull over at the next gas station's parking lot, step back while they eat, share food with each other, fight a bit, yell a bit, throw rocks at bigger kids coming to steal from them...  Watching them eat was like watching the animal channel.  But once the food was all gone, there was no more reason for them to hurry or to be on their guards.  That's when we could enjoy a bit of time with them, learn a few more swahili words, learn about where they are from, how they got there, share smiles and laughs..  (they always got a kick out of our ki-swahili and ki-meru lines, and how hairy our legs are...!)

Statistics say that by the time they are 20, most of these kids will be dangerous criminals.  Desperate to belong, kids who are left on their own are more prone to be  pulled in the wrong direction.  As I'm about to go back to Canada, I can't help wondering what will happen to Kevin, Lino, Patrick, Emmanuel, Bundy, Tony, Francis and the rest of the crew we met this year..  When will I find the courage do something about it..?

Tina.

Tina Fleishman is a psychologist from Vail.  She came in just a few days ago to spend some time with the kids.  Some of the things she will discuss with them are peace, group dynamics, the concept of family, cooperation, character education and values.  It's so great to have her around.

Smiles

We keep telling ourselves that, even though we came here to work for the children, we don't need to be able to see them or have any kind of interaction with them..  We like to think that we can be self-less enough to just do our work without meeting with the people it will affect.  But the truth is, all these thoughts go out the window the moment we get to see the kids or the people who will be working at KACH.  I can't explain how happy it makes me when I see them smile.  Today we put work aside to go play with everyone and enjoy some of these smiles.  That's our real pay off.  If I had to, I would do 10 times the amount of work I did here just to see one of these smiles.

Anyone who helped along the way, These pictures are dedicated to you,

Enjoy.

Clinic.

We took the kids to a free medical clinic set up by the Kenya Red Cross.  They are in fairly good shape, some we showing signs of malnutrition, most of them got de-warmer medication and they all handled going to the doc like champs!

When we got back home it was arts and crafts time..