Today Zach, the Manager of WWB orphanage, and I went hunting for a dairy cow.
Let me explain why. I raised money for the trip from my family, friends and church group (see list of donors at the top of my blog home page). And by God's doing and the generosity of my friends, I exceeded my goal. I promptly started praying and asking God how He wanted me to use the additional money. It is VERY important to me that I be a good steward of the money, which is really all God's money anyway. Yes, my friends and family were the contributors, but in my opinion only God can inspire someone to give money. About a week after I arrived, God answered my prayers.
Due to a lack of resources, the kids don't drink milk. Right away I knew that is where God wanted me to invest the money. As we all know, calcium is extremely important to a healthy diet. I shared my thoughts with Zach to make sure I was offering a hand-up not a hand-out. I have read too many stories of Westerners coming into a third world country and assuming they know what is best, but actually end up creating more issues. Zach was excited about the idea and said the only option was to buy a dairy cow. Not only would the heifer provide milk, but her manure could be used for their bio-gas system.
Our hunt began with a trip to meet Mr. Wachira, a very successful farmer in the village. Apparently, Mr. Wachira is the only farmer outside of Nairobi who has heifers producing 35 litres of milk a day, the amount needed for each kid to get a glass a day.
When we arrived to his farm, it became very apparent how successful he is. He owns countless cows, goats, pigs in addition to a fish pond. He also has his own bore hole, a car, a garage for his car, running hot water, 1500 chickens, advanced bio-gas system, 40+ acres of land and all the resources to keep the farm in working order.
Mr. Wachira was not at home when we arrived but his farmhands said he would be back very soon. We waited for what seemed like hours and were just about to leave before we heard is car come down the dirt road.
He sat down with us and listened to our needs. Unfortunately, he was not ready to sell his cows. He told us that they need to birth a calf first. Strike One. But he called a friend who had some for sale. Unfortunately, we were too late; he had already sold his. Strike two.
Mr. Wachira asked Zach some questions about how WWB takes care of their livestock now. After hearing Zach, he said he wasn't so sure buying a cow right now is the best option. He thinks we might need to get some operational things into place before we invest money in a heifer. I asked him to come to WWB, meet the kids and advise us on what to do. He said he would be at the orphanage on April 30th, 10am.
I don't know what to expect, but I am excited to find out.
Tracy
Cultural Embrace Volunteer in Kenya 2010
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