Welcome to MCF!

Written September 29th

We’ve now spent 10 days at MCF Ndalani and it has become our new home! The property is 120 acres, most of it developed for agriculture. The roads are red dirt, lined with lovingly planted trees. It is dry, but we are told that Kenya will be green after the rains. There are some things that we really did not expect, such as the beautiful flowering vines that coat the trees near our room, or the extensive ditch system that I’m sure will be very useful after a month of rain, or the new greenhouse that covered 2 acres of land, or how private our living quarters are from the children’s, or just how large of an operation this is.

The farm is very large. Dozens of workers, supervisors and specialists help to grow enough food to feed about 600 people. Plus they run a complex business producing French beans for export to Europe. (This is what the greenhouse is used for.) In addition to food, there is a fabulous tree nursery. MCF Ndalani is different from much of the surrounding area in that it has trees of all sizes growing. This year alone, the workers here have planted over 40,000 trees. The trees help to prevent erosion, replenish the nutrients in the soil and moderate the climate.

The majority of the buildings are a beautiful stone and cement design. Ironwork down by MCF’s own graduates graces the windows and doors. These buildings are wonderfully cool throughout the day. Also on the property are the older aluminum structures. These are used for some of the boys, storage and some of the MCF workers. Lindsey and I have our own aluminum room. It’s actually far more comfortable than we had imagined. For starters it is painted a soothing beige colour. There are three sets of bunks which we rearranged to create a sleeping area, kitchen area, work area, lounge area and library (of course each area is quite small and some imagination is required to visualize it being considered an “area”). We have one electrical outlet which is located in the “work area.” Our kitchen area consists of a sink and counter, with a bookshelf nearby. We were extremely excited to find the sink, counter and shelf! We have our own bathroom with a shower and toilet. The water is indeed very chilly. Sometimes you have to psyche yourself up to take a shower that cold.

We haven’t seen too many scary bugs around. Our first critter that we met was one very large spider. We tried to kill him, but all we got was one leg. We promptly named him Captain Hook (because of his missing limb), and have seen him a couple of times since but haven’t been able to miss him off. Yet. I’ve become very good at killing bees. Lindsey is allergic to bee stings, so I’ve become a bit of a bodyguard for her.

The weather is very agreeable for us – nice and hot with no humidity! We love it! The Kenyans constantly ask us if we find it too hot and we explain that in southern Ontario it gets very cold, as well as very hot, so we are used to the heat. Last week I got a bad sunburn on the back of my neck. Our Kenyan friends were somewhat fascinated with my red neck, especially when it started peeling! We’re getting nice and tanned. By feet are definitely darker… Or is it dirt? It’s hard to say.

The people that we see everyday include Helen, Peter, Chela and Muendi. Helen is responsible for planning our days. She works as a counselor at the school. Her husband is Peter. Peter oversees all the construction that is happening (and there is a lot!). He is also Mr. Mulli’s youngest brother. Chela and Muendi are our wonderful cooks. We see them all the time and have become our good friends! Joshua is the farm manager who we report to each day. There are many other people that we are getting know and who make each day very special.

Our time at MCF Ndalani has been very good. We have settled into a routine and are getting to know people. There is so much to learn, it is at time overwhelming. Each day is a new day of exploration and learning. It is wonderful living and growing here!