Friends Pioneer

Marcus Wendin in Orongo 2007

Marcus Wendin

 I came in contact with Friends Pioneer 2003 when doing the project Springs Of Life in Orongo together with Engineers without border. Since than I have visited a couple of times and been doing development plans together. Also very exciting has been to have Joseph as visitor in Sweden! 

Follow my example, and contact Joesph!

 _________________________________________________________________________________________________

Johanna, Kitimikay

Johanna Linder

 Hi! I have been visiting Kisumu and lived in Friends Pioneers Guesthouse two summers in a row, 2 months each time, with different purposes.

First year, summer 2007, I volunteered for the organization, with the purpose to get to know the country and the people, to prepare myself for my upcoming thesis, where I was going to do the research in Kisumu, trough a MFS-scholarship. Unfortunately the country was badly affected by the post-election-violence, and I couldn´t go. So I went to Egypt instead. But the longing for Kenya, my friends and my Kenyan family was too strong and after finishing the research in Cairo, I went straight down to Kenya.

The second time in Kenya brought more travelling around in the area of southwest Kenya and Uganda. But there were still time for some work with the organization. This was not the last time I went to Kenya!

Now I help out with this webpage, of course I have a sponsor child, Nancy. And if you have any questions about volunteer work, MFS-studies or just travelling around contact me or Joseph of course!__________________________________________________________________________________________________

Louise, me and Angela in Lake Nakuru National Park. The pink behind us are flamingos.

 One of the most valuable periods of my life so far was the Autumn of 2007 when I got to experience a small part of fantastic Kenya. I have never felt as alive as I did during the three months I spent in the Guest House of Friends Pioneer in the outskirts of Kisumu and bicycled 6 km to the village where we did a Rainwater Harvesting project. We, in this case was myself and two classmates who did the Minor Field Study project as a part of our education and in co-operation with Engineers Without Borders (EWB) Stockholm. The engagement and helpfulness of Joseph was invaluable for us three confused Westerners and he made sure that we got to feel a little bit more of “Kenya Kenya” (as he himself puts it) and less of ” Mzungo (white man) Kenya”. He did this by letting us stay at the Guest House in the middle of the slum surrounded by lively little kids and guiding us around Kisumu City. It was an unforgettable time filled with contrast, feelings, colours, smiles, poverty, warmth and insights about myself and the World outside…
I strongly recommend you to get in contact with Joseph (Friends Pioneer) who is a engaged and happy personality who does genuine efforts for homeless children in an economically poor, but out of many other perspectives rich Kisumu.
Smiles//Annevi Sjöberg 

_______________________________________________________________

This is from Sofi Karlsson Lund and Camilla Rydén who made the prestudy for the biogas project.

Jambo rafikis ( hello friends in kiswahili)!
So what’s it like to live in a Kenyan shanty town? well, it’s not like the favelas in brazil where everyother person carries a gun. Nyalenda is very safe. all you need to look out for is cow dung and smelly liquids on the ground! Ppl are very friendly and it already feels like my second home thanks to our local friends Joseph. He is a very respected man (and like an inofficail leader of nyalenda) who runs 2 schools for orphans and raises money to support 70 children. He has a big heart and can make any street glue-boy or grandma laugh! so we are in good hands…
we were out last friday and got into the kenyan music vibe and i’m still amazed by the shape of kenyas arses, wow! we went with Joseph and his 2 brothers who watched over me and camilla as if we were their sistaz:) so when a man approached one of us in an unpleasent way, he would be thrown out in a second! Hakuna matata!
However, the sights in Nyalenda is not glamourous, the ground consist of 50% soil 50% waste and a lot of ppl live below the poverty line. but they are still cheerful and I get to know new ppl every day. I also like the african pace. The word stress doesn’t exist, you walk somewhere, stop and talk to everyother person. we baught fish on the street last night and we hung out chatting to the locals while the fish was being cooked. no rush, just chillin. i like IT!

Before i go i just want to share one of the highlights of this week….THE MASAI WARIOR!
A couple of nights ago i woke up from an earth tremor and i thought there was someone sneaking around in our garden. i woke joseph up and he realized i was pretty scared. so the next day he got, not only one Masai, but 3 masai wariorrs to guard the house! i was jumping up and down of exitement. Masai ppl are nomads living on the border to Tanzania. They dress in purple/red cloaks and are known for their plate earings and goat blood. They are one of the few tribes who have preserved their culture and lifestyle. Joseph tells us they are extremely trustworthy and are the only ones permitted to carry knives, bows and arrows in Kenya. I’m so amazed. Joseph and i had a chat with one of them (Moses) last night. He asked Joseph wether i was his wife! no, we’ve only know eachother for 5 days, he resonded laughing! I think I’ll buy a small world map for Moses because he asked if sudan and sweden are the same country. so he probably doesn’t know what europe is. anyway, i’m so thrilled, hopefully i’ll get to try his bow and arrow;)

Sawa sawa /Sofi