Finally the library is here

Ndhiwa Maarifa Center has finally finished with the renovations and the first stocking of the community library.
It is the pleasure of the entire community to have this library hosted here since poverty scale in this community is high causing challenge to most pupils and students to access any reading materials once out of the school library.
The library is to be fully in use as from 10th January 2010.

2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference

The 2010 United Nations Climate Change Conference was held in Cancún, Mexico, from 29 November to 10 December 2010.[1] The conference is officially referred to as the 16th session of the Conference of the Parties (COP 16) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and the 6th session of the Conference of the Parties serving as the meeting of the Parties (CMP 6) to the Kyoto Protocol. In addition, the two permanent subsidiary bodies of the UNFCCC – the Subsidiary Body for Scientific and Technological Advice (SBSTA) and the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI)– held their 33rd sessions. The 2009 United Nations Climate Change Conference extended the mandates of the two temporary subsidiary bodies, the Ad Hoc Working Group on Further Commitments for Annex I Parties under the Kyoto Protocol (AWG-KP) and the Ad Hoc Working Group on Long-term Cooperative Action under the Convention (AWG-LCA), and they met as well.

This is for your information on international matters concerning climate change; for more updates visit: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2010_United_Nations_Climate_Change_Conference

Walking the Talk; Religious leaders demonstrate by planting trees

A field trip about 50 kilometers from Kampala, was an exciting moment for the religious leaders to show cause for their call to addressing challenges affecting the world today. As the world gathers in Cancun, Mexico for the climate change meeting, Men and women of God were digging holes to plant trees in a farm belonging to one of the particiapnts in a four day training workshop for religious leaders, on Understanding climate change. Imam Kasozi from the Muslim faith, has planted hundreds of acres of trees in his farm in Kalule, Luwero district. The trip started from a tree nursery in Kakiri, Wakiso district, where district officials welcomed and addressed the religious leaders. Each participant was given free seedlings(fruit and trees) to take home.The training, funded by International Network for the Availability for Scientific Publications, INASP was aimed at empowering the religious leaders with skills to influence policies on climate change and science.

I believe this is an idea that we as Kenyas' religious leaders can learn from and be part of the world that is trying to save the universe. Think about it!

http://sawa.podomatic.com/entry/2010-12-09T08_39_25-08_00

Go and support the rest with the knowledge

We are glad to release another lot of computer literate group, that brings us to the number 122 of the computer students who have acquired knowledge from this center since the year 2009 when we embarked on serious training.

This lot has proved to be one of the most disciplined and responsible groups that we have had since last year, and as they are walking out, i would like to appreciate them for the cooperation they have given me during the three months period that we shared together.

May you be blessed and carry the same degree of discipline into all walks of life that you are going to come across. Merry Christmas and a happy new year, we love you all.

Seeing is believing

Ndhiwa Maarifa Centre has really appreciated the efforts made by the FORD foundation in terms of 8 bookshelves and a 21" TV set.
I would wish to stand in a witness in a court of law to defend the slogan of 'seeing is believing'.

Through the use of this television set, the center has found it much easier to impart permanent 'how-to-do'/practical know how into the minds of our people.
We would like appeal to all our friends, partners and donors who have any practical information in the form of videos or books to please share it with us through our contacts, as together we grow.

Thanks once more.

Group storage to earn more from maize

Maize farmers are often forced by poverty to sell their crop when prices are lowest. But in Rwanda, a group of 60 farmers are among the first to benefit from a system called warrentage which is enabling them to earn double the normal price paid by traders at harvest time.
Under the system, farmers deposit their maize in a group storage shed and can receive 60 per cent of the value of their stored crop as a low-interest loan.
The group, in partnership with a local bank, then sells the maize when prices are high, greatly increasing farmers' profits while also giving them access to credit at the point in the season when they most need it.
This is one of the best practices adopted by our neighboring country and they have been able to reduce the degree of poverty amongst their communities. Most communities in Kenya here are poverty dominated not because they are poor but its due to luck of knowledge and cooperation.
As farmers we can adopt this idea and soon we shall be reaping our long lost efforts.