Merging and Changing

Having set up as a separate entity to African Community Initiative Support, the new KCIS is incorporating the children's home (Mercy Gate Champion Children's Home), which will for the time being, be known as the KCIS Children's Home, although it will have a "proper" name in the future.

This decision has been made for the following reasons:

1. Only one person within ACIS was doing anything for the children's home


2. Mercy Gate, from whom the home took its name, did little or nothing for the home.

The new organisation, based in Kisii, is led by Vincent from the home and David from ACIS, and will be seeking NGO status in Kenya and charitable status in the UK, in due course.

ACIS, in its various forms within Kenya will still continue its activities, as far as we know.

As has been seen in previous posts, David and Vincent are also in business together as Kenanda-Steggall Exports, a soapstone exporting firm, which will be supporting KCIS financially, thereby lessening the reliance on donations - we hope.

As to the name of the children's home, we will be asking the children for ideas as well as the volunteers and trustees.

So, watch this space ...

News From Nairobi

I got an email from my guy in Nairobi yesterday. It is rare to get an email from him on a Sunday as he doesn't have Internet access at home, so he was either in the office or a cyber cafe. AS this was unusual, I was worried. Was it bad news?

No. Not really. It was him just being over-cautious and advising me not to go out to Kenya just yet. I sometime wonder if there is a hidden agenda in keeping me out of Kenya. By all accounts, it would be safe enough for me to go, although geting to Kisii, where the orphanage is situated may be more difficult.

In any case, any violence is inter-tribal and it is distinctly obvious from my complexion that I am neither Kikuyu or Luo!

Other people, including Mzungu Chick seem to think that it is quiet for the time being, although I hear that the ODM is likely to call for more rallies. At least they will be "legal" as the "Government" has lifted the ban on public meetings. Oops! I am descending into politics ...


I have to get to Kisii soon though, because I have been collecting cell phones and my man there has already sold some of them. So I have to get there to deliver them. That will give every kid in the children's home a new pair of shoes, replace some school uniforms and probably buy some books.


I hope to spend about a week in Kisii, staying with friends there. We are looking at the possibility of starting up a business from which some of the profit will go towards the children's home. At the present time, with food prices rising, all funds are being used just to feed the kids, with help from the people in villages around here where I live.

So, this would seem to be a good time to say a big "THANK YOU" to the cusotmers of Woolton Hill General Store who have helped to feed our children this year.

And a special thank you to Sue and Raj, who run the store, for letting me plaster posters in their windows, and who were the collection point for the funds and phones.