Referendum day was a very exciting time here in Kenya! All eyes from around the world were watching as Kenyans cast their votes. At ARO Centre, it was a very quiet day, as many people had to travel to their rural homes for voting, and would not return until late in the day or the next day. Patric, Rodgers, Kevin, and I spent most of the morning in the lab watching movies. I just relaxed in the afternoon and went for a walk around the area here and it was nice to get out of ARO for a bit. In the evening we were back for more movies, and we spent quite a while watching the news as the preliminary results came in. By the time I went to sleep, "Yes" was in the lead with about 66% of the votes. No violent incidents were reported, and things seemed to have gone smoothly. Most of the people I spoke to about the violence of the last election said that the Kenyans had learned from last time and they did not want that to happen again. People were very much taken by surprise when the violence broke out in 2008, and this time around, everyone was paying attention and doing his/her part to ensure that the situation remained calm. I think it also helped that this vote was less along ethnic lines than last time.
On Thursday, there were a few press conferences in which the "Yes" and "No" camps made statements, as did leaders of several of the churches. William Ruto was the de facto leader of the "No" camp. He is the Minister of Education and comes from the Rift Valley region (central point of violence last time around). He has been advocating for "No" based on a clause about abortion and some issues with the sections that concern land reform. However, Ruto spoke on Thursday about all Kenyans being winners and that we need to work together to implement the new constitution effectively. He is also actively working on developing some amendments to the parts that he took issue with. Most of the churches in Kenya were also advocating for "No" because of a clause in the constitution regarding abortion. While the constitution says that abortion is not permitted, unless the life of the mother is in danger, church leaders have been speaking out about how this will open the door for widespread abortion. They did not seem to be so effective, though, as most people chose to vote based on their political ties and not their spiritual ones. Overall, it was a great day for Kenya and the vast majority of people are excited about the possibilities of the future.
Sunday, August 8, 2010
Wednesday, August 4, 2010
Counting Down to Referendum Day
Today I woke up very early to go to Bondo University to meet with Professor Agong. We had some time in the morning to discuss collaboration between the Fab Lab, Brown, and Bondo University, which was definitely exciting. I think there is potential to create a very interesting program and a platform for knowledge-sharing and cultural exchange. I always forget how much I learn just from hanging out and talking to people here. So many questions come up about customs and I find out new things every day.
One interesting point that I learned recently about the education system is that in Kenya, everyone takes a national exam in high school. Then, the government determines how many spots are open in the universities all over the country. They rank all of the high school students based on their exam scores, and they fill the university spots based on how students performed on the test. The test is basically a collection of questions about a variety of topics, and it seems that whoever has the best memory has the advantage because some of the questions are quite specific. Once the government has determined who will be admitted to university, they divide the students up into the various programs. Students have no choice as to which program they are accepted into, and their choices are to enter that program or not go to university at all. The only way out is to find another person who is willing to switch spots with you. Otherwise, too bad.
Coming from a school like Brown, it's pretty hard to imagine being told what subject you will study, and it seems to me that maybe Kenya is limiting its progress by preventing passionate people from pursuing their goals. For example, I learned today about a student who has been accepted to Moi University to study business administration (bachelor's degree). However, he only wants to study aviation and refuses to accept his spot at Moi University. His only other option is to attend school outside of the country. How sad that this situation probably comes up time and time again.
Professor Agong also let me borrow his USB modem, which gave me a much-needed internet fix as the internet at ARO has not been working since I arrived. I think I must be bad luck or something! While I was checking email, updating my blog, and finally getting to my IBM mail, he had a meeting with some people from Plan International, and they were able to develop some ideas for collaboration. Bondo University's engineering school will be focused on sanitation, renewable energy, and in general, doing community work, so they are looking for local NGOs to partner with to give the students practical experience.
Professor Agong was kind enough to invite me to lunch at his house. His wife, who lives in Nairobi most of the time, was in town for the month, so she cooked us an African feast (plus organic pasta!). Their youngest daughter, Esther, is still in primary school, so once she finishes, she and her mom will move to Bondo to live with Professor Agong. The other three children are already attending university, and the oldest will soon graduate. She's about the same age as me. Mrs. Agong was an absolute riot. I also met Horace, who is another relative of Professor Agong's. He might accompany me to Bungoma if I'm able to find time to go next week. I don't really feel comfortable taking public transportation by myself as a young white girl, so it will be good to have some company. I think once I learn better Swahili, it would be a lot easier to go on my own since I would be able to negotiate my way around much better. Still, a white girl in a matatu is always quite the spectacle.
Lunch was a lot of fun, and I discovered Horace was wearing a Brown Engineering t-shirt, which caught me by surprise in a good way. For any Brown engineers reading, it was the green one with the pulley and the bear on it from about 2 years ago. I'm guessing Chris and Marijoan brought them when they came in January, but it was still funny that Horace happened to be wearing the shirt today and that I actually have that shirt at home! The food was really good, but I've been stuffed all afternoon.
When I came back to ARO, I discovered that it was very quiet here. Many people were traveling home because tomorrow is the referendum, so they need to be home to vote. Tomorrow is a national holiday and the government requested that everyone be let out from work early today in order to travel home in time. It's a very exciting time and most people are really optimistic about the changes that will come with the new constitution. Most of the people I have asked have said that they really think things will change. The only problem happening now is that churches in the U.S. are really interfering and paying people to campaign for the “No” camp. There is a clause in the new constitution that says that abortion is not permitted unless the life of the mother is in danger – basically, save the mother over the unborn child. Apparently several U.S. churches have a problem with this clause and are trying to convince people to vote “No”. It's really disheartening because they are meddling in something that really isn't their business and this is the type of thing that could really cause conflict here. Why are we intervening and causing trouble? This constitution is for Kenya, so Kenyans should be making their own decisions without all of this interference from outside. I think it's really hypocritical to talk about how maybe it's dangerous to be in Kenya – the U.S. embassy has sent out a travel warning – when we are the ones who are making things worse than they would have been.
Anyway, tomorrow is a big day, and the results come out on Thursday, so people are hopeful that we will have a new Kenya, one where the wananchi (ordinary citizens) are well represented. Some people are around now, just playing computer games and hanging out. Rogers was trying to teach me how to play some first-person shooter game (like Halo) and I was terrible! But it was funny. I also helped him install a gmail application onto his phone so that he can access his mail more easily. I'm really excited to be around during the referendum, and I hope that everything will go smoothly. Everyone is very aware of what could happen, whereas last time it took everyone by surprise, so I think the country will be calm.
One interesting point that I learned recently about the education system is that in Kenya, everyone takes a national exam in high school. Then, the government determines how many spots are open in the universities all over the country. They rank all of the high school students based on their exam scores, and they fill the university spots based on how students performed on the test. The test is basically a collection of questions about a variety of topics, and it seems that whoever has the best memory has the advantage because some of the questions are quite specific. Once the government has determined who will be admitted to university, they divide the students up into the various programs. Students have no choice as to which program they are accepted into, and their choices are to enter that program or not go to university at all. The only way out is to find another person who is willing to switch spots with you. Otherwise, too bad.
Coming from a school like Brown, it's pretty hard to imagine being told what subject you will study, and it seems to me that maybe Kenya is limiting its progress by preventing passionate people from pursuing their goals. For example, I learned today about a student who has been accepted to Moi University to study business administration (bachelor's degree). However, he only wants to study aviation and refuses to accept his spot at Moi University. His only other option is to attend school outside of the country. How sad that this situation probably comes up time and time again.
Professor Agong also let me borrow his USB modem, which gave me a much-needed internet fix as the internet at ARO has not been working since I arrived. I think I must be bad luck or something! While I was checking email, updating my blog, and finally getting to my IBM mail, he had a meeting with some people from Plan International, and they were able to develop some ideas for collaboration. Bondo University's engineering school will be focused on sanitation, renewable energy, and in general, doing community work, so they are looking for local NGOs to partner with to give the students practical experience.
Professor Agong was kind enough to invite me to lunch at his house. His wife, who lives in Nairobi most of the time, was in town for the month, so she cooked us an African feast (plus organic pasta!). Their youngest daughter, Esther, is still in primary school, so once she finishes, she and her mom will move to Bondo to live with Professor Agong. The other three children are already attending university, and the oldest will soon graduate. She's about the same age as me. Mrs. Agong was an absolute riot. I also met Horace, who is another relative of Professor Agong's. He might accompany me to Bungoma if I'm able to find time to go next week. I don't really feel comfortable taking public transportation by myself as a young white girl, so it will be good to have some company. I think once I learn better Swahili, it would be a lot easier to go on my own since I would be able to negotiate my way around much better. Still, a white girl in a matatu is always quite the spectacle.
Lunch was a lot of fun, and I discovered Horace was wearing a Brown Engineering t-shirt, which caught me by surprise in a good way. For any Brown engineers reading, it was the green one with the pulley and the bear on it from about 2 years ago. I'm guessing Chris and Marijoan brought them when they came in January, but it was still funny that Horace happened to be wearing the shirt today and that I actually have that shirt at home! The food was really good, but I've been stuffed all afternoon.
When I came back to ARO, I discovered that it was very quiet here. Many people were traveling home because tomorrow is the referendum, so they need to be home to vote. Tomorrow is a national holiday and the government requested that everyone be let out from work early today in order to travel home in time. It's a very exciting time and most people are really optimistic about the changes that will come with the new constitution. Most of the people I have asked have said that they really think things will change. The only problem happening now is that churches in the U.S. are really interfering and paying people to campaign for the “No” camp. There is a clause in the new constitution that says that abortion is not permitted unless the life of the mother is in danger – basically, save the mother over the unborn child. Apparently several U.S. churches have a problem with this clause and are trying to convince people to vote “No”. It's really disheartening because they are meddling in something that really isn't their business and this is the type of thing that could really cause conflict here. Why are we intervening and causing trouble? This constitution is for Kenya, so Kenyans should be making their own decisions without all of this interference from outside. I think it's really hypocritical to talk about how maybe it's dangerous to be in Kenya – the U.S. embassy has sent out a travel warning – when we are the ones who are making things worse than they would have been.
Anyway, tomorrow is a big day, and the results come out on Thursday, so people are hopeful that we will have a new Kenya, one where the wananchi (ordinary citizens) are well represented. Some people are around now, just playing computer games and hanging out. Rogers was trying to teach me how to play some first-person shooter game (like Halo) and I was terrible! But it was funny. I also helped him install a gmail application onto his phone so that he can access his mail more easily. I'm really excited to be around during the referendum, and I hope that everything will go smoothly. Everyone is very aware of what could happen, whereas last time it took everyone by surprise, so I think the country will be calm.
Tuesday, August 3, 2010
A Case of the Mondays
Sunday night I learned that my friend Frederick's phone charger was not working, and we determined that the problem was inside the charger, not with the plug connection to the phone. Unfortunately, the charger is heat-sealed, just like the voltage converter of a laptop charger. I spent about 30 minutes working on cracking it open, then had to leave to eat dinner. When I returned, another one of the guys, Roger, had managed to open up the charger. Upon inspection, I noticed that the transformer or voltage converter inside had been very badly melted. So we decided that Freddie would have to buy a new one since this one was basically destroyed. Apparently he had left it plugged in overnight and I guess the voltage must have been very high at the outlet where it was connected. I've definitely noticed that my laptop and cell phone chargers get very hot when plugged in around here, so we need to get some components that can handle these very high voltages!
Monday morning I was supposed to be picked up by Professor Agong to go to Bondo University for Monday and Tuesday. I met with Tom at about 9 to discuss my schedule for the rest of the time that I will be at the Fab Lab. He agreed to begin setting up some people for me to interview, so he made some calls to get some people to come by the ARO Centre on Thursday and Friday. As we were meeting, I called Professor Agong, who told me that he would be by to pick me up at about 4 in the afternoon, leaving me the whole day to be at ARO. I spoke with Tom about some of the problems that have been happening at the Centre, specifically with internet connectivity. Since I arrived, the satellite internet has not been working. Right now they have a satellite dish that receives a signal from the UK, and they pay about $400 per month for a relatively slow connection. I decided to spend the day thinking about some alternatives for connection. From the research I was able to do using my cell phone, I found several websites explaining how to set up wireless networks using USB modems, and came up with two ideas.
One idea would be to buy a router that you can plug a USB modem into. This is an upfront expense for the router, but it would mean that we wouldn't have to use a computer as a server/router. The other idea would be to use a free software to turn one of the computers in the lab into a wireless hot spot. We would plug the modem into that computer and broadcast the connection to the other computers in the lab. After speaking with Professor Agong today, I have learned that actually the Yu network is the fastest around here. They also have a monthly data plan that is Ksh 1000 per month for unlimited data, which is significantly cheaper than any of the other plans. If we can get several of the Yu modems to the Fab Lab, we could have pretty good bandwidth for either a backup connection or even just rely solely on that network. I'm just wondering if we can create some sort of router that will add together the bandwidths of several modems, say 5-10, then we would have very fast internet for several users at once and wouldn't have to plug a modem into each computer. I'll have to look more into this over the course of my stay here.
I have also been thinking about designing a typing and basic computer course for students here. All of the guys in the lab are fascinated by my typing speed, so it would be great to help teach them and to even get some younger students, maybe those in primary school, into the lab to learn about computers at an earlier age. Having an understanding of IT early on can help inspire more people to become engineers and scientists. It would be great to help Bondo University and the Fab Lab to produce highly-qualified students with advanced IT skills, beyond what other students in the country are able to get. I think especially with typing and basic computer applications, setting up programs with local schools could be very interesting, and I think maybe each school could pay some small amount for the workshop. Having local computer technicians would be really helpful, especially if they were well-versed in mobile communications and internet connectivity, as they could help to set up and maintain some better infrastructure for access to information in the region.
At about 4 pm, Professor Agong called to inform me that he would not be coming to pick me up until Tuesday since his meeting had run very long. So it turned out that I had an evening to spend at the Fab Lab. It turned out that many people were hanging around, including Freddie, Rogers, Tom, Patrick, Kevin (the doctor at ARO), and Lawrence. They were asking me a lot of questions about the U.S., mostly about marriage and education. It was really interesting learning more about the differences between here and home. The time until dinner went by very fast, and we continued afterward, discussing foods and also different appropriate technologies and why they had failed. It was really interesting to hear the views of people who have grown up in the area.
One thing that came up was the debate between giving things away for free versus charging people. Tom said that the people that he is trying to help cannot afford to purchase anything, and that if he were able to give out, for example, several biogas systems, he thinks that 70% will maintain them well and 30% will not. He said that people will take care of something that was given for free if that something really improves their lives. For example, if someone could not afford to buy a mobile phone, and you gave them one for free, they would probably take very good care of it because it would really change their lives. He said the same thing about a laptop.
I have always been against giving these things away for free, but I think he made a really good point here. Just because something is free doesn't mean that you won't take care of it. If that something is very useful and really improves your life, you will take good care of it. So there is some relationship between the value of the product and how you treat it. There is also probably something that has to do with your personality and how you were raised that determines how you treat your possessions. I have yet to read an economics study that looks at things holistically to find out whether it is really the price of the item that matters or if it is actually the value of the item to the user that matters. Of course, this is much harder to measure, but it seems like something that should be explored.
Today I left ARO at about 8 am to come to Bondo. I discussed some potential projects with Professor Agong, as well as worked on firming things up for collaboration of Brown, Bondo University, and the Fab lab at ARO. Professor Agong sees the Fab Lab as a great place for engineering students to do their practicals, and maybe even get some certificate in electronics through the learning that they will do at the Fab Lab. Things seem promising, and I'm looking forward to seeing things develop.
Another thing to think about - the Fab Lab needs computers and laser printers badly. If anyone has an old laptop to donate or is willing to help contribute to sending some computers and printers over to Kenya, let me know. I'll be working on that when I get back to help the Fab Lab be more effective.
That's all for now. Hello from Bondo University! You'll have to wait until I get back to see pictures as the uploading speed here is much too slow to bother. I love hearing about what everyone is up to, so write to me! I'll do my best to return personal emails, but the best way to find out what I'm up to is to check here.
Monday morning I was supposed to be picked up by Professor Agong to go to Bondo University for Monday and Tuesday. I met with Tom at about 9 to discuss my schedule for the rest of the time that I will be at the Fab Lab. He agreed to begin setting up some people for me to interview, so he made some calls to get some people to come by the ARO Centre on Thursday and Friday. As we were meeting, I called Professor Agong, who told me that he would be by to pick me up at about 4 in the afternoon, leaving me the whole day to be at ARO. I spoke with Tom about some of the problems that have been happening at the Centre, specifically with internet connectivity. Since I arrived, the satellite internet has not been working. Right now they have a satellite dish that receives a signal from the UK, and they pay about $400 per month for a relatively slow connection. I decided to spend the day thinking about some alternatives for connection. From the research I was able to do using my cell phone, I found several websites explaining how to set up wireless networks using USB modems, and came up with two ideas.
One idea would be to buy a router that you can plug a USB modem into. This is an upfront expense for the router, but it would mean that we wouldn't have to use a computer as a server/router. The other idea would be to use a free software to turn one of the computers in the lab into a wireless hot spot. We would plug the modem into that computer and broadcast the connection to the other computers in the lab. After speaking with Professor Agong today, I have learned that actually the Yu network is the fastest around here. They also have a monthly data plan that is Ksh 1000 per month for unlimited data, which is significantly cheaper than any of the other plans. If we can get several of the Yu modems to the Fab Lab, we could have pretty good bandwidth for either a backup connection or even just rely solely on that network. I'm just wondering if we can create some sort of router that will add together the bandwidths of several modems, say 5-10, then we would have very fast internet for several users at once and wouldn't have to plug a modem into each computer. I'll have to look more into this over the course of my stay here.
I have also been thinking about designing a typing and basic computer course for students here. All of the guys in the lab are fascinated by my typing speed, so it would be great to help teach them and to even get some younger students, maybe those in primary school, into the lab to learn about computers at an earlier age. Having an understanding of IT early on can help inspire more people to become engineers and scientists. It would be great to help Bondo University and the Fab Lab to produce highly-qualified students with advanced IT skills, beyond what other students in the country are able to get. I think especially with typing and basic computer applications, setting up programs with local schools could be very interesting, and I think maybe each school could pay some small amount for the workshop. Having local computer technicians would be really helpful, especially if they were well-versed in mobile communications and internet connectivity, as they could help to set up and maintain some better infrastructure for access to information in the region.
At about 4 pm, Professor Agong called to inform me that he would not be coming to pick me up until Tuesday since his meeting had run very long. So it turned out that I had an evening to spend at the Fab Lab. It turned out that many people were hanging around, including Freddie, Rogers, Tom, Patrick, Kevin (the doctor at ARO), and Lawrence. They were asking me a lot of questions about the U.S., mostly about marriage and education. It was really interesting learning more about the differences between here and home. The time until dinner went by very fast, and we continued afterward, discussing foods and also different appropriate technologies and why they had failed. It was really interesting to hear the views of people who have grown up in the area.
One thing that came up was the debate between giving things away for free versus charging people. Tom said that the people that he is trying to help cannot afford to purchase anything, and that if he were able to give out, for example, several biogas systems, he thinks that 70% will maintain them well and 30% will not. He said that people will take care of something that was given for free if that something really improves their lives. For example, if someone could not afford to buy a mobile phone, and you gave them one for free, they would probably take very good care of it because it would really change their lives. He said the same thing about a laptop.
I have always been against giving these things away for free, but I think he made a really good point here. Just because something is free doesn't mean that you won't take care of it. If that something is very useful and really improves your life, you will take good care of it. So there is some relationship between the value of the product and how you treat it. There is also probably something that has to do with your personality and how you were raised that determines how you treat your possessions. I have yet to read an economics study that looks at things holistically to find out whether it is really the price of the item that matters or if it is actually the value of the item to the user that matters. Of course, this is much harder to measure, but it seems like something that should be explored.
Today I left ARO at about 8 am to come to Bondo. I discussed some potential projects with Professor Agong, as well as worked on firming things up for collaboration of Brown, Bondo University, and the Fab lab at ARO. Professor Agong sees the Fab Lab as a great place for engineering students to do their practicals, and maybe even get some certificate in electronics through the learning that they will do at the Fab Lab. Things seem promising, and I'm looking forward to seeing things develop.
Another thing to think about - the Fab Lab needs computers and laser printers badly. If anyone has an old laptop to donate or is willing to help contribute to sending some computers and printers over to Kenya, let me know. I'll be working on that when I get back to help the Fab Lab be more effective.
That's all for now. Hello from Bondo University! You'll have to wait until I get back to see pictures as the uploading speed here is much too slow to bother. I love hearing about what everyone is up to, so write to me! I'll do my best to return personal emails, but the best way to find out what I'm up to is to check here.
A Weekend at ARO
Saturday is a busy day at the ARO Centre. Tom, Frederick, and Marvin were in Kisumu at the trade show again, so there weren't many people around the lab, besides Patrick and a few others. However, the childcare department here takes care of about 120 orphans in the area. The children live with family, mostly grandparents, during the week, but on Saturdays they come to the ARO Centre for the day and they attend some classes and have lots of time to play. The classes cover life skills that are normally taught by parents and the people at ARO feel that it is important for the children to have one day per week where they can just be kids and play and have fun. They all seemed to be having a great time.
I offered to help with some of the cooking, and ended up sorting rice for about four hours. We had to go through each and every bag, of which there were about 10-15, and separate out all of the small stones. Of course, my first instinct was, how could we do this in a faster and less labor-intensive way? I'm wondering if there is a kind of screen available so that you could pour some rice on top of the screen and then just shake it to let the stones fall through. The amount of time it takes to complete this task is a bit oppressive, and the job is very tiring! By the end my back and shoulder were pretty sore, but I am glad to have had the experience because it makes me appreciate how hard the women here have to work every day.
I spend the afternoon reading and hanging around the lab, not doing a whole lot. I was trying to help find some information about battery charging circuits that use solar power so that we could move forward with the solar-rechargeable lamps that Tom and Patrick are working on. I found a few sites, but searching the internet is a very time-consuming task here, and even this slow internet connection costs about $400 per month – that's nearly 10x what I pay! Just add it to the list of why things in Africa are forced to move so slowly and why people here have so many things working against them.
Today, Sunday, I'm just hanging out. There's not much activity here. A few people around the lab, but Sunday is for relaxing and spending time with family and friends, I suppose. I learned more about the university system here this morning when I was talking to Ben, one of the teachers at the school up the road. He said that when you apply to university, you can't choose your major. The government distributes everyone and tells you which program you'll be in. Unless you can find someone in another program to swap places with you, you're stuck wherever they put you. He wants to study medicine, but ended up as a teacher. He's due to finish school after next semester.
Sometimes the number of policies and systems that prevent people here from getting ahead is pretty astounding. Infrastructure is so poor that it really restricts people from moving forward. These guys in the lab are smart and well-educated, but they are just stuck and powerless to do anything to change their communities because all of the money available to do such things is controlled by the government. People here also work much differently than in America. We expect things to move so quickly but I think people here are much more patient and used to things inching forward only a bit at a time. Trying to go any faster gets you nowhere.
One more anecdote about internet connectivity here. The internet provides access to an enormous amount of information, and yet, there was one guy who spent most of yesterday trying to download one email so that he could fill out an attached form and send it back to his boss. He is a traveling salesman of sorts and needed to submit a report. Imagine if each time you had to send an email, it took half a day just to download your mail. The reality of the situation is so disheartening. I'm already racking my brain trying to come up with some way to help the people here, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to come up with anything, considering the number of smart people before me who have tried. The one bright spot up ahead is that some people from MIT will be in Nairobi for three weeks in August setting up a Fab-Fi network there. It would be the second Fab-Fi network in existence (the first is in Afghanistan). This is a mesh network where information is passed between each node, so anyone can join the network and each person who joins extends the network further. My hope is that there will be a way to extend the network all the way to Majiwa, but that will probably take quite some time. But at least there is hope.
I offered to help with some of the cooking, and ended up sorting rice for about four hours. We had to go through each and every bag, of which there were about 10-15, and separate out all of the small stones. Of course, my first instinct was, how could we do this in a faster and less labor-intensive way? I'm wondering if there is a kind of screen available so that you could pour some rice on top of the screen and then just shake it to let the stones fall through. The amount of time it takes to complete this task is a bit oppressive, and the job is very tiring! By the end my back and shoulder were pretty sore, but I am glad to have had the experience because it makes me appreciate how hard the women here have to work every day.
I spend the afternoon reading and hanging around the lab, not doing a whole lot. I was trying to help find some information about battery charging circuits that use solar power so that we could move forward with the solar-rechargeable lamps that Tom and Patrick are working on. I found a few sites, but searching the internet is a very time-consuming task here, and even this slow internet connection costs about $400 per month – that's nearly 10x what I pay! Just add it to the list of why things in Africa are forced to move so slowly and why people here have so many things working against them.
Today, Sunday, I'm just hanging out. There's not much activity here. A few people around the lab, but Sunday is for relaxing and spending time with family and friends, I suppose. I learned more about the university system here this morning when I was talking to Ben, one of the teachers at the school up the road. He said that when you apply to university, you can't choose your major. The government distributes everyone and tells you which program you'll be in. Unless you can find someone in another program to swap places with you, you're stuck wherever they put you. He wants to study medicine, but ended up as a teacher. He's due to finish school after next semester.
Sometimes the number of policies and systems that prevent people here from getting ahead is pretty astounding. Infrastructure is so poor that it really restricts people from moving forward. These guys in the lab are smart and well-educated, but they are just stuck and powerless to do anything to change their communities because all of the money available to do such things is controlled by the government. People here also work much differently than in America. We expect things to move so quickly but I think people here are much more patient and used to things inching forward only a bit at a time. Trying to go any faster gets you nowhere.
One more anecdote about internet connectivity here. The internet provides access to an enormous amount of information, and yet, there was one guy who spent most of yesterday trying to download one email so that he could fill out an attached form and send it back to his boss. He is a traveling salesman of sorts and needed to submit a report. Imagine if each time you had to send an email, it took half a day just to download your mail. The reality of the situation is so disheartening. I'm already racking my brain trying to come up with some way to help the people here, but I'm not sure if I'll be able to come up with anything, considering the number of smart people before me who have tried. The one bright spot up ahead is that some people from MIT will be in Nairobi for three weeks in August setting up a Fab-Fi network there. It would be the second Fab-Fi network in existence (the first is in Afghanistan). This is a mesh network where information is passed between each node, so anyone can join the network and each person who joins extends the network further. My hope is that there will be a way to extend the network all the way to Majiwa, but that will probably take quite some time. But at least there is hope.
Trade Show Take 2
Friday morning we were to leave for Kisumu at 8:30 am to go to the trade show. However, Kenyan time is always at least 30 minutes late, and we were waiting to finish making a few things on the laser cutter that people from the trade show had ordered, so we didn't start walking down to the highway until about 9:15. Once we got to the highway, we waited for over an hour before there was a matatu with space for us to get in. Several schools had just finished either that day or the day before, so the public transportation was really crowded with people going home. We had 7 people in total – me, Tom, Marvin, and Frederick from the Fab Lab as well as three of the Majiwa Modern Weavers, who are another group within the ARO center.
The ride to Kisumu was cramped but uneventful. Being a tall person in a matatu is not the greatest as the space between the seats is quite small, but I managed just fine. When we reached the transportation hub in Kisumu, we got out and walked to find another matatu heade to Mamboleo, the area where the trade show grounds were. After a bit of drama, we finally made it to the show. There was some argument about which road to follow to get to the gate and the driver refused to drive all the way to the gate, letting us out to walk the rest of the way. Once inside, we headed to the building where Kisumu Polytechnic was located, as that was where the Fab Lab had a table to display its stuff. We met up with Frederick, who had managed to get into an earlier matatu, and I got to see some of the things that they had brought to display at the show.
After setting our things down, Tom and I went for a walk around the showground to see some of the other stands. We went by several universities and some manufacturing companies to see what kind of things they were doing. Tom is looking for groups to partner with as well as places to source materials, as these are two of the challenges that the Fab Lab here has faced. There were a few promising leads, including a student at Bondo University, which was exciting because we are already connected to Professor Agong. I hope that I can facilitate a strong partnership there.
Afterwards, I mostly hung around the Kisumu Polytechnic building, sitting and talking with some of the other people as well as trying to get Marvin to teach me some Swahili. He teaches Swahili and English at a primary school nearby the Fab Lab. I learned a few new words, and am hoping that by the time I leave here, I will at least know a few sentences. I think I'm getting better already!
Later in the afternoon, Aggre came by to meet up with me. It was great to catch up with him, yet strange to see him out in public as the only time I've seen him is at Clarice's house by the lake. Right after he arrived, Tom said we were going to leave, but then we ended up not going anywhere for about an hour, so we had time to hang out for a bit. I think we are going to hang out at least once more before I leave, depending on schedules. My time here is already moving very fast, but hopefully I will make some good progress with interviews next week. I'm going to sit down with Tom and discuss what is feasible tomorrow morning, and we can start to develop a schedule. I've met pretty much everyone who comes to use the lab, nearly all boys in high school, college, or recent college graduates, so I feel a lot more comfortable interviewing them now than I would have last week.
The ride to Kisumu was cramped but uneventful. Being a tall person in a matatu is not the greatest as the space between the seats is quite small, but I managed just fine. When we reached the transportation hub in Kisumu, we got out and walked to find another matatu heade to Mamboleo, the area where the trade show grounds were. After a bit of drama, we finally made it to the show. There was some argument about which road to follow to get to the gate and the driver refused to drive all the way to the gate, letting us out to walk the rest of the way. Once inside, we headed to the building where Kisumu Polytechnic was located, as that was where the Fab Lab had a table to display its stuff. We met up with Frederick, who had managed to get into an earlier matatu, and I got to see some of the things that they had brought to display at the show.
After setting our things down, Tom and I went for a walk around the showground to see some of the other stands. We went by several universities and some manufacturing companies to see what kind of things they were doing. Tom is looking for groups to partner with as well as places to source materials, as these are two of the challenges that the Fab Lab here has faced. There were a few promising leads, including a student at Bondo University, which was exciting because we are already connected to Professor Agong. I hope that I can facilitate a strong partnership there.
Afterwards, I mostly hung around the Kisumu Polytechnic building, sitting and talking with some of the other people as well as trying to get Marvin to teach me some Swahili. He teaches Swahili and English at a primary school nearby the Fab Lab. I learned a few new words, and am hoping that by the time I leave here, I will at least know a few sentences. I think I'm getting better already!
Later in the afternoon, Aggre came by to meet up with me. It was great to catch up with him, yet strange to see him out in public as the only time I've seen him is at Clarice's house by the lake. Right after he arrived, Tom said we were going to leave, but then we ended up not going anywhere for about an hour, so we had time to hang out for a bit. I think we are going to hang out at least once more before I leave, depending on schedules. My time here is already moving very fast, but hopefully I will make some good progress with interviews next week. I'm going to sit down with Tom and discuss what is feasible tomorrow morning, and we can start to develop a schedule. I've met pretty much everyone who comes to use the lab, nearly all boys in high school, college, or recent college graduates, so I feel a lot more comfortable interviewing them now than I would have last week.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
My First Real Matatu Ride (A Visit to Bondo University College)
This afternoon, Tom and I went to Bondo to meet Professor Agong, who is running the brand new Bondo University College, which will have several different schools, though the one I am most interested in is the School of Engineering, which will focus on renewable energy and doing work that will support the local community. We traveled there via matatu, which was relatively uneventful, other than the crazy guy that was bothering me while we waited and the fact that when we were almost to our destination, the matatu driver decided to change his route and take a turn. Such is life in Kenya. So we walked the rest of the way, probably 1-2 kilometers. Tom suggested that I take a motorbike, but I don't think I'm ready for that quite yet, so I said that we could just walk.
When we arrived, we were greeted very warmly by Professor Agong, and we went into his office. His assistant from Maseno University had come with him to Bondo, so it was nice to see her again as well. While I mainly brought Tom with me for help and protection, I also wanted him to come and meet Professor Agong because I am trying to help them work together and form some sort of formal collaboration. I am not sure what form that will take, but Professor Agong has already said that he wants to come visit the Fab Lab while I am here to further discuss the collaboration, which I think would be really great for the Fab Lab because they would have access to more students and to increased funding. Since they are not attached to any university, it is difficult for them to get any public funds in Kenya. However, if Bondo University were to get funds, they could allocate some to the Fab Lab.
Professor Agong seemed very happy to see me again, and has already invited me to become a junior lecturer at Bondo University, which I think would be a lot of fun. He has also asked that I come to stay at Bondo for next Monday and Tuesday, and even offered to accommodate me free of charge, which was very kind. So I'll be headed there early next week to discuss things a bit more with him. I think there is great potential for this collaboration, as the lab here could certainly use some more support and it would be a great place for the Bondo University students to do their practicals or to work on projects.
Professor Agong gave us a ride back because he was headed into Kisumu, and Tom and I went to check with Patrick, who had been working with the solar cells that I brought over from the U.S. Tomorrow he will be starting to do some testing to see if the batteries I brought can be charged using the solar cells and then determine how many LEDs we can light and for how many hours. This will be helpful for them as they move forward with their LED lamp project. Currently they have an inexpensive model that is electricity-charged but provides about 25 hours of light on one charge, which is much better than the similarly-priced lamps made in China. However, in order to really get the local community to accept the lamps, Tom and Patrick want them to be recharged by solar energy so that once a family buys a lamp, there is no additional cost unless something breaks, i.e. they don't have to pay for recharging. These lamps are meant to be an improvement over kerosene or paraffin lamps, which are health hazards and over time are very expensive. The reason they remain popular is because the up-front cost of one lamp and of the fuel is very low, whereas with the LED lamps the up-front cost is great (Ksh 20, 200 per week for fuel vs. Ksh 1500).
The rest of the evening I just relaxed in the Fab Lab, which was fun. I talked with some students and wrote this post. I also spoke to Aggre, Clarice's nephew, whom I met last time, and we will hopefully meet up tomorrow in Kisumu. I'll be there for the day at the trade show, since the Fab Lab has a table there, and I will also be able to meet some people from Kisumu Polytechnic. The Fab Lab at ARO collaborates with the polytechnic, so students come from there to be interns here. Hopefully it will be a fun day, and I'm excited to catch up with Aggre, especially since we can't communicate while I'm in the U.S.
Well, that's all I've done so far. I'm also making some plans for the 14th, when I will be in Nairobi for the day. Most likely I will see Tosh, and I'll also be meeting up with Claudia, another friend Ilana, and a professor and students from University of Hartford. Should be a fun day. If it turns out I have finished my research earlier than expected, I may head to Nairobi sooner. I would love to be able to have a night out at the clubs before I come back home.
When we arrived, we were greeted very warmly by Professor Agong, and we went into his office. His assistant from Maseno University had come with him to Bondo, so it was nice to see her again as well. While I mainly brought Tom with me for help and protection, I also wanted him to come and meet Professor Agong because I am trying to help them work together and form some sort of formal collaboration. I am not sure what form that will take, but Professor Agong has already said that he wants to come visit the Fab Lab while I am here to further discuss the collaboration, which I think would be really great for the Fab Lab because they would have access to more students and to increased funding. Since they are not attached to any university, it is difficult for them to get any public funds in Kenya. However, if Bondo University were to get funds, they could allocate some to the Fab Lab.
Professor Agong seemed very happy to see me again, and has already invited me to become a junior lecturer at Bondo University, which I think would be a lot of fun. He has also asked that I come to stay at Bondo for next Monday and Tuesday, and even offered to accommodate me free of charge, which was very kind. So I'll be headed there early next week to discuss things a bit more with him. I think there is great potential for this collaboration, as the lab here could certainly use some more support and it would be a great place for the Bondo University students to do their practicals or to work on projects.
Professor Agong gave us a ride back because he was headed into Kisumu, and Tom and I went to check with Patrick, who had been working with the solar cells that I brought over from the U.S. Tomorrow he will be starting to do some testing to see if the batteries I brought can be charged using the solar cells and then determine how many LEDs we can light and for how many hours. This will be helpful for them as they move forward with their LED lamp project. Currently they have an inexpensive model that is electricity-charged but provides about 25 hours of light on one charge, which is much better than the similarly-priced lamps made in China. However, in order to really get the local community to accept the lamps, Tom and Patrick want them to be recharged by solar energy so that once a family buys a lamp, there is no additional cost unless something breaks, i.e. they don't have to pay for recharging. These lamps are meant to be an improvement over kerosene or paraffin lamps, which are health hazards and over time are very expensive. The reason they remain popular is because the up-front cost of one lamp and of the fuel is very low, whereas with the LED lamps the up-front cost is great (Ksh 20, 200 per week for fuel vs. Ksh 1500).
The rest of the evening I just relaxed in the Fab Lab, which was fun. I talked with some students and wrote this post. I also spoke to Aggre, Clarice's nephew, whom I met last time, and we will hopefully meet up tomorrow in Kisumu. I'll be there for the day at the trade show, since the Fab Lab has a table there, and I will also be able to meet some people from Kisumu Polytechnic. The Fab Lab at ARO collaborates with the polytechnic, so students come from there to be interns here. Hopefully it will be a fun day, and I'm excited to catch up with Aggre, especially since we can't communicate while I'm in the U.S.
Well, that's all I've done so far. I'm also making some plans for the 14th, when I will be in Nairobi for the day. Most likely I will see Tosh, and I'll also be meeting up with Claudia, another friend Ilana, and a professor and students from University of Hartford. Should be a fun day. If it turns out I have finished my research earlier than expected, I may head to Nairobi sooner. I would love to be able to have a night out at the clubs before I come back home.
My Introduction to the Fab Lab
At the airport, I met a girl from Australia, who was also flying to Kisumu. She said she was going to be volunteering for some NGO nearby. It seemed like she had been traveling for a long time, since she had been in Europe for some time, then flew from Athens to Dubai to Nairobi and then straight to Kisumu. She seemed a bit nervous about flying on Kenya Airways, but I reassured her that it was a safe airline, and that seemed to help. We saw a lady with the best shoes I've ever seen board the plane to Mombasa that left just before our flight. They were glittery leopard-print pumps. Does it get better than that?
Upon arrival to Kisumu, about 30 minutes late, I met Tom, the Fab Lab manager, as well as Dr. Wasuna, manager of ARC-Kenya, an NGO that is run out of the ARO Centre, where the Fab Lab is located. There were also two university students, Frederick and Marvin, who had been with Tom and Dr. Wasuna at the trade show in Kisumu for the day, so they rode with us to Majiwa. Majiwa is just outside of Bondo, Kenya, about an hour west of Kisumu on the highway. The car trip took a bit longer than that because the road from Kisumu up to the Kisian junction was so bad. Once we got onto Bondo road, the conditions were much better, probably because the Prime Minister is from Bondo – at least that's what I was told! By the time we reached the ARO Centre it was a bit late, so I had dinner and went to my room to get settled. The lady who is taking care of me is Susan. I told her that my mom's name is also Susan, which she thought was very funny. She has been making my meals and she cleans my room, so much like a real mother.
This morning I was to meet Dr. Wasuna and Tom at 9 am, so I had my breakfast and went to the meeting-place, which is near the center of the compound. The ARO Centre has close ties with a Norwegian NGO, and one of the projects they did was to build a large water tank to collect rainwater. On top of the tank, they built a great gazebo-like structure, which serves as a meeting-place. Also, they put in solar-powered water pumps to pump the water from the collection tank to the other buildings in the compound.
When I met Tom and Dr. Wasuna, I also met Michael and Patrick, two other guys who work at the ARO Centre. Michael is in charge of VCT, and does HIV testing and sex education, and Patrick is in charge of the Solar department, where he works on solar energy at the centre. Michael took me on a tour of most of the compound, introducing me to all of the other men and women who work here. They have a group of women who do weaving, a traditional medicine center, the VCT office where Michael works, a tractor and microfinance department that rents out a tractor for plowing and towing and provides loans, a childcare department that cares for orphans, a small and not well-equipped hospital, a guy who takes care of the dairy goats and chickens, a catering department, and then the solar department.
And, I almost forgot, they also have the Fab Lab. This was my last stop, where I sat and talked with Tom for quite a while, asking about the various projects going on and just trying to get to know him a bit. Patrick and Michael also sat with us for some time. I don't want to start doing any formal interviewing until I am acclimated and feeling more comfortable in my surroundings. Also, I don't think it would be good to jump right in and start hounding people I have just met with questions. I will be arranging interviews starting next week. Besides, I am under strict instructions from Clarice to lay low this weekend in case there are any flare-ups due to the coming referendum, which takes place next Wednesday. She just doesn't want me in any public places, though I'm sure I will be fine since she tends to be a bit overprotective. Not that that's a bad thing – I really appreciate her support while I'm here and she keeps telling me that if I ever think I am headed for danger, I should call her immediately, so that's really comforting.
Upon arrival to Kisumu, about 30 minutes late, I met Tom, the Fab Lab manager, as well as Dr. Wasuna, manager of ARC-Kenya, an NGO that is run out of the ARO Centre, where the Fab Lab is located. There were also two university students, Frederick and Marvin, who had been with Tom and Dr. Wasuna at the trade show in Kisumu for the day, so they rode with us to Majiwa. Majiwa is just outside of Bondo, Kenya, about an hour west of Kisumu on the highway. The car trip took a bit longer than that because the road from Kisumu up to the Kisian junction was so bad. Once we got onto Bondo road, the conditions were much better, probably because the Prime Minister is from Bondo – at least that's what I was told! By the time we reached the ARO Centre it was a bit late, so I had dinner and went to my room to get settled. The lady who is taking care of me is Susan. I told her that my mom's name is also Susan, which she thought was very funny. She has been making my meals and she cleans my room, so much like a real mother.
This morning I was to meet Dr. Wasuna and Tom at 9 am, so I had my breakfast and went to the meeting-place, which is near the center of the compound. The ARO Centre has close ties with a Norwegian NGO, and one of the projects they did was to build a large water tank to collect rainwater. On top of the tank, they built a great gazebo-like structure, which serves as a meeting-place. Also, they put in solar-powered water pumps to pump the water from the collection tank to the other buildings in the compound.
When I met Tom and Dr. Wasuna, I also met Michael and Patrick, two other guys who work at the ARO Centre. Michael is in charge of VCT, and does HIV testing and sex education, and Patrick is in charge of the Solar department, where he works on solar energy at the centre. Michael took me on a tour of most of the compound, introducing me to all of the other men and women who work here. They have a group of women who do weaving, a traditional medicine center, the VCT office where Michael works, a tractor and microfinance department that rents out a tractor for plowing and towing and provides loans, a childcare department that cares for orphans, a small and not well-equipped hospital, a guy who takes care of the dairy goats and chickens, a catering department, and then the solar department.
And, I almost forgot, they also have the Fab Lab. This was my last stop, where I sat and talked with Tom for quite a while, asking about the various projects going on and just trying to get to know him a bit. Patrick and Michael also sat with us for some time. I don't want to start doing any formal interviewing until I am acclimated and feeling more comfortable in my surroundings. Also, I don't think it would be good to jump right in and start hounding people I have just met with questions. I will be arranging interviews starting next week. Besides, I am under strict instructions from Clarice to lay low this weekend in case there are any flare-ups due to the coming referendum, which takes place next Wednesday. She just doesn't want me in any public places, though I'm sure I will be fine since she tends to be a bit overprotective. Not that that's a bad thing – I really appreciate her support while I'm here and she keeps telling me that if I ever think I am headed for danger, I should call her immediately, so that's really comforting.
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