The drive was only 225 kilometers (135 miles), but it took us 5 hours (with a 10 minute rest-stop half way) to travel from Nairobi to the Kaaga School for the deaf in Meru. One we arrived in Meru (population estimated at about 100,000), we were taken first to the school to meet people and look at the job site. We were given very warm greetings upon arrival, and there were a host of people from the Board of Governors for the Kaaga School of the Deaf, the Kaaga Church, the Kaaga School for the Deaf itself, and the Mubichi family. We were then offered a warm and gracious afternoon tea, complete with tea, coffee, hot chocolate, and fresh fruit (mango, pineapple, and watermelon).

The dream of bringing a library to the deaf children is becoming a fast reality. The construction was begun only 2 months ago (November 17, 2005) and much progress has been made. Decisions made along the way which have changed the building slightly include:

A decision not to cut and fill the site creating a portion of the building which had a raised interior floor (5 steps and an adjacent ramp); the reason cited was because of additional expense that would have been incurred for sitework.

A change from solid concrete columns to columns made with enclosed steel (including 4 – 12 mil. Rebars in each column) to be extended vertically in the future.

A change from wooden trusses for the roofing to steel ones (the wood was not available whereas the steel was).

The stone in the exterior walls is a quarry stone that was cut about 15 kilometers (9 miles) from Meru.

The doors and window are “done” and in just need of installation.

We also learned a little bit more about the pump / water situation at the adjacent School for the Mentally handicapped. The goal there is to get water from a nearby stream to the school. Two thousand dollars has been given through Oklahoma VIM in order to provide a pump to solve this problem; the issue, however, is that while the funds will pay for a pump, they will not support the maintenance of the pump. So, the question is one of how to consider re-appropriating the money in order to solve the problem at hand but perhaps with a gravity-fed system that would not involve a pump that has to be maintained. The Kaaga representatives asked that part of the team address this problem on Monday or Tuesday of next week.

Dinner at the hotel tonight was good: cream of chicken soup, spinach, rice, naan, a vegetable dish with peas, carrots, and potatoes as well as fried chicken. For dessert, we had fresh plumbs, mangos, and small bananas.

After dinner, the team met for devotions. We sang several songs (in part trying to discern which one we will sing tomorrow at church), spoke of why we were on this particular mission, and learned a little more from Mr. Mubichi.

Submitted by Kellye J