Sustainable Development in Sisit

by Eddy Ruble, CBF Kutana Kenya Participant

While participating in Kutana Kenya 2018, I had the opportunity to visit Sub-Saharan Africa for the first time and interact with the land and the people of Kenya.  Our group was exposed to the multiple dimensions of earth-care and sustainable development practices, while also observing the adverse effects of industrial agriculture, deforestation, and over grazing of grasslands.  Global warming affects rainfall, underground aquifers, drinking water, irrigation and the food supply – all necessities for life.  On the humanitarian side, education equips the next generation with knowledge and skills they need to better navigate the world and find solutions for the next generation.  Looking into the eyes of a young Kenyan school girl in a remote highland village where they collect and carry their drinking water from a natural stream, I got a glimpse into Kenya’s future.  I saw a quiet confidence and curiosity. I saw a healthy girl who has benefited from sustainable development work in her village over the course of many years – Africa Exchange’s partnership in building of a preschool and support to an elementary school, the installation of a suspension bridge over a rushing river, and the current installation of running water in the village and individual water filters for each household.  I was proud to be a part of an organization which reaches out to partner together with communities in the developing world to help them meet the challenges they face and find appropriate solutions for their context.

Eddy Ruble shares a moment with students of Sisit