December 27-30. Those days before newyear.

At 7:30 we start working with five people to complete the wallframes and prepare for the concrete foundation of the brick wall. We need more cement and metal rods. Perhaps the “big guy” in the village can chip in with a little donation. Until then, I have to play the big guy myself.

We get ten wheelbarrows of Maram for the third layer of the walls. Philip gets them on his own.

Yeon starts painting the ironsheets in the colors of the rainbow. They are laid on the grass to dry.

There is a taboo in the village: if a son moves out, his house cannot be used for another family. Someone can live there temporarily, but eventually the house should be destructed. The materials can’t even be reused within the same family. Sometimes they are sold to a different community. The younger generation fights those taboos, and I see them disappearing in a few decades. Until then, initiatives like ours have to buy all the materials in warehouses.

The bricking is underway. We have changed the shape to a rectangular office with two round corners. There will be an extra space for the cabinet where donations like a computer can be stored safely.

On December 30th we rush to Kisumu to buy some sparkling wine and flour for Mandazi (doughnuts, oliebollen!) tomorrow. The Luo traditional doughnuts taste just like our Dutch version, the things we feast on on New Year’s eve. We also fetch some sparkling wine to assure we got what we are used to tomorrow.

We expect some high people tomorrow.

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