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MARK AND TEAM ASSISTS TWO FAMILIES ACQUIRE DECENT SHELTER IN KISII REGION
This amazing team led by Mark Fitzsimons from the USA arrived in Kisii town on 31st May 2010 at around 7.30pm. The team was one of the many US teams scheduled to visit Kenya on a Habitat for Humanity Global Village mission. We headed straight to the Bluu Nile hotel approximately 7 minutes drive from Kisii town. This would be the home to the team for the next 9 days which composed of 12 members, a balanced gender of 6 ladies and 6 gentlemen.
After everyone checked in their rooms, the team met for their first dinner in a Kenyan rural hotel in Kisii town. Dinner took approximately 30 minutes and thereafter a formal introduction and on site orientation was done by HFHK officers who briefly touched on the kind of work the team will be doing at the two sites and the kind of people they will possibly meet.
Early on the morning of 1st June, everyone was up, excited and ready to meet the new families and friends of Habitat at Esaiga self help group who they would be sharing with for the next ten days. The team was psyched up and looking forward to this day. We arrived at the site at around 8.30 am and the team was warmly welcome by the community. An introduction of the home-owners to the team and vice versa was briefly done and everyone grabbed a working tool for the day.
The team was prepared to work with two families and therefore divided itself into two groups of 6 people each. The first group led by Mellisa went to Vincent’s home, and the other one led by Mark remained at Makario’s place. The two sites were close to each other about five minutes walk from one site to the other. Both home-owners are living in mud-walled and earthen floor houses with their young families and are businessmen.
The work which mainly entailed digging the trenches of a foundation of new houses started with a lot of enthusiasm and energy. At the first break for tea, everyone looked tired but determined to move on and see progress with the work started. After the day’s work everyone was tired but happy. This was to continue for the next few days with casting the foundation and the floor of the house and thereafter start building on the walls.
Besides the normal building work, the team had a chance to interact with the local community, make friends and share their cultural differences. While in Kisii, the team also had a good time doing other cultural activities especially visiting a local school and donating some stationery, visited mentally handicapped kids in Kisii special school and made friends with children at an orphanage home. All these visits were filled with dance, songs, excitement and a lot of joy.
The climax of the cultural activities was on Saturday afternoon where the team organized a party to the orphanage kids’ .The venue was well decorated with balloons and toys were in plenty. Foodstuff and soft drinks were served to the guests and the kids. Everyone played, partied, laughed with one another and all was very thrilling.
By the time the team was completing their stay in Kisii, both Vincent and Makario’s families had a roof over their head and the houses looked so beautiful. A farewell party with the community members and the homeowners was the right time to say good bye to one another and for sure everyone had something positive to share with the other.
On the 9th June the team left Kisii, after helping and witnessing two families have hope of living in decent, permanent houses.
From HFHK, thank you all for making a dream come true and bringing hope through building houses!
Asanteni sana!
Photo gallery here >>>
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