Finally mastered the Jembe! In comparison to a Canadian shovel, it’s much faster and once you get into a rhythm you can quickly plow a field. 
Working up a sweat! Madame Carolyn (Principal) and Deputy Luke – visit me with the Jambe in the Shamba!
Okay, I admit No. 1 Sacre Verte supporter, Paul O, did the hard digging today!
Mr. O approves of our work!
Satisfying result. Beds read to plant seeds. 
The women who look after the children who live at “Small Home”.
Where the magic happens! Stirring the porridge for the students:
A common Kenyan symbol, in jewellery, decoration etc:
Building the Peace Garden today with my core team.
Let’s do this!
Let’s go watermelon!
The secret to our success:
— planting the day after it rained
— covering the beds with leaves (the kind goats do not eat) to keep in moisture. . .
— true team-work + trusted relationship:
1-2-3….Shamba!
Best day in Kenya! Faith first – let the facts follow . . .
Students had fun watching me try to use the Jambe – Kenyan digging tool, which the ten year olds (and younger) had no problem with!
Mr O, teacher-farmer, provided invaluable advice for The Peace Garden.
Thank you, children!
Kenyan friends and community members:
Note the pic, above: watermelon seeds germinated in 6 days!
Making art & poetry with the children in drought stricken Kenya.
Thank you once again to IC Parish in Vancouver for generously donating the art supplies.
The “poetry goggles” (which allows one to see the world poetically, and authentically) fit my students at Shalom School, Kenya very well.
This year with my team (now in Class 7!) at Shalom School, in the IDP community in Molo, we discussed: global warming, air pollution, GMOs, organic farming, and the wonders of clean oxygen. We found some poetic solutions to climate change. Here’s a small sample:
Ode To Oxygen
Oh Oxygen! You are good.
God made Oxygen.
People breathe oxygen.
Birds breathe oxygen
even plants breathe
out oxygen and breathe in
carbon dioxide.
I breathe oxygen.
I Breathe out Carbon Dioxide.
I am oxygen.
When you breathe me
you will live forever.
If you cannot breathe me
you cannot live
even one second
I am life
I cannot die
I am oxygen.
I hope everybody is oxygen.
You cannot live without breathing oxygen.
We are oxygen.
Ode to Oxygen
Oh Oxygen! You are surprising . . . .
Ode to O2
(fish breathe through gills
and fish need oxygen)
Oh Oxygen! You are good to people.
People love you. A person cannot live
without oxygen. Oh oxygen you came
from plants like trees and people give
plants CO2 and plants give us oxygen.
And you are air. God made air
for us to breathe, you are sooo
good for us. Without air we can die
I hope you live forever and everrr
and everrrr Amen!
SPECIAL thank-you to….the beautiful art supplies provided by the children (reaching out to children) from Immaculate Conception Parish in Vancouver, Canada.
