Dear Joseph and Lois

I was off the internet for three weeks and this was uncomfortable because I felt I was either missing something or getting my friends worried for that silence. Thanks for caring. We had an internet problem.

We are getting very good rains at the moment and of this goes  for another 4 weeks, our crops will do well.

Today, Theresa received the 300$ for her windows and she is very grateful. When her windows are fixed, I will take pictures and sent them over. This gift has come in really handy since on 22nd of this month we have a homecoming party for her son Ayub who was ordained a Catholic priest two months ago. We as women share her joy for this particular celebration.

  Theresa standing in front of kitchen outbuilding which she built from mud and straw.

On Friday, we all meet for prayers and sharing at the parish in Raruowa. I will be exited to capture the joy the women have for having water at their door step. I will combine their reactions with photos that I will take after a door to door visit within a week or two and send in my report.

My love to you all,

Mary

Hello Grandmother Circles US,

ksh= Keyan Schilling

Chicken coop project report.

Grand Total Cost of Chicken coop       ksh143,896   US $1,713.07
Cash received from Grandmother Circles US

Ksh  144,000  US$1714.31

Members of the St. Monica Grandmother Circle are very grateful for the completion of the two chicken houses. One house is at Teresa Aduda’s home. They made this choice of a central place near the Raruowa Mission because it is easily accessible to them and any visitor who wishes to see it and also because taking care of poultry is a difficult task and they thought Teresa is well suited for this task.
The other house is at Mary Lieta’s home. This home also is easy to access and Mary Lieta can manage to take care of the poultry well.
The women now have a total of 42 birds in the two houses.
Challenges
·         The chicken in both houses were eating their own eggs. An  Agricultural officer advised that they get food supplements with calcium and that problem was reduced
·         When the young ones were hatched, some chicks were being eaten by the older chicken. We had to remove the young ones from the house until they were one month old
·         Sourcing for chicken feed was quite difficult as some members were unable to contribute. Permission was given by the members for some of the eggs to be sold so that food can be bought.
·         Not more than one cock can be housed in each coop. The cocks were sold off and this was a source of income for the group.
Benefits
This project is still small and the benefits are not very large as yet.   We can proudly record the following:
·          Poultry multiply out of danger of any epidemics.
·         Birds can be sold for cash
·         Eggs are sold for cash
·         Anyone with visitors can request for a bird to slaughter
·         Members are given a sense of togetherness through joint ownership of the project
·         The selling of eggs and extra cocks gives income which at the moment goes towards the feeding of the birds.

We shall make reports of our progress as frequently as possible.
Mary Lieta

A special request was made recently for us to assist a grandmother with getting a window put into her stone house that she built with her own hands.  Yes it is true.  Before her husband died he taught her how to carve out rock from the small quarry they had on their property.  

She chiseled stone brick by stone brick out of the earth, squared it and then lift it out of the quarry.

Grandmother Circles US with your support will be sending the funds this week for the window.  Grandmothers Rock!

  Thank you for supporting this window of opportunity!

Lois Mineau

News to know from Homalime,.