Tales from In Service Training

Hi everyone, I returned from In Service Training (IST) on Saturday* Training went pretty well, the second week was a lot better than the first* During the second week we learned a bunch of things that I am excited about sharing with people in my community* I would love to start composting and utilizing drip irrigation at the farm where we grow food for the girls in our program* I also hope to be able to travel to Tharaka and introduce the concepts to the partners of Women's Global because the region has been so heavily affected by drought* Water is a precious commodity in much of Kenya, I am lucky to be in an area in which there is sufficient rainfall* It's funny that I am learning so much about agriculture and advising people about their crops and soil management seeing as I come from a background where the only time I spent on farms was when I had to drive through corn fields to get to another part of the country or the fateful spring break I spent helping out on the sheep farm outside of Duffftown, Scotland* I have become passionate about conservation of resources including water, trees, electricity and other things that tend to be in short supply here* A friend of mine introduced some of the volunteers to the idea of making charcoal of of corn, something that should be fairly easy to do in Western Province as so much corn is grown here* The process would allow for fewer trees to be used for charcoal, save money for those making it as well as serve as an income generating activity for community groups interested in making and selling it* I stayed in Nairobi an extra day to learn about Fair Trade* Setting up a Fair Trade organization seems like a long process, but it is doable* Our group spent a day visiting agricultural sites to learn about different small scale income generating activities as well as good agricultural practices* We'll see what I end up being able to help put into practice* On a different note, we had an IST prom and I was crowned prom queen due to my awesome 1970s sea foam green prom dress* A few of us spent a day running around Nairobi, we went to see baby elephants, various animals at a park where I pet a cheetah, and giraffes (I fed and kissed one of them)* All and all I consider week two a success*