Driving north out of Kenya’s capital, Nairobi, you might think you’re in a tropical paradise as you go around lush Mt. Kenya. But then you drop down to the dry, barren plains of the northern bush. And that’s where you find Ola Nagele and a sea of other villages struggling for survival.

Ola Nagele is due north of the town of Isiolo. It’s a medium-sized village with over 3,000 people. The average family, since polygamy is practiced, can easily be 15 people. And it’s hard to feed that many mouths with only maize and beans that might be available once a day.

The nearest clean water source? It used to be a pipe 4 kilometers away, where people often waited 3-4 hours in line to fill their water cans. But in February 2011, many gracious online partners fully adopted Ola Nagele and we were able to get clean water in the village! Next to tackle: only slightly more than half of Ola Nagele’s children are in a school, since poverty prevents the parents from affording the small fees for uniforms, books and supplies.

The leaders of Ola Nagele have eagerly asked GHNI to come help them with our method of Transformational Community Development (TCD). They are eager to learn how to organize themselves for development, and they understand that we only work with villages who will devote themselves to their own transformation. As we begin with Ola Nagele, we have high hopes for their future!

Follow Ola Nagele on the Ola Nagele blog!

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