Hi Barb

That is a shame. Don't suppose they told you whether they would accept an application to fund the purchase of blankets instead?

I agree that it only a short-term solution but, if FOK would go for it, an immediate problem is solved which will allow the people to move on to looking for longer-term solutions i.e. ways of generating income for themselves.

Mary

Hi Everyone,

While in Kenya I was able to show Eric the type of yarn used to crochet blankets. We were actually at a market and I noticed a woman crocheting hats and purses and I said - "That's it! That's the kind of yarn used to make the blankets!" Eric was so surprised as he said this is readily available and fairly inexpensive. He said he hadn't seen blankets made of this though and didn't know you could make them.

Maybe now that we know the type of yarn needed, we can get a better estimate of the cost and look at various ways to start up this project. The rainy season will be upon Kenya again soon...

Any thoughts or ideas on how we can raise some funds for this project?

Barb

Sorry Barb,

I don't have any ideas on how to raise the money, but your post did make me smile. I am so glad that the yarn is readily available. It will make this a useful option to keep them warm at night. If they learn to make them well, they may even be able to sell some and perhaps generate some income from it as well :)

I was actually just idling past this topic as I had thought about another option for it. If they could get hold of twine or string, they could make up simple looms and weave blankets (or at least squares that could be sewn into blankets). I was not sure what they had available but if they had old rags, you could cut them into strips and use them to weave with. If you have unspun wool or fibre, you can also weave with that. Now that the yarn is available, you could use that to weave blankets also.

It is just another skill that might be useful to have.

Do they have anyone who could teach them to knit or chrochet? It is something that can be learnt from books but is MUCH easier if someone can show you how.

Maybe we may need to look at employing someone (unless we are lucky enough to find a volunteer) who could go out and teach them to knit and/or crochet.

Just like me.... suggest something that will cost more money, but no idea on how to raise the money you require! :)

Okay..... scrub the second and third last paragraphs LOL

I just actually went and read the rest of the posts in this topic and you have already mentioned that they have people who can show them how to crochet.

I should read the posts before I post :)

Hi Melissa!

I had to laugh at your last post! I do the same thing!

I think that there are multiple options for making the blankets. As you mention (and I think in another post) that old strips of fabric can be used to either crochet or weave. This is a good way to turn old unusable items to new use. There is wool and yarn and other fabrics as well. There is knitting, crocheting, weaving, sewing, etc.

I think now it is a matter of the following:

* deciding what skills are locally available
* what materials are readily available
* what techniques will be the easiest and quickest to learn and teach
* what are the associated costs

As well, we need to consider if there are materials that are freely available.

Eric, do you think when you next meet with the community you can discuss some of these items? Are there things that could be tried first that really have no cost? I gave a handful of crochet hooks to Eric when I visited so maybe there is a way to try with one or two children using these hooks and small strips of fabric tied together to make 'yarn' or sorts? If one is tried and shown to the community, maybe this will be helpful in deciding the best approach. What do you think?

Barb

Hello All,
Dear All,

It is good we are still able to discuss the blankets.As i mentioned earlier Kabondo can be very cold most of the times.The challenge of having good blankets to the children who need it most is still with us. The cold nights explain the many cases of pneumonia among children in Kabondo. Children are covered with age old blankets that are either torn in most parts or are very light from years of use. The necessary warmth children need for a sound night's sleep for comfort and general body/mind growth and development is therefore missed.A child who cannot sleep well cannot cannot develop mentally and therefore cannot perform well in school. It is a pity children are still covered with sacks in the 21st century or with blankets so worn out and torn apart they can only cover half the body at night. We call upon good samaritans to help us reach out to these children and their guardians some of whom are very old grandmothers who also need the same warmth (it is said locally that the older one grows the more they become like children).

Unfortunately, the people of Kabondo have not been used to other means of making their own blankets like the use of yarn in the western world. The know blankets are bought in markets and if you cannot afford to buy one in the local markets, you are done.The only option is to use old rags or old clothing to cover themselves until such time that blankets become available. While there are many people in the community who can knit, they have only known the knitting of sweaters but never of blankets.

So the best option is to take both options.Purchase blankets for them as we teach them the techniques to make their own in future.

Eric
Local Representative

Hi everyone!

Eric, Barb - do you have information on the costs of buying and/or making blankets, also on the numbers required? I am sure its on the site somewhere but I have looked through Resources section and can't find anything.

I don't have any instant suggestions on where the project is likely to get money from, but having a clear picture is required would be helpful.

I cannot knit (when I have tried I always get more holes than knitting...) But I would think that knitting blankets would be similar to knitting sweaters - probably easier.

Mary

Hi Mary,

Thanks for your interest in the blankets. The cost of buying one nice warm blanket at the cheapest rate that can last some years is approximately $5.However a better one would be around $10. A $5 blanket is very good and can be far better than what you would see children using during a casual visit to their homes. We have around 3,000 orphans and vulnerable children registered with Kabondo Poverty Alleviation Organization at the moment, but we made an appeal initially for only 120 children from 40 families.

I will liaise with Barb to come up with a cost of making the blankets locally. I think it is somewhere in an application we made to an organization called 'Friends of Kenya" in the US which flopped because they wanted us to to purchase the blankets instead of making them locally. It is good to build people's capacity to be self reliant in future but if this is not feasible due to many factors, we would choose to go with the better option.

Eric

Thanks Eric

Friends of Kenya rejected your application for making blankets as (at least initially) buying them would be cheaper. Are you still in contact with them? I am wondering if it is worth telling them about your change of plan to see if they will provide funding for buying blankets instead?

Mary

Thanks Mary,

We have not been in touch ever since our application was rejected. I will get in touch with Barb and see how best to go about it. May be we believed so much in letting the children make the blankets themselves that we lost sight of other routes to the same destination.

Eric

Hi Eric

I completely support your desire to encourage people to learn new skills. I believe that is the best way forward for any community.

Although it may not prove practical for the children to make their own blankets, at least in the short term, I am sure that other things e.g. the ideas around avocado oil, will lead to people becoming more indpendence in the future.

Mary

Hi Mary and Eric,

As I recall, after the application was rejected I inquired about the reasons why. They indicated that they did not feel the amount requested ($900 US) was warranted and that for the same price, blankets could be purchased for all the participants. They said a project such as what we were looking at should only cost about $300. I asked you Eric if you felt we should reapply for the lesser value, but you indicated that if they could not see the value in skills training (which is more what the project would be about) then we should not reapply. If you would like to reconsider this, we could submit another proposal. In addition, the initial value requested was based on costs that may not have been accurate. I think the type of yarn needed was not clear. Now that we all know what type of yarn is used, I think we can get a better idea of a budget. In addition, we could look into purchasing blankets however, I am inclined to prefer projects that are more sustainable in the long-term rather than one-time gifts.

Barb

Mary, Barb,

i think Barb has given a true account of the reply we got from Friends of Kenya. I could not remember the figures part of it. If Friends of Kenya feel $300 is enough for the project for 120 orphans then i feel it is futile making another attempt. I have always been a strong advocate of letting people take charge of their destiny. As Barb says, the culture of handouts is counter productive in the long run. In all our projects be it Agriculture, or orphan care and support, i have always emphasized the importance of sustainability. A donor who looks at us through these eyes wants the best for the people of Kabondo in future.All is not lost, we can focus elsewhere and i trust that one day we will find somebody who looks at the short term benefits to the orphans and the longer term benefits of certain interventions.

Eric

Good Evening All

I am new to your village, I have had discussed with Miss Lewis , I decided to get involved as she has spoke with such passion, desire and motivation about your village.

Can you please review your notes on these Bed Kits, and if sourced local the cost for the 120 children and the 40 families ........

Also from reading some of your posts, I understand there is no source of power? You are in need of a generator? What are the requirements of said generator, KW's , what will it power?........

We also have experience in low power devices and solar applications, this may be of interest for computers and other applications where power is required.

With regards to your website, we can provide a hosted web presence on secure servers, thus we can move your site and ips to one of our data network centres at no charge and no fees (FREE)

Thanks for your time with respect to these questions, also anything else we can assist please let me know

Best Regards,
Michael Furness

Hi Michael,

First, welcome to Kabondo! We are glad to have you here!

Eric - can answer most of th questions on the power and generators. As for the bed kits, this too Eric could provide information on. We have 2 options - the first to purchase supplies to teach people to make their own blankets, which could lead to income generation. The second is to purchase the bed kits locally and supply them to the families/children. I guess there is a third option - to supply to meet the immediate need and teach for the longterm. Eric, can you gather some information on the costs of both options? Kits include a blanket and mosquito net. For teaching it would be the cost of yarn, needles and the trainer.

As for the website - we have it hosted for 2 years (just over 1 year left) but am more than willing to move it if it means costs savings.

Kindest regards,

Barb