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| Latest Update - February 2006 |
| Coming together to kick off 2006 |
| We began 2006 with a retreat of all the Kufundees. It included many new members of Kufunda, our trustees, Toke and Iben from Denmark and Phil from the US. It was a time to come together after the holidays to build the base to act with wisdom and strength in 2006
The retreat and the days around it were very special. Everyone came in with all of themselves - their excitement, their fear, their doubts, their hopes.
We have in the last months been in an on-going exploration around what it would mean to more fully become a centre demonstrating self-reliance and sustainability in all aspects. Our main shift involves becoming organised around key programmes (Kufunda as a demonstration centre; Healthy Living; Caring for the Young; Economic Self-reliance, and Stoves and Toilets). During the retreat, we spent much time working through the practicalities of this. Below we write more about some of what is planned for 2006. Thank you to Toke, Phil and Iben for joining us and making it such a rich process. |
| Kufunda as a demonstration centre |
| W e h a v e b e e n t a l k i n g a b o u t w a n t i n g t o b e a m o d e l v i l l a g e f o r a w h i l e , b u t , s i n c e o u r i n c e p t i o n , h a v e p l a c e d a l a r g e r e m p h a s i s o n t h e w o r k i n t h e c o m m u n i t i e s . T h i s y e a r a s m a l l t e a m w i l l h a v e a s t h e i r m a i n f o c u s b u i l d i n g K u f u n d a i n t o a d e m o n s t r a t i o n c e n t r e d i s p l a y i n g t h e t e c h n o l o g i e s a n d m e t h o d s , w h i c h w e a r e l e a r n i n g a n d e x p e r i m e n t i n g w i t h . T h i s i n c l u d e s f u l l y e m b r a c i n g t h e p e r m a c u l t u r e p r i n c i p l e s i n o u r d e s i g n s a n d l a n d s c a p i n g a r o u n d t h e v i l l a g e ; g o i n g f u r t h e r w i t h o u r w o n d e r f u l l y r u s t i c c o m p o s t t o i l e t s ( s e e p i c t u r e ) ; d e e p e n i n g o u r e x p e r i m e n t s a r o u n d o r g a n i c d r y l a n d f a r m i n g a n d m o r e .
T h e t e a m h a s a l r e a d y b e g u n . T h e y w i l l b e b u s y f o r y e a r s t o c o m e ; - ) . Y o u a r e w e l c o m e t o c o m e a n d j o i n t h e m a n y t i m e f o r a w e e k o r s e v e r a l m o n t h s ! |
| Caring for the young |
| T h e w o r k w i t h y o u n g e r p e o p l e a n d c h i l d r e n i s a n a r e a w h i c h i s g r o w i n g a t K u f u n d a n o t s o m u c h a s p a r t o f a g r a n d s t r a t e g i c p l a n , b u t s i m p l y b e c a u s e i t i s a l r e a d y h a p p e n i n g i n t h e c o m m u n i t i e s , a n d a s a r e s u l t o f w o m e n a r o u n d K u f u n d a c o m i n g t o g e t h e r t o c r e a t e t h e K u f u n d a p r e s c h o o l i n 2 0 0 5 . T h i s t e a m o f w o m e n h a v e j o i n e d K u f u n d a f o r m a l l y a s a p r o g r a m m e t e a m . T h e y w i l l f o c u s o n d e v e l o p i n g t h e K u f u n d a p r e s c h o o l t o b e a d e m o n s t r a t i o n o f w h a t i s p o s s i b l e i n w o r k i n g w i t h c h i l d r e n w i t h v e r y f e w r e s o u r c e s , b u t l o t s o f l o v e a n d c a r e . T h e y i n t e n d t o s e t u p a p r e s c h o o l p r o j e c t n e t w o r k w i t h t h e m a n y c o m m u n i t y o r g a n i z e r s i n o u r p a r t n e r c o m m u n i t i e s d o i n g s i m i l a r w o r k a n d t o h o s t l e a r n i n g a n d s h a r i n g s e s s i o n s a t K u f u n d a d u r i n g t h e c o u r s e o f t h e y e a r . A l r e a d y w e h a v e r e c e i v e d g e n e r o u s s u p p o r t f o r t h i s w o r k , i n c l u d i n g s u p p o r t f o r t h r e e o u t o f s i x o f t h e p r e s c h o o l s t o b e a b l e t o p r o v i d e a n u t r i t i o u s m e a l d a i l y t o t h e c h i l d r e n a n d o r p h a n s i n t h e i r c a r e . S h o u l d y o u w a n t t o s t e p i n t o t h i s a r e a , p l e a s e c o n t a c t m a r i a n n e @ k u f u n d a . o r g f o r m o r e i n f o r m a t i o n . |
| Community Planning Workshop |
| S o o n a f t e r o u r o w n t e a m r e t r e a t w a s o v e r w e h o s t e d a t h r e e - d a y w o r k s h o p f o r r e p r e s e n t a t i v e s o f e a c h o f o u r p a r t n e r c o m m u n i t i e s . D u r i n g t h r e e d a y s o f b u z z i n g , c o m m u n i t y o r g a n i z e r s s h a r e d e x p e r i e n c e s f r o m 2 0 0 5 w h a t h a d w o r k e d , a n d w h a t t h e y h a d l e a r n e d t h a t t h e y w i s h e d t o f u r t h e r i n 2 0 0 6 . T h r o u g h t h e u s e o f o p e n s p a c e t e c h n o l o g y a l l t h e p l a n n i n g a n d w o r k - g r o u p i n g w a s e n t i r e l y s e l f - o r g a n i s e d a r o u n d t h e a r e a s a n d p r o j e c t s t h a t p e o p l e f e l t t h e m o s t c o m m i t t e d t o a n d p a s s i o n a t e a b o u t . P l a n s f o r 2 0 0 6 c o m p l e m e n t e d m u c h o f w h a t t h e v i l l a g e i t s e l f i s d o i n g . I t i n c l u d e s d e e p e n i n g t h e w o r k w i t h t h e a i d s o r p h a n s i n t h e c o m m u n i t i e s t h r o u g h t h e p r e s c h o o l i n i t i a t i v e s a s w e l l a s t h r o u g h h e r b a n d n u t r i t i o n g a r d e n p r o j e c t s . T h e r e i s g r e a t e x c i t e m e n t a r o u n d t h e s p r e a d o f t h e j e n g e t a h u n i s t o v e s , a s w e l l a s t h e c o n t i n u e d s p r e a d o f t h e c o m p o s t t o i l e t s .
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| Education Fund Update |
| I n 2 0 0 5 t h e K u f u n d a E d u c a t i o n F u n d s u p p o r t e d 1 1 8 c h i l d r e n , m o s t o f t h e m o r p h a n s . W e h a v e b e e n a b l e t o i n c r e a s e o u r n u m b e r s a t t h e b e g i n n i n g o f 2 0 0 6 t o 1 8 5 c h i l d r e n f o r t h e f i r s t t e r m . 4 5 a d d i t i o n a l c h i l d r e n a r e l i k e l y t o b e a d d e d t o t h e f u n d f o r t h e s e c o n d a n d t h i r d t e r m s . T h e t o t a l f e e s c a m e t o 8 5 5 U S D . W e a r e c o n s i d e r i n g a l s o p a y i n g f o r e x e r c i s e b o o k s f o r t h e c h i l d r e n a s w e h a v e r e a l i z e d t h a t m a n y o f t h e c h i l d r e n c a n n o t a f f o r d t o b u y e x e r c i s e b o o k s , a n d s o a c t u a l l y d o n t h a v e t h e n e e d e d b o o k s t o u s e f o r t h e i r d i f f e r e n t e x e r c i s e s a n d a s s i g n m e n t s . A n o t h e r p l a n o n t h e h o r i z o n i s t o s u p p o r t t h e p r e - s c h o o l s t o b e c o m e l e a r n i n g c e n t r e s , w i t h s m a l l l i b r a r i e s a n d l e a r n i n g s u p p o r t o f f e r e d t o t h e s c h o l a r s h i p c h i l d r e n b y t h e c o m m u n i t y o r g a n i z e r s . I f a n y o n e i s k e e n t o h e l p w i t h b o o k s a n d o t h e r s i m i l a r r e s o u r c e s , p l e a s e c o n t a c t j a c k i e @ k u f u n d a . o r g
W e w o u l d l i k e t o u s e t h i s o p p o r t u n i t y t o t h a n k a l l t h o s e p e o p l e w h o h a v e c o n t r i b u t e d t o t h e e d u c a t i o n f u n d , a n d a l s o N a t i o n a l W o m e n ' s S t u d i e s A s s o c i a t i o n J o u r n a l ( o f t h e U S ) w h o h a s r e c e n t l y m a d e a l a r g e d o n a t i o n o f b o o k s , w h i c h h a s k i c k s t a r t e d t h e K u f u n d a V i l l a g e l i b r a r y . |
| Additional News and Projects |
| Jackie Cahi our new operations co-ordinator has fully entered the Kufunda family. She seems to like us, and we are very appreciative of what she is already bringing to the village with her energy and drive.
We are setting up library at Kufunda finally with many old and donated books. As part of this Claudia, our German volunteer, is spearheading the creation of a study circle come book club, where Kufundees come together in shared learning around different themes and areas of study.
We have not yet launched the community currency, which has been in the pipelines for a little over a year. We are hoping for 2006 to be the year, and only need a little funding for the printing of the currency. For more please email Marianne@kufunda.org
Several infrastructure development projects are under way. We are shifting to a larger building as our new office, given the additional team members who have joined the Kufunda support team. We are beginning the rammed earth building which will house the preschool and community hall in April with community organizers joining in with the building work to learn the technology which is all natural and cement free. We are upgrading our compost toilets to make them a little more comfortable and pleasing to the eye :)
The healthy living team focusing primarily on herbs and nutrition is still surging forward. We will share updates on their adventures in the next newsletter. |
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