We are still working in the village in Rwanda, helping Edward with his filter factory. Today we finished the sides of the kiln and tomorrow we plan to put the roof on. It is the beginning of the rainy season here so we have been hit with some days filled with short, hard rains. Ebele, my friend from Nigeria, who I met at our 2019 water filter course at Adamah, was here and will leave tomorrow evening.
Tomorrow afternoon a group of women from the Congo are taking a bus across the border into Rwanda and meeting me in Kigali to discuss projects to help them become financially independent. They are all women who are victims of rape during the last war in the Congo. They have grouped together to find a better life. Many of the skills we teach at Adamah can become life skills for them (ceramics, weaving, dyeing with plants, soap making, etc.).
On Saturday, we are visiting local potters who are having trouble with their wood fired kiln. We are going to help them with some kiln repairs and trade throwing techniques with them. Later on Saturday, we are meeting Pastor John who hosted the Bethel Lutheran Church's visit in 2018 (2019?) to Rwanda.
November 24th, we fly to Kenya and visit 5 different rural communities located mostly near Lake Victoria. One of the communities desperately needs water filters due to a Cholera outbreak. Some of the groups are interested in ceramic water filters, some are interested in ceramics in general and one wants to start a women's soap making business. We are also going to visit the woman who runs the organization: Smart Child Kenya.
Greetings! I am working with a non-profit in Kigali (www.duhope.org) that would like to make functional pottery--mugs, etc. that are actually vitrified. Who would be a good contact for them in that area? Thank you!
These reports are so welcome! Thanks for making the time to provide them, and the photos. You are squeezing so much into this trip; the impact will be enormous.