Samuel and Rhoda Teimuge of Eldoret, Kenya have been part of Spirit in Action since the very beginning. As friends of Del Anderson, they advised him on the best ways to support economic empowerment in Kenya. They all shared a passion for promoting self-sufficiency and sustainability, especially in terms of growing food and rearing animals, and farming in ways that preserve soil health. As we welcome Samuel and Rhoda as SIA Emeritus Board Members, I share their latest adventur

“Our greatest national resource is the minds of our children.” ― Walt Disney Spirit in Action is investing in this natural resource by supporting students at Samuel and Rhoda Teimuge’s Samro School in Kenya. A SIA Community Grant in November will pay for school fees and lunch for four students, and also cover the tuition and board for eight boarding students. Samro is not only a place to learn, it is also a loving environment which gives the students hope and builds their sel

Arsons have burned over 100 public high schools in Kenya this year, affecting over 6,000 students. These aren’t terrorist attacks. It seems to be the work of some of the students themselves. And speculation about possible motivations is flying around without any clear conclusions. What is clear is that this is very bad news for the government schools that are already underfunded and overcrowded. It also clearly highlights the value of supporting good schools like Samro School

Thank you to all who attended our 20th Anniversary party on Saturday! It was a wonderful gathering with both people who have been part of Spirit in Action from the beginning and new members of the SIA community! My dream is that in our next 20 years we approach our work recognizing the power, knowledge, and vision that already exists in the people we serve. My dream is that Spirit in Action, with our wide international network, dedicated Board members, passionate volunteers,

Samuel and Rhoda Teimuge hosted me during both of my visits to Kenya, 2011 and 2014. Their campus in the rural outskirts of Eldoret is simultaneously a vibrant hub and a peaceful retreat. Friendly people, working as teachers, gardeners, house parents, and cooks welcomed me, showing me the sustainable agriculture training garden (with fish ponds, compost piles, mushroom greenhouses, and more), the elementary school and daycare centre, meeting hall and dining room, guest huts,

(Del Anderson in the SIA Office in 2004.) Save the date! You’re invited to join us for Spirit in Action’s 20th Anniversary Celebration! Saturday, June 25th, at 2-4pm at Lakeshore Avenue Baptist Church in Oakland, CA. We decided against the traditional china, rejected the modern platinum, and chose instead to host a great party! We will be celebrating past, present, and future, with special guests Samuel and Rhoda Teimuge, from Eldoret, Kenya. (More details and invitations to

Last week I wrote about SIA’s partners – the people who are implementing change in their communities with our support – and I mentioned that we like to create long-lasting relationships with these partners. Del Anderson’s partnership and friendship with Samuel and Rhoda Teimuge began even before Spirit in Action was officially formed in 1996. Talk about a long-lasting relationship! Over those 20 years, the Teimuges’ Samro School has gone from a dream, to a single student in a

Kids at Samro School and Empowering Lives International play baseball in the mud. For World Storytelling Day on Thrusday, and as a way of officially announcing my trip to Kenya, Malawi, and Uganda this July, I wrote down a story from my last trip in 2011. We visited Eldoret in the rainy season of August 2011. The rain falls almost every day and the dirt roads, once they can no longer absorb any more water, become mud pits, with trenches of water flowing on either side and riv

Learning computer skills on the computers purchased with a SIA Community Grant I saw an inspiring film last month. It wasn’t one that won an Oscar. Rather, it was a documentary about a pair of architects who taught high school students in rural North Carolina about how to design and build things. With the motto “Design. Build. Transform,” If You Build It wasn’t about a regular ol’ shop class. The “shop class +”  introduced the students to concepts like design, creative soluti

Five classic sewing machines and one high-tech machines are available for students. Jobs, jobs, jobs. Even more than in the US, people in Kenya are desperately seeking jobs that pay the bills and help their families thrive. Also like the US, people in Kenya turn to education to increase their job opportunities. Samro Polytechnic school in Eldoret Kenya, supported in part by a SIA grant, is focused on providing training in marketable skills, like tailoring, sewing, and compute

Today is about giving back! After Black Friday and Cyber Monday Giving Tuesday invites us to put our thanksgiving gratitude into action by helping others. Spirit in Action giving happens everyday. Giving between neighbors in rural Malawi. Giving between grandparents and children in Meru, Kenya. Giving between students and teachers at schools in Eldoret, Kenya. Giving between donors and families ready to start businesses in Uganda. In this season of giving, here are just 3 of

1. Maize Machines – Bought and Delivered! This is progress! Last spring’s SIA Silent Auction helped raise the funds for the Manyamula Savings and Loans Cooperative to purchase a maize mill in Malawi. I heard from Canaan over the weekend and the mill has been purchased – and as a bit of a silver lining – the devalued local currency meant that the SIA grant was enough to purchase two mills, instead of one! MAVISALO members with the 2 new diesel engines! “I am glad to inform you

One of the many highlights of my trip to Africa last summer was visiting Samuel Teimuge in Kenya. Samuel, who worked with Del even before Spirit in Action was founded in 1996, is local role model in Eldoret, Kenya. He and his family are integral to many development projects, including Empowering Lives International, Samro School, and the Ukweli Training Centre. Last year, Samuel shared some words of wisdom with our SIA Small Business Fund Coordinators. Here are some of his in

SIA SBF Coordinators watch a presentation about tree seedlings and reforestation. Spring is in the air all over the USA this week! To celebrate the rain and the warmer temperatures, I am reposting this discussion of agro-forestry from last April on Spirit in Action’s blog. ********************************** Our international partners working in Kenya have long recognized the value of agroecology. This type of farming system, also called bio-intensive agriculture, uses techniq

A woman tends to vegetables in a bio-intensive garden in northern Kenya, which is run by CIFORD to grow food for people with HIV/AIDS. Our international partners working in Kenya have long recognized the value of agro-ecology. This type of farming system, also called bio-intensive agriculture, uses techniques that help to replenish the nutrients in the soil and uses minimal amounts of chemical fertilizers and other inputs to grow vegetables and fruits. Agro-ecology methods br

“Environmental protection has become a priority in this country and there is a lot of technical input the government is employing.” This statement could easily have come from any U.S.-based environmentalist. But, it comes from one based in Kenya. Dennis Kiprop, a Spirit in Action partner in Eldoret, Kenya wrote recently to share with me about environmental movements in his country and explain how people are employing bio-intensive agriculture to replenish the nutrients in the

I was pleased to read the following tribute from ERase Poverty to Dennis Kiprop, who is a SIA Small Business Fund coordinator in Kenya. ERase Poverty, a Washington state based nonprofit, recently coordinated the Second Annual Watoto 10K Road Race in Ilula, Kenya. The race raised funds from sponsors in Kenya and the US to build a water pump at the Illula Children’s Home, which Samuel and Rhoda Teimuge run. Congratulations to Dennis! “We are honored to welcome several other par

Here is the latest update from Samuel Teimuge (Eldoret, Kenya) about his recent Spirit in Action grants: ANIMAL FEED MACHINE Filling bags full of grain for the animals. (Click picture for larger version)
“The Machine was very useful last year but not as expected. It had some difficulty in producing. We used to get up to 30 bags per day and so it proved to be slow. With the savings of last year I have renovated the machine and is faster and would produce up to 80 to 100 back i

Last November the Spirit in Action Board of Directors approved a grant for Samuel Teimuge (Kenya) to purchase an Animal Feed Machine, which grinds up grasses for animal feed. This is part of the “zero-grazing” technique of animal husbandry which confines the animal in a shaded pen, reducing the risk of disease for the animal and the amount of erosion caused by the animal eating hillside grasses. “Zero-grazing” also increases the amount of milk produced by the cow or goat. The