Friends University Kaimosi, Kenya August 2007

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Friends University KaimosiKenya August 2007
Doug Bakke

“Let the favor of the Lord our God be upon us, and prosper for us the work of our hands”

Who went where…
This summer Doug went to Kenya with four others to aid in the building of the Friends University, Kaimosi. These included Dennis Hagen, Professor at George Fox (retired)- leader; Kermit Olsen (retired OHSU buying agent); John Lyda (retired carpenter); Kristine Langridge (traveling minister).

All members of the group were self funded. The cost was about $3000. per person for a 5 week effort.

Goal of our Group...
Get the project off the drawing board and on the ground.

Using local materials, local labor, and volunteers, the group from the US helped Kenyans begin the actual construction.

In Kenya...
The US group stayed in a guest house in Kaimosi. They employed 4 staff people at the guest house and 15 construction site people. The guest house staff were paid for by our group from the US. The construction material and labor were paid for by donations from the US.
There were 40 additional construction site volunteers from Kenyan Friends Meetings. These men slept on the ground, in shacks they built with construction debris. They had one meal per day provided by East Africa Yearly Meeting.

The workers

The Chef

Kaimosi, Kenya...
Collection of villages surrounding a 1000 acre Friends mission site in the Western Province of Kenya, near Lake Victoria. The Kaimosi mission site was established in 1902 by missionaries from the Ohio Yearly Meeting.
This is the location for eight Quaker schools (students live on site) ranging from elementary to technical, teacher college and theology schools. These schools are regarded as the best quality education available in this area.
40,000 people in this rural community.
Nearest cities are Kisumu, on Lake Victoria, 40 miles away; and Kakamega, 25 miles away.

New Meeting House

“If a brother or sister is naked and lacks daily food, and one of you says to them, “go in peace, keep warm and eat your fill”, and yet you do not supply their bodily needs what is the good of that?”

The needs:
Food
Drinking water
Shelter
Sanitation
Health care
Education
Employment

Kenyans are trying to solve these problems...
There are 350,000 Quakers, this is the largest group of Friends in the world, larger group than all other Quakers in the world combined, including US, Europe, Asia.
Kenyan Friends dreamed, designed, developed, and are driving this project- which will give them the skills to solve their own problems. Kenyan Friends are providing the site, the manpower and as many resources as they have

“Your young men shall see visions and your old men shall dream dreams”

The University...

Phase I “the mini campus” the focus of this groups effort: one dormitory, one canteen, one building with classrooms and teachers offices. Planned: classes start in September of 2008 for about 75 students.
In January of 2008 construction begins on a second dormitory, dining/meeting hall. Additional dormitories will be built as the school increases in size and programs.

The road to Phase II – a walk through the jungle…

Phase II – Main Campus will open for classes in 2013 – this site is just a walk through the jungle from the mini campus.

Initial Degree Programs(mini campus)

Computer science
Education
Business
Bible
More degree programs will be added – including the development of a nursing school, a medical school, and engineering programs

Branch campus Kakamega... Planned for the future:
Branch campus 25 miles away to teach the trades (one hour by road!) The trades:
Carpentry
Electrical
Mechanical
Plumbing
Automotive repair

So what did Doug do?

They called him “the Engineer”

He directed the demolition of one existing structure and replaced it with a hostel on the same site.

Supervised site preparation and began construction on the canteen/student center.

Doug got dirty.

The Hostel - before	Tearing it down and salvaging the materials
Bouilding a new one	Further along
	Starting the canteen, student center
Lumber Jacking	A beginning