Mr. Wachira kept his word; he arrived to Watoto Wa Baraka at 2:55pm this afternoon, five minutes before our appointment.
Erick, a staff member, and I showed him around the compound and introduced him to the kids. Mr. Wachira is a very influential member of the community so to have him invested in the success of the orphanage would be very beneficial. I figure the best way to do that is to have him spend some time getting to know a few of the kids. The perfect pair for him to meet is Joseph and James(see pictures). These two boys, teenagers actually, are responsible for maintaining the six buildings on the compound, working in the field and taking care of the livestock. Not only do I want him to be impressed by these boys, I want the boys to learn from him.
After the boys showed him around, we got down to business. And by business I mean - do we buy a dairy cow or not? Mr. Wachira had many questions to ask before giving his opinion on what we should do.
Q: "How many acres of Napier grass do you have?"
The acreage of grass is one of two very key elements to the project. If we buy a dairy cow that produces enough liters of milk for each child to have one glass a day, Watoto Wa Baraka must have enough food to keep it nourished and healthy.
A: Currently they have one acre of land. One half acre has full grown Napier grass and the remaining half acre is ready for Napier grass seeds to be planted. This is good news. Step one of five steps is complete AND free!
Q: "How do you feed and maintain the livestock currently?"
A well nourished cow produces higher quality and quantity of milk. It is very common for livestock to get disease, so preventative measures are vital.
A: Fortunately, WWB has the right feed, but they need to add some minerals to the livestock's diet as well as change the tick medicine they administer to the animals.
The third question wasn't a question; it was a statement. "The livestock stalls are not made with the proper size and flooring. You must hire a contractor to fix the dimensions of the stall and lay concrete on the floor."
Q: "Do you have the funds to buy a chaff cutter? It is the second most important part of this plan."
The chaff cutter is the second key element of this entire project. For all of you non-agricultural buffs, a chaff cutter is a mechanical device used for cutting Napier grass into small pieces before being mixed together with other forage and then fed to the cattle. This aids the animal's digestion and prevents animals from rejecting any part of their food. (For the record, I am not an agricultural expert. I just take good notes, and use wikipedia.)
A: Right now the farmhand uses a very dull machete to cut the Napier grass and no matter how skilled he is, he will never be able to get the grass cut like the chaff cutter. So yes, I have the money and want to purchase the machine.
After gathering all that information, Mr. Wachira gave his opinion "If all of these things fall into place, then you are ready to buy a cow. But please remember getting these things into place it easy, finding the cow will be the hard part. I have called everyone I can think of and no one has the type of dairy cow you need for sale. If we can't find one close by, we will have to look in Nairobi, and that brings on another set of problems, like transporting the cow."
Now it was my turn to ask the questions.
Q: "Mr. Wachira, since you are so knowledgeable and wise about farming, would you be willing to train the farmhand and Joseph and James? I think it will help the orphanage long-term to have well trained staff."
A: "Yes Madame Tracy, I will do that. You come from America to help these kids, I can help them too. I will provide eight days of training for the farmhand, Joseph and James."
Q: "Mr. Wachira, since you have a car and know how much all of these things will cost, will you please be so kind to drive us to Thika and help purchase the items?"
A: "Again, Madame Tracy, yes. I will help you get the items to help the kids. You come to my farm at 10am on Monday May 3rd and we will go to Thika together."
We will see what God does with all of this.
GOD CREATED US TO SERVE. ARE YOU?
No comments:
Post a Comment