Day 19 Mumias May 27, 2011

Hi all

Today went a little better then yesterday.  This morning Hezron picked me up at the Sheywe Guest House around 10 and our first stop was to the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute here in Kakamega.  After signing in we were directed to the main building to check in with the receptionist.  We asked to speak to someone about the soils in and around Kakamega to see if they were adequate to grow passion fruit.  We were told to have a seat and someone would take us to see a soil expert.  We were then taken across the compound where we had a lengthy discussion on passion fruit.  The nice lady told us that the Institute will help us source seedlings and if we already have seedlings they will direct other farmers to us to buy seedlings.  They also have a planting service, soil service, and whatever else we need to plant an orchard.  This might help in this area instead of sending the Kakamega farmers to Moi’s Bridge for training.

Kenya Agricultural Research Institute

After our visit to the Kenya Agricultural Research Institute Hezron had told me that Mathew had found a used lathe that he wanted us to look at and get a demonstration of how the locals trim a piece of wood.  Mathew was in Bungoma and would meet us at his shop in a couple of hours.  Hezron and I then took it easy and slow to Mumias.  Once we got to Mathew’s shop the field outside all the shops was filled with vendors.  Today was market day and I decided to look around.  I could see all the vendors and the bundles of clothes that have come donated from us in America and other developed countries.  On one hand the clothing is dirt cheap and the poor can have clothing at affordable prices.  On the other hand these donated clothes have destroyed good paying textile jobs and put a lot of factories and tailoring shops out of business.  I watched a special once called “t-shirt travels”.  Here is a link to the site.

http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/tshirttravels/film.html 

We donate clothes into those yellow boxes with the globe on them or any of the other agencies like Goodwill.  You donate your clothing and what does not go into a local thrift store is bundled and sent too many third world countries around the globe.  This particular documentary followed the bundles from New Jersey to Zambia.  They come off the boats and someone will buy a bundle sight unseen and take it back to their village.  Once they get to the village they open their bundle of clothes and then begin to see their take.  Some times it will be good some times not so good.  They sell these clothes in local markets as you will see in the pictures below.  The side effect was the complete elimination of the hundreds of clothing manufacturers in Zambia.  These factories used to employ thousands of people but now they don’t.  I find that it’s also the problem here in Kenya.  Someone wants to open a tailoring shop but it is difficult to compete with low cost donated or free clothing.  Yes some people wear traditional clothing but the vast majority of people here wear our hand me downs.  The only real market left for the tailoring shops are school uniforms because they are required for all children to wear.  So next time you give to one of those clothing pick up places you might want to ask yourself are we helping these people or are we hurting them.

Market day in Mumias

Selling donated clothing and the green building full of bundles

Some shade but the smell from here is something else.  In the background are all the fish stands.

As I was walking around I noticed a really fowl odor coming from around the green building with all the bundles of clothes.  It was a mixture of the outhouses and dead fish.  Of course I needed to investigate and what did I find but at least 50 vendors all selling fish.  Piles of fish I mean piles of fish.  People would have two or three foot piles of dried minnows, tilapia, Nile perch, catfish, and all sorts of different size fishes.  The minnows were the most interesting.  What do they do with these little critters?  Well of course I asked and I was told that they feed the minnows to the children to keep them from having worms.  I was asked to try one but I could not keep thinking I used these little guys to catch other fish not eat.  I said thanks but passed.  I visited a couple of shops and one shop I stopped at was selling fish skeletons and fish heads that have already been cleaned of the filets.  I took a picture and then the lady asked for some money for the picture of her fish.  My smallest bill I had was a 500 Ksh note and I was not going to give that to her for a picture of some fish heads.  I told her I would be back.  I went back to the furniture shop and told Hezron of the stinky place around the corner and he said that while he was here he needed to buy some fish heads.  So I took Hezron and Mathew to the Lady where I took the picture and told her that I brought a customer to buy her fish heads and skeletons.  She was very pleased and all the bad names she called me I hope she took back.  Here are some pictures of market day in Mumias.  To bad I cannot add smell to them I think you would really enjoy it.

The fish are everywhere how they breathe this air all day is beyond me!

One of the many piles of minnows sold by the bucket full

The table in the background had some really big fish

Click on any picture if you want to enlarge and get some detail

Fish heads and skeletons

Nothing goes to waste

The fish were filleted for meat to export vendors buy the rest to sell

Hezron's purchase price 90 Ksh

Hezron tells me that the fish heads are his favorite part "tender"

After the market Mathew took us to a local vendor where he takes his wood to be run on the lathe.  Mathew spends up to 6000 Ksh a month to have his parts made and he wants to purchase his own lathe to eliminate this cost and to be able to make parts for other furniture makers who do not have electricity.  His new shop south of Mumias has electricity and he is ready to expand to electrical shop equipment to reduce his cost and hopefully hire more workers.

Shop owner working the lathe

Hezron and shop owner after he makes chair leg from block of wood in about 5 minutes

Mathew and his chair leg

I would like to thank all of you that responded to my need for attention.  What I see and what I hear takes it toll on me every day.  Being alone does not help since I have no one to discuss the day’s events with.  The need is so huge and the reality is that what we are going to be able to accomplish is just a drop in the bucket.  Again I did not receive a whole lot of responses but the ones that I did receive were very encouraging and I really do appreciate it.  This boost should keep me going for the rest of my trip.  Tomorrow we will finally get to meet again with the widows here in Kakamega at 10:30 am.

Again thanks take care and God bless you all

Dave