With a little love ....

... and some tenderness

Andrew, one of the main admin folks at Malezi scholl in Majengo, supervises the transport.

 A lame-ass American band of the mid 1990's once put together a tragically catchy tune called  Hold my Hand. Yes .. the south Carolina rockers Hootie and blowfish had a big hit on their hands indeed. And as lame-ass as they were (in my humble and oft overly judgmental opinion) the song endures given that the opening line springs so easily to mind. Remember?  Here's the link: With a little love... and some tenderness.



The tune title and lyrics reconcile well with my feelings about the needs of the people in Majengo slum. My gosh -- I doubt there are many places in the world where folks have it so rough. And as many times as I've mentioned the slum whose people are so close to my heart, I find myself again describing their sad reality and then humbled by the generosity of others.






Pictured above is a load of rice and beans along with some new plates and cups going into the slum. Precariously loaded onto a mkokoteni, this wheelbarrow on steroids will make its way down the twisted paths - through the mud and sewer and finally to Malezi school where the 250 kids will have food for the next 6 weeks. Rice and beans isn't exactly haute cuisine from the fancy restaurants of Paris, but it is nutritious food that will take their minds off their bellies so they can concentrate and learn a few things. My education experience was a bit different if I remember well.





My Mom and Kath both made generous donations as did their friend Marg and Rick. Thank you very much for sending this money along to me. I won't editorialize too much (how unlike me) on the benefits of direct intervention as compared to donations to large organizations that chew up massive amounts of aid through top-heavy blood sucking administration and the pantheon of corrupt officials along the way... but suffice it to say the money was well spent. With that in mind a thank you to my friend Debbie who sourced the beans and rice direct from the farmers up country and arranged the transport to Nairobi.  Also thanks to my procurement team at MSF who found a manufacturer of plates and cups reducing the price to a fraction of the retail price.





I remember vividly my daughter Stevie's 9th birthday. While we were planning her birthday party she announced with all the seriousness and gravity that a nearly 9 year old can muster that she would not be accepting gifts this year - but instead only donations to the Sea Shepard's Conservation Society. An NGO with whom she had fallen in love with. Hmmm quite telling I would say.


So it's with little surprise that she (slightly older now)  has gone on to  rally the members of her Facebook group, The Vancouver Island Fish Enthusiasts, to participate in a raffle that led to raising of over $800. I'm so proud of her and thankful to all those who participated in the raffle for what is a great cause.






The money raised so far will feed the kids for 12 weeks. We have enough to bring in another 100 kgs of Rice and 100 kgs of beans in October. The cost for this (the 2 sacks)  is about $270 usd. I wonder if between us, the readers of my blog and I, we might keep Malezi in rice and beans on an ongoing basis? If you want to continue to help out... email me at laynemahon@live.com Together we can make a real difference in this little corner of the world.


Hootie went on to say; .....Take me by the hand - take me by the hand..... wiser words were never spoken -- even if they were a lame-assed band. 😀 Maybe Hootie and the owls would have made more sense ??










Thanks for reading .......Layno!!!