2012 INTO 2013

Sailing through the past year, a year that brought with it calamities of unimaginable magnitudes in Kenya like the prolonged severe drought, the strange disease outbreaks that affected both humans and food crops as well and the unexpected flooding that displaced thousands from their homes recently, we find solace and hope through all the positive things that the year 2012 had for Fanya Mambo Foundation.

Thanks to your unending support, one of our proposed projects - The Children Recycling Plastics Program (  http://www.1procentclub.nl/projects/childrenrecyclingplastic ), finally attained its fundraising target on the 1%CLUB crowd-funding platform. Plans are now underway to start rolling out the program on the 14th of January. We are pleased to announce that we will be replicating this type of project in Lamu too. Working closely with our close friend Mary Stone ( https://www.facebook.com/mary.stone.522 ) and the local Lamu community, we plan to train people on the dangers caused by lack of proper garbage disposal and the possibilities of transforming common wastes into useful structures plus initiating hands-on Eco-friendly construction skills training to community members.

We are also very pleased to announce that construction of a website for Fanya Mambo is currently underway, thanks to our good friend Rachael Kay Albers ( https://www.facebook.com/rachaelalbers ). hopefully, it will be up by the end of this month.

Just like one of my favorite columnists with a local daily - Carol Mandi, puts it " We are not responsible for everything around us, but we are responsible for a whole lot more than we own up to. responsibility is a heavy weight but it only becomes a burden when we resent it. it is so much easier to look for what is wrong with life and then find an appropriate scapegoat. but nothing changes until we say I am responsible. For my life, my health, my well-being and happiness, I. AM. RESPONSIBLE!" we have decided to act like our name "Fanya Mambo" which means "Do Things" in Swahili suggests. In April, we will embark on the creation of the proposed PILOT FANYA MAMBO CENTER ( a center for Agriculture, Aquaculture, Eco-friendly construction, Arts, Crafts and Appropriate Technologies training.) in Siaya County of Nyanza Province, Kenya.

We have already acquired an 8 acre piece of land and are currently seeking out for other interested people or organizations to partner with as we embark on this noble initiative. Fundraising for this project is also currently underway. More information on this proposed project will be available on our soon to come website.

On behalf of the entire Fanya Mambo team, i take this opportunity to say special "THANK YOU" to our good friend Rachael Kay for all the support she has been directing towards Fanya Mambo. I also thank Mary Stone and her family for giving us the opportunity to introduce Eco-bricks ( used plastic bottles stuffed with used plastic bags) construction technique in Lamu. lastly, i thank you all for the never ending support you have always directed towards our initiatives. Without your support, we can never do what we do. Like it is said " Together we stand, divided we fall!" Keep standing with us this year too!!

As you sail through this year, i encourage you to always remember this words from one of the most amazing persons to ever pass through this world called Mother Teresa - " People are often unreasonable and self-centered, forgive them anyway. If you are kind, people might accuse you of ulterior motives, be kind anyway. If you are honest, people might cheat you, be honest anyway, If you find happiness people might be jealous, be happy anyway. The good yo do today may be forgotten tomorrow, do good anyway. Give the world the best you have and it may never be enough,  give your best anyway, for you see, in the end its between you and God. It was never between you and them anyway!" Let this words guide us through 2013!! Thanks!

JOIN US IN TEACHING OTHERS HOW TO FISH

The HOLIDAYS SEASON is finally here! I take this opportunity to wish you all “HAPPY HOLIDAYS”. During this period, I hope you will consider making a gift to our cause CHILDREN RECYCLING PLASTICS! http://onepercentclub.com/projects/childrenrecyclingplastic/videos.

We are at EUR 1,848 but still need EUR 1,777 to achieve our target of EUR 3,625. You can make a gift through spreading the word about this initiative to your family and friends; through donating directly to the project or by volunteering your skills to design some project materials like brochures, t-shirts e.t.c.

Because life has not given us fish but it has taught us how to fish, let’s join hands and make it happen! Let us teach others how to fish too through our project CHILDREN RECYCLING PLASTICS that seeks to educate school children and community members on the dangers of careless waste disposal and the possibilities of transforming common waste into useful structures for their own benefit.

Special thanks to all our supporters who already made a gift and all who are yet to make too!

ALARMING FACTS!! Something’s about to hit us hard!!!

Today I invite you to ponder with me the thought provoking facts I bumped onto while doing some research on how best we can recycle our waste especially of organic material. Well here are a few;

“Human beings and the natural world are on a collision course… No more than one or few decades remain before the chance to avert the threats we now confront will be lost and the prospects for humanity immeasurably diminished.” 1,600 SCIENTISTS, NOVEMBER 18, 1992 - WORLD SCIENTIST WARNING TO HUMANITY.

Humans began to show their destructive potential towards the planet during the 1950s, ravenously devouring natural resources and discarding waste into the environment with utter carelessness. From 1990 to 1997, human global consumption grew as much as it did from the begin of civilization to 1950. In fact, the global economy grew more in 1997 alone than during the entire 17th century. STATE OF THE WORLD 1999, pg 10 - STATE OF THE WORLD 1998, pg 3.

By the end of the 20th century, our consumptive and wasteful lifestyles had painted a bleak global picture. Almost half of the world’s forests are gone. Between 1980 and 1995, we lost areas of forest larger than the size of Mexico, and we’re still losing forests at a rate of millions of acres a year. Water tables are falling on every continent. Fisheries are collapsing, farmland is eroding, rivers are drying, wetlands are disappearing and species are becoming extinct. Furthermore, the human population is now increasing by 80 million each year (roughly the population of ten Swedens). Population growth without foresight, management and respect for environment virtually guarantees increased consumption and waste with each passing year. BROWN, LESTER R, et al. (1998). VITAL SIGNS 1998. NEW YORK; W. W. NORTON and CO, pg 20 --- STATE OF THE WORLD 1998, pg 4, 5 --- STATE OF THE WORLD 1998, pg 14.

The natural background of extinctions is estimated to be about one to ten species per year. Currently, it’s estimated that we are instead losing 1,000 species per year. More than 10% of all bird species, 25% of all mammals, and 50% of all primates are threatened with extinction. Of 242,000 plant species surveyed by the World Conservation Union in 1997, one out of every eight (33,000 species) was threatened with extinction. STATE OF THE WORLD 1999, pg 13, 97.

THE BIG QUESTIONS THEREFORE ARE;
• What would drive humanity to damage its life support system in this way?
• Why would we disregard our host organism, the earth, as if we were nothing more than disease intent upon its destruction?

There are those who scoff at the idea that a tiny organism such as the human species could mortally affect such an ancient and immense being as mother earth. The notion that we can be powerful enough to inflict illness on a planetary being is nothing more than egotism. Where is there any evidence that a planet can get sick and die? Well, how about Mars??

FANYA MAMBO FOUNDATION 2012

Much greetings,

I hope this finds you well and with the best of health. Just want to keep you on the loop and to let you in on Fanya Mambo future plans.

Its been 15 months since the inception of Fanya Mambo and it has certainly proved to be an eventful time. Against a background of major setbacks with our organization that included, delay in getting our certificate,one of us being involved in a major car crash and major catastrophic occurrences in Kenya like the worst drought to hit the horn of Africa in 50 years that resulted in three million Kenyans facing starvation, emergence of Al-Shabaab in Kenya, and major flooding displacing thousands,killing others and triggering fears of worse times to come due to food shortage caused by maize rotting in farms after the prolonged rains, we have as an organization, experienced serious capacity strains. During this trying times, the realization the millions of those who failed, failed because they gave up just when they were about to succeed and knowing that only a child wants what he cant have are what kept us going as an organization. It must be acknowledged then that it is during this period that we managed to evolve from being a program into being a fully registered non-profit foundation on our own.

As a guy known as Will Rodgers famously said, " Even if you are on the right track, you will be ran over if you just sit there!". Our primary focus this year therefore should be broadening our focus areas to be able to maximize our potential. Additionally, we need to initiate a number of programs focusing highly on enhancing our sustainability levels. We also need to enhance community participation in our operation areas through ideas like community clean-up exercise while implementing our future projects therefore enabling them get educated on benefits of proper recycling habits.

Gearing Fanya Mambo towards proper sustainability and on our quest to broaden our focus areas, we built using Eco-blocks and opened a small eatery that is currently operational and is slowly picking up in Buruburu, Fanya Mambo is set to benefit as part of the profits will be pumped back to our projects. After finally getting our registration certificate that enables us to initiate community development projects anywhere in the country as opposed to being limited to working in Nairobi only as used to be the case, we recently acquired a six acre piece of land in Nyanza Province that has several clean drinking water springs and a permanent stream. The land is set to be transformed into an Integrated Fish Farm and Appropriate Technologies Center.

Like the African proverb goes..."Every morning in Africa, a gazelle wakes up, it knows it must ran faster than the fastest lion or it will be killed. Every morning a lion wakes up, it knows it must outrun the slowest gazelle or it will starve to death. it doesn't matter whether you are a gazelle or a lion. When the sun comes up you better start running!" This is exactly what we are doing, running, running and running. Mid next month, work is set to begin on the creation of the proposed integrated Fish Farm and Appropriate Technologies Center. The first phase of the construction work will include clearing of the property and fencing.

All through the construction period that is set to last for at least 15 months, we will be initiating Eco-friendly construction and farming methods for the betterment of our planet and its future inhabitants. We will construct using the Earth-bag technique,Ferro-cement and Stabilized Soil Blocks building structures like composting toilets, farm ponds, guest houses among others.

We intend to keep you posted on the developments and that's why i take this opportunity to invite you and your friends too to follow us on this blog as we run through this year.

I leave you with a quote by Ralph Waldo Emerson, certainly one of the more quotable people who ever passed through this planet. Here is the quotation "To laugh often and much; to win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children... to leave the world a better place.... to know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived. This is to have succeeded!". I share this today because we made it through the past and are in the beginning of the future and we definitely need inspiration as we run hard into the future.

Happy New year and stay blessed~~~~~

The Fanya Mambo " Old Trafford"Eating Place

As one of our income generating activities, we have embarked on the construction of a unique eatery in Nairobi's Buruburu Estate Phase two. In line with our commitment to green construction methods,Parts of the wall and the furniture in this structure are to be made out of Eco-blocks. Not to mention that we will strive to avoid using charcoal and other unsustainable sources of energy once we are up and running!!

In the meantime we have already constructed the steel framework of the structure and also, the roof is already up. We are now collecting used plastic bottles and trash for making Eco-blocks that are to build the furnitures and parts of the wall. Hopefully in six weeks time, we shall be done with the construction part of the project and will be ready to open our doors to the public.

So keep your heads up and pass the word around!>>>> we will keep on keeping you posted as we keep going!!