You won't believe what Agnes and I found when we visited my friend, Mary Alu, last week.
Not only did we find just the right land for Agnes and her sons, we found a home!
Mary is the one that told me about the property. She knows Morris, the current owner, very well. In fact, they've been friends for years and even attend the same church.
The property is two acres and is fully developed! It's above and beyond what we imagined we would find! In fact, it's as if this property had been set aside precisely for Agnes!
Let's all join together to empower her! Let's make her dream a reality!
This house is made of bricks, not mud. Because of that it will be much more durable and won't require so much maintenance, like a mud house would. It has several rooms - a large living room, two bedrooms, a dining area, a small cubicle to bathe in (with a bucket of water), and a storage room.
This is part of the front yard, with mature Cyprus trees and a nice lawn.
The structure on the left is a 'store', used for storing maize and other produce. It could also be used to keep small animals (like goats) at night.
The light tan structure on the right is the kitchen. In rural areas, kitchens are always separate from the house because of the smoke from cooking with wood.
In the foreground is a bougainvillea bush that's been nicely trimmed to create shade for the bench. A nice sitting area to visit with a neighbor.
The small light green tree you can see behind the bougainvillea is a Loquat, which produces nice fruit.
This is another view of the 'store', with a small garden in the foreground.
You can see that there are also many fences, with barbed wire, already in place.
In one corner of the property is this mud 'duka'. It has two small rooms that could each be used for business. Currently Morris uses one side as a 'posho mill' (where people come to have their maize ground into flour). The other side has in the past been a small shop for neighbors to purchase staple food items.
Agnes could hire out these two rooms to some other budding business man or woman... or she could run a business or two herself. I imagine there's a possibility that Morris (the current owner) could keep his 'posho mill' machine and established business where it is and rent the space from Agnes. And, as a tailor, Agnes could use the other room for her sewing business.There would be several options for this building.
You can see that there are more mature trees in back of the 'duka'. Trees are quite an asset and this property has 200 of them! They can be used for construction and for firewood... in addition to creating a wind-break and providing shade and beauty.
This is the 'shamba' portion of the property. It's one full acre and the area with the house and other buildings is also one full acre. The land in this area (called Nzoia Scheme) is quite fertile. And this particular area is very wet for much of the year.
Notice the canal on the left-hand side of the photo. These are dug and maintained to prevent soil erosion and flooding. They also help to keep the water at the location of the crop, instead of it running downhill.
The property already has a pit latrine (shown in this photo). There is also already a functioning well. The well is a huge asset, as digging one can be risky... you never know if you'll find water!
The fact that this property is already developed is a huge benefit! The time and stress involved in having a house built on an empty piece of property cannot even be calculated. This one not only has a house, it has so much more!
The property is not only land... it's a home!
Agnes and her boys simply need to move in... and their new lives will begin immediately!
Agnes and her son, Pope, take a look at the 'shamba'.
With them is my friend, Edgar, who lives nearby. Having Edgar and his mother, Mary Alu, near to Agnes is also a huge asset! They will be a great source of encouragement and advice to her!
Additionally, Morris told Agnes that there are other neighbors from her same tribe - Teso. She was very glad to hear that.
This is a sampling of the comments everyone made about this piece of property:
- Agnes - This farm is beyond my dreams. I am ready to start a new life here.
- Robert - If I had the cash, I would buy it for myself.
- Edgar - This is a really good piece of property. Agnes will do well here.
- Mary Alu - It seems God has prepared that land for Agnes. She can be like my 'daughter'. I will advise her and encourage her.
Agnes was all smiles on our trip to see this property. She is seeing the dream about to become reality! She is so eager to move away from the congested and stressful market area where she now lives in Misikhu... and instead move to an open and beautiful environment.
Each one of her sons had smiles on their faces during my time visiting them. The difference in their demeanor was so noticeable. It was contagious and exciting to me!
This is Tony, Agnes' oldest son (18). He was able to enter high school while I was there. In this photo he's wearing his uniform for the very first time.
This is Pope (Popino, age 16). He dreams of having small animals at their new home. Here he is with one of Mary's goats. Look at that smile! These boys will blossom in their new environment!
Adu (Anderson, 14) was also so excited to be out in the country-side. His dream is to raise rabbits once they get settled at their new home.
Duane (age 7.5) and Zach (almost 4) are typical young boys, and were eager to climb the trees! They radiated with joy and laughter at the idea of moving to their new home!
With their own land, a big open sky, space to run and play, and clean air... this family will prosper, thrive, and grow! They'll be able to feed themselves and chase their dreams!
Mary Alu (seated) has been a good friend of mine for 9 years. She is excited to have Agnes as her new neighbor and says she will be to her like a 'daughter'.
When they gathered for this picture, Mary said, "Deb, take a photo of me and my daughter."
Agnes' mother died in 2002 and she has longed for someone to fill that role for her ever since. Mary can also be a 'sho sho' (grandmother) to these boys!
Just look at the joy in this photo! It was meant to be... in God's perfect plan!
As one of my friends said, "How neat that Mary comes with the property!"
My original goal for raising money for this project was $12,000. I came up with this figure based on two acres of land in the Misikhu area and then building a simple mud hut. It was hard to predict how far that amount would reach. For instance, I had no idea if it would be enough to dig a well or build a pit latrine. It was simply an estimate, my best guess.
Agnes looked at four pieces of property in the Misikhu area, but none of them seemed to be right for her and her family. In fact, one of them was also developed, but the asking price was much higher than Morris' property.
As I mentioned above, Morris' property is very fertile - more so than the land in the Misikhu area. Because of that, it will be more productive. The yield will be higher without investing extra labor, blood, sweat, and tears.
Morris' original asking price was $16,350. My friend Robert (another son of Mary's) just
happened to be visiting from Tanzania. And... he just
happens to be in real estate. He and Edgar (who
also dabbles in real estate in the local area) did a very efficient job of negotiating with Morris. They got him down to $15,000 - a very fair price for both the seller and the buyer according to the market.
Additionally, we will need approximately $575 for these necessary expenditures:
- a lawyer ($350)
- a surveyor ($100)
- moving Agnes' things from Misikhu to Nzoia Scheme ($100)
- an international wire to get the money to Kenya ($25)
That brings the total to $15,575. We already raised $12,340! Let's join together to raise the final $3,235! I believe we can do it!
Maybe you were unable to give in our initial fundraiser. Now is your chance! Or maybe you gave before and are excited to give again for this final step!
For each one of you that gives $25 or more, I'll plant a tree on Agnes' new property. This will be a
double way to invest in her life. You'll help her take the final step
and the trees will grow in value as they mature!
- Some of the trees can be fruit-bearing.
- Some can add beauty to the property.
- Others can be used for future building projects.
- And many of the trees can be used for firewood for Agnes to cook for her family!
In the next two weeks, let's see if we can raise this additional bit of money for Agnes to take the final step! It would only take 130 people to donate $25 each! I wouldn't be surprised if we reach our goal in 48 hours!
Let's try it!
Choose from two methods to give -
1. PAYPAL. Click on this "Donate" button. Indicate the amount you would like to contribute to the "Acres for Agnes" fund. Except for PayPal's fee, 100% of your donation goes to this project!
2. SNAIL MAIL. If you live in the United States and would like to send a check, please make it out to Deb Smith. On the memo line, write "Acres for Agnes". 100% of your donation goes to this project!
Mail it to -
Deb Smith
PO Box 34083
Omaha, NE 68134
Please be as generous as you can in selecting the amount you would like to give.
Any amount is welcome and appreciated.
Thank you so much for partnering with me to help change Agnes'
life. Let's all learn new ways to love our neighbors as we love
ourselves!
-deb
P.S. Please feel free to spread the word about the final step of "Acres for Agnes" by using the "share buttons" on the right.
"There
are always going to be poor and needy people among you. So I command
you: Always be generous, open purse and hands, give to your neighbors in
trouble, your poor and hurting neighbors." Deuteronomy 15:11
