Pay it forward

Mango and bananas are great! In Kenya they have certain taste, hard to describe. Imagine eating fruit that had been growing in the sun til its time to eat them…great…

This meal ends the first night in Kenya. They gave me the best, I do hope we give them the best as they visit Sweden.

This young man is only 19 and Paul have helped him to get back on the good road of schooling, as the young man had a hard time in school and life at first. As they all joined me for the 700 m walk in the night to the place I was gonna stay, its was all dark, and we heard the crickets in the night. We laughed while walking and ahd a good time.

Next day we went to church in Nairobi, travelling in this nice car of Robert.

Pauls familys residence was at this time behind these concrete walls in the behind. They had a two room apartment.

Im happy to have been there and getting some more understanding of this world.

This is the road on where we are goin to church. The mutatus on the side shows what kind of buses there are, this remorse… One hour drive from Nairobi. The road has now been tarmacked all the way out here to Kamangu. They crack rocks manually and lay the base layer  and then comes the tarmack/asphalt.

At night in the dark, there were sometimes bicyclers trying to catch the light from Roberts car, speeding next to the car, because as we passed the bike was all in darkness. Once we saw a motorbike in the middle of the road laying as if there had been an accident, with the man wawing his hands for help, no one harmed… Robert said it was dangerous to stop for such. Lots of people could/would appear from all over if we stopped, robbing and stripping us. The main rule was, dont be outside after dark, but at times we were on the road goin home.

Are we goin home? Are we paying for what we have been given, forward to those less fortunate? “Pay it forward!”

Food and balance

Imagine living on maize and beans as your main diet. At this school and at other schools, this was the main dish. For breakfast they had tea… and bread if any money. They bought bread in the weekend and then kept it all week.

I ate about half the plate, we had another lunch in the grass as well. One of the people travelling with me said, “Stop…” then she took out a maize/corn piece and I asked “What?” “Weavel” she said. The others laughed, it was an insect as a bug that had laid eggs inside the maize. Proteins they said, but perhaps I would not like it?

I asked one our group if they also had gone to such school in their teens? Not this nice she said, less fancy.

I just cant forget all these memories that I have had.

Balance in mind, what kind?

When I watch this picture its hard to feel that the financial loss we feel in the western world during last month ever can compete with the loss of opportunity these kids will have. When the worlds financial market turned red, the world hurried to help, why don’t we start to help those in real need, a lot more than we usually do

My kids will have their educational and work dreams come true, much because they happen to be born in our family, with financial ops.

Its also not fair that even if I want to help the people I met in Kenya, got to know, I cant do more than I do. I can only do some!

I know this sounds like a suckers plead, but what more can do? Can you do anything to help one of them?

Would it be better if I stayed in Sweden, did not go and see my friend in Kenya and just shut my eyes and pretended all was well…

Well, some days are just great, some days are not. No matter if your rich or poor. But the funny thing is that I hear alot more murmouring from people around me in Sweden than I heard in Kenya.

I firmly believe that the only way we can be proud of our lifes when life is over is that we feel that we truly have done what we ever could to help our family, neighbour, the people we meet on our travellings in life. Maslow was right when he wrote that we need to share our success with someone, to be on top. Why not share more?

Encouragement from Paul in Kenya

I will always be there when need be. I will also structure some mission

statement and vision plus the positioning statement which might give you

more ideas and may be add weight to yours. I believe also scholarships

will be nice for the time because if they will be people of good motive,

they will also contribute to the expansion of the blog in the future. Am

happy its growing too fast which is not a bad trend until it stabilizes.

Isaac Newton could not be known until he discovered those theories just

by simple methods and now he is in History. People learn from what he

did and so are we of course with God blessings.

Otherwise we are ok but I had a mild Typhoid yesterday and Carol has a

problem with one of her eyes. Am not sure what could be wrong but she is

being taken to hospital by Feristus today.

Have a nice day today.

Hugs.

Paul.

 

 

The sponsorship sofar!

 

 

 

Date completed	Sponsors	Sponsoring
Oct 03	Family in Oskarström	It all started with a man Paul, bold enough to ask in behalf of someone, Everlyne, for support through High School
Oct 06, Oct 07	Local sportsshop in Halmstad	New Sweaters and handballs + football for  LA Unica Childcare centre Kenya (+Zdroje orphanage, Stettin, Poland) I brought on my travelling
Oct 06, Oct 07	Local Clothes shop in Halmstad	New Skirts, blouses, jeans, scarfs to La Unica, Zdroje and individual families in Zdroje and Kenya. I brought on my travelling
Dec 07	Local Cosmetic company in Halmstad	Used Laptop, Pentium 2 to Pauls family to support and update the information on LA Unica status and news (burning CD´s with pictures) I brought on my travelling
Dec 08	Students and staff at Sannarpsgymnasiet	They all put 483 pen and pencils in a box that Pappa Hans put in the reception at the school before leaving for Kenya. The box was almost full in ten days. The staff and Kids at La Unica and staff at Moi was grateful and showed appreciation on recieving the gifts in Feb 08
Jan 08	Family in Kristianstad	Digital camera to improve and always have updated info on La Unica and other beneficiarys  A new (in Kenya bought) gas cooker for a family in need, using coal before.
Feb 08	Family in Kristianstad	Recharger and batteries, for the digital camera
Mar 08	Friends to me, celebrating my 40 Birthday	They all brought “flowers to Kenya” and all that money was put into building urinals and latrine at LA Unica
May 08	Family in Kristianstad	A plastic huge world globe was bought and sent to Moi girls High school.
Jul 08	Family in Kristianstad	An adapter for the laptop, as the first ones fuse burned out in an accident.
Aug 08	Pay pal sponsors start to pay over the net	Contributions for adding to scholarships for below Teresia and Sarah, (got 230 dollars so far 8 Dec -08
Sep 08	IT-Consultant company in Malmö	Paying school fees for Everlyne in Polytech, Nairobi – IT-diploma education, 1,5 yrs
The following projects are in the air right now! Please feel free to add your sponsorship!
?	Funds towards scholarship needed.   Student project, Family or company??????   The sponsorship can be shared, no need of taking the whole cost. Part of the funds needs to be before Christmas, otherwise she has to leave school, til the fees are paid.	Teresia Kihuyu   Total: 4621 SEK (647 USD) High school student with good study results (more info in other article) Her sister had an accident in the school laboratory, therefore the schoolfee debt came, due to hospital bills.   Sarah Ombati Total: 3772 SEK (547 USD) Top student of the school all through high school, number 1 and 2 all the time. Comes from very poor family and have been sent home at times due to not paying the school fee. She is still the schools top student (more info in other article)
Nov 08	Two students at Sannarpsgymnasiet Halmstad along with an organised group of sponsors, named ”Polen Projektet”, (My role, advisor and teacher)	The projects aim is to visit the orphanage in Zdroje (They have been there late november) to get a better understanding for kids living under such conditions and create a bridge between kids. Having kids in Sweden draw pictures to kids at Zdroje and then have them draw for the Swedish kids. They will bring some things from sponsoring companies as well.
Nov 08	Three student at Sannarpsgymnasiet Halmstad along with an organised group of sponsors, named ”Polen Projektet” (My role, advisor and teacher)	The projects aim is to gather goods things to bring to the orphanage at the yearly Christmas party (no party was held, and plans will be rescheduled) that they throw on the 1st advent at Zdroje Orphanage, Stettin, Poland. Both used and new things are welcome.
May 09	A group of three students at Sannarpsgymnasiet Halmstad  (My role, advisor and teacher)	The projects is for throwing a concert for LA Unica. The project is to forward LA Unica investments
Oct 09	A group of five students at Sannarpsgymnasiet Halmstad (My role, advisor and teacher)	The projects aim is to produce discos for little kids around Halmstad. The fundraising target is scholarship and LA Unica support. First dsco is held, 22 kids came and the funds totalled 600 SEK
May 09	Two students at Sannarpsgymnasiet Halmstad (My role, advisor and teacher)	The projects aim is to have Kenyan tailor produce dresses for the student ball and then sponsor Sara Ombati with part of the money saved on having the dress done in Kenya
Ongoing –  what do you think?	Me and my bridgebuilding endeavor	Every sponsor for La Unica will get a DVD. I send you a DVD to help you know LA Unica as you walk on in life.

 

 

 

 

 

 

A shorter version of my request… pleading

Hello out there!
Teresia Kihuyu Her father’s inability was a result of a hospital bill he had to pay of the sister who had gotten an accident in school while doing an experiment in the laboratory.	22 dollar per month for 30 months or 150 SEK per månad i 30 månader Total: 4621 SEK (647 USD)
Sarah Ombati Her father is a casual worker so he is on and off work with no stable source of income. Her mother is tailor who mends clothes and the job is unreliable. In her primary school exams she got 395 out of 500 marks. Since she entered this school she has maintained either position 1 and 2 despite the fact that she is often send home because of fees.	22 Dollar per per month for 30 months or 150 SEK per månad I 25 månader Totalt: 3772 SEK (547 USD)
When one has gone to Kenya getting to know the people its heartbraking to just leave things as they are. Im not taking the worlds load on my shoulders. Im just asking my friends and others to give me a hand helping out. One cannot do all, but when burdens are shared, things can become quite easy. One of my good friends at Moi girls high school in Kamangu outside Nairobi and has given me this reliable information MOI GIRLS SECONDARY SCHOOL, KAMANGU. Account no. 100-098-956 Savings account (Kenya Commercial Bank, kikuyu branch, kenya). SWIFT code: KCBLKENY Please contact me for more information, Pappa HANS

2008 is the UN year of sanitarian issues

When I turned 40 … I asked my friends to bring Kenya Flowers. They brought almost 500 dollars and this money was invested in urinals and boys toilet at LA Unica. It worked just fine. See Picture…. Interested in such a project, dont hesitate to contact me. I will see too that your donation come to the right place. You may email me at work     hans.strandbergATu.halmstad.se

Yes the Urinals are the holes in the concrete, The metal sheet wall have not yet come in place. Soon! I think the neighbour, blue roof, will appreciate that…